Which Web Hosting is Right for You? A Complete Guide to All Types

Not sure what type of website hosting is best for your small business? We’ve got you covered.

Web hosting comes in many different types: shared hosting, cloud hosting, vps hosting, managed hosting, dedicated hosting, and reseller hosting. The differences between them are:

• The resources and services they provide
• Technical knowledge needed to manage them
• Price

Web host companies have also created specific hosting packages for various CMS and platforms, including WordPress hosting and ecommerce hosting.

Whether you’re looking to start a blog for your side hustle to create a fully functioning e-commerce website with thousands of visitors and payments, it pays to pick the right types of web hosting for your online business.

Here’s our pick of some of the best hosting packages, offering a variety of different hosting types from shared, to managed, to dedicated, to VPS, to Cloud, Ecommerce, and more.

Kinsta

• Easy to use dashboard
• Powered by Google Cloud
• Fast CPU's with performance monitoring
• 24/7 Wordpress expert support

View Deals

DreamHost

• Easy to use interface
• Fast, reliable (100% up time) & secure servers
• Hosting: Shared, VPS, Wordpress, Cloud, Dedicated

View Deals

GreenGeeks

• Eco-friendly Web Hosting
• 99.9% Guaranteed up time
• Hosting: Shared, Wordpress, WooCommerce, VPS, Reseller

View Deals

And without further ado, let’s find out what each type of web hosting offers so you can pick the right type for your site, no matter how big or small.

Types of Hosting

• Shared Hosting
• Dedicated Hosting
• Managed Hosting
• VPS Hosting
• Cloud Hosting
• WordPress Hosting
• Ecommerce Hosting
• Reseller Hosting

Shared Hosting

The most affordable and cheapest type of hosting for your website is Shared Hosting. When you pay for a Shared Hosting plan, you reserve space on a server to place your website. This server can host many different websites from other people or businesses worldwide in various areas of business to your own.

The advantages of this is that you can get cheap website hosting plans compared to more advanced hosting, ranging anywhere from 0.99 to a 5.00+ per month. The disadvantages are that you often compromise speed, security, and reliability for the price. In other words, you get what you pay for.

Perfect for those on a budget, where speed and reliability aren’t an issue.

Advantages of Shared Hosting

• Affordable: Typically the cheapest option, making it ideal for beginners or small websites
• Beginner Friendly: Easy to set up and manage, with user-friendly interfaces
• Low Maintenance: Server maintenance is handled by the hosting provider

Disadvantages of Shared Hosting

• Limited Resources: Shared resources can lead to slow load times during high traffic
• Lower Security: Increased risk of security issues since multiple sites share a single server
• Less Customization: Limited control and customization options for individual users

30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

• Plans from £2.99*
• Enjoy Unmetered Traffic
• Free CDN, Free SSL, + Daily Backups
• Choose from Shared, Wordpress, WooCommerce & Cloud Hosting

Visit SiteGround »

Dedicated Hosting

Much like it infers, dedicated hosting is where you lease a server for your own intended use. Unlike shared hosting, the server only contains what you store on it. You can optimize many features, including Storage Space, CPU, RAM, and Operating System, to your own needs.

It’s the hosting option for more tech-savvy people who know what they need for their business and have the knowledge to customize.

Advantages of Dedicated Hosting

• Full Control: Complete access to the server for customization and optimization
• High Performance: Resources are dedicated to your site, ensuring faster load times and better reliability
• Better Security: Improved security as the server isn’t shared with other websites

Disadvantages of Dedicated Hosting

• Expensive: One of the most costly hosting options, suitable for larger businesses with higher budgets
• Requires Technical Knowledge: Management and customization may require advanced technical skills
• Maintenance Responsibility: Users may need to handle more of the server maintenance.

Managed Hosting

If you’re after a hosting service that looks after everything for you, then Managed Dedicated Hosting is the option for you. When you sign up for Managed Hosting, you lease the server, hardware, and storage from them to host your business solutions and ask them to look after the day-to-day for you.

Services included in a Managed Hosting plan include backups and recovery, security, server configuration, monitoring, maintenance, and dedicated technical support, which is there when you need it.

This type of service lets you get on with marketing and running your business without worrying about the technicalities that often come with hosting. The only downside is that it’s one of the pricier options, so it is best for established businesses or those who need the support.

Advantages of Managed Hosting

• Ease of Use: Server management, updates, and security are handled by the provider, making it ideal for non-technical users
• Optimized Performance: Often optimized for specific applications (e.g., WordPress) to enhance performance
• Security and Support: Enhanced security and access to expert support

Disadvantages of Managed Hosting

• Higher Cost: Usually more expensive than unmanaged options due to the added support and management
• Less Control: Limited server control and customization options
• Provider Dependency: Relies on the provider for updates and maintenance.

VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server)

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server and is a form of hosting many online hosting companies provide. You can load many Virtual Servers on a physical machine, but each one is dedicated to the client with CPU, RAM, Storage, and Operating System all customizable by you.

VPS hosting is just as secure as dedicated hosting and gives you the same experience, only it’s a virtual option and is often cheaper than managed and dedicated hosting options.

