If recent predictions come true, website hosting revenue will reach US$192.80bn in 2025. That’s an incredible sum of money, but how much of that does hosting one website account for? In most cases, you can get reliable, affordable hosting for around US$5 to US$25 per month.

Depending on your needs, you can often get a web hosting for as little as US$3 per month with seasonal incentives and discounts. But a dedicated server might cost you into the hundreds of dollars per month.

Let’s break down the web hosting costs, look at what you are paying for with web hosting, and explain all that factors included with how much it costs to host a website.

How Much Does It Cost To Host a Website?

The average cost of hosting a website is about US$12 per month, not including discounts and current hosting incentives. However, web hosting costs after introductory offers and discounted rates are often US$3 or less per month. Other web hosting cost factors include the type of hosting and the specific features you need.

Managed WordPress hosting typically costs between US$15 and US$50, while more powerful and customizable VPS and dedicated server hosting cost anywhere from US$25 to several hundred dollars per month.

Aside from the cost of web hosting, you also need to consider domain name registration costs, which usually cost between US$10 and US$30 per year. Site builders, SSL certificates, security features, backups, and professional email hosting also come at additional costs.

What Are You Paying For With Web Hosting?

When you pay for web hosting, you are essentially renting space and resources on a server to store and run your website. The total web hosting cost covers the hardware, software, maintenance, and other expenses related to keep your site operating effectively and efficiently.

• Server Space and Resources: This includes the disk space to store your website files and bandwidth to handle visitor traffic. More robust plans offer higher allocations, suitable for larger or high-traffic websites.
• Infrastructure Maintenance: Hosting providers charge for the upkeep of their servers, including hardware upgrades, cooling systems, and network management to ensure uptime and reliability.
• Software and Licensing: Costs often include access to control panels (like cPanel or Plesk), server operating systems, and other essential tools.
• Support Services: Many hosting plans include technical support, troubleshooting, and managed services, ensuring smooth operations for your website.
• Security Measures: Advanced security features, such as SSL certificates, firewalls, malware protection, and backups, may be bundled or offered as add-ons.
• Scalability and Performance Enhancements: Higher-tier plans often include scalable resources, faster SSD storage, and premium features like CDNs for speed and performance.

Essentially, hosting costs reflect the combination of technology, expertise, and service needed to keep your website online and performing optimally.Ultimately, web hosting costs encompass the technology, expertise, and services required to keep your website online, secure, and performing optimally. By understanding what you are paying for, you can make informed decisions about the best hosting plan for your needs.

What Determines How Much It Costs To Host a Website?

The cost of hosting a website is determined by several key factors that reflect the level of resources, performance, and services provided by the hosting plan.

Understanding these factors can help you choose a hosting plan that aligns with your budget and performance requirements. By evaluating your priorities and considering potential future needs, you can make an informed decision about hosting costs.

Here’s a detailed explanation of what influences hosting costs:

Hosting Type

In most cases, the single biggest factor in web hosting costs are the type of hosting you choose. Basic web hosting, where you rent space on a server with other websites, is much less expensive than renting a server dedicated to just your website. Each hosting type comes with certain benefits, like more resources and access, but often with a higher cost. With Managed WordPress hosting, you are paying more for a managed environment where the hosting company handles most of the technical details. Whereas with VPS and dedicated hosting, you are usually paying more for more control over your server environment.

• Shared Web Hosting: Affordable and user-friendly, shared hosting is ideal for beginners and small websites with minimal traffic needs.
• VPS Hosting: Offers a balance of affordability and performance, providing dedicated resources and scalability for growing websites.
• Dedicated Hosting: Provides maximum performance and control by allocating an entire server exclusively for one website.
• Managed WordPress Hosting: Tailored for WordPress users, this option includes automated updates, enhanced security, and ease of use.
• Cloud Hosting: Highly scalable and reliable, cloud hosting leverages multiple servers to ensure uptime and handle traffic fluctuations.

Features and Resources

When selecting a hosting plan, the features and server resources included can significantly influence the overall web hosting cost. These elements determine the plan’s capability to meet your website’s needs, including storage, bandwidth, and additional functionalities. Hosting providers offer various configurations to cater to different user requirements, from basic setups for personal blogs to advanced solutions for high-traffic websites. Understanding what each feature offers and how it impacts your website’s performance is crucial in evaluating your hosting options. Below are some key considerations to keep in mind:

• Storage and Bandwidth: Plans with higher storage limits and unmetered bandwidth often cost more, but they’re essential for websites with large files or high traffic.
• Additional Features: Hosting plans offering daily backups, staging environments, or one-click software installations usually have higher price points.
• Number of Sites: Many basic web hosting plans are priced based on the number of websites you can host, often paying more to have more sites hosted from the same hosting plan.
• Flexibility: Some plans provide customizable server environments, which can increase costs but offer more control for advanced users.

Performance

Website performance plays a critical role in user experience and search engine rankings, making it a key factor in determining hosting costs. High-performing websites load quickly and handle large volumes of traffic without crashing. To achieve this, hosting providers offer advanced technologies and features that directly influence the price of a plan. Whether it’s investing in cutting-edge server hardware, leveraging a Content Delivery Network (CDN), or selecting a server location close to your target audience, these enhancements can significantly impact both the speed and reliability of your website. Here are some performance-related considerations to keep in mind:

• Server Hardware: High-performance servers using SSD storage or NVMe drives are faster and more reliable but come at a premium price.
• CDN Integration: Plans with built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN) support improve site speed and user experience, adding to the overall cost.
• Server Location: Choosing a server closer to your audience can improve performance but may increase costs depending on the provider.

Support Services

The level of support included with a hosting plan can have a significant impact on its overall cost. Support services range from basic troubleshooting to comprehensive managed solutions, where the hosting provider handles tasks like updates, security patches, and server management. Managed hosting typically comes at a premium but offers peace of mind for users who prefer to focus on their website rather than technical details. Many hosting providers also offer 24/7 support, ensuring assistance is available whenever you need it. Specialized support for platforms like WordPress or eCommerce tools can further increase the price but provides invaluable expertise for these specific environments.

• Managed vs. Unmanaged Plans: Managed hosting includes expert support for tasks like updates, security patches, and server management, which typically costs more.
• 24/7 Availability: Hosting providers with round-the-clock support or priority service options often charge a premium.
• Specialized Support: Plans offering expert assistance for specific platforms (e.g., WordPress) may have higher costs.

Billing Cycles

Billing cycles are an important consideration when evaluating the cost of hosting a website. Hosting providers typically offer several payment options, including monthly, annual, or multi-year plans, each with its own advantages and implications for your budget. While monthly plans provide flexibility and lower upfront costs, committing to longer billing cycles often unlocks significant discounts and reduces the average monthly expense. Additionally, many hosting providers entice new customers with introductory offers, which may feature discounted rates for the first billing period. For businesses with fluctuating traffic or resource needs, pay-as-you-go options in cloud hosting offer unparalleled flexibility, though they can make expenses less predictable.

• Monthly vs Annual Pricing: Opting for annual or multi-year plans often reduces the monthly equivalent cost.
• Introductory Offers: Many hosting providers offer discounted rates for the first term, with renewal prices returning to regular rates for subsequent terms.
• Pay-As-You-Go Options: Cloud hosting often uses a flexible pricing model based on resource usage, making it more cost-effective for dynamic needs but less predictable.

Add On Features & Extras

Another important thing to consider when comparing web hosting costs are additional features like security upgrades, backups, site builders, and more. These features offer better protection for your site and your visitors or can make your website easier to use or manage. But they can also come at additional costs.

Review the details about what is included in hosting plans when comparing the overall price. While one hosting company may look significantly cheaper, they might end up costing you much more once you add in features that other hosts include in their base pricing. Typical extras include:

• Premium security features like firewalls, DDoS protection, and malware protection
• AI-enhanced website optimization tools for better website performance and site load speeds
• SSL certificates for added trust and protection with visitors and customers
• Monthly, weekly, or daily website backups for add reliability
• Professional email hosting for a more official look for your organization or business
• Site builders that make designing your website simple
• Staging environments that allow you to test new designs and features before deploying them
• Dedicated IP addresses for enhanced website security, performance, and stability

By evaluating these factors, you can understand why hosting prices vary and choose a plan that aligns with your website’s needs and budget.

Average Web Hosting Costs By Hosting Type

The average web hosting cost depends on several factors, including the type of hosting, features, and level of service. Here’s an overview of the most common hosting types and their price ranges:

Web Hosting

Sometimes call shared hosting in the industry, basic web hosting is one of the most popular and cost-effective hosting solutions for individuals and small businesses. This type of hosting allows multiple websites to share the same server and its resources, which helps keep costs low. It’s an excellent choice for those who are just starting out or have minimal traffic needs.

• Price Range: $2–$15 per month
• Details: Shared hosting is the most affordable option, where multiple websites share server resources. It’s ideal for small blogs, personal websites, and startups with low traffic.
• Pros: Low cost, user-friendly setup.
• Cons: Limited resources and potential performance issues during traffic spikes.

Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting is designed specifically for WordPress websites, offering a seamless and optimized experience. This type of hosting takes care of the technical aspects of running a WordPress site, including updates, security, and backups, so you can focus on creating content and growing your site.

• Price Range: $15–$50+ per month
• Details: Specifically optimized for WordPress, this hosting type includes features like automated updates, backups, and enhanced security.
• Best For: WordPress users who want a hassle-free experience.
• Pros: Optimized performance and ease of use.
• Cons: Limited to WordPress websites.

VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server)

VPS hosting is a powerful middle-ground solution that balances affordability and performance. Unlike shared hosting, VPS hosting gives you a dedicated portion of server resources, which enhances reliability and speed. This type of hosting is perfect for websites that have outgrown shared hosting but don’t yet require a full dedicated server.

• Price Range: $20–$100 per month
• Details: VPS hosting provides a dedicated portion of server resources, offering better performance and more control than shared hosting.
• Best For: Growing businesses, eCommerce stores, or websites with moderate traffic.
• Pros: Customization and scalability.
• Cons: Higher cost and requires some technical expertise.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is the ultimate solution for websites that require maximum performance, reliability, and control. With this type of hosting, you’ll have an entire server dedicated exclusively to your website, ensuring that no other sites compete for resources. This makes it ideal for businesses with high traffic, resource-intensive applications, or specific compliance requirements. However, these benefits typically come with some of the highest web hosting costs.

• Price Range: $80–$500+ per month
• Details: With dedicated hosting, you get an entire server for your website. It ensures maximum performance and control.
• Best For: Large businesses, high-traffic websites, and resource-intensive applications.
• Pros: Unparalleled performance and reliability.
• Cons: Expensive and requires advanced technical knowledge.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is a modern and highly scalable solution that uses a network of servers to host your website. Unlike traditional hosting, it distributes your site’s data across multiple servers, ensuring high reliability and uptime. This hosting type is particularly well-suited for businesses that experience fluctuating traffic or require on-demand scalability.

• Price Range: $10–$300+ per month (pay-as-you-go)
• Details: Cloud hosting uses a network of servers to host your site, offering scalability and reliability.
• Best For: Websites with fluctuating traffic or scalability needs.
• Pros: Flexible pricing and high uptime.
• Cons: Costs can vary based on usage.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is an excellent option for individuals or businesses looking to manage and sell hosting services under their own brand. This type of hosting allows you to partition your hosting resources to serve multiple clients, providing a revenue-generating opportunity. It’s particularly popular among agencies and freelance developers who want to add value to their services. You can usually get started as a reseller for a affordable monthly web hosting cost and scale as you add more clients or need more resources.

• Price Range: $20–$100+ per month
• Details: Reseller hosting allows you to host and manage websites for clients under your brand.
• Best For: Agencies and freelance developers.
• Pros: Revenue generation potential.
• Cons: Requires business management skills.

Additional Costs of Website Hosting

When budgeting for your web hosting cost, it’s important to consider additional expenses beyond the base hosting fees. These costs can add up quickly and impact the overall price of maintaining your website. From domain names to security tools, these extra features provide essential functionality and protection for your site. Here’s a closer look at some of the most common additional web hosting costs you will encounter:

• Domain Name (US$10 to US$30 per year): A domain name is your website’s address on the internet (e.g., www.example.com) and you cannot create a successful website without one. Some hosting providers include a free domain for the first year, but renewal costs apply thereafter.
• SSL Certificate (Free to US$150+ per year): An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and its visitors, enhancing security and building trust. Essential for securing sensitive information, SSL certificates are also a ranking factor in search engines.
• Site Security Tools (US$5 to US$30 per month): Security tools protect your site’s data, ensure uptime, and safeguard user information, especially for eCommerce and sensitive transactions. They protect your website from cyber threats like hacking, malware, and DDoS attacks and may also include automated backups.
• Website Builder Tools (US$5 to US$30 per month: Site builders simplify the process of designing and building a website with drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-designed templates. Ideal for beginners or small businesses, these tools save time and don’t require technical expertise.
• Professional Email (US$5 to US$10 per month): Professional email adds credibility to your communications and reinforces your brand identity. It allows your to create custom email addresses (e.g., name@yourdomain.com) that match your domain name.

Tips for Lower Web Hosting Costs

Here are some tips for finding affordable web hosting without sacrificing quality:

• Identify Your Hosting Needs: Determine the type of website you want to build and its resource requirements (e.g., storage, bandwidth, features). Start with a basic shared hosting plan if you’re launching a small blog or portfolio, and upgrade as needed.
• Compare Multiple Hosting Providers: Use comparison tools or visit review sites to compare pricing, features, and customer satisfaction across hosting providers. Focus on value rather than just the lowest price—ensure the plan meets your specific needs.
• Look for Promotions and Discounts: Many hosting providers offer introductory discounts for new customers, often significantly reducing the first-term costs. Watch for seasonal sales, like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, for deep discounts on hosting plans.
• Choose a Longer Billing Cycle: Opting for annual or multi-year billing often reduces the monthly equivalent cost. Also, be mindful of renewal rates, which may increase after the initial term.
• Avoid Paying for Unnecessary Features: Review the plan to ensure you’re not paying for extras you don’t need, such as premium tools, advanced security features, or website builders, if they’re unnecessary for your site.
• Check Customer Support Quality: Ensure the hosting provider offers responsive and reliable support. Poor customer service can lead to downtime or unresolved issues, which may cost more in the long run.
• Choose a Host with a Money-Back Guarantee: Choose hosting providers that offer a money-back guarantee. This allows you to test their services risk-free and switch if they don’t meet your expectations.

By following these tips, you can find an affordable solution that balances features, service, and performance at a low web hosting cost.

Ready to start a new website? Looking for high-performance web hosting at affordable prices? Get premium hardware and reliable services at a low monthly web hosting cost. With basic Web Hosting starting as low as US$3 with seasonal incentives, you can launch a new website in minutes.

We also offer Managed WordPress Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, and Reseller Hosting to fit any need. Plus, all of our hosting plans include our no-risk money-back guarantee and 24/7/365 in-house customer support. Compare our hosting plans and launch a new website today!

The post How Much Does Web Hosting Cost? Explaining How Much It Costs to Host a Website appeared first on The A2 Posting.

A VPS is a virtual machine that acts like a private server, offering more resources and control than web hosting. A dedicated plan is a physical machine you lease entirely for your own use, providing maximum performance and customization.

While both offer distinct advantages, you need to choose a hosting service that can set your website up for success. That’s why it’s important to understand the differences between VPS and dedicated server hosting before making a decision.

Let’s compare various aspects of VPS and dedicated hosting, including performance, security, control, scalability, and cost so you can find the best fit for your needs.

What is a VPS?

A VPS offers a balance between affordable hosting services and the control of a dedicated server. Some advantages are:

• Control and Customization: While shared hosting doesn’t give you administrative access, VPS does, which means you can choose how the resources are allocated.

• Scalable: As your business grows and your website demands more resources, a VPS can easily scale to accommodate those changing needs.

• Cost-Effective: Compared to dedicated plans, VPS is an affordable option that still provides dedicated resources and an isolated environment.

How Does a VPS Work?

Virtualization Technology

A VPS uses virtualization technology to create multiple virtual server environments on a single server. This process involves installing a special software called a hypervisor, which divides the server into isolated virtual compartments. Each virtual machine has its own operating system, applications, and server resources.

Independent Virtual Environments

While the physical server is shared among multiple users, your VPS operates as an independent, private server with dedicated access to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), and storage space.

Scalability and Flexibility

One of the main benefits of this setup is the ability to scale your VPS as your needs grow. If your website experiences a spike in traffic or you require more computing power, you can easily upgrade your VPS plan to allocate additional resources without the hassle of migrating to a new server.

Top Use Cases for VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is the perfect middle-ground solution for businesses that have outgrown shared hosting but aren’t ready to switch to a dedicated hosting plan.

By leveraging virtualization technology, VPS hosting provides you with dedicated resources at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server. This makes VPS hosting an ideal choice for:

• Small-to-medium sized businesses.
• Tech startups.
• Websites with medium traffic that require greater control than what shared hosting can offer.

With a VPS, you can customize your server to suit your specific needs, install any software you want, and enjoy your own isolated environment. And, if your business experiences fluctuating growth or traffic, you can adjust your resources up or down as needed without migrating to a new server.

What is a Dedicated Server?

With dedicated server hosting, the entire server is exclusively allocated to you, your business, or your application. The benefits of a dedicated plan include:

• Exclusive Resources: You don’t have to compete with other users for CPU, RAM, or storage space, which ensures consistent website performance and reliability.
• Enhanced Security: Since you’re the only user on the server, you have complete control over the software and hardware, allowing you to implement security measures tailored to your specific needs.
• Better Reliability: Dedicated servers are more reliable than VPS hosting, thanks to their exclusive server use. This isolation means that your website or application is less likely to experience downtime due to issues caused by neighboring sites.
• Customization and Control: You can choose the operating system, amount of RAM, storage space, and software you want installed, ensuring that the server is optimized for your specific requirements.

These benefits make dedicated hosting the go-to choice for large enterprises, government agencies, and businesses with strict compliance requirements.

How Does a Dedicated Server Work?

Setting up a dedicated server can be complex because it involves configuring various components like CPU, RAM, storage, and software for high-performance applications. However, with a managed plan, the hosting provider handles most of this for you, making setup easier and ensuring optimal performance without needing to worry about technical details. Here’s how it works:

1. Select the Hardware

Your hosting provider will select the hardware components that best suit your needs, including the processor, RAM, storage, and network connectivity.

