Shared Hosting vs. VPS Hosting – Which Plan Should You Pick? (2020 Guide) Picking the right web hosting plan is no easy task. Feeling overwhelmed, confused, and a bit lost are perfectly normal, especially with an abundance of options out there.

In this article, we’ll focus on the two most popular hosting options; shared hosting and VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting. We are confident by the end you’ll know which plan is the right one for you.

Let’s jump right in!

Shared Hosting vs. VPS Hosting

Comparing shared hosting vs. VPS hosting is like comparing data plans for your phone. Shared hosting is like sharing a family data plan, it cuts the cost low for each individual, but it can lead to slower speeds and less bandwidth when everyone uses it. VPS hosting is like having an individual data plan. You get more resources and can customise it to fit your needs, but you’ll have to pay more.

Another way to look at is that shared hosting is like renting a hotel room. You have the room for yourself, but you’re still surrounded by other rooms (other sites) and the hotel manager (server) can get a bit overwhelmed if there are too many guests.

While VPS hosting is like renting an entire apartment on Airbnb. You get more freedom and resources, but you also have to pay more.

The Biggest Difference Between The Two

Shared hosting means your site will share the same server with many other sites. It’s usually the cheapest option but comes with limited bandwidth, admin, and performance capabilities. VPS hosting gives you the ability for greater customisation and increased performance, but you’ll have to pay more.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting? Pros of Shared Hosting

• It’s very affordable

• You don’t need any server-configuration skills

• It’s easy to get started with shared hosting

• Often geared towards newcomers

• Provides consistent performance on low to medium traffic sites

• Server maintenance and updates are done routinely by the hosting company

• Ideal for personal websites

Cons of Shared Hosting

• The site can lose speed when other websites on the same server spike up in traffic

• Limited server customisation options and setup choices

• Sharing a physical server with many other sites give some security and privacy concerns

• You don’t have dedicated resources to your site, you must share them

What Are the Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting? Pros of VPS Hosting

• Isolated hosting, your sites performance is not affected by other sites

• Still fairly cheap

• Fewer security and privacy risks

• More customisable options to meet your site’s specific needs

• Increase or decrease your allotted resources as necessary

• Higher performance with increased bandwidth and resources

• Provides optimal experience for visitors to your site

• Ideal for small businesses

Cons of VPS Hosting

• More expensive than shared hosting

• Requires more technical knowledge to tweak your server effectively

• Limitation on bandwidth and disk space

• You need to do resource and routine management on your site regularly

What do you need? There is no right or wrong answer here, it all depends on your own needs and wants.

Here is why we recommend shared hosting:

• You are a newcomer to having your own website

• You want to launch your website quickly

• You have a limited budget

Here is why we recommend VPS hosting:

• You know your website will have high traffic

• You want more server options and install custom software

• You want more speed and performance

Conclusion By now, you should have a clear idea of what shared hosting and VPS hosting are.

Overall, shared hosting is usually the best option for smaller websites and newcomers. It’s also the cheapest option. Whereas VPS hosting provides excellent server reliability, speed, and customisation fit for small businesses and larger websites.

The biggest decision factors between shared hosting and VPS hosting:

• Your budget

• Your technical abilities

• Your websites requirements

Whether you want to go ahead with shared hosting or VPS hosting, UKBSS.COM has everything you need. Feel free to get in touch with us. We provide shared hosting, VPS hosting, and several hosting options, so you can easily pick the one that fits you.

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