Advantages of VPS Hosting

• Dedicated Resources: Provides a portion of dedicated resources, improving site performance compared to shared hosting
• Scalable: Can be easily upgraded as your site’s traffic grow
• Better Security and Isolation: VPS accounts are isolated, reducing the risk of security breaches

Disadvantages of VPS Hosting

• Moderate Cost: More expensive than shared hosting, though cheaper than dedicated hosting
• Technical Knowledge Needed: Requires some understanding of server management and configuration
• Resource Limits: Though it’s scalable, there are still limitations compared to dedicated hosting

Deals from $2.59 / month

• Easy to use interface
• Fast, reliable (100% up time) & secure servers
• Hosting: Shared, VPS, Wordpress, Cloud, Dedicated

Visit DreamHost »

Cloud Hosting

A hosting platform that relies on multiple servers to provide you with a more reliable, scalable solution for your website.

When you take out a cloud hosting plan, your website will be distributed across multiple computers. If one server goes down, another will be able to pick up the slack, still providing your visitors with a seamless user experience.

The good thing about cloud web hosting is that you also only tend to pay for the resources you use per month rather than a flat fee for bandwidth which in turn keeps your business costs potentially lower.

Advantages of Cloud Hosting

• Scalable: Allows seamless scalability to handle traffic spikes without downtime
• High Reliability: Uses multiple servers to ensure uptime and data redundancy
• Flexible Pricing: Pay-as-you-go pricing, so you only pay for the resources you use

Disadvantages of Cloud Hosting

• Complex Pricing: Usage-based pricing can be complex and hard to predict
• Data Security Concerns: Some may have concerns about data security, as data is spread across multiple servers
• Requires Technical Knowledge: Can be complicated for beginners to manage without guidance

WordPress Hosting

If your website runs on the WordPress content management system, then WordPress web hosting could be for you. It’s a web hosting service tailored to make your WordPress site run fast, efficiently, and reliably and often has extra security layers to help protect your site from unwanted attacks.

You’ll typically get an easy-to-use dashboard to navigate your WordPress sites, SFTP access, backups, automatic updates, and customer support.

You don’t specifically need WordPress hosting to run your WordPress website, but if you’re after a secure, time-saving option, this could be for you from as little as 2.00 a month.

Advantages of WordPress Hosting

• Optimized for WordPress: Designed specifically to improve performance for WordPress sites
• User-Friendly: Often includes easy setup, automatic updates, and WordPress-specific tools
• Enhanced Security: Enhanced security features tailored for WordPress vulnerabilities

Disadvantages of WordPress Hosting

• Limited to WordPress: Only suitable for WordPress sites, not compatible with other CMS platforms
• Higher Cost: Often more expensive than general shared hosting
• Limited Control: Some managed WordPress hosts offer limited control over server settings

Try a free demo

• Easy to use dashboard
• Powered by Google Cloud
• Fast CPU's with performance monitoring
• 24/7 Wordpress expert support

Visit Kinsta »

Ecommerce Hosting

Much like WordPress Hosting, Ecommerce Hosting is specifically tailored to help you run your ecommerce website online.

You’ll typically get all the tools you need to run your online business efficiently, including super-fast speeds, unmetered traffic, top-notch security, backups, payment solutions, and caching. These tools help your clients get to the products they want to buy quicker.

Not all web hosting services offer this option, and if that’s the case, then Managed Dedicated Hosting or Cloud Dedicated Hosting is probably the best options.

Advantages of Ecommerce Hosting

• Ecommerce-Specific Features: Includes support for payment gateways, SSL, shopping carts, and other e-commerce tools
• Enhanced Security: Prioritizes security measures like SSL certificates and PCI compliance for safe transactions
• Scalability and Reliability: Optimized to handle higher traffic and transaction volumes typical for e-commerce sites

Disadvantages of Ecommerce Hosting

• Higher Cost: Often more expensive than general-purpose hosting due to specialized features
• Complex Setup: Setting up and managing an e-commerce site can be more complex than a standard website
• Specialized Needs: May require additional plugins or software for advanced functionality

Reseller Hosting

If you’re looking to sell hosting to other people, then the Reseller Hosting option is for you. This service allows you to rent the space and bandwidth on servers to other businesses as part of your own hosting packages. You pay a monthly fee to rent the servers in bulk from a hosting company and then re-rent a portion of that to other businesses for a profit.

Advantages of Reseller Hosting

• Generate Income: Allows you to resell hosting services, making it ideal for agencies and web developers
• Custom Branding: Resellers can brand the hosting services under their own business
• Management Tools: Provides tools to manage multiple client accounts easily

Disadvantages of Reseller Hosting

• Requires Management Skills: Managing client hosting and support requires additional effort and skill
• Higher Risk: The reseller is responsible for customer support, which can be challenging
• Moderate Cost: Typically costs more than shared hosting, though it offers a revenue opportunity

Which type of Web Hosting is best?

There are many different types of web hosting to choose from. Finding the right one is down to your needs. If you’re using the popular WordPress CMS, perhaps a hosting provider dedicated to WordPress is for you.

The same goes for ecommerce sites looking to maximize their potential. Pick from one of the ecommerce hosting plans, and you’ll get a server specification that matches your needs.

If you’re just after a testing ground for your sites or web applications, then the cheaper shared hosting might be an option.

I like to go with the VPS hosting as it gives me the option to specify my server CPU, RAM, and storage and gives me the freedom to manage what I need when I need it. It takes a little more time to set up, and you need to know a thing or two about servers cause when the proverbial shit hits the fan, it’s all on you to sort it, so there are some downsides.

Ever you choose, pick one that fits your needs and has the scope to expand as your website traffic grows.