Aug 24, 2022
Paulius Z

7min Read
= Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Which One Is for You? =
So, you’ve decided to start a site – you got a domain name and now you need to find a hosting provider that can supply you with server space. There are many types of hosting services available, made to support different types of sites, so it can get overwhelming. No need to worry, because we’ll talk about the two most popular types of web hosting to suit your needs — shared hosting vs VPS service

The main difference between shared hosting and VPS is that with shared hosting you get a package already configured and ready to use, limiting your customization options, while with VPS you’re free to set it up however you like. The VPS setup does require some technical knowledge though, so it might not be the best choice for beginners

In short, shared hosting is the cheaper option out of the two, where you’re sharing one server alongside other websites. You receive a set number of resources but are able to sustain a small website without spending too much. VPS hosting, on the other hand, gives you more freedom and performance but it is a bit more expensive

We’ll cover the basics of each one, what kind of features do they offer, and their pros and cons. Let’s get started, shall we?
Download eBook: Build Your First Website in 9 Easy Steps
== Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Video Comparison ==
Don’t feel like reading? Sit back and watch our video walkthrough of VPS vs Shared hosting types

== What is Shared Hosting? ==
Imagine shared hosting as living in an apartment where you have to share places such as the pool, backyard, or a parking lot. In this case, your site will share the same resources, such as
**CPU **disk space and **memory** with other users who are on the same shared hosting server

Shared hosting is the cheapest option among all. Unfortunately, your site might have limited bandwidth and will get slow when there’s a lot of traffic crowding websites on the same server as you are

You can enjoy the pool when it is not crowded, yet you still have to anticipate when everyone goes in, and things get cramped — shared hosting is a lot like that

 Why Choose Shared Hosting? 
- You’re building a blog or personal site

- Want to make a small to average-sized company website
- Have a small budget
- Don’t know much about web development
 Pros 
- More beginner-friendly hosting solution
- Provides a standardized setup
- Requires less technical expertise
- Least expensive of all hosting options
 Cons 
- Often has less bandwidth and storage than VPS
- Is prone to errors when there is a high traffic
- You have limited access to the back end
- It doesn’t grant you root access
== What is VPS? ==
With VPS hosting you’ll still be sharing one physical server, but each user gets a specified set of resources, meaning that other websites on the same server won’t affect you, unlike with shared hosting. VPS hosting provides a dedicated virtual partition for each user, making sure resources are always available to you. Of course, VPS comes at a higher price than shared hosting

If we’re going to use the same analogy as before, then a VPS partition is like owning a penthouse, or a condo — there are many apartments like it in the building, but you have everything you need and don’t have to share it with anyone else

 Why Choose VPS Hosting? 
- You’re running a business and plan to expand it in the future
- Have a larger budget and want to invest in your site
- Expect high-traffic for your website in the future
 Pros 
- VPS hosting grants you root access to your server
- More memory and bandwidth, easily scalable
- It is not affected by other site’s traffic
- Much more stable and faster than shared hosting
 Cons 
- Comes at a slightly higher price
- Needs technical expertise to manage well
== Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: A Comparison ==
Since knowing the general definitions is not enough, we will provide you with some comparisons between the two hosting types to help you better decide whether to move from shared hosting to VPS or not

 Security and Performance 
Security is essential no matter what kind of website you own. Both hosting types are relatively secure and stable methods for hosting your site, but there are some differences

With shared hosting, your site might be affected when there’s an error on another site. Also, if other sitesup too much of the shared bandwidth, your website might get slowed down. This is especially crucial if your site hits high traffic numbers


You can avoid this problem by using VPS, as the partitioned servers make sure each website works accordingly. However, if you lack the technical knowledge of how to take care of your virtual private server you should consider your options. When poorly managed, it can lead to a wholeof other problems

 Expert Tip 
To optimize your hosting, you can do two things – set up caching and optimize your web content

For a popular CMS like WordPress, the LiteSpeed Cache plugin offers great caching configuration and requires little technical knowledge and setup time

For content optimization, focus on the images as they usually occupy the most space in the website

 Control 
If you are looking for more advanced options for your site, VPS hosting is more suitable than a shared hosting plan. It grants you root access to the server, so you can install your own OS, control panel and software to optimize site performance and security. If you’re looking for an easy setup, check out Cyberpanel hosting, which comes with a preinstalled easy-to-use control panel

