Shared vs. Managed WordPress Hosting: The Pros and Cons
If you’re new to the world of web development, you might be confused by all the different types of hosting services that are out there and not sure which one to use for your new WordPress site. If this sounds like you, don’t worry—you’re not alone! But one thing you can count on is that the service you choose will determine how easy (or difficult) it will be to use WordPress and what your level of control over your site will be. This article explores the major differences between shared vs managed WordPress hosting so that you can make an educated decision about what to do next.
What’s Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is the cheapest way to host sites, and it typically offers unlimited sites, visitors, and storage.
How does it achieve this?
By “sharing” a server’s resources between different website owners.
This means that if one site gets a high traffic spike, your website will likely slow down.
Plus, if one person on the server has a virus, it will likely infect all of the websites on that server.
Other downsides are that:
- Your site is not as reliable
- Your site won’t perform as fast as it could
- The hosting support is not as good as with the managed WordPress hosting
- You typically won’t get as many developer-friendly features such as Composer, Sequel Pro, SSH access, etc.
What’s Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting is another (more expensive) form of hosting that makes it easier to build a WordPress website.
With managed hosting, you and your host share the responsibility for security updates, software updates, and other technical maintenance.
You don’t have to worry about updating plugins or troubleshooting when something goes wrong.
Your host can handle that for you so you can focus on what matters most—running your business!
As one might guess, managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting and usually has specific limits regarding the number of websites, monthly visits, and storage.
Top Reasons to Choose Managed WordPress Hosting
1. Superior Supp
Building a WordPress website can be a daunting task for those who don’t have any experience.
A difference between shared vs managed WordPress Hosting is that with the latter, the process will be much simpler because of the superior support you get.
With 24/7 customer service and automatic updates, it’s a great way to cut down on stress when building your website.
Plus, with an uptime guarantee, there’s little chance that your site will ever be down.
2. Higher Performance
WordPress is a robust CMS that can be used to build a website.
With managed WordPress hosting, you get high performance.
Many managed WordPress hosts implement server-level caching, which means your website will have more stability.
There’s no need to try and figure out the fastest caching plugin because you won’t need one.
This also reduces the load on the server and ensures things are delivered lightning fast.
Keep in mind that faster page load times aren’t just a vanity metric.
Speeding up your site can affect your bottom line because page load times are essential for everything from user experience to Google rankings and conversion rates.
3. Automatic Backups
An important difference between Shared vs Managed WordPress Hosting is the backup.
With shared hosts, backups are generally only included in higher-cost plans.
And even if your shared host offers these types of backups, managed hosts go above and beyond in this area.
Managed WordPress hosting offers one-click restores, which means your whole site will be back online in minutes.
You won’t have to think about your server going down ever again.
Conclusions
If you’re wondering which is a good choice between shared vs managed WordPress hosting, you now know the correct answer.
The latter is often a better choice for those looking to build a WordPress website.
This is because it offers more security, reliability, and scalability than shared hosting.
Only use shared hosting if it’s literally the only thing you can afford (e.g., when launching your first site, and your costs are high as it is).
