Is Shared Hosting Good Enough?

This is one of the most common questions people ask. The honest answer: for most small businesses, yes — shared hosting is more than enough. Here's how to know when it is, and when it isn't.

Ready to start? See Plans & pricing, then Create your account. Or contact support if you're not sure.

What shared hosting is

Your site lives on a server shared with other small websites. Each site gets its own space and a share of the server's resources. It's the easiest, most affordable option, and it handles a typical website easily.

See What is web hosting? for the plain-language version.

When shared hosting is plenty

Shared hosting is the right choice if you:

• Run a small business site, blog, or portfolio.
• Get a few hundred to a few thousand visitors a month.
• Use WordPress or a site builder.
• Want email on your domain included.

For the vast majority of people, this covers it. You can always upgrade later.

When you'd need something more

You'd want to move beyond shared hosting if you:

• Get thousands of visitors every day.
• Run custom software or a heavy application.
• Manage many websites or big databases.
• Need full control over the server.

That's where a VPS comes in — your own private slice of a server. See Shared hosting vs. VPS and VPS hosting.

The practical advice

Don't over-buy. It's tempting to think you need a big plan, but most sites are small. Start with shared hosting, watch your usage, and upgrade only if you hit your limits. See How to choose a hosting plan.

Upgrading is easy and doesn't lose your data — see Upgrade or downgrade your plan.

See the numbers: Plans & pricing shows what each shared plan includes, and How much does hosting cost? shows what you'll pay.