In contrast, using a shared hosting plan limits you only to standardized server setups. This might be more convenient for people who don’t want to meddle with server management tasks on their own

 Server Administration 
If you choose to host your site with shared hosting, there will be little to no technical maintenance required by you. Shared hosting providers will set up the shared server, install and upgrade the necessary software like the cPanel or hPanel, and monitor the servers to avoid downtime and effectively taking care of the back end

On the other hand, VPS hosting is slightly more complicated when managing resources. It needs somewhat more advanced knowledge to administrate and manage. Fortunately, VPS hosting lets you customize and configure applications and software to increase your website’s performance, offers root access, and allows you to tailor the back end to your needs

 Expert Tip 
Hostinger offers several templates for various VPS setups. If you’re not fully confident in your technical skill level, using one of these templates will do most of the work

Keep in mind that it’s important to familiarize yourself with the used templates and make sure that the software is constantly updated

 Scalability 
VPS hosting is much easier to scale up when compared to shared hosting. While shared hosting is a good option for a short-term plan or a small online website, you’ll have more trouble with the overall performance if your site reaches high traffic numbers


VPS hosting allows you to scale quickly and easily, and if you can predict your site growth, VPS hosting might be a great investment for your future

 Pricing 
Shared hosting wins hands down under this category. However, VPS web hosting prices do justify its greater advantage. Here’s a price table for Hostinger’s shared hosting plans

Single
$1.99/mo
Business
$3.99/mo
For comparison, here are Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans:
VPS 1
$3.49/mo
VPS 2
$4.99/mo
VPS 3
$7.99/mo
VPS 4
$9.99/mo
VPS 5
$23.95/mo
VPS 6
$38.99/mo
VPS 7
$57.99/mo
VPS 8
$77.99/mo
While VPS hosting costs slightly more than the shared hosting plans, they offer more storage space and much more bandwidth when compared to what shared hosting has to offer. As a bonus, you can always check if there is a Hostinger coupon available for any of these types of hosting at the moment

 When to Upgrade Your Hosting Plan? 
If you’re already using shared hosting and enjoying it, you might wonder when is the best time to upgrade to a VPS hosting plan. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
- Do I want more options and freedom for managing my server?
- Will I get a substantial increase in traffic in the future?
- Am I consider hosting more than one website someday?
No matter your choice, there are great benefits to both shared and VPS hosting options. You simply have to weigh in your options

 Expert Tip 
Each customer is unique. Luckily, Hostinger offers detailed Order Usage stats and notifies customers if their website is hitting resource limits. If limits are still being hit after website optimization, you can upgrade your plan to prevent poor site performance

To offer the best hosting experience, Hostinger always monitors server health and resources – both proactively and reactively

== What Other Web Hosting Types Are There? ==
Besides shared and VPS hosting, there are a couple of other common options — dedicated hosting and cloud hosting

With dedicated hosting services, your website will be stored on a single physical server dedicated only for your personal use. You don’t have to share it with anyone else, and you can freely customize it based on your liking. It is, however, the most expensive option out of all of them

Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting which uses multiple servers to balance the traffic and increase uptime. It is inspired by cloud computing technologies that allow a large number of machines to work as one system

Instead of having your site hosted on one server, it’s stored on multiple locations. If one server fails, for example, another will aid in keeping everything running resulting in no loss in downtime

 Expert Tip 
Cloud hosting plans are managed the same way as shared hosting plans – via hPanel. So you should not worry about any additional technical skills requirements

== Conclusion ==
Your hosting plan is heavily based on what you expect from your website. VPS hosting provides you with advantages that shared hosting cannot offer. However, there are benefits to both hosting options

Before you choose a web hosting plan for your site, consider what kind of features you’re most interested in. Here’s a short recap:
Security and Performance.With shared hosting, you’re essentially sharing space with other users on the server. VPS hosting is much more stable and secure but does require additional technical knowledge. Server Administration.Shared hosting is much more suitable for beginners than VPS hosting, yet lacks the freedom of customization than the latter option. Scalability.VPS hosting is much more future proof than shared hosting. Pricing.Both plans have different prices with different benefits, but shared hosting plans is less expensive than owning a virtual private server. Though before making your choice, you should consider all website hosting costs

In the end, the choice depends on whether you are just starting out and don’t need any additional features that other hosting types have to offer. No matter your pick, we hope that this guide has been useful to you.