One of the things to decide when you are starting a new website is the type of hosting package that will work best for you. Every hosting plan has its benefits and disadvantages and the plan which appeals the most to you is entirely dependent on your needs

This article will help you understand the differences between shared and WordPress hosting. To begin let’s explain what shared hosting and WordPress hosting mean in plain English.

What is a Hosting Plan?

A web hosting plan allows you to rent space on a server for your website. To get your site online and let people access it, you need a hosting service. Click here to get started with hosting your website. 

As with any service, there are different types and they differ in price and benefits. We will be focusing on shared hosting and WordPress hosting in this article

Shared Hosting

This is one of the most common hosting plans. As the name implies, a single server is shared by different websites. Shared hosting is cheap and is popular among newer and smaller sites.

Shared hosting can be likened to having roommates sharing an apartment with you. You get to pay less rent than if you lived alone in the same apartment. Shared hosting allows more than one website to rent space on the same server. it supports CMS fully as it is not specifically designed for a single platform. 

Although the price is the primary advantage, there are downsides to this form of hosting. You ‘re going to have to share resources with other sites, which means your results can suffer if those sites get more traffic. Security can be an issue, although the quality provider may provide protection. 

Here are more advantages of shared hosting plans.

Low cost is the key benefit of this form of hosting package. This makes it the best choice for new websites that don’t require a lot of money at the beginning, like a blog.

Because there are many customers on one server, it takes a short time for downtime and technical issues to be resolved. as compared to dedicated servers. In addition, the web host alone manages maintenance. This means knowledge of how servers function is not a necessity.

However, there are some important disadvantages that need to be looked at.

The main drawback of shared hosting is you share server resources with other websites. As a result, if another website is getting unusually high traffic, your website may have fewer resources during that period.

Another disadvantage is you can be greatly affected by the actions of others sharing the server. For instance, if another website on your server releases malicious content Google doesn’t like, they ensure the site ranks poorly. This will affect your SEO, even if you are not the source of such content.

Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting is solely for sites running WordPress. These sites are managed by the hosting provider to help users fully enjoy its many features. WordPress is equipped with several customizable themes and plugins that can be managed by the user. This simplifies the process of adding content and managing a website for anyone, even if they have just little or no technical knowledge in web design and development. 

WordPress hosting is limited to hosting sites designed with the WordPress content management system, which ensures that no other CMS can be hosted on WordPress hosting sites.

The key advantage is you will find an improvement in results. Websites will load faster, have better protection, access to regular WordPress updates, backups, and support.

Many WordPress hosting plans are managed by a hosting provider who takes care of the brunt of server related work. This will allow you to spend more time designing content for your website and less time optimizing.

The main disadvantage of WordPress hosting stems from the price. While you’re sure to get more for your money, many websites, especially new ones, don’t need this level of service.

Difference Between Shared Hosting and WordPress Hosting

To further highlight the differences between these two hosting plans, we have compared them based on the following features.

Customization

WordPress itself is highly customizable. Tech-savvy users can tweak its code in a myriad of ways.

Shared hosting while being a popular choice for new users limits users from customizing aspects of their site related to performance and appearance.

Security

The options for installing third party security features by site owners are limited in both shared and WordPress hosting environments, and site security is majorly the responsibility of the hosting provider.

In shared hosting, providers typically apply security measures on the server itself. Malware can still leak from one site to another because of the numerous sites sharing space in close proximity.

In WordPress hosting, although the host is still in charge of maintaining site security, the fewer sites involved make the security measure more effective in protecting against malware.

Costs and Benefits

Shared hosting provides a pocket-friendly means to get a site up and running. These low costs are reflected in the limited features this kind of hosting provides.

WordPress hosting on the other typically costs much more, with packages. These range from simple hosting to complete enterprise services costing hundreds per month. However, since these packages are dedicated only to WordPress, they enable growth so users can use an update as their sites evolve.

No two websites are the same. In the traffic they receive, the content generated, the hours in which they are most accessed, each website is special. That’s why your web hosting plan needs to be exclusive too. 

With so many hosting plans to choose from, you have to make the best choice for your site. Understanding the differences between these hosting plans will help you pick a plan with the resources needed to grow.