VPS Or Shared Hosting: Which Plan Is Best If You're Just Starting Out?

Jon Rettinger - 2020-09-29T21:00:00.000Z

When you know nearly nothing about hosting, it’s easy to make accidents and mistakes that are often irreparable or expensive. The shared server is a cost-effective option but VPS hosting gets the popular-vote for being the most-efficient.

Read on to find out the complete breakdown of the two. Also, discover the four factors to determine the best among the two.

What Is VPS Hosting?

Web hosting is defined as the process of renting server-space to host your site files. Virtual private server or VPS divides one physical server into several virtual solutions with its own operating system, bandwidth, disk space, and other resources.

The beauty is it often feels like a dedicated server minus the heavy expenses. Technically, VPS uses the virtualization process to create private resources on one server so that every user gets their own copy of the OS.

Such a server generally supports multiple users or sites so that it doesn’t impact one another. It’s best for those that anticipate high-traffic for the site they’re building.

What Is Shared Hosting?

This type of hosting refers to several users sharing one server and its resources including bandwidth, storage space, memory, and so forth. It’s the basic option with most service providers.

Think of it as multiple people sharing the same internet connection versus multiple connections. As more people use the same connection, the speed goes down and so do the other features. That’s why the shared package is also cheaper than VPS.

Pros And Cons Of VPS Hosting

While a virtual private server looks flawless when compared with shared servers, it’s not a bed of roses.

Find out its merits and demerits below.

Stability: Because of sizeable resources, your site won’t lag or crash if you choose a good plan
Customizable: You can customize the software to improve efficiency
Technical support: A devoted customer service team is available via most service providers on this plan
Costly: One of the disadvantages of this server is that it’s more expensive than shared options. This is because of the higher resources, features, and so on available here
Necessary technical knowledge: Managing a virtual private server is impossible without some technical knowledge

Pros And Cons Of Shared Hosting

Before you decide on this server, take a look at its strengths and shortcomings below.

Perfect for beginners: If you’re new to the world of hosting, you can get acquainted without making irreparable errors with this choice
Technical expertise isn't necessary: Since providers manage tasks on their own, users don't need any prior experience
Cheaper: Unlike virtual private servers, this is a cost-effective plan that can help you save up when you’re just starting out
Low resources: Risk to performance of the site is imminent. This is because this server comes with restricted bandwidth, storage space, and so forth
Limited control: Since its users aren’t given root access, there’s a limit to the things you can do with your hosting account

Which One Should You Choose?

Now that you have a general idea about what both solutions do, it’s important to compare the distinct features and find the best one. The following will help you choose.

Performance and protection: Since a lack of bandwidth can crash your site, its overall performance is essential for success. Shared hosting restricts resources based on the other users while VPS gives you private resources entirely for your site
Access and control: If you’re experienced with site hosting and want complete control of the site you’re building, then a shared solution isn’t a good choice. This is because root access is denied on this server. On the private server, you can install your software and personalize the back-end exactly as you like. However, if you know nothing about admin tasks, VPS might baffle you
Growth and scalability: Although shared servers are easy to get started with, they pose many problems when you grow your site, its traffic, and so on. On the other hand, it’s usually easy to upgrade resources on a VPS plan without jeopardizing the site integrity
Costs: The cost of shared hosting is the lowest among all the plans. It ranges from $0.99 to $15 per month. Hostinger offers the cheapest server in the market today. In contrast, VPS costs $18.99 to $80 per month. The lowest-priced plan is available today from Bluehost.

Bottom Line

Shared hosting is good for beginners but incompatible for small businesses due to its subpar features. On the flip side, VPS comes with its own dedicated resources, operating system, bandwidth, and so on.

When it comes to efficacy, VPS guarantees better performance and security while shared hosting is cheap. Your decision shouldn’t be solely based on the budget. You must also compare the need for root access, scalability, security, and performance.