The debate on ‘Shared Vs. Managed Wordpress Hosting’ has been going on since quite some time now. The debate is quite old, but it is still as relevant as ever before. Choosing between the two is probably one of the toughest choices that site owners and developers have to make. Isn’t it?

However, the comparison between the two is not as easy as it apparently seems to be. One needs to dive in deep to make sense of the similarities as well as differences between the two.

Let’s have a comparative analysis of shared WordPress hosting and managed WordPress hosting to find out which is the best one.

What Is Shared WordPress Hosting?

Shared hosting is the cheapest option when it comes to hosting a website. This option is suitable for hosting an average website. It is capable of serving all the needs of a variety of websites, that too at a considerably low rate. The good part is that shared WordPress hosting is a reliable option for sites that are powered by WordPress as well as those that are not. Shared hosting is usually a reasonable option for small business sites and the likes of it.

Pros of shared hosting

1. It is a low-cost option for new startups who has low traffic and the business totally doesn’t rely on the website.
2. You don’t need much knowledge to setup. The hosting provide will do all the hard work for you. It’s basically an off-the-shelf solution.
3. The price generally starts from $7-9 per month for a simple website.
4. Many hosts provide you with the facility of hosting multiple sites under one account as well.
5. Even though “unlimited visitors” is a utopia, almost all shared hosts do not have a stringent cap on the number of visitors that your site can receive.

Cons of shared hosting

1. The opportunity cost of this cheap option is boosted performance. Yes, shared WordPress hosting is cheap, no doubt. However, you should only opt for this option only if you are ready to compromise on the quality of performance to some extent.
2. Since your site is sharing resources with other sites, your site’s loading time and speed are likely to suffer because of other sites.
3. There aren’t any advanced features and control to make changes.
4. The support might not be reliable and easy to get when you really need.
5. The security vulnerability is high.

What is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Managed WordPress hosting is a complete package for your WordPress site. It deals with a very specific market. However, it can only be used to run WordPress sites. If your website is powered by any other CMS, then you cannot avail the option of managed WordPress hosting. It is important to mention here that managed WordPress hosting packages can cost you hundreds of dollars per month. Its basic packages start from around $30-50 monthly. If high speed and reliability are what you are particularly interested in, then managed WordPress is an ideal choice.

Pros of managed WordPress hosting

1. It has server architecture that has been designed specifically for WordPress. Hence, better performance is guaranteed.
2. It possesses built-in server-level caching which further ensures better performance.
3. There is an automatic backup system to ensure that the data on your WordPress site is safe and secure.
4. You will also get access to WordPress related security features which include firewalls, login hardening, and malware scans
5. The website management dashboard is more convenient.
6. Additionally, there are features like staging sites to make site management more convenient.
7. Lastly, most of the customer service representatives have a good knowledge of WordPress

Cons of managed WordPress hosting

1. Managed WordPress hosts will cost you way more than shared WordPress hosts. However, there are some reasonable options too.
2. There are stricter visitor caps. This means that there is a limitation on the number of visitors a website receives based on your server.
3. You can only host websites powered by WordPress
4. In order to enhance performance, few managed WordPress hosts will restrict the plugins that you can use.

Shared Vs. Managed WordPress Hosting – Which One Should You Opt For?

To be honest, there is no straightforward answer to this question. Basically, the answer varies according to the size and scale of your business.

If your business is small in scale with limited financial resources, you should opt for shared hosting. The reason being that shared hosting is a lot cheaper as compared to managed WordPress hosting. Hence, you won’t be burdened beyond your means. The best available options in this regard are:

• VentraIP
• Crucial
• Digital Pacific

However, if your business is a large scale, then it is in your business’s best interest to opt for managed WordPress hosting. This is a comparatively expensive option. That is why only a well-established business can afford to choose this option over the other one. The benefits that this option has to offer are also quite appealing. The best available options in this regard are:

• WPengine
• FlyWheel
• Pantheon

In a nutshell, shared as well as managed WordPress hosting has its own set of advantages as well as disadvantages. Therefore, you need to match the requirements of your business with the features of each type of hosting in order to choose the most appropriate type of hosting. This strategy will eventually lead you to the right path.

If confusion still persists, we at WP Creative are always ready to help you out and offer the best possible solution.

Feel free to hit us up!

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