2. Install the Operating System

Once the physical server is in place, the hosting provider will install your chosen operating system. A popular option is Linux, which offers several advantages for high-performance applications:

3. Configure the Server Settings

After installing the operating system, the hosting provider will configure the server settings to your specifications. This ensures the server is optimized for your website, application, or other workloads.

Connectivity is also a critical aspect of dedicated plans. Your server will be connected to a high-speed network, providing low latency and fast response times for your end-users. Additionally, dedicated servers often have strong security measures, such as firewalls and advanced monitoring, to protect your data and applications from cyber threats.

Top Use Cases for Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated server space is the premium choice for businesses and organizations that need exclusive access to server resources to meet their high-performance needs. This makes it the perfect solution for:

• Large enterprises and eCommerce sites that handle sensitive data and have other security considerations must comply with industry rules, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Businesses that rely on resource-heavy applications, like large Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms.
• Media streaming services or content delivery platforms that need to maintain consistent performance under high traffic loads.
• Any operation that demands the best in reliability and security.
• High-traffic websites that require more extensive resources than VSP hosting.

VPS vs Dedicated Servers: A Comprehensive Overview

Configuration and Customization

VPS and dedicated servers offer varying degrees of control over server configurations and customization. With a VPS, you can:

• Install your choice of operating system, software, and applications.
• Enjoy a good amount of control.

However, since a VPS is a virtual machine running on shared hardware, the virtualization process limits the level of customization. In contrast, a dedicated server provides:

• Exclusive access to the entire physical server.
• Greater customization and control.
• The ability to choose hardware specifications, operating systems, and software without the constraints of a virtualized environment.
• Root access for deep-level changes to the server configuration.

Pro-tip: If you require a high level of customization and control, a dedicated server may be the better choice. However, if you want control but don’t need the full extent of dedicated hosting, a VPS can be a more cost-effective option that can still be customized to your needs.

Resource Allocation and Performance

With a VPS, you share the server’s CPU power, memory, and disk space with other virtual machines. This means your website’s performance can be affected by what other users are doing on the same physical server.

But with a dedicated server, you have exclusive access to all the resources of the physical machine. To illustrate, let’s look at A2 Hosting’s plans:

This directly impacts performance – a VPS may have slower load times during high traffic, while a dedicated plan ensures your site always has the resources for fast load times, even under heavy load. However, a VPS can also perform well, thanks to modern virtualization technologies that efficiently allocate resources among virtual servers.

Pro-tip: If you need the best performance, a dedicated server is the way to go. With exclusive access to all resources, your site will always run at peak performance.

Security and Potential Vulnerabilities

The main security difference between VPS and dedicated hosting plans is the shared environment.

While each VPS has dedicated resources, they are still running on the same server, which can introduce potential security concerns. If the physical server experiences hardware failures or other issues, it can lead to downtime across all the VPS instances.

On the other hand, a dedicated server provides a non-shared environment, which offers better security.

Another factor is the security of the hypervisor, the software that manages the virtual machines in a VPS. A reliable hosting provider will keep the hypervisor secure, but virtualization still carries a small risk.

Luckily, both A2 Hosting’s VPS and dedicated plans offer strong security measures, including:

• Protection against brute force attacks.
• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) protection.
• Malware scanning.
• Advanced firewalls.

Pro-tip: If security is a top priority, a dedicated server may be the better choice, as it eliminates the shared environment. But with A2 Hosting’s security features, you can feel confident in the safety of your website or application on either hosting type.

Scalability and Downtime Risk

Scaling resources is typically easier with a VPS, as you can quickly upgrade your plan to allocate more CPU, RAM, or storage as needed.

Dedicated servers require more complex scaling. You may need to migrate to a new server to increase resources. However, compared to VPS environments, dedicated plans typically offer higher reliability and lower downtime risk.

Pro-tip: Due to the flexibility and ease of scaling resources, VPS is the better choice for scalability.

Cost

VPS hosting is generally more affordable than dedicated servers, both in the initial setup and ongoing costs. However, A2 Hosting offers competitive pricing for both hosting types, so you can easily find a solution that fits your budget. Here are some factors to consider when comparing costs:

• Long-Term Scalability: While dedicated plans may have higher upfront costs, their ability to handle increased traffic and resource demands can lead to cost savings over time.

• Energy Efficiency: Modern servers that utilize energy-efficient hardware can help reduce your environmental impact and electricity bills.
• Managed Services: Services like automatic software updates and security patches can save you time and money compared to handling these tasks yourself. A2 Hosting’s managed VPS and dedicated server plans include these features so your website can run smoothly without additional costs.

Pro-tip: If cost is a primary concern and your website has lower resource requirements, VPS hosting may be the better choice. However, if your website demands high levels of resources, customization, and scalability, upgrading to a dedicated server may be more cost-effective in the long run.

Managed and Unmanaged: Understanding What This Means in VPS & Dedicated Hosting

When exploring VPS and dedicated server hosting, you may come across the terms “managed” and “unmanaged.”

These refer to the level of server management and support provided by the hosting provider. The good news is both VPS and dedicated server hosting are typically offered as managed or unmanaged plans. Let’s explore the differences between the two options:

Managed Hosting: Hands-Off Server Management

Managed hosting takes the hassle of server management off your plate. Your hosting provider handles the heavy lifting, including server setup, software updates, security patches, monitoring, and more. The benefits of managed hosting are:

• Hassle-Free Hosting Experience: Your hosting provider ensures your server is always up-to-date, secure, and running smoothly.

• Enhanced Security: Managed hosting provides protection against cyber threats through continuous monitoring, advanced security measures, and regular updates.

• Lower Maintenance Costs: By outsourcing server management to your hosting provider, you can avoid the costs associated with hiring and maintaining an in-house Information Technology (IT) team. This can lead to significant savings, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.

Unmanaged Hosting: DIY Server Management

With an unmanaged plan, you’re responsible for server configuration, software installation, security, and updates. This level of control can be appealing to system administrators and IT professionals who want to customize their hosting environment to their exact specifications. Here are some of its benefits:

• Full Control: You have complete freedom to choose and configure the software, applications, and tools that best suit your website’s needs without being limited by a pre-defined set of features.

• Scalable: Unmanaged hosting plans often offer great scalability options, allowing you to easily scale resources up or down as your website’s needs change.
• Integration Capabilities: Unmanaged hosting lets you integrate with existing IT infrastructure and systems.

However, it’s worth noting that unmanaged hosting requires a higher level of technical expertise. Without the necessary skills, the steep learning curve and potential risks of an unmanaged server, such as security vulnerabilities and service disruptions, can outweigh the benefits.

You should have a solid understanding of the differences between VPS and dedicated server hosting now. And if it’s time for an upgrade, A2 Hosting is here to help.

We offer a variety of VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting plans to meet any need. With our premium hardware and optimized servers, you get the performance, security, and reliability that you need. Compare hosting plans to find the right fit for your needs and budget.

For even better performance, choose one of our Turbo Hosting plans. Built on ultra-fast web servers, Turbo servers are up to 20X faster for superior speed and performance even during periods of high traffic.

Whether you opt for a VPS or a dedicated server, you can count on our friendly and knowledgeable in-house Guru Crew to guide you every step of the way.

The post How to Choose Between VPS vs Dedicated Server Hosting appeared first on The A2 Posting.

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting, or regular web hosting, is one of the most popular and affordable types of hosting. At its core, a shared web hosting allows you to rent space on a web server shared by multiple websites.

This means you share resources like processor power and memory with other sites on the same physical server. Since several sites are on the same server, this is a cost-effective option for small business websites, personal sites, and blogs.

Shared hosting can start at around $15 per month, depending on the provider and resources offered. With seasonal incentives, you can often get started for as low as $1.95 per month.

Pros of Shared Hosting:

1. Affordability: Shared hosting is the most budget-friendly option, making it perfect for personal websites, small businesses, or beginners.
2. Ease of Use: Most shared plans come with user-friendly control panels that allow easy management of your website, databases, and email accounts.
3. One-Click Installations: Shared hosting often includes easy installations of popular platforms like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.

Cons of Shared Hosting:

1. Limited Resources: Since you’re sharing a server with many other websites, high traffic or resource usage by one site can affect the performance of all websites on the server.
2. Basic Security: Shared hosting usually comes with standard security features, but you’re still vulnerable to security breaches affecting other sites on the server.
3. Lack of Customization: Shared hosting typically limits customization options for advanced users looking to optimize their server configurations.

Despite these limitations, most quality hosting providers take steps to minimize their impact and provide you with the best performance, reliability, and security.

They will often balance their shared web hosting servers to prevent traffic spikes from causing a slowdown on multiple sites. They also take security precautions to prevent data breaches and other cyber threats.

What is WordPress Hosting?

WordPress hosting is a type of shared hosting that is specifically optimized for the performance, security, and management of WordPress websites.

While WordPress can run on any standard web hosting service, WordPress-specific hosting offers features and optimizations that enhance the overall experience. As a result, you get better performance and faster site load times over shared plans.

As with regular shared web hosting, your provider manages the technical aspects of the server. However, you are still responsible for updating plugins and themes for your WordPress installation.

Pros of WordPress Hosting:

1. WordPress Optimization: WordPress hosting is optimized for the best WordPress performance. Features like caching, content delivery network (CDN) integration, and SSD storage for ultra-fast site loads.
2. Automated Backups and Updates: Most WordPress-specific plans include automatic core, theme, and plugin updates, and daily backups, keeping your website secure and up-to-date.
3. Enhanced Security: These plans often include advanced security features like malware scanning, firewalls, and DDoS protection, giving your site an extra layer of protection.
4. Expert Support: Plans typically come with expert WordPress support, so you can get help from professionals who specialize in WordPress.

