What Is Shared Hosting VS Dedicated Hosting?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

In this article, I am going to answer the popular question of what is shared hosting VS dedicated hosting? If you want to run a website, you need somewhere to host it. This means that you need a server where your site will be stored, and which you can use for resources such as bandwidth.

When you’re looking for hosting, you will come across shared hosting and dedicated hosting options. You’ll need to understand the difference between these, and which one is right for you before you make your choice. Each of them has its benefits, but they’re not both right for everyone.

Before you decide which one will work for your website, take a read of this guide, which will help you understand their differences and what could be the best option for you and your business.

What Is Dedicated Hosting?

When you choose dedicated web hosting, you get a server all to yourself. No one else is using it, which means you get to use all of the storage, bandwidth and other features. It also means you have more control over the server, and you can choose the services and features that you need.

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting is when you share a server, and all of its server resources, with other websites. Everything remains private, so no one else on the server can access your files and vice versa. Shared hosting is super easy to use, and it’s a great choice for your first website or even for more experienced individuals, as it is typically a lot more affordable.

Who Is Dedicated Hosting Right For?

Not everyone needs to use dedicated hosting for their website. In fact, many people have no need for it at all. However, there are a few reasons you might want to choose dedicated web hosting over shared hosting plans. If you have a growing business and you’re constantly adding new products or services, you might benefit from dedicated server hosting. You get full control over your server so you can do whatever you need to for your growing business.

Another reason you might consider using dedicated hosting is if you want to host lots of high-resolution images or videos. These take up a lot of disk space, so it makes sense to have your own server. Dedicated hosting also gives you your own dedicated IP address that you don’t have to share with anyone else.

Who Is Shared Hosting Right For?

Shared hosting is suitable for a wide range of people and small business owners in particular. If you have a small or mid-sized business and you’re not expecting your website to be huge or generate large amounts of traffic, shared hosting can work well for you. It gives you a choice of different, fully managed options so that you can get the hosting that suits you, whilst not breaking the bank.

If you don’t want to have to handle any of the technicalities of hosting, shared hosting is right for you. Everything will be kept secure and up to date for you, and any problems are left to someone else to fix.

What Are the Benefits of Dedicated Hosting?

There are several benefits of dedicated hosting to consider. As previously mentioned, it gives you more space and more control. All of the resources on the server are yours to use as you wish, instead of shared with others.

You can customise everything to your needs, and you have plenty of space and bandwidth for a larger website or for more traffic. You can also choose all of the software and tools that you require and your unique IP address also means that you don’t have to share it with any websites that you might be wary of.

What Are the Benefits of Shared Hosting?

Shared web hosting also has a range of excellent benefits. Unless you plan on having a particularly large or busy website, dedicated hosting probably won’t be necessary for your site.

When you choose shared hosting, it takes the hassle out of managing your site. You can leave the security and the software up to your hosting provider and concentrate on running your website.

Another big plus is the cost of shared hosting. You save a lot of money by only paying for what you need, instead of having the whole cost of the server to take care of. The costs are shared between everyone using the server, so the cost-effectiveness of shared managed hosting is far greater

However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have no control when you choose shared hosting. You might not get as much flexibility as with dedicated hosting, but that can actually be a good thing.

You can still choose a plan that works for you, and you don’t have to take care of the daily management of the server. Any problems are left to your hosting provider to fix from their data centre. Even though the server resources are shared, you will still get access to your own control panel to manage things yourself, if you are confident too.

What Are the Drawbacks of Dedicated Hosting?

Managed dedicated hosting has disadvantages too. One of the biggest disadvantages is the cost. It’s a lot more expensive to have your own server than it is to choose shared hosting services. If dedicated hosting isn’t necessary, you could be wasting a lot of money.

You also need a certain amount of technical knowledge if you want to choose the dedicated hosting route. This isn’t suitable for everyone, especially if you don’t have time to manage a server. Since you’re in charge, it’s your fault if you make any mistakes. It’s also up to you to keep everything secure and updated.

What Are the Drawbacks of Shared Hosting?

Some of the drawbacks of shared hosting include that it might not be suitable for larger websites. You can still get plenty of space for your site, but there is a point where you might think it’s better to use dedicated hosting instead.

You might also be concerned about things like security and performance. With some shared hosting providers, these can be concerns that you need to consider. However, it’s all about choosing the right hosting provider if you want to avoid the possible pitfalls. If you choose the right provider, you can enjoy the benefits without the risks.