Do you have a business website and struggling to find success online? One of the significant factors that can hinder your business website growth is the type of web hosting service you’re using. Now, VPS vs shared hosting is a common comparison among most businesses.
However, choosing the wrong hosting for your company can impact your website’s performance, speed, growth potential, and reliability. Now, most people get overwhelmed by the multitude of hosting services in the market. Some even ask themselves, which should I choose for my business website between shared vs VPS hosting? Are their subscription plans pocket-friendly? Which one will match my business objectives?
This guide will look at VPS hosting vs shared hosting differences. We will also compare their features, how they work, their application, and their benefits and drawbacks. This guide aims to help you understand each web hosting type so that you can choose one that matches your business website.
Table of Content
- Understanding Web Hosting
- Shared Hosting: An Overview
- VPS Hosting: An Overview
- The Showdown: VPS vs Shared Hosting
- How to Make the Right Choice?
- Making the Right Hosting Choice with RedSwitches
- Final Takeaway
- FAQs
Understanding Web Hosting
Think of renting space on a provider’s server where you store your data. The good thing about web server renting is that you get other perks like regular backups, security, uptime, and more.
Various web hosting services have unique features like website customization, control, and more. So, here are the best server hosting types you can expect:
- Shared
- Cloud
- VPS
- Dedicated
At this point, you should note that choosing the right solution for your business involves understanding server types offered by the hosting providers.
Shared Hosting: An Overview
It is the most common and pocket-friendly web hosting type. Here you share the server resources with other “tenants.” The provider allocates you bandwidth for your website and other resources, plus they’re responsible for the upkeep of the infrastructure. Some benefits and drawbacks of this web hosting type are:
Pros
- Pock-friendly: Since it’s shared among multiple users, the plans can go as low as $2/ month.
- Ease of management: The provider offers a control panel from where you can manage your website.
- No tech skills required: The responsibility for maintenance and technical aspects lies with the provider.
- Scalable and flexible: The plans are flexible for scaling your website and business.
Cons
- IP Sharing: Besides resource sharing, you’ll share an IP address with other tenants.
- Customization limitation: Shared hosting doesn’t give you much control. It also limits your customizing server settings.
VPS Hosting: An Overview
It is more flexible than shared hosting, with more advanced features. Here you access a larger server and, within it, a dedicated server, also known as a virtual private server (VPS). The good thing about this hosting type is you get more control and dedicated resources. Now there are some benefits and drawbacks to this type of web hosting, and it includes:
Pros
- Easy to customize: You have root access meaning more control to tweak server settings anytime.
- Better performance: The dedicated resources give you better site speed and functionality.
- Better security: You can easily secure your server partition, unlike in shared hosting
- Scalable: Upgrading your server resources is easy with this hosting type because the plans have more resources.
Cons
- Comes at a premium cost: If you have a small budget, the plans can become expensive compared to shared hosting.
- It’s more technical: Setting it up needs expertise or someone with technical skills.
The Showdown: VPS vs Shared Hosting
|
Features |
VPS | Shared Hosting |
| Performance & Speed | VPS hosting provides higher performance and speed. | Shared hosting has some limitations in speed and performance. |
| Security | VPS hosting provides better protection where the provider allocates a dedicated IP address. | Shared hosting offers decent protection but is not as robust as VPS hosting. |
| Server Administration | The user gets more responsibility for managing and maintaining their servers. | Shared hosting is easier to manage because the provider has all the responsibilities for maintenance. |
| Customization | VPS hosting provides more customization options with complete control and integration with apps or install plugins. | There are fewer customization options with shared hosting. |
| Scalability | VPS hosting provides more scalable resources making it ideal. | Shared hosting lacks scalable resources. |
| Cost | You need a higher budget with VPS hosting because the plans are pricey, starting from $20/month. |
Best for those on a budget with basic plans starting at $2/month, suiting individuals or startups. |
We have looked at shared hosting vs VPS definitions, their benefits, and drawbacks. Now, let’s compare how VPS vs web hosting features are:
Performance and Speed
Website speed is crucial for better SEO ranking, user experience, and conversion. So choosing VPS vs shared hosting is critical.
Now, VPS hosting provides higher performance and speed, and here is why. A user can choose a server location with low latency to boost loading times. In addition, you have control of the server settings and customize them as you see fit.
