Types of Web Hosting Explained and Tested – CNET

One of the first things you’ll notice when you’re looking for web hosting is that there are dozens of companies to choose from, and every company offers several types of web hosting.

Based on what I’ve learned in over a decade spent building websites for myself and my clients, let’s explore the most common types of web hosting and who should use each one.

All the types of web hosting and which you should use

Shared hosting

Shared hosting is the most common type of web hosting, boasting a 42.5% global market share. 

This popularity stems from its affordability and accessibility. You can often get started for less than $5 a month, and the hosting company configures and maintains the web server for you. Many also provide security monitoring, automated backups and 24/7 technical support.

With shared hosting, you rent space on a server shared with other websites. You get a limited amount of the server’s resources like disk space and you share the server’s overall bandwidth with other websites. If one of those websites experiences a massive traffic spike, it hogs that bandwidth, slowing your site down.

Sharing a server also opens your site up to other risks. If one site’s security is compromised, it can put other sites on the server at risk. Similarly, if Google blacklists a site on your shared server, your site might be blacklisted too.

Web hosting companies take steps to minimize these risks. I’ve used shared hosting for over a decade, working with companies like Bluehost and HostPapa without encountering these problems. Many small businesses and for-fun hobby sites have also used shared hosting without issue. If you choose a reputable web hosting company, your site should be safe.

Ultimately, shared hosting is the best option for most small businesses, bloggers and hobby site creators.

Pros:

• Affordable for modest budgets
• Often doesn’t require any complicated setup on your part

Cons:

• Sharing bandwidth makes it unsuitable for sites with hundreds of thousands of visitors per month
• Your site may be vulnerable to security risks if another site on the shared server is compromised
• There is a small risk of being blacklisted by Google if another site on your server is banned

WordPress hosting

WordPress hosting is specialized shared hosting optimized for the most popular content management system or CMS, WordPress. WordPress is open-source software for creating, organizing and managing content on your website without relying on using code.

All WordPress hosting comes with WordPress pre-installed and automated updates to the core WordPress software performed by your hosting company.

You may also get additional features, such as:

• Specialized WordPress caching for faster loading times
• Pre-installed plugins to add functionality for things like search engine optimization, or SEO, which can help your site rank in search engines like Google
• Custom WordPress themes (site templates)
• WordPress-based website builder for simplified website design
• Access to specialized tech support from WordPress experts

Some companies go further by offering specialized WooCommerce plans. WooCommerce is the top e-commerce plugin for WordPress, so having this pre-installed makes it easy to start selling products or services online.

These plans often cost $1-2 more per month than shared hosting. This makes WordPress hosting best for building a niche site or a small business website with WordPress.

A few companies may also offer WordPress hosting via VPS or cloud hosting, but these options are rare and more expensive than shared WordPress hosting.

Pros:

• WordPress pre-installed
• Automated updates to core WordPress software and sometimes plugins/themes
• May offer additional tools to support optimal WordPress usage

Cons:

• Has the same limitations as regular shared hosting
• May be slightly more expensive than regular shared hosting

Website builder hosting

Dedicated hosting gives you an entire physical server. This provides a massive amount of storage — usually at least one terabyte — and the server’s full bandwidth. With dedicated hosting you can host hundreds of thousands of files and provide a fast browsing experience for millions of visitors.

The hosting company handles physical server maintenance, but you’re responsible for digital configuration and maintenance — things like selecting the operating system and installing security software. If you lack the knowledge to manage the server, you’ll have to hire a system administrator or pay for a managed dedicated hosting plan.

Dedicated hosting plans are expensive, with the lowest-tier options often costing $80-100 a month. Managed plans can cost thousands of dollars a month. This makes dedicated hosting prohibitively expensive for small businesses, bloggers and hobby website owners.

Because of this, dedicated hosting is best for large or medium-sized companies with extensive data needs.

Pros:

• Massive amount of storage space
• Access to the full bandwidth capabilities of your server
• Ability to customize your server

Cons:

• Plans are quite expensive, often costing over $100 a month
• Digital configuration and maintenance are your responsibility
• Not offered by all web hosting companies

Cloud hosting