Cons of WordPress Hosting:

1. Higher Cost: WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, as it includes advanced features and premium support.
2. Limited Flexibility: Since these plans are optimized for WordPress, they may limit the use of other CMSs or custom configurations that aren’t WordPress-specific.

A main concern about WordPress hosting is the additional cost. Basic plans tend to start between $10 and $15, with managed plans costing $20 to $30. With promotional incentives, you can often get started for as low as $1.95 a month.

Another thing to consider is that WordPress plans frequently include more than regular web hosting. Plans usually include better catching services, more storage space, or even more system resources.

Key Features of WordPress Hosting

The exact features will vary from host to host or even by plan, but most WordPress hosting plans include:

1. Optimized Performance: WordPress hosting is optimized to improve the speed and performance of your site through caching, CDNs, and faster servers. Caching stores static copies of pages for faster load times. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) distribute content globally to improve load speeds. Servers are often optimized with additional resources and features to handle WordPress’s unique demands.
2. Automatic WordPress Updates: WordPress hosting often includes automatic updates for the WordPress core or even your themes and plugins. This ensures your site stays secure and runs on the latest versions of WordPress.
3. Enhanced Security: WordPress hosting providers understand the risks associated with WordPress and implement comprehensive security measures like Firewall protections, malware scanning, and DDoS and brute force attack protection.
4. Managed Services: With many WordPress hosting solutions, particularly Managed WordPress Hosting, the host takes care of most technical aspects for you. This can include automatic site backups, monitoring, and support from WordPress experts.
5. Scalability: WordPress plans are built to handle the growth of your website. Whether you’re starting a small blog or managing an e-commerce store, WordPress hosting can scale with your site’s traffic demands and resource needs.

You should carefully review the details about WordPress hosting plans before deciding which host and plan is best for your needs.

What Are the Types of WordPress Hosting?

WordPress is a popular content management system and virtually all types of web hosting support it.

• Shared WordPress Hosting: Sometimes just called WordPress hosting, this is the most affordable option and is ideal for smaller websites or personal blogs. Like other regular shared web hosting plans, your website shares server resources with other WordPress websites. While it’s a cost-effective solution, it may not be as fast or secure as other options if your site grows or requires more resources.
• Managed WordPress Hosting: In managed WordPress hosting, the hosting provider handles all the backend tasks, such as updates, security, performance optimization, and backups. This allows you to focus solely on content creation and managing your site. Managed hosting is often the choice for high-traffic websites, e-commerce stores, or businesses that need reliable performance and security.
• VPS or Dedicated WordPress Hosting: For websites that require more power, Virtual Private Server (VPS) or Dedicated Hosting options are available. These hosting types provide dedicated resources and more control over the server environment, which is ideal for developers, businesses, or high-traffic sites that require maximum performance.

If you are just starting and plan to use WordPress for your website, a basic plan will offer more than enough resources to ensure your website performs.

A managed WordPress plan is recommended for midsize websites or anyone who expects to handle a relatively large amount of content and traffic.

VPS and Dedicated host with WordPress backends are usually for medium to larger companies that need more control over their hosting environment.

Shared Web Hosting vs. WordPress Hosting: Understanding the Differences

WordPress and regular web hosting are both reliable and affordable options for anyone with limited technical skills. Aside from the cost, the main difference is performance.

Shared web hosting plans are a cost-effective solution for launching a website and getting started on the web. You can build a custom website, use a website builder, or install a content management system. But you may find that you quickly outgrow these plans.

WordPress hosting offers superior speed, security, and ease of management, but limits you to using WordPress for your website. Many plans include built-in caching, optimized PHP environments, and staging environments for testing updates before going live.

• Performance: WordPress hosting is specifically optimized for WordPress sites, offering faster load times and better overall performance. Shared hosting, may not deliver the same speed or performance as your site grows.
• Security: While both offer security features, WordPress hosting usually includes advanced protection, automatic updates, and more frequently backups. With shared hosting, updates and additional security measures are your responsibility.
• Ease of Management: WordPress hosting takes care of much of the technical work for you, including updates, backups, and optimizations. In shared hosting, you’re responsible for many of these tasks, which can be challenging for some users.
• Cost: Shared hosting is a budget-friendly option best suited for small websites or personal projects. WordPress hosting costs more, but the added features and performance can be worth the investment for more complex sites.
• Scalability: WordPress hosting typically offers better scalability, with resources that can handle growing traffic without compromising performance. Shared hosting may struggle as your website traffic increases, which could result in slower load times or downtime.

Ultimately, it comes down to your needs and budget. Look for a hosting provider that offers easy upgrades if you need better performance or more resources.

Why Choose WordPress Hosting?

WordPress hosting is ideal for users who want a high-performance and secure website without needing to handle complex technical details.

One of the key benefits of WordPress plans is the speed boost it provides. With features like built-in caching, CDN integration, and database optimization, your website will load faster, improving your Core Web Vitals, which are essential for SEO.

This type of hosting is particularly well-suited for:

• New WordPress users: WordPress hosting simplifies the process by handling updates, security, and performance optimization for you.
• Businesses and eCommerce sites: Enhanced security and performance ensure your site stays fast and secure, which is critical for online businesses.

Why Choose Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting remains a popular choice due to its low cost, making it a solid option for:

• Small websites and personal blogs: If you’re just starting and your traffic needs are low, shared hosting provides everything you need to get online affordably.
• Budget-conscious users: The affordability of shared hosting makes it accessible to anyone looking to create a website with minimal upfront costs.

However, it’s important to consider that shared hosting can offer a balance between affordability and optimization. Many shared WordPress hosting plans come with pre-configured WordPress, security enhancements, and better performance than traditional shared hosting without a significant price increase.

WordPress is the most popular CMS and a great option for any website. No matter your needs, A2 Hosting offers premium WordPress Hosting and regular Shared Web Hosting.

You can easily install WordPress on our regular Web Hosting plans or choose our optimized WordPress Hosting for better page load speeds and performance.

Our hosting plans use premium hardware and come with our 99.9% uptime commitment, no-hassle money back guarantee, and 24/7/365 Guru Crew support.

We offer a range of WordPress hosting solutions, including managed and shared options. With fast servers, WordPress-optimized environments, and expert support, A2 Hosting can help ensure your WordPress site performs at its best.

And if you need better performance, we offer Turbo Hosting for up to 40% processor speeds and 3X faster read/write speeds. Tubro plans are available for both regular web hosting and WordPress hosting.

Hero Image by Pixabay.

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What Is Shared Web Hosting?

Shared web hosting is a practical and affordable type of hosting service where multiple websites are hosted on a single server.

It’s almost always the most cost-effective option for hosting your website. Because many sites are on the same server, operational expenses and server maintenance costs are spread across each hosting account.

This also means that server resources, like CPU, RAM, and disk space, are shared among all the sites hosted. While this isn’t normally a problem for most sites, it can cause issues in some cases.

Think of it like renting an apartment. You pay for your own storage space but still share utilities and common areas with other tenants. If everyone takes a hot shower at the same time, your water might only be lukewarm.

Now, let’s translate that idea back to hosting. If several websites on the same physical server get a traffic spike at the same time, everyone’s site will slow down a little. So, it’s important to consider your hosting needs and compare services and plans before making a decision.

What Is the Difference Between Web Hosting and Shared Web Hosting?

Strictly speaking, web hosting is the broad term for all services that host a website, while shared web hosting is one type of web hosting service. These typically include shared, virtual private server (VPS), and dedicated hosting, as well as certain specialized options like WordPress Hosting or WooCommerce Hosting.

Regardless of the hosting type, you are renting space on a server where your website’s files, images, and data are stored. The host’s servers are connected to the Internet and configured so users can access your website from any web browser.

All of that said, the terms “web hosting,” “shared web hosting,” and “shared hosting” are often used interchangeably. This is because shared is arguably the most popular web hosting service.

In many cases, web hosting plans are synonymous with shared plans unless they specifically say otherwise.

While there are potential concerns about shared hosting, it is an extremely reliable and economical option for most websites. Unless you get significant traffic or have specific resource or hardware needs, a shared plan is perfect for the vast majority of websites out there.

The Pros of Using Shared Web Hosting

The best reason to choose a shared plan for your website hosting is that you can get started quickly and affordably with virtually no technical knowledge. Whether you are starting a personal blog, a hobby website, or setting up a small business, hosting on a shared plan is a great place to get started.

Here are the pros of choosing shared for your hosting needs:

1. Affordability: One of the biggest advantages of using shared web hosting servers is their low cost. Since the resources are shared, the cost of running the server is split among multiple users, making it a very budget-friendly option.
2. Ease of Use: Shared hosting services are generally user-friendly, making them ideal for beginners. Most shared plans come with control panels like cPanel, which allow you to manage your website without needing a lot of technical know-how. If you can use a word processor, you can launch a website.
3. Maintenance and Management: Another great benefit is that the hosting provider takes care of server maintenance, updates, and security. This way, you can focus on managing your website rather than worrying about the backend operations.
4. Scalability: Many hosting companies offer easy upgrades. If your website grows and needs more resources, you can often upgrade to a higher plan without needing to migrate your website. Plus, your hosting company does all the work with virtually no interruptions or downtime.

