Shared Hosting vs Cloud Hosting | Which One Is Right For You?

What’s the difference between shared hosting vs cloud hosting?

In this article, I will be discussing the difference between these two popular hosting services.

I’ll also give the pros and cons of each hosting option in detail. Here is a quick summary.

With a shared hosting plan, you will be sharing the cost and server resources with other users on the same server.

Cloud hosting refers to, at times, several hundred servers that can communicate with each other and act as one extremely large server.

Both hosting types have their pros and cons.

For example, shared hosting offers extreme cost benefits for each user.

However, larger sites on the same server can negatively affect and slow down other users’ websites.

On the flip-side, cloud hosting offers the main benefit of scalability.

This means you won’t be bogged down if there is a larger website on the same server because more servers can always be added to the mix.

The main downside is the fact that the pricing structure is not as affordable as shared hosting.

However, the benefits do outweigh the added costs.

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What Does Shared Hosting Mean?

Shared hosting refers to the practice of placing many users on one server. These users will share both the computing resources as well as the cost.

This makes shared hosting quite economical and practical for first-time website owners whose web traffic has not reached the data limit of their hosting package.

However, shared hosting is not a good choice for an established business whose website receives a large amount of monthly traffic.

Shared hosting is also not a great fit for websites that require extra bandwidth and security features.

In these cases, it’s highly recommended to purchase either cloud, VPS, or dedicated server options.

This will help future proof your website’s traffic needs as well as make your visitors’ experience that much faster and more secure.

Is Shared Web Hosting Good?

While shared hosting is not a good choice for larger websites that receive lots of traffic, they’re just fine for stater sites.

If you are just getting started and are growing your traffic, then a shared hosting plan is a wise choice.

That’s because with shared hosting, you “share” the server resources and the costs with other users.

This makes shared hosting the most cost-effective way to pay for hosting with your website.

Just be sure to switch to higher-level hosting such as a cloud-based service when you outgrow your monthly data cap.

You do not want to be stuck on a shared hosting plan when your website is getting loads of traffic.

You’ll run the risk of getting your site’s bandwidth slowed to a crawl, or even get dropped altogether.

Is Cloud Hosting Better Than VPS Hosting?

The difference between cloud hosting vs VPS hosting can be at first, rather vague.

Cloud hosting refers to a large group of physical servers, usually numbering in the hundreds, that can work together as one super server.

One of the benefits of cloud hosting is the ability to add extra servers to accommodate growing websites on that server.

On the other hand, a VPS server, (Virtual Private Server) utilizes just one physical server that is broken up into separate virtual partitions for websites to reside on.

Though users on a VPS server will share the server’s resources such as memory and processing power, they still receive a dedicated part of those recourses.

So, which option is better? Well a VPS server will insulate you from other users on the same server in the event they break the rules and get banned.

Cloud hosting allows for near unlimited growth if your website exceeds its allocated server resources.

This is in contrast to shared hosting in which you will be at the mercy of the other users on your server.

So what’s the verdict? You will generally want to start with shared hosting until your traffic grows.

Then, move on to cloud-based hosting. This is followed by VPS hosting, and finally on your dedicated server.

Cloud Hosting vs WordPress Hosting

While WordPress.org does not currently offer its own paid hosting service. They do offer free hosting with limited features through their WordPress.com platform.

This service is rather limited though and is not recommended for users who want to eventually monetize their websites.

A better alternative would be to go with cloud-based hosting.

With cloud hosting, you’ll have full control over your website’s look, functionality, ad placement, and logo placement.

That’s because you will also own your custom domain name and website URL address.

Unfortunately, when hosting on the WordPress.com platform, you lose control of some of these features.

That is why I recommend you go with cloud hosting on the WordPress.org platform instead.

Cloud Hosting vs Dedicated Hosting

While cloud hosting allows for hundreds of servers to act as one giant server, dedicated hosting involves just one server, at least at first.

When you have outgrown your cloud and VPS hosting accounts, it’s time to move on to the big daddy of them all. A dedicated server.

This is where you will pay a monthly fee to rent out a full dedicated server machine.

There is no sharing of system resources, or worrying about what other users are doing on their websites.

You are in full control and have full Linux access through “root” permissions.

This is your best option if your website is receiving a significant amount of traffic per month and you need to grow further.

Cloud Hosting Providers

Many cloud hosting providers offer services for your website. These providers all offer quality hosting at reasonable prices.

If they didn’t they wouldn’t be in business.

Furthermore, you’ll also be able to purchase your domain name through them as well if you don’t want to go with a separate domain registrar.

Just make sure to do your research and due diligence before committing. Here is a small list of the biggest players in the cloud hosting game.

Best Cloud Hosting

So which cloud hosting solution would I choose? NameHero cloud hosting is my choice based on personal experience.

It’s what I use on several of my websites and it’s amazing.

NameHero’s customer support is top-notch and they’re always ready to solve any issues I may have.

However, issues rarely arise as they have 99.9% server up-time as well as extensive site backup and security features.

They also have unmetered data so you won’t have to pay extra if you get a spike in web visitors the next month.

Finally, NameHero offers simple WordPress installations with free SSL certificates. This will add greater security to your site and build trust with visitors.

If you are in the market for web hosting, why not go with NameHero? They offer great features as well as peace of mind.

If you feel like NameHero would be a great fit for your website, you can click here through to my affiliate link.

Keep in mind, I will receive a commission when you purchase through my link. Your support is always appreciated, thank you.

Shared Hosting vs Cloud Hosting – Conclusion

I hope this article gave you some insight into which hosting service would be right for your website.

Starting a website for your business or even for personal use can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

However, there are many steps to take to reach that end goal.

If you would like to learn how to start a website or blog, you can view my article on how to start a blog by clicking here.

And if you are interested in web hosting from NameHero, you can click here to purchase from my affiliate link.

This how-to article will teach you how to purchase your custom domain name as well as how to set up web hosting.

Next, it will show you the steps to take to successfully install WordPress.

Then, you’ll learn how to choose and install your website theme.

Finally, you’ll learn how to install plugins and create written content for your site. This is not an article you’ll want to miss.

With that said, thanks for stopping by and taking time out of your day to visit my website.

I hope you will find the time and energy to create your site as well. I wish you the best of luck and have a great day.