Shared-VS-WordPress

Shared vs Managed WordPress Hosting: The Key Differences and How to Make Your Decision

Web Hosting / By / September 28, 2022 / , / 4 minutes of reading

There are various different types of website hosting and it is crucial that you choose the appropriate hosting package for your specific needs. Shared and WordPress hosting are two common types. How do you know which is best for you and your website? To help you figure this out, in this article, we are going to compare the two

What is Shared hosting?

Shared hosting is a web hosting service where your site shares the resources of a single web server with other websites. And because you’re sharing with tens or hundreds of other sites, then it’s usually the cheapest hosting option.

You can expect to pay as little as $4.99/month for shared hosting. That’s an attractive price point for people just starting a blog as you don’t know how you’re going to get on with blogging.

But it’s not just beginners who can use shared hosting. A shared server can also work fine for personal sites, hobby sites, small business sites, development (proof of concept) sites, and bloggers. In short, any low-traffic website could use a shared hosting service.

What is Managed WordPress hosting?

Managed WordPress hosting is a web hosting service specifically designed with the latest technologies, like PHP7 and Nginx, to make your WordPress site both secure and fast.

Managed hosts also provide additional “managed services” to take care of background maintenance tasks like backups, security checks, and WordPress updates. Plus, you’ll find their customer support staff can solve your problems quickly as they’re WordPress experts.

Bottom line: Managed WordPress hosts let you focus on your business, while they handle all the background admin tasks for you.

So, if you want more technical assistance, a faster site, or have high volumes of traffic, then you’ll find managed WordPress hosting is a better fit. But extra services and performance optimizations cost more money.

Pros and cons of Shared hosting

Now you know what shared hosting is, let’s take a look at the Pros and cons of using a shared hosting service.
Pros of shared hosting
  • You often pay a significantly lower monthly fee.
  • Many shared hosts let you host unlimited websites for one flat cost.
  • Unlimited visitors-While “unlimited visitors” doesn’t exist, most shared hosts advertise unlimited and don’t have a hard cap on the number of visits to your site
  • Shared hosting typically includes webmail where you can create your own email address such as yourname@example.com for free.
  • Shared hosting providers typically don’t limit or forbid which plugins can be installed on your sites.
Cons of shared hosting
  • If another website is using a lot of the shared server’s limited resources, your site may run slower.
  • Some shared hosting services only provide generic support rather than WordPress-specific.
  • Shared hosting doesn’t include value-added features like automatic updates and backups, so you have more maintenance tasks to perform or additional fees to pay.
  • There’s a risk that your site may get taken offline because another website on the server has become infected with a virus or malware.

Pros and cons of managed WordPress hosting

Now let’s check out the pros and cons of using a managed WordPress hosting service.

Pros of managed WordPress hosting
  • Managed hosts have server architecture that’s designed specifically for WordPress, providing faster performance and better security.
  • Managed WordPress hosts continually monitor, upgrade, and patch their systems with the latest security updates, and also implement WordPress-specific security tweaks, like firewalls and login hardening. Some even offer malware scans and removal.
  • Managed WordPress hosts typically have built-in server-level caching and CDNs, which saves you having to configure extra plugins and improves your website performance.
  • Managed WordPress hosts take care of the core WordPress updates to keep your site secure and functioning. Some hosts also update WordPress themes and plugins for you.
  • Managed WordPress hosting typically includes daily backups (often retained for 30 days) to ensure your site’s data is safe, plus a 1-click restore process to get you back up and running quickly. Some hosts also offer on-demand backups.
  • Managed WordPress hosts have knowledgeable WordPress support staff.
Cons of managed WordPress hosting
  • Managed WordPress hosting usually costs more than shared hosting. 
  • Some managed WordPress hosts impose stricter limits on bandwidth or visitors per month.
  • Managed WordPress hosting plans stipulate how many websites you can have, such as 1 site or 5 sites.
  • Some managed WordPress hosts may not provide access to all the files and databases that make up your website(s), while others offer limited access.
  • Not all managed WordPress hosts provide email services.

Should I Use WordPress Hosting or Shared Hosting?

If you consider the benefits of shared hosting vs. WordPress hosting, you’ll see that the advantages of using a WordPress hosting package far outweigh shared hosting.

However, we recommend that you select your preferred hosting package by evaluating your business needs and budget.

Shared hosting is a better option for small businesses, hobby bloggers, and freelancers looking for a low-cost alternative.

You should consider a WordPress hosting solution if you’re looking to host your website on dedicated servers with better optimization and security features.

Looking to build a WordPress website with enhanced functionality and maintenance? Try CloudClusters’s Fully Managed WordPress hosting today.

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