Hosting options range from a small shared account costing little each month to a powerful dedicated server. Choosing too little leads to a slow, unreliable site; choosing too much wastes money and adds management work you may not need. Here is how the main options compare.
Shared hosting
Many websites share one server's resources, with each account isolated from the others. The provider manages the server, security updates and backups, and you control your account through a panel such as cPanel.
Good for: business websites, blogs, portfolios, small e-commerce stores and many PHP applications, including our own products.
Limits: resources are shared and capped, and you cannot install custom server software.
VPS (virtual private server)
A VPS gives you a guaranteed share of a server's CPU, memory and storage, with root access to install what you need.
Good for: growing applications, custom software stacks, background workers, many websites under one account, or agencies hosting clients.
Consider: someone must manage the server — updates, security, backups — unless you choose a managed VPS.
Dedicated server
A whole physical server for you alone, with maximum performance and control.
Good for: high-traffic applications, heavy databases and workloads with strict isolation requirements.
Consider: higher cost and full management responsibility.
Questions to ask
- How much traffic do you expect, now and in a year?
- Does your application need custom software, queues or long-running processes?
- Who will manage security updates and backups?
- What happens if you outgrow the plan — can you upgrade easily?
Start right-sized
Most business websites start comfortably on good shared hosting and move to a VPS when traffic or requirements grow. Moving up is straightforward when you plan for it.
See our hosting plans, and ask us if you are unsure which fits.
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