The Cons of Using Shared Web Hosting

As great as they are, there are still some considerations to think about when choosing a shared hosting package. A shared server is probably not a good fit if you get a lot of traffic or require advanced setups and configurations,

1. Limited Resources: Since you’re sharing server resources with other websites, there’s a limit to how much CPU, RAM, and disk space you can use. If one of the other websites on the server experiences a spike in traffic, it could impact the performance of your site.
2. Performance Issues: Shared hosting can sometimes lead to slower load times, especially if the server is overcrowded with too many websites. This is because all websites are competing for the same resources.
3. Security Risks: While hosting providers implement security measures, shared plans are inherently less secure than other types of hosting, such as VPS or dedicated hosting. If one website on the server is compromised, it could potentially affect the other websites on the same server.
4. Limited Control: With shared plans, you have limited control over server settings and configurations. This might not be an issue for beginners, but advanced users may find it restrictive.

How to Decide Whether Shared Hosting Is Right for You

Now that you know what shared hosting is and have a general understanding of its pros and cons, let’s look at how to decide whether it’s the right option for you.

A shared plan is a great option if you are just starting your website. Between the affordable pricing and how easy it is to get set up, shared web hosting services are ideal for anyone looking to create a website without a lot of technical skill or a large upfront investment.

It also can be a great option if you are migrating an existing website that doesn’t require extensive resources. For example, you don’t need a lot of resources if your website is basically a brochure for your business. And the occasional peak traffic isn’t likely to slow down your website enough that your visitors will really take notice.

But before deciding on a hosting plan, it’s important to evaluate the specific needs of your website. Consider the following factors:

Website Traffic

How much traffic do you expect to receive? Shared hosting is well-suited for websites with low to moderate traffic. If you’re running a blog, portfolio, or small business site with a few hundred to a few thousand visitors per month, shared plans can handle your needs efficiently. However, if you anticipate heavy traffic or rapid growth, you may need a more powerful hosting solution.

Resource Requirements

What kind of content will your website host? A shared plan is ideal for sites that are mostly text and images. However, if you’re planning to host video content, run complex applications, or manage a large database, you might require more resources than a shared hosting plan can offer.

Budget

Shared web hosting is one of the most cost-effective options available. If you’re working with a limited budget, shared hosting allows you to get your website online without significant financial strain. But remember, the lower cost comes with some limitations in terms of performance and resources.

Technical Expertise

Do you have experience managing a server? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Shared plans are perfect for beginners with minimal technical knowledge. Hosting providers take care of server maintenance, security updates, and other backend tasks, allowing you to focus on your website content.

Plan for Your Future Growth and Scalability

One final consideration is your options for future growth and scalability. Most web hosts offer a variety of plans, so take some time to review them as well. If you think you might grow fast, consider a host that offers shared plans with better performance options.

Also, look into what other types of website hosting they have. Depending on how your website grows, you might need a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or dedicated server hosting.

• VPS Hosting: Virtual servers are like shared plans, but offer more resources and greater control compared. It’s a good intermediate option if your website outgrows the limitations of a shared package.
• Dedicated Hosting: Provides an entire server dedicated to your website, offering maximum resources, control, and security. It’s ideal for high-traffic websites or those with specific technical requirements.

Even if you never need to scale your hosting plan, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with your options. Most hosting service providers can migrate your website from another host, but choosing a company that lets you grow from the start can save you time and money if you need to migrate down the line.

Is Shared Hosting the Right Choice for You?

Shared hosting is an excellent starting point for individuals, bloggers, small businesses, and anyone with a low to moderate-traffic website. It’s affordable, easy to manage, and requires little technical expertise. However, if you anticipate needing more resources, better performance, or enhanced security, you might want to explore other hosting options.

To make the best decision, consider your website’s current and future needs, weigh the pros and cons, and assess your budget. By carefully evaluating these factors, you’ll be able to choose the hosting plan that aligns with your goals and ensures your website runs smoothly.

If you want to launch a website, A2 Hosting’s Shared Hosting plans are a great place to start. Not only are our plans affordable, but you can choose the right features to get your site up and running fast.

Unlike some of our competitors, we own all of our servers. This means we control their setup and maintenance, ensuring you the best performance and reliability.

And if you outgrow your shared plan, you can easily upgrade to our Managed VPS or Managed Dedicated Hosting plan. These plans offer more resources for even better performance and added security. Plus, you get root access for more control over your hosting environment.

No matter which plan fits your needs, you always get access to our 24/7/365 Guru Crew support team. Our customer service staff are trained to handle virtually any issue. They are familiar with our services and will help you resolve any issues you face.

Hero Image by Edgar Oliver from Pixabay

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Shared hosting is a cost-effective, entry-level service that’s ideal for smaller websites, blogs, startups, and new businesses. If you’re a beginner or want to promote your small business while saving money, shared hosting is for you.

VPS hosting offers more resources and better performance. It could be what you need if you expect higher traffic, rapid growth, or specific performance requirements.

But of course, there’s more to it than that! Let’s look at the pros and cons of shared hosting and VSP hosting so you can make the best, most cost-effective choice.

Understanding Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is a popular web hosting plan where multiple websites share the resources of a single physical server. In this setup, each website has its own partitioned space on the server but shares the CPU power, RAM, storage, and bandwidth. This allows hosting providers to serve a large number of websites while keeping costs low for individual users.

Users typically access their shared hosting accounts through a control panel provided by the hosting provider. This user-friendly interface enables them to manage various aspects of their websites, such as uploading files, creating email accounts, managing databases, and monitoring resource usage.

Pros and Cons of Shared Web Hosting

Shared hosting offers several advantages that make it an attractive choice for beginners, small businesses, and personal websites:

Pros of Shared Hosting

Shared hosting offers several advantages that make it an attractive choice for beginners, small businesses, and personal websites:

• Affordability: Shared web hosting is cost-effective as the server resources are shared among multiple users, reducing individual costs.
• Beginner-Friendly Management: Providers typically offer user-friendly control panels, making it easy for beginners to manage their websites without technical expertise.
• Scalability: While shared hosting may have resource limitations, many providers offer scalable plans allowing users to upgrade resources as their website grows.
• No Technical Skills Required: Users don’t need advanced technical skills because the hosting provider manages the server.

Cons of Shared Hosting

However, shared web hosting also has some drawbacks to consider:

• Limited Resources: Resources such as CPU, RAM, and bandwidth are shared among multiple websites, potentially leading to performance issues if you generate a lot of traffic.

• Potential for Slower Speeds During Peak Times: Since resources are shared, websites may experience slightly slower loading times during peak hours when server usage is high.

• Less Control Over Server Configuration: Users have limited control over server settings and configurations compared to dedicated or VPS hosting, which may limit certain functions.

• Security Risks Due to Shared Environment: While most hosting providers take extensive steps to keep their hosting customers safe and secure, there is a slightly higher risk of vulnerabilities inherent because there are multiple sites on each server.

A Closer Look at VPS Hosting

VPS hosting offers a more powerful hosting solution compared to shared hosting, where a physical server is partitioned into multiple virtual servers. Each operates as an independent unit with its own dedicated resources. This allows most of the benefits of a dedicated server without the high costs associated with leasing an entire physical server.

Pros of VPS hosting

Let’s look at why VPS hosting is considered to be a step up from shared hosting:

• Dedicated Resources: VPS hosting provides dedicated resources such as CPU, RAM, and storage, ensuring consistent performance even during peak traffic times. Your website remains fast no matter the resources that you – or the other clients on your server – are using at any given time.
• Scalability: As a website grows and demands more resources, users can easily scale their VPS to accommodate the increased traffic or resource requirements. Most hosting providers offer scalable VPS plans, allowing users to upgrade or downgrade their resources as needed without website downtime or complicated migrations.
• Control and Customization: Depending on the hosting plan, users have more control over their configuration. This allows you to customize your environment to your specific needs.
• Performance: VPS hosting generally outperforms shared hosting due to its dedicated resources and isolated environments. Each virtual server operates independently, ensuring that the actions of one user do not impact the performance of others. This leads to faster loading times, better server response, and improved overall website performance. The dedicated resources also provide a higher level of stability and reliability compared to shared hosting.

Cons of VPS hosting

However, VPS hosting also comes with some drawbacks:

• Cost: VPS hosting tends to be more expensive than shared hosting due to the dedicated resources and advanced features provided. However, the cost varies depending on the chosen resources and configuration.
• Complexity: Managing a VPS requires more technical expertise compared to shared hosting. Users need to be familiar with server administration tasks such as software installations, security configurations, and troubleshooting.
• Maintenance: VPS hosting requires regular maintenance tasks such as software updates, security patches, and server optimizations to ensure optimal performance and security. Users are responsible for managing these tasks or may opt for managed VPS services at an additional cost.

When Should You Choose Shared Hosting or VPS Hosting?

When deciding between shared hosting and VPS hosting, it’s essential to consider the specific needs and requirements of your website. Each hosting type caters to different use cases, and understanding which one aligns with your goals can help you make an informed decision.

Best Use-Cases for Shared Hosting

Basic Websites

Shared hosting is an excellent choice for a basic website for your business or organization, especially if you are just getting started. They are easy to use and require very little maintenance or extensive technical knowledge. Like most hosting companies, A2 Hosting offers offer user-friendly control panels and intuitive tools, allowing beginners to launch a website quickly and easily.

Small Blogs and Personal Projects

Small blogs and personal projects are another ideal use case for shared hosting. These websites often have limited resource requirements and don’t expect high levels of traffic. Shared hosting provides an affordable and straightforward solution for hobbyists and bloggers who want to focus on creating content rather than dealing with technical complexities.

Small Business Websites

Small businesses can also benefit from shared hosting, especially when they are just starting or operating with a tight budget. Shared hosting offers a cost-effective way to reach potential customers. As your business grows, you can easily upgrade to higher-tier shared hosting plans or consider moving to VPS hosting for more resources and flexibility.

Niche Online Stores

Niche online stores with low to moderate traffic should also take advantage of shared hosting. Depending on your overall traffic, you can easily maintain up to a few dozen specialized products with a shared plan. Alternatively, consider a specialized eCommerce plan like our WooCommerce Hosting that offers better performance without the cost and technical skills required for a VPS plan.

Best Use-Cases for VPS Hosting

Scaling SMBs

VPS hosting is well-suited for scaling small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). As your web traffic increases, you can scale your server to handle the growing demands without compromising performance.

eCommerce Platforms

eCommerce platforms with higher traffic and sales volumes often require the enhanced performance and security features offered by VPS hosting. With dedicated resources and improved isolation, VPS hosting ensures faster loading times, better server response, and a more secure environment for processing your online transactions. Plus, you can customize server configurations and implement specific security measures to keep your site and your customers safe..

Online Service Providers

Online service providers, such as Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, rely on consistent uptime and fast load times to deliver a seamless experience to their users. VPS hosting provides the necessary resources and stability to support these requirements. With dedicated CPU, RAM, and storage, online service providers can ensure reliable performance and minimize the risk of downtime, which is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and trust.

Applications Requiring Custom Software

Applications that require custom software installations or specific server configurations can greatly benefit from VPS hosting. The increased control and flexibility provided by VPS hosting allow users to install and configure the necessary software stack to run their applications optimally.

Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: An Overview of A2 Hosting’s Plans

When it comes to choosing between shared web hosting and VPS hosting, you should consider more than just the basic pros and cons of plan. Not all hosting is the same and plans vary from company to company.

At A2 Hosting, we offer a range of shared and VPS hosting plans, with each catering to a specific need or budget. Here is what you need to know about our plans so you can decide whether shared or VPS hosting is right for you.

The Similarities Between Our Shared Hosting and VPS Hosting

The biggest advantage of choosing A2 Hosting is that you get the same high-quality infrastructure across our hosting plans.

While the exact specifications vary by service, all of our servers are optimized for performance. You will get fast page load speeds that will set you apart from the competition.

You also guaranteed exceptional reliability with our 99.9% uptime commitment. Forget about outages or downtime, your customers or visitors will be able to load your website with virtually no interruptions.

Plus, every A2 Hosting plan includes our 24/7/365 Guru Crew support team. Get the assistance you need when you need it so your website always loads its best.

The Differences Between Our Shared Hosting and VPS Hosting

There are several notable differences when you compare our Shared and VPS Hosting.

General resources:

• Our shared hosting provides up to 4 cores (on Turbo plans), while VPS hosting offers up to 8 cores on non-Turbo plans and up to 10 cores on Turbo plans.
• Shared hosting gives you up to 4GB of RAM (on Turbo plans), but VPS hosting offers up to 16GB on non-Turbo plans and up to 32GB on Turbo plans.

Dedicated IP:

• Our Managed VPS plans include two free dedicated IPs. With shared hosting, a dedicated IP is an available add-on.

Added security:

• While our shared hosting provides robust security features like malware scanning, two-factor authentication, daily kernel updates, DDoS protection, virus scanning, and firewalls, our VPS plans offer additional enterprise-grade security through advanced security modules.
• VPS plans also include on-demand backup availability in addition to the cloud backups that come with shared hosting.

More control:

• VPS hosting comes with available root access, giving you administrative control over all files on your server. This level of control is not available with shared hosting.

A2 Hosting has a variety of plans and options, so you can find the right balance of performance, features, and price for you. When it comes down to choosing between Shared Web Hosting and VPS Hosting, you need to consider your specific needs.

Our Shared Hosting is an affordable option if you host a basic website or are just getting started. Whereas our VPS Hosting offers between performance, dedicated resources, and more flexibility.

If you need better performance without the added features of our VSP Hosting, you can always upgrade to our Turbo Web Hosting. Complete with upgraded processors, storage, and RAM for turbo performance up to 20X faster, they might be the perfect balance of speed and value. Compare all of our Shared Hosting plans to see what is right for you.

No matter which plan you choose, you can always upgrade quickly and easily. A2 Hosting can even migrate your site to a new, more powerful server. Just contact our support team or submit a support ticket from your MyA2 dashboard to start an upgrade.

If you still aren’t sure what plan is right for you, you can compare all of our hosting plans or chat with our knowledgeable sales team. They can help you choose the best option for your needs.

The post How To Choosing A Hosting Plan: Shared or VPS appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Our Legacy of Speed and Performance

At A2 Hosting, we have built a strong reputation in the web hosting industry as leaders in speed and performance. Our commitment to providing the fastest, most reliable hosting solutions has always been our top priority. And that is why we developed TurboHub. It not only helps speed up site performance, but it also streamlines managing your WordPress sites.

What is TurboHub?

TurboHub is our state-of-the-art WordPress control panel that makes WordPress sites faster than ever! It’s an essential tool that allows individual site owners to improve performance, site health, and security. And the multi-site dashboard simplifies the workflow for agencies and developers. From a single control panel, you can monitor and maintain all of your sites, creating a seamless and more efficient WordPress experience.

Features of TurboHub

Site Performance Optimizations

TurboHub’s comprehensive metrics help you gain in-depth insights into your site’s performance. It highlights top recommendations and allows for one-click changes to boost performance.

Single-Click Multi-Site Management

Managing multiple WordPress sites has never been easier. With TurboHub, you can see all your sites from a single location, making updates and performance checks a breeze. This is particularly valuable for agencies and developers handling numerous client sites.

Site Health Monitoring

Keep your websites in peak condition with our site health monitoring tool! This is perfect for agencies and site owners with multiple websites and gives you an at-a-glance view of a site’s status to help you maintain smooth and secure operations effortlessly. Monitoring and maintaining multiple sites has never been easier!

Security Vulnerability

Through our partnership with Patchstack, we also alert you to high-priority plugin vulnerabilities so your site is never at risk. With the ability to see site risk at a glance, it helps you keep everything running smoothly and securely.

Other features to enhance your WordPress experience:

• Quick access to all of your WordPress sites.
• Grant access to users managing your account or request access to sites you manage for others.
• Automate plugin updates for each site.
• Site notes to enable easy communication between team members or companies.
• Quick access to databases, files, and email.
• Status information that lets you know your sites are online and running, including SSL, domain, and nameserver status.
• Ability to hide sites from search engines while under construction.
• Ability to place sites in maintenance mode during edits.

How Do I Get TurboHub?

TurboHub is now available free for all WordPress sites on our Managed WordPress, Managed VPS, and Shared plans. By choosing one of our plans, you instantly gain access to TurboHub and can start experiencing the benefits of a faster, more efficient WordPress site. TurboHub can be conveniently accessed through your MyA2 panel.

Don’t have an A2 plan, take advantage of our low prices and get started with TurboHub today!

Stay Tuned for More

TurboHub is constantly growing and evolving. We have an exciting roadmap ahead of us with many new features and improvements planned! At A2 we are dedicated to providing our users with the best tools available, and we encourage you to stay tuned for future updates on how TurboHub can help speed up and secure your website.

What’s Next for TurboHub?

A few items on our TurboHub roadmap that will help us achieve our goal of providing WordPress professionals with fast setup, fast websites, and fast support:

• A2 Intelligent Performance – Leverages advanced AI technology to automatically optimize your site’s performance. Easily monitor load times, uptime, and other critical performance indicators to ensure your site is always performing at its best. This will help you make informed decisions to continuously improve your site’s speed and reliability.
• A2 AI assistant inside WordPress – Helps you write content, generate images, and answer common WordPress questions.
• Enhanced Staging – Records changes to staging or live sites and lets them be pushed live or pulled back to staging.

Get started with an A2 Hosting plan today and get access to this new amazing tool and enhance your WordPress experience!

The post Introducing TurboHub – Transform Your WordPress Experience appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Deciding between Shared Hosting and VPS, Turbo or Standard, Unmanaged or Managed… What is the right choice for you? The answer (as it always is) depends on your situation.

The first step in making this decision is to understand the differences between Shared and VPS.

The Differences Between Shared and VPS Hosting

Imagine you are living in an apartment building. Your building has 10 apartments total. Think of Shared Hosting like this apartment except that the size of each unit changes based on the needs of each tenant. For example, if Dale in Apartment 3B decides on Saturday night to have 50 of his closest friends over for a party his apartment will automatically grow from 800sq feet to 2000sq ft during the time of the party. Similarly if Beth in Apartment 4B throws an equal sized party at the same time, you may find yourself and all your possessions squeezed into a room the size of a hall closet. Turn on the faucet for a glass of water?… Sorry Beth and Dale are using all that too. Want to turn on a light to read?… Sorry about the blinking, Dale bought a disco light.

You may be thinking, why would I ever want my hosting to be in a situation like that? One of the key features of A2’s Shared Hosting is that we limit the number of people who you can share your server with. This reduces the chances of a resource draining scenario like this from happening to your site. Plus, Shared Hosting also limits how much of the resources can be used by any one individual. If your neighbors have extra space to hold parties and everyone is happy with their portion of the resources available, then you would most likely never have a problem.

But even in the best situations when everyone gets along, there is always a chance that one of your neighbors may need to take more and it could affect your website if you are also in a peak period at the same time. This is why Shared Hosting is the most inexpensive hosting option and for many is a perfect, low cost solution for their website.

Using the same analogy, VPS (or Virtual Private Server) is also like an apartment The difference? While you are still sharing the server hardware with other people, all of the specifications of the portion you are alloted are fixed. If you have an 800sq feet apartment, it is always there and doesn’t change… the walls never move. It’s dedicated to you and you alone. You have increased security, guaranteed and fixed resource allocation, and you know that won’t change.

It all Depends on What Type of Website You Are Running

If you are running a website to show off your photography, a collection, or maybe even selling some items on the side, Shared Hosting is probably just fine for you. This type of hosting is made for the individual, the blogger, and the simple website. It allows those who want to have a cost-effective presence online to have one! Most Shared Hosting users use WordPress and A2 has a one click option to install it when you set up your account. To keep the apartment analogy going even further, with the options available it’s like choosing what you want to furnish it with at the time as signing the lease.

But if your website is a mission-critical or key component of your business then Shared Hosting is most likely not the best option for you. Why? Because using a more dedicated environment increases stability, performs better (generally speaking), and it is more secure and not affected by the noisy neighbor. These are all things you want to have when hosting a website that includes handling credit card transactions, sales leads, etc. Now this is not to say that Shared Hosting is not secure, stable, or performant. In fact, I’d put A2’s Shared Hosting toe-to-toe against any other hosting provider in any of these areas and we would compete. It is just that there is more control and more options with a VPS hosting plan than with Shared.

In addition, while a Shared Hosting plan may “give you” enough resources to run your site, if the site begins experiencing a spike the resources may, in reality, not be available… because your neighbor may be using them.

Our VPS partner, Virtuozzo, recommends that you ask yourself these questions when trying to decide which is right for you…

• Is the website a core part of your business?
• Is your website performing as well as you would like?
• Do you sell products or services online?
• Do you drive traffic to your website through paid advertisements, social media or through other means?
• Are search engine rankings important to you?

If the answer is yes to any of these items, then VPS Hosting is most likely a better option…. BUT, there’s a caveat to this you should think about…

Do You Have the Technical Chops for VPS?

Shared Hosting is designed to be simple. With each step of the journey A2 tries to make it as easy as possible. This means that you will have a graphic interface (or GUI) throughout the process. Whether it’s cPanel or the WordPress Admin, most of the interactions you will have with a Shared plan will be by clicking on stuff on a screen to make things happen.

VPS, on the other hand, requires a bit more technical knowledge. Because a virtual machine can use a number of different operating systems and underlying software, it does not come with a cPanel (although it is available as an add-on). This means that the initial interactions with the server (to set up any operating systems, tools, or applications) will be done through a Command Line Interface (or CLI). Using a CLI requires specialized knowledge and training and is usually only something a SysAdmin, Server Admin, or Developer would most likely undertake.

To use our apartment analogy one more time, while you have a nice 800sq foot apartment with the water and electric allotment you need there really aren’t any doors… that is except the secret one that only the technical folks know how to use.

This is Where Managed Comes In

So, what if you are a cake-and-eat-it-too kind of person? You want to have the security, performance and stability of VPS but you don’t have the technical skill set required to set everything up or maintain it. For this A2 offers Managed VPS hosting plans. These plans offer you all the benefits of an unmanaged plan with additional support to help you get things setup and keep those things up-to-date.

Managed VPS plans also come with a cPanel license giving back the GUI interface to make things easier on you from a technical perspective.

With the additional help from the A2 Guru Team, Managed VPS is a great option if you don’t have or don’t want to have to hire someone with those extra technical skills required to make it successful.

Comparing VPS vs Shared Hosting

Whether to choose Shared or VPS for your hosting is largely based on your situation and use case. Here are some of the pros and cons to consider to help you choose the one that’s best for you.

Shared is Fine, But I Want More Performance

So if you start down this path and find yourself realizing that Shared Hosting is just fine for what you are doing,
but you still want to have increased experience for your users, A2 offers Turbo Boost and Turbo Max plans. These shared environments offer better hard drives (NVMe which are 3X faster than standard SSD), improved processors, and built-in caching. They also offer LightSpeed, which is a software application designed to improve the performance of the server you are on by up to 11X.

One thing to remember, however, is that it might not be the server that is making your website run slowly. To get best performance you should remember to optimize your site. You could have very large images that are taking time for your site to load. If you are using WordPress there are several plugins that can help with image compression and caching that can improve the speed and performance of your website. It would be a good idea to look at these options and see how that helps before making the move to a faster hosting plan.

If that sounds daunting, For WordPress users we offer Managed WordPress hosting plans that give you extra help and support while on a Shared Plan.

VPS Hosting may seem a little daunting for the non-technical user, but if you are running a website that is key to the success of your business or necessary to provide income, Managed VPS Hosting is the right choice.

A Note From the CEO

In late 2020, A2 Hosting launched a series of new VPS hosting products.These new VPS offerings took us to the next level when it came to performance, stability and security.

A2 made the strategic decision to partner with Virtuozzo, a market-leading provider of container virtualization. Utilizing their modern software and it’s included toolset, we are now able to offer our products state-of-the- art virtual environments.

Once we implemented the new solution, performance on the new servers increased by more than 40%, furthering our brand promise of Our Speed, Your Success. We are committed to providing the fastest, most stable hosting experience because, as the world moves faster, search engine algorithms seem to change on a weekly basis and visitor attention spans continue to shorten. This all impacts metrics like cart abandonment and bounce rate. The last thing our customers want to worry about is their web hosting. Our customers rely on us to provide hosting speeds that give them the edge for better rankings, better conversion rates and better bounce rates, which we deliver consistently.”

We promise to continue to improve the performance of our VPS offerings.
– Bryan Muthig, CEO

A Word from Our Partner

As a shared hosting customer, when do you know you should switch to a different type of hosting?

In my case, I switched when it became painfully obvious. I am not a technical web developer, but I have experienced a lot as a nascent, hobbyist, and small business owner over a 20-year period. During this time, I have volunteered to build numerous websites, one of which was for a new charitable foundation. It was ( I thought) the best I had ever built. My excitement was quickly diminished when I went to demo the website and it just sat there, failing to load.

While the person I built the website for was ecstatic. For me, I was disappointed as I spent more time trying to “fix” the website and the issues related to the speed than it took me to build the website itself.

With years of experience as a business user and many of those years working within the hosting industry, I still find myself reluctant to spend what I fear as hours working on migrating my entire hosting account or just a website to something that will perform better.

A2 Hosting gives a good recommendation; right from the start on the front page of their website, Shared Hosting is a “great solution for a blog or a personal website.”

That is what shared hosting is best for. Even with a blog, if you are expecting higher traffic and to monetize the website, you should think of it as a business website. If your website is for a business, you need a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or higher. If you are not a technical user, you need a Managed plan.

Whether or not you made the decision recently or many years ago, if you are like me, when is it time to make the move to a better hosting solution?

My personal decision can be attributed to a few different factors. I was running a WordPress website on an account with multiple other WordPress websites and other types as well. It was too much.

WordPress can be tricky to optimize and you might not ever get it to where you want it to be with all of the plugins tried and image compression. Shared hosting resources can have a tough time keeping up with the demands and VPS is a great option to give your website a boost.

There are ways you can check the performance of your website and receive recommendations of how to make improvements. To start, you can use free tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix, with the latter now powered by Lighthouse, Google’s latest set of tools for website developers.

If you are still experiencing performance issues, once you feel you have done all you can on your own you may want to find a freelancer to help you with continuing to improve your website.

In the end, it is really simple, if your website is a core part of your business, Shared Hosting is probably not the best option for you. If you are selling something, this becomes even more important. Whether it is Magento, PrestaShop, Woocommercem or another eCommerce option, you will be better off using VPS over Shared Hosting.

The post Choosing Between Shared and VPS: A Guide appeared first on The A2 Posting.

This year, our new WordPress plans are getting a makeover with new features to boost it above and beyond our other Shared Hosting packages. Keep reading to learn what sets them apart. 

What’s the difference between Managed WordPress vs Shared Web Hosting?

To boil it down, Managed WordPress plans offer services and performance tweaks specific to WordPress whereas Shared Web Hosting plans are generalist plans that host anything from WordPress to Drupal. But Shared Web Hosting and Managed WordPress hosting are more similar than they are different. 

You see, both plans are managed and come with 24/7/365 support on phones, tickets, and LiveChats and both plans are on shared servers. 

To summarize, 

• Shared Web Hosting plans share resources with other sites on the same server.
• Managed WordPress plans offer additional WordPress-specific services and tweaks to performance in a shared environment.

Why Use Managed WordPress Plans?

Managed WordPress Hosting offers WordPress-specific services, performance optimizations, customizations, and other valuable add-ons and performance tweaks including:

• Jetpack: Jetpack is an all-in-one WordPress plugin. Even the free version of Jetpack is powerful. They have 1-click site speed optimizations to increase your SEO, brute force protection by blocking unwanted login attempts from malicious botnets, and automated spam filtering. 
• Less users per server.
• Faster plans (with 4x more physical memory than our Shared Hosting packages)
• A2 Optimized and LSCache settings to speed up your website. 
• WordPress Toolkit for easier site management.

Why Use Shared Hosting Plans?

Shared Web Hosting is an affordable option to hosting your website. It’s especially beneficial for new or lower traffic websites. With a typical shared hosting plan, to keep the costs low you’re sharing the server with other users. This means if something happens to one site on the server, your site may be affected. Luckily here at A2 Hosting, we don’t overload our servers with thousands of users on one server. This mitigates that risk. 

The Pros and Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting

Pros of Managed WordPress Hosting

• Server architecture finely tuned specifically for WordPress 
• Auto-testing any new updates to find potential issues before the updates go live.
• Automatic updates for WordPress. 
• Built-in server-level caching
• Free Jetpack license for your primary domain
• Site staging 
• cPanel
• LsCache, one of the fastest caching agents on the market
• A great in-between plan if you aren’t ready to upgrade to a VPS yet

Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting

• Managed WordPress plans are inherently more expensive due to more features
• Stricter limits/caps on resource usage
• Limited to hosting only WordPress sites 

The Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting

With everything, there’s a pros and cons list. Here are a few for Shared hosting:

Pros of Shared Hosting

• Less expensive way to host WordPress
• The ability to host unlimited websites
• Still has significant performance perks like our Turbo Boost and Turbo Max plans
• Easy to seamlessly upgrade within the Shared ecosystem
• Site staging
• cPanel

Cons of Shared Hosting

• Can be slower than their Managed WordPress counterparts 
• Jetpack isn’t included
• Lack other performance-tweaking WordPress customizations

Which plan is better for WordPress?

There isn’t a single answer for this question. Only you know what’s best for your website and your needs. The best way to decide is to analyze what you need. Which plans will help you get to where you need?

To help you decide, consider the following:

• Are you going to host websites other than WordPress? If so, the decision is easy–stick with Shared Web Hosting packages. 

• Do you need all of the WordPress-specific customizations or is your site simple enough to get by on a Shared Web Hosting plan?

• What is your budget? Shared hosting plans are less expensive, but Managed WordPress plans have additional power and features that may be worth the investment. If the features sound nice enough to pay a little extra every month, consider it.
• Do you need automatic updates? WordPress updates automatically on our plans. Installing the latest versions of software means your site is as secure as possible. If you don’t need automatic updates, Shared hosting packages may be the better choice.
• How much traffic do you have? If your website is small and discreet, starting out on a Shared server is probably the best option, at least for a while. You can always upgrade to a Managed WordPress plan at any time. Smaller is always better to start. Then, scale up your needs as your business grows.

Also, consider this: the Managed WordPress plans are the best in-between plan if you need more resources than a Shared hosting package, but less than a VPS. If you’re unsure, as always, contact our sales team today to find out which plan is best for your needs. 

Whatever plan you decide is best for you, it’s a personal decision and we support you either way.

The post Managed WordPress vs Shared Web Hosting: What’s the Difference? appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Continue reading to discover what a web host manager is and why it is important. Learn what types of web host managers are available to business owners and web professionals like you and explore the benefits of using WHMCS for your websites. Finally, learn how you and your team can experience the advantages of web hosting with the assistance of A2 Hosting.

What Is a Web Host Manager?

A Web Host Manager (WHM) is a computer program that grants users like you the ability to supervise various cPanel-based sites. It allows you to manage your dedicated server or Virtual Private Server (VPS). This control dashboard provides you with administrative access to the back end of cPanel.

As an end-user, you can utilize WHM in tandem with cPanel to set up individual accounts, add new domains, handle hosting features, and conduct basic maintenance. It is possible for you to oversee MySQL databases and to add and remove email accounts with the assistance of WHM.

Why Is a Web Host Manager Important?

A Web Host Manager (WHM) is important because of its connection to cPanel. This website utility enables you to efficiently handle the operation and maintenance of your websites. It provides numerous functions that are related to database, domain management, backup, mail, and security.

cPanel’s automated and configurable platform allows you to create and automate all server management tasks. However, WHM is necessary to maximize the usefulness of cPanel. After all, cPanel needs the support of WHM to supervise multiple accounts.

What Types of Web Host Managers Are Available?

There is a wide range of web host managers (WHM) that are available to business owners and web professionals such as yourself. The type of WHM that is suitable for you depends on the particular needs of your business team.

These are the popular types of web hosting plans:

1. Shared Web Hosting

Shared web hosting involves the sharing of CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and other server resources by multiple websites. This hosting type is suitable for you if you only need entry-level website hosting at a relatively affordable cost.

2. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

VPS hosting allows every website to be hosted in its own dedicated space on a server while sharing a physical server with other websites at the same time. It is a viable option for you if you need more storage space and customization features without having to splurge on dedicated server hosting.

3. Dedicated Server Hosting

Dedicated server hosting is a form of hosting where your website has one dedicated server so you don’t have to share your resources. It is the ideal choice for you if you are willing to invest in its premium cost so you can access a higher level of resource allocation and control for your website.

4. Managed Hosting

Managed hosting is a form of service where the provider is fully or partially responsible for the regular management of the hardware, operating systems, and applications involved in web hosting. It is appropriate for you if you wish to relegate the technical aspects of web hosting to your provider.

What Are the Benefits of Using WHMCS?

A2 Hosting offers the benefit of using WHMCS to help navigate the backend of your website. These are the major benefits that you and your team can experience if you use Web Host Manager Complete Solution (WHMCS) for your website:

1. Multiple Functions

WHMCS makes it simple and easy for you to manage your website because of its multiple functions. Its handy suite of tools enables you to fulfill the following tasks:

• Keep track of your websites regularly
• Create, suspend, or delete your cPanel accounts
• Monitor and change the DNS zones of your domains
• Grant permission to keep track of your server status and data
• Configure the support requests of your clients via cPanel
• Set up your default page as you form a new account
• Make adjustments to your client user names and domain names
• Personalize your hosting and control panel with your branding
• Oversee the cPanel and change the aspects which do not require SQL access

2. Increased Cyber Security

Using WHMCS can increase the online security of your websites. Just in case one of your sites is compromised because of a cybercrime attack, a WHMCS will minimize the risk that your other websites will also be affected. A WHMCS also prevents hackers from finding out that the various accounts on different cPanels are linked to the same WHM account.

3. Greater Flexibility

WHMCS offers you flexibility by allowing you to adjust your bandwidth and disk space. These adjustments are critical to the continuous operations of your website, which may crash or become suspended if it goes over the maximum bandwidth.

4. Efficient Credit Card Processing

WHMCS enables your multiple websites to accept credit card payments from your customers. Your site will need an SSL certificate and dedicated IP address to process credit card transactions. Since only one dedicated IP address is allowed for each cPanel, you can choose a Reseller account that lets you manage multiple cPanels.

What Types of Hosting Plans Are Offered by A2 Hosting?

The right hosting plan will make it possible for you to achieve your work goals so you can grow your business.

No matter what type of web host manager you require for your websites, A2 Hosting offers a wide range of feature-rich hosting plans that you can choose from. We can empower you to manage your websites through our Shared Web Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, VPS Hosting, WordPress Hosting, and Reseller Hosting.

Contact our sales team to discover which one of these powerful A2 Hosting solutions is perfect for your business needs.

The post Why Do I Need a Web Host Manager? appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Why Do Hosting Costs Matter?

Hosting costs occur over the lifetime of your website. If you have a website, there’s no getting around the price tag associated with hosting it unless you own and run your own server (if you do–great!). Chances are you don’t run your own server so cost is important.

At initial sign-up, most hosting companies offset the costs of starting a new website by offering promotional discounts for your first billing cycle. After this billing cycle is over, your hosting package goes up to the original price which is considerably more expensive. This is a common complaint we receive. But why does the price go up?

Beyond the dollar figure, quality and performance impact your website first and foremost. Money is important, of course, but if your site is slow, you’ll lose customers and as a consequence, lose money. In this sense, cheaper isn’t always better.

Paying for subpar hosting can mean slow loading times, leading to more bounces and fewer conversions–an estimated 7% drop. 

If you’re trying to save money, save it in other places. Skimping on your hosting is the last place to start because you don’t want a poorly performing website.

The trick is to keep costs low but find the perfect ratio of quality to affordability. This is what we offer at A2 Hosting.

So, what are you paying for?

With the cost of managed web hosting, you’re paying for:

• Security and security patch updates
• Turbo-fast speeds
• High-quality 24/7/365 support on tickets, phones, and LiveChat
• 99.9% uptime
• Scalability
• Backups
• Free email
• Free SSL certificate
• And more, depending on the plan

Basically, you’re paying for the additional services required to keep your website secure and up-to-date.

Notice we said managed web hosting above. Managed web hosting includes these additional services that unmanaged servers don’t.

That’s why our Managed and Unmanaged Dedicated server plans have vastly different prices.

As you can see, our unmanaged Dedicated hosting plans are less expensive than their managed counterparts. That’s because unmanaged plans don’t offer the support, security, and updates that managed plans do. 

Unmanaged plans are priced cheaper because they don’t offer:

• 24/7/365 support
• Server configuration
• