Shared vs Managed WordPress Hosting – Misconceptions & Differences

One of the most challenging tasks when building a new website is choosing the right hosting plan. This is because it goes a long way towards determining its success. There are several types of WordPress hosting, including free, VPS, dedicated, managed, and shared WordPress hosting. 

But this text will focus on two of the most popular options: shared vs managed WordPress hosting. By looking at the pros and cons of each one of them, as well as reviewing things like budget, support, performance, and security, you can get a better understanding of what’s most suitable for your web hosting needs.

What is Shared WordPress Hosting?

This is a WordPress hosting solution where multiple sites are located on a single server using a web-based control panel. The server’s resources, including bandwidth, disk space, and CPU/RAM, are all shared between the sites. This type of hosting caters to the most common needs of different websites at affordable rates. Here a look at the pros and cons of shared hosting:

Pros

• Affordable
• Highly customisable as it allows users to access plugins or other CMS platforms
• Unlimited: Users can host unlimited websites for one flat cost
• The cPanel makes it easy for users to manage their websites, emails, domains, and much more
• Users also get professional email service at no extra cost

Cons

• Shared hosting provides limited features, which only allows for basic web hosting
• You might experience frequent downtimes or slow response times due to the shared resources.
• There are chances of hacking due to the shared server, and your site can face severe brute force attacks

What is Managed WordPress Hosting?

This hosting plan is a set of services, performance tweaks, and other value-added features that you can use to upgrade your regular hosting. With managed WordPress hosting, users get highly-tuned, WordPress-optimized servers, which are designed to deliver the best performance to WordPress websites. This is by far the most superior form of WordPress hosting. Now let’s check out the pros and cons of using managed hosting on WordPress:

Pros

• Better performance: They have built-in server-level caching, and are more likely to be running the most optimal version of Apache, PHP, and MySQL. All of these are fine-tuned to offer the best performance possible.
• Automatic backups to keep your site’s data safe
• Automatic updates to keep your site secure and functioning
• Features WordPress-specific security tweaks such as daily malware scans, login hardening, and firewalls, to keep the site safe from hackers and malware
• The support personnel are WordPress experts
• Fast speeds
• Better uptime & scalability

Cons

• Expensive
• Limitations on certain plugins
• You can only host WordPress Sites
• Your access to most of the technical aspects of the server is limited

Shared vs Managed WordPress Hosting: Misconceptions

There are some myths surrounding managed WordPress vs shared hosting. Taking the time to understand them can help you decide which one is indeed a feasible option for your needs, so you don’t set unrealistic expectations. Here are a few misconceptions:

• Shared Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting aren’t Essentially Different Things

The term ‘shared hosting’ is just a type of hosting plan where your site “shares” resources with other hosting clients on the same server. Some of the shared hosts offer a “managed service” too. If so, they sometimes call themselves ‘managed WordPress hosting.’ If that’s the option you’re looking for, then it’s all good. 

But, if what you’re looking for is privacy, you don’t want to share the server with anyone, you might have to look for an expensive ‘dedicated’ managed WordPress hosting, not a regular managed WordPress hosting, which might end up being the shared hosting with added services.

• Good WordPress Hosting Plans Are Expensive

A good host doesn’t have to be expensive. Several shared hosting plans provide basic web hosting needs, as well as additional features like daily backups and 24/7 support. Some of them include Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator. Managed hosting also comes at varying costs; therefore, depending on your needs, go for one that makes more financial sense. Some of the most popular options include WP Engine, Bluehost WP Pro, and DreamPress by DreamHost.

• Unlimited Web Hosting

A common trait in many shared hosting plans is that they offer unlimited hosting. A server can’t actually host unlimited websites; therefore, a web host that claims to offer limitless disk space and bandwidth is definitely overselling.

• Technical Knowledge Is a Must

Most WordPress host providers offer support, meaning even with non technical background, you can be able to use a hosting plan. You can clear any doubts or queries with the support team.

Managed WordPress Hosting Vs Shared Hosting: Main Differences

• Simplicity

Most of the technical aspects of managed WordPress hosting are done by the web host provider, which allows you to focus on growing your business. Plus, you can create and manage multiple sites from a single dashboard. Shared hosting, on the other hand, requires some technical knowledge to navigate around tools like cPanel.

• Value for Money

Shared hosting is cheap and offers all the basic web hosting needs. Managed hosting, on the other hand, is becoming more and more affordable and delivers better value for WordPress scenarios.

• How They Work

As discussed earlier, shared hosting will require you to share resources with hundreds, if not thousands, of other accounts. On the other hand, managed hosting plans offer WordPress-specific services, which can be added to a regular hosting plan.

• Infrastructure

Shared hosts can run any application and platform –whether powered by WordPress or not –while Managed WordPress hosting is specifically designed for WordPress sites.

Conclusion

When you’re deciding between managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting, you need to pay attention to your site’s requirements. Generally, shared hosting is ideal for start-ups or small online businesses, while managed sharing provides the best hosting services for large websites with high traffic. 

Got any more questions? Contact us today to talk to one of our knowledgeable reps: they will ensure you’re getting the best hosting plan for your business.