On the other hand, Shared hosting has some limitations in speed and performance compared to VPS hosting. For example, the provider has control of the server settings, meaning you have customization limitations. In addition, sharing server resources with multiple users can lower website loading speeds.
So, VPS hosting is ideal for people looking for high-performance hosting such as storage dedicated servers and streaming media product hosting. However, go for shared hosting if you have a tight budget and low traffic that doesn’t need high performance.
Security
Protection from cyber attacks and malware is another crucial factor in picking a web hosting provider. You want your clients and data safeguarded throughout from hackers.
Regarding security, VPS hosting provides better protection, and here is why. The provider allocates you a dedicated IP address. It secludes you from other users, ensuring a secure private environment. In addition, the complete control of your server settings lets you customize your security features. For example, tweak encryption protocols and install anti-malware.
Shared hosting offers decent protection but is not as robust as VPS hosting. The shared nature of the hosting adds to its risk of cyber attack. In addition, protection solely depends on the provider’s security measures.
So, picking VPS vs shared hosting will depend on your business type. However, VPS is ideal for users looking for hosting with robust protection flexibility. However, for those with simple sites without sensitive data, the security features of shared hosting will be sufficient.
If you need top of the class security, you should consider managed dedicated servers for secure server hosting solutions.
Server Administration
It is the responsibility needed to maintain and manage servers. It’s a critical aspect in picking VPS vs shared hosting.
With VPS hosting, the user gets more responsibility for managing and maintaining their servers. A user needs technical skills because you’ll choose an OS and C-panel for your server. In addition, they’re supposed to troubleshoot, update or install software on their server.
On the other hand, shared hosting is easier to manage because the provider has all the responsibilities for maintenance. For example, a user gets a server with a pre-installed C-panel and software. In addition, the provider is in charge of updating, troubleshooting, and overall server maintenance.
So, people looking for hands-free management and maintenance of their servers will find shared hosting ideal. However, VPS hosting can be a great option if you have the expertise and knowledge of running servers.
The choice of the OS is also a crucial factor in server administration. Popular choices include Linux, Unix, and Windows. We recommend reading through our Unix vs Linux comparison to better understand the server administration features of these OS options.
Customization
The ease of tweaking server settings to suit your website is what customization means. It is an essential factor to consider when picking shared hosting vs VPS hosting.
VPS hosting provides more customization options; here is why; You have complete control and can integrate apps or install plugins that are compatible with your site. In addition, accessing your server on the go is possible through SSH or FTP.
There are fewer customization options with shared hosting for these reasons. The provider pre-installs the OS and C-panel, and integrating other apps can be a hassle if incompatible. In addition, editing your server files remotely is impossible because you cannot access FTP and SSH.
VPS hosting is suitable for users with websites that need customization.
The OS you choose for your server has a huge impact on the server customization options you can modify on your servers. We suggest going through our Debian vs Fedora article to understand how these OS help you customize your managed dedicated server for your projects.
Scalability
The ability to expand a site based on demand is crucial, and it’s what scalability means. So consider it when picking VPS vs shared hosting.
Now, VPS hosting provides more scalable resources making it ideal, here is why; A user gets dedicated resources like bandwidth to adapt to demand. In addition, users can back up or migrate their data whenever they choose to.
Shared hosting lacks scalable resources, and here are the reasons. There are no dedicated resources. You get allocated fixed bandwidth. It limits website growth when demand rises. The only way to scale is to subscribe to higher plans to access more advanced features.
It means that VPS hosting is ideal for scaling your website since they have dedicated resources. However, shared hosting will be okay if your traffic is minimal.
Cost
Your budget matters when picking a web hosting provider. You should also consider how much do server cost because the subscription costs can pile up if you go for the wrong hosting.
You need a higher budget with VPS hosting because the plans are pricey, starting from $20/month and rising to hundreds of dollars. The good thing about them is that you get more advanced features, control, and flexibility.
If you’re on a budget, you’ll find shared hosting ideal. The plans start at $2/month and can suit individuals or startups. The only drawback is the features offered have limitations. However, it is a web hosting type that’s beginner-friendly.
How to Make the Right Choice?
We have covered VPS vs shared hosting feature differences. Now the question becomes, how can you make the right choice? Which one between VPS and shared hosting is ideal for you?
First, any business website has to have fast speeds, growth potential, flexibility, reliability, and functionality. Most of these factors get influenced by the web hosting service you choose. So, picking the right provider can make or break your business website efforts.
