Shared vs VPS hosting: which do you need?

Both shared and VPS hosting run websites well. The difference is how resources are shared, how much control you get, and what happens when your traffic grows. Here is how to choose without overpaying.

Shared hosting

On shared hosting, many websites live on one server and share its resources. That keeps the price low and the setup simple - the host manages the server, and you manage your site through cPanel. It is the right starting point for blogs, brochure sites, small business websites and most new online stores. Explore our shared web hosting plans.

The trade-off: because resources are shared, a busy neighbour on the server can affect performance, and you cannot install custom server software.

VPS hosting

A VPS (virtual private server) still sits on a shared physical machine, but you get a guaranteed allocation of CPU, RAM and NVMe storage that other users cannot eat into, plus root access to configure the server as you like. That means steadier performance under load and the freedom to run software a shared plan will not allow. See our NVMe VPS plans.

When to move from shared to VPS

• Your site has outgrown its plan and feels slow at peak times.
• You run a busy store and cannot risk slowdowns during a sale or festive rush.
• You need root access, a specific stack, or to host several sites with reserved resources.
• You want isolation for security or compliance reasons.

If none of these apply yet, shared hosting is usually the sensible, cheaper choice - you can always upgrade. New to all this? Start with what is web hosting.