Shared Hosting vs. VPS¶
If you're choosing a hosting plan, you'll probably come across two big options: shared hosting and VPS. This page explains the difference in plain language so you can pick the right one.
The short version¶
- Shared hosting — your website lives on a server alongside other small websites, all sharing the same computer and resources. It's the easiest, most affordable, and best for most small businesses.
- VPS (Virtual Private Server) — you still share a physical server, but you get your own private slice of it, with dedicated resources and more control. More powerful, but more expensive and more technical.
The shop analogy¶
Think of a food court: - Shared hosting is a food stall in the court. You share the building, the power, and the tables with everyone else. It's cheap and easy — most of the time you barely notice the other stalls. But if another stall advertises a huge sale and gets busy, the building gets more crowded and everyone is a little slower. - VPS is your own locked room inside the building. You have your own door, your own space, and the other rooms don't affect you. It costs more, but it's more predictable and you can do more with it.
How to decide¶
| You want to | Shared hosting | VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Get a site online cheaply and easily | ✅ Best | — |
| Run a small business / blog / brochure site | ✅ Ideal | — |
| Need room to grow into a busy site | ✅ Start here | Consider later |
| Have thousands of visitors a day | — | ✅ |
| Run custom software, staging, or many sites | — | ✅ |
| Learn hosting and want full control | — | Best for this |
The honest recommendation for most people¶
Start with shared hosting. For the vast majority of small businesses, blogs, and growing sites, shared hosting is more than enough — and you can always upgrade to a VPS later without losing your data. See Upgrade or downgrade your plan.
Buying a VPS before you need it is usually overkill — you'd pay for power you aren't using and take on more setup than you need.
When you'd actually want a VPS¶
You're a good fit for a VPS if you:
- Get high traffic every day (thousands of visitors).
- Run custom applications or software that needs more control.
- Manage many websites or heavy databases.
- Want to install your own software and have full control over the environment.
What about email and domains?¶
Hosting plans include email and let you use domains — see What is web hosting? and Email Hosting. A VPS doesn't automatically mean separate email; it's about the power and control of your website's home.
Not sure which you need? Contact support — tell us what you're building and we'll recommend the right fit. Or start small with Choose a hosting plan.
See the numbers: check current Plans & pricing.