When choosing the right web hosting for your website, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the options available. Two of the most common hosting types you’ll see are Shared Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting. While they both serve the same basic purpose—keeping your website online—they differ significantly in terms of performance, support, and features.
In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each hosting type and explain why Managed WordPress Hosting is often the better choice for small businesses that use WordPress.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Web Hosting
Web hosting is essentially the service that enables your website to be accessible on the internet. All websites, regardless of their size, need a web host to store their files. There are different types of hosting options available, with Shared Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting being two of the most common for WordPress websites.
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared Hosting is exactly what it sounds like—you share a server with many other websites. This means that all the server’s resources, including CPU, RAM, and storage, are shared among dozens or even hundreds of users.
It’s a budget-friendly hosting option, which makes it popular for new businesses or individuals who are just starting their online journey.
Benefits of Shared Hosting
- Affordable: Shared hosting is affordable, making it an excellent choice for small businesses or startups with tight budgets. Prices can start as low as $2.99/month.
- Beginner-Friendly: Many shared hosting services come with easy-to-use control panels like cPanel or Plesk, allowing even non-technical users to manage their sites easily
- Flexibility: While it may not be optimized for WordPress, shared hosting allows you to host different types of websites, whether you’re using Joomla, Drupal, or a custom-built site or even host multiple sites on one plan.
- Email: Typically shared hosting services include basic email services.
Cons of Shared Hosting
- Performance Issues and slower speeds: Since server resources are shared, high traffic to other sites on the same server can slow down YOUR website, making it less ideal for businesses with fluctuating traffic.
- Limited Support: Shared hosting typically comes with limited customer support, which means you might need to resolve certain issues on your own.
- Security Concerns: While shared hosting providers offer basic security, the shared nature of the service can make your website more vulnerable to attacks. If one site on the server is compromised, others might be affected.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress Hosting is a specialized hosting service tailored specifically for WordPress websites. The hosting provider takes care of all the technical aspects of running a WordPress site, including updates, security, performance optimization, and backups.
This hosting solution is designed to ensure your WordPress site runs efficiently, without the need for you to manage the technical details.
Benefits of Managed WordPress Hosting
- Optimized Performance: Managed hosting is built and optimized for WordPress, ensuring your site loads faster and performs better, even during peak traffic periods
- Enhanced Security: Managed hosting providers offer enhanced security features like malware scans, WordPress specific firewalls, and automatic updates, making it much more secure than shared hosting.
- Automated Backups & Updates: Managed hosting services usually include daily backups and automatic WordPress updates, reducing the risk of issues caused by outdated software, plugins and themes.
- Expert Dedicated Support: Managed WordPress hosts offer specialized support, with teams that are experts in handling WordPress issues. This is particularly helpful for non-technical users or new users.
Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting
- Higher Cost: Managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, with prices starting around $15 to $60/month
- WordPress-Only Environment: You can ONLY host WordPress sites, which limits your flexibility so if you ever plan to use a different platform, you’ll need to switch hosts.
Feature Comparison
Let’s break down the key features of Shared Hosting and Managed WordPress hosting side by side. From security to scalability, here’s how they stack up against each other.
Feature
Shared Hosting
Managed WordPress
Performance
Performance can be inconsistent due to shared resources, which may slow down during peak times.
Optimized for speed with dedicated resources, making it faster even during high traffic.
Security
Basic security features, but higher vulnerability due to the shared environment.
Advanced security features, including daily malware scans and firewalls.
Ease of Use
cPanel or similar management interfaces can be intimidating, and require more manual updates.
Hands-off experience with automatic updates and backups.
Scalability
Limited scalability; might need to upgrade as your traffic grows.
Highly scalable, perfect for growing sites, with features like autoscaling.
Pricing
Affordable, starting as low as $2.99/month.
More expensive, starting at $15/month and higher depending on features.
FAQs
Can I move or migrate my site from shared hosting to managed WordPress hosting?
Yes, our expert roadies offer easy migration services to help move your site to our services.
Is managed WordPress hosting worth the extra cost?
If you prioritize speed, security, and expert support, managed hosting is definitely worth the little bit extra for that peace of mind.
Is shared hosting suitable for high-traffic WordPress websites?
Not really. Shared hosting may struggle with high traffic, and managed hosting is a better option for scalability.
Final Thoughts: Which Hosting Should You Choose?
If you’re a small business just getting started and need the most budget-friendly option, Shared Hosting might be enough for you, at least at the beginning. However, keep in mind that as your website grows you’ll need to be more hands-on and you may run into issues with performance, security, and support.
On the other hand, if your website is built on WordPress and you’re looking for better speed, security, and ease of use, Managed WordPress Hosting is the clear winner. While it’s more expensive, the benefits it offers, particularly for WordPress sites, can help you focus more on running your business and less on dealing with technical issues.
- Speed: Managed WordPress Hosting providers use server configurations that are optimized specifically for WordPress, which can improve your site’s speed.
- Security: You’ll benefit from top-notch security features, like automatic updates, malware detection, and daily backups, which help safeguard your business’s data.
- Support: If something goes wrong, you have a team of WordPress experts ready to help you out. This can save you a lot of time and headaches compared to general hosting support.
- Scalability: Managed WordPress hosting can handle traffic spikes more effectively than shared hosting, so your website won’t slow down during high-traffic periods.
Try our Managed WordPress Hosting services and let our roadies do the work for you! 🚀