So here are some questions you must ask yourself before picking shared vs VPS hosting.
How Much Do I Want to Spend?
Do you have a budget for how much you want to spend? Monthly subscriptions can pile up fast, and having a budget can help you prepare better. Another thing to remember is to look for a web hosting provider offering plans with value for money.
For example, a VPS hosting provider can offer pricey plans, but the features are more advanced. You get improved speed and performance, robust security, and more.
Do I Want to Manage My Own Server?
Ask yourself if you want the responsibilities of managing and maintaining your machine servers. Remember, management responsibility demands you have technical skills to run the infrastructure.
So, choosing VPS vs shared hosting is critical. Choose shared hosting if you need a hands-free approach to managing and maintaining servers. On the other hand, go for VPS hosting if you have the skills and knowledge of maintaining and managing the infrastructure.
How Quickly Will My Website Grow?
Scalable resources are crucial when growing your business website. Earlier, we highlighted that VPS hosting is ideal for scaling a business website because it offers dedicated resources. However, it comes at a premium. So, asking yourself this question will help you pick a web hosting service.
Does My Site Use a Lot of Resources?
If you have a site that uses more bandwidth, and resources, this is a question you should answer before picking a hosting service. As highlighted earlier, VPS hosting provides more scalable resources ideal for business websites that need extensive bandwidth, high performance, and speeds.
Do I Need WHM Access?
Do you need a Web Host Manager (WHM)? It’s the C-panel from which you can manage your business websites on a sole server. One thing to note is that it’s a feature offered on VPS hosting. If you want more server control, then VPS hosting is suitable.
Making the Right Hosting Choice with RedSwitches
This VPS vs shared hosting comparison offers a valuable overview of the best hosting choice that meets your business needs. With RedSwitches, you can get various hosting types, whether dedicated, VPS or shared, that will fit your business model.
Now, each hosting type packs features that are scalable, but they vary depending on budget. The VPS hosting offers root access, allowing you to customize your server.
Shared hosting, on the other hand, offers pocket-friendly plans. In addition, we make it easy for you by taking all the responsibility for management and maintenance.
The best part is in case you need support, our customer support team is available round the clock, ready to assist you.
So, look no further than our instant dedicated servers, available in various configurations, including 10Gbps dedicated servers and bare metal servers. We’re your trusted hosting partner, providing the right dedicated server for your needs.
Final Takeaway
Picking a web hosting type that matches your business website’s needs is essential to success. It impacts your website’s performance, speed, growth, and reliability. Now, VPS hosting vs shared hosting differences can make picking one over the other tough.
The good news is that RedSwitches is here to help you pick the ideal web hosting that suits your website. We are a reputable and reliable web hosting provider offering various hosting services, including VPS and shared. Not only that, our hosting services can cater to varied business needs. So, if you need a pocket-friendly hosting service or more premium features, we got you covered.
If you currently use shared hosting and want to migrate to VPS hosting or upgrade to a higher plan, we are ready to assist you. In addition, we can securely migrate your data without downtime and optimize your website’s security and performance. Check our resources section to learn more about VPS vs. shared hosting.
FAQs
Q. Is VPS Faster than Shared Hosting?
VPS uses dedicated server resources, giving it flexibility when in demand or high traffic sessions. In addition, a user can optimize the website’s speed and performance.
Q. What Is the Difference Between Shared Web Hosting from VPS Web Hosting?
There are shared hosting vs VPS hosting differences. VPS hosting provides dedicated resources that you can customize to your liking. Shared hosting offers resources a user shares with other tenants on a sole server. With VPS, you need technical skills to run the server. While on shared hosting, the provider manages and maintains the infrastructure.
Q. Do I Really Need VPS Hosting?
Yes, if your business website gets high traffic, handles sensitive data, and needs scalable, secure, and dedicated resources. However, shared hosting will be okay if you have low traffic demand.
Q. What Is the Difference Between Shared Dedicated and VPS Hosting?
There are several VPS vs shared hosting differences. Shared dedicated means having the physical servers you manage and maintain at your premises. VPS hosting is a cross between dedicated and shared hosting, using a virtual shared server to host your website.
Q. Is VPS Safer than Shared Hosting?
Yes, because the hosting service offers you a dedicated IP address unique to your website. In addition, you can tweak the protection protocols to your liking.
