VPS vs. Shared Hosting: Which One Is Right For You?

Shared Hosting means your website shares space and resources with other websites on the server. Whereas VPS Hosting means your website shares space but does not share resources with other websites on the server.

Think of it as space for your tent in a campground with communal facilities versus a private cabin on the campground with its own hot shower, kitchenette and air conditioning unit.

If you think your website needs a little more private space and extra amenities, then keep informed by getting to know about VPS vs. Shared Hosting, when to Upgrade Your Hosting Plan and additional Web Hosting Comparisons.

Resource Allocation

• Shared Hosting

Your website will sit on a server shared by multiple other businesses and websites. There's a limit to the RAM and number of CPUs, meaning you’ll be competing with your neighbors for resources.

• VPS Hosting

VPS hosting uses similar principles to shared hosting, but you’ll instead be allocated your own slice of hard drive space and computing power.

Verdict

With fewer users competing for server space, VPS hosting offers much better allocation.

Performance

• Shared Hosting

Related to the resource issue above, the more you have, the stronger your performance will be. Shared hosting tends to display more performance issues than its VPS counterpart and if one of your neighbors is hogging all the computing power you risk slow-down.

• VPS Hosting

Performance on VPS hosted sites are generally more impressive due to the extra resource allocation and bandwidth.

Verdict

With more processing power behind them, VPS hosted websites will almost always have better performance.

Traffic volume

• Shared Hosting

Shared hosting traffic limit isn't usually set up to manage high volumes of traffic, although you can find packages that allow for up to 10,000 visitors per month.

• VPS Hosting

Opting for VPS hosting will usually be a step up in terms of how much traffic your site can handle. If you have a lot of outbound media on your site, like audio, video and downloadable documents, you’ll almost certainly want a VPS solution.

Verdict

Shared hosting plans usually have very limited visitor allowances. VPS takes the top spot in this round for its higher degree of flexibility.

Security

• Shared Hosting

While breaches are still very rare in shared hosting plans, they still present a greater security risk because any breaches your neighbor suffers could impact your shared hosting security. Still, lots of plans now provide the option to add third-party security plug-ins to your site, boosting your cyber defenses.

• VPS Hosting

VPS usually has additional layers of security and more customization options when it comes to security.

Verdict

VPS hosting just pips Shared hosting to the victory here as it generally tends to have more security features and fewer gaps where breaches can occur.

Control

• Shared Hosting

Most shared hosting platforms offer fixed packages with preconfigured and approved plug-ins. This makes it ideal for beginners that want to get started quickly, it also means you’ll have very little control over the site.

• VPS Hosting

With VPS hosting you get much more control over your site, including root access. This means you get administrator permission to your site and control over the server, adding and removing features as you see fit.

Verdict

VPS wins this round for the ability to install programs to your server, adding and removing features as you see fit.

Server Administration

• Shared Hosting

It’s difficult to choose the winner when it comes to server administration because both types of hosting meet very different needs. In shared hosting, all admin and maintenance is covered by the data host. All bugs are fixed for you and security patching is covered automatically.

• VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is usually a lot more complex because you’re able to customize applications and make alterations to the back end. This means you need a lot more technical knowledge to maintain your server and will need to take care of the administration yourself.

Verdict

Both provide very different services

Scalability

• Shared Hosting

Shared hosting can be very easily scaled. As your site grows it usually only takes a quick phone call to your provider to increase your storage and bandwidth.

• VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is incredibly flexible when it comes to scalability. Your provider will usually let you add as many new CPU cores and system memory as you’d like.

Verdict

You’ll eventually hit a limit of what you can do in terms of shared hosting scalability. VPS is a much better option for growing sites.

Price

• Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is by far the cheapest on the market. You can have a brand new site with a fully functioning ecommerce store set up for just a few dollars per month.

• VPS Hosting

Depending on where you go, you might find VPS hosting costing anywhere between twice as much to 10 times more than shared hosting. You’ll have to do a lot of shopping around to find the best deals.

Verdict

It’s tough to beat the price of shared hosting packages, making it the most popular choice for new businesses.

User-friendliness

• Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is designed for newbies, and websites and services have a real pick-up and play aspect to them. Administration of your site is very hands-off and most platforms will give you a website builder to get started.

• VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is much less user-friendly and should be used by those with some experience in running their own website. You’ll be expected to take on more management tasks and have web development and coding skills.

Verdict

The clear winner. Shared hosting packages allow you to get a functioning website operational in just a few hours.

Technical knowledge needed

• Shared Hosting

You need almost no technical knowledge at all before getting started with shared hosting. In many cases it’s as simple as signing up to a hosting platform, choosing your package and you’re done.

• VPS Hosting

VPS is a middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting and requires a degree of technical knowledge to get the most out of your service.

Verdict

Newbies will love shared hosting as packages are designed so just about anyone can easily get to grips with them. A clear winner

Customer Support

• Shared Hosting

Support is usually available around the clock, and the in-house service team is on hand to resolve any technical difficulties you run into. However, one drawback is that customer support may only be set up to manage general queries and could struggle with very specific problems.

• VPS Hosting

VPS hosting has a lot of similarities with Shared hosts, but with the added benefit of accessing more skilled staff. Although, this can be very hit or miss depending on which provider you use.

Verdict

Both packages allow you to draw on the expertise of an in-house service team.

• You notice slow-down - If you’ve got significant site slow-down it could be a sign that your site is receiving more traffic than you can handle and may need an upgrade to VPS.

• You need to save money - If your hosting costs are becoming too expensive, it might be worth switching down to a more reasonably priced shared hosting package

• You want more customization options - If you want to install software on your server, or make more customizations, you might want to consider upgrading to a VPS

Since shared hosting and VPS hosting, both meet very different website needs, it is therefore important to evaluate what your needs are to determine which one is right for you. If you’re a small business or run a relatively low traffic site, the benefits of VPS might not provide enough of a reason to move away from shared hosting. However, those looking to grow, expand customization options or simply do more with their site would almost certainly benefit from a VPS service.