Shared vs. VPS vs. Dedicated Hosting: Which One is Right for You?

When you’re getting ready to launch a new website project, choosing the right web host can be a tough decision. Even for experienced developers, it’s no easy task given the overwhelming number of hosting companies available that offer different kinds of services and features.

With all the different types of web hosting available, it can be confusing as to which one is right for you. Do you choose Shared Hosting, Managed VPS Hosting, or a Dedicated web hosting plan? You may just be wondering what a VPS or Shared Hosting is.

In this guide, we will explain what Shared, VPS, & Dedicated hosting plans are and list the differences between them so you can determine which is right for you.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the most popular option for people building their first website.

When you sign up for shared hosting, the hosting company will put your website on a server along with hundreds, if not thousands, of other websites. This means each customer has to share space and resources on the server with every other customer, including CPU time, memory, and disk space. Shared Hosting is very similar to living in an apartment complex. All residents are in the same location and must share the available resources with everyone including the pool, parking lot, and playground. In shared hosting, all accounts must share the available resources with all the other accounts on the server. These include CPU time, memory, and disk space. Our System Administrators monitor all of our shared servers 24/7.

Pros

It’s cheap: It’s beginner friendly. It’s easy to get started with shared hosting compared to other hosting options. Security, upgrades, and maintenance of the server are managed for you.

Cons

It can be slow. With so many other websites running on the same server, your page load times may suffer. Security isn’t guaranteed. You don’t know who else is using the same server, so if one site has a memory leak or is hacked, your site could be affected.

Lack of server control and performance. If the server is overcrowded or if another website takes up more than their share of resources, performance can drop.

It’s difficult to scale due to limited storage and bandwidth.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

VPS is similar to shared hosting in that your website shares a server with other sites, but there are fewer sites sharing space and resources and the server is partitioned out into different virtualized server environments. Unlike shared hosting, VPS usually provides baseline resources that you’re guaranteed, as well as additional resources available at a moment’s notice should your site experience a traffic spike.

Think of VPS like living in a condo. While you still share the same building as other residents, you are responsible for the maintenance of your property and any repairs that need to be carried out inside your condo. Plus, there are fewer residents, and you get your own allocated car parking space.

Pros

More affordable than a dedicated server and you pay for what you need.

More secure. In order to segment the server properly, the host installs a layer of software that dedicates part of the server to you, which makes it completely separate from other customers.

It’s fast. You are allocated more resources compared to shared hosting.

Root server access. You can make customizations to suit your needs and you have greater control over your hosting environment.

It’s scalable. A VPS can grow with your site as your server needs increase over time.

Cons

Some server companies oversell their servers, hoping that every site currently using a particular server won’t have a peak traffic day.

More expensive than shared hosting

If you choose an unmanaged VPS, it may be difficult to configure, taking longer to get your website up and running. Best suited to

If shared hosting is too basic for your needs and you want dedicated resources and more control over your hosting environment, then a VPS could be the right fit for you.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated Hosting can be compared to owning a house. You have access to all the resources available on the machine and no one else’s account resides on the machine (your house).

Apartment Living to Condo Living

Shared accounts are great for most users as you can host all sorts of applications on them (such as WordPress) and there are plenty of email accounts to go around. If you compare Shared Hosting to apartment living, a need for an upgrade may arise if you have:

• A growing family: If your family grows more than what your apartment can handle, then it may be time to upgrade. In Shared Hosting, if your website becomes popular, you may need to upgrade to Managed VPS Hosting for more CPU and Memory for your account. This will allow you to handle all the new traffic coming to your site.
• Customizations: If you love the colour red and want to paint your walls red, you may not have permission to in an apartment. Moving up to a Condo gives you more ownership of your space, allowing you to paint and decorate however you choose. If you require software that is not available in Shared Hosting, upgrading to Managed VPS Hosting will allow you to install any software that you would like!

This type of hosting is generally more expensive, but in return, you get very high performance, and a higher level of security compared to other forms of hosting. What’s more, it’s the best choice to optimize the Largest Contentful Paint performance, one of the Core Web Vitals metrics.

Think of dedicated hosting like owning your own house. You are the only resident (other than your family, if you have one in this scenario!). You can park your car in your own driveway and paint your house whatever colour you like. But you are ultimately responsible for maintaining your property and it’s up to you to install a security alarm to scare off burglars.

Pros

You have a dedicated server all to yourself.

You have full access to all settings and can completely customize the server to suit your website’s needs. It’s fast. You get 100% access to server resources. Great server performance since you can tailor the server to meet the exact specifications you need for your site.

It’s secure. Since you’re the only one using the server, you don’t have to worry about the “bad neighbour” effect that’s common with sharing hosting.

24/7 support. Since you’re paying a lot of money for your account, web hosting companies will make providing you the best support a priority.

Cons

It’s expensive. You need skilled technical staff to maintain and optimize the server. You’re responsible for your server so if something goes wrong it’s up to you to fix it.

Conclusion

Before choosing a web host, it’s important to work out what type of hosting you need, whether it’s shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud hosting.

Hopefully, this article has provided you a solid overview of the different options available. Your next decision will be choosing a web hosting company and there are many more considerations, such as price, features, hardware, reputation, and scalability to keep in mind.

If you’re starting out with your first website, it’s a good idea to start small with a reputable shared hosting plan. You can always upgrade and migrate your site to VPS, dedicated, or cloud hosting later as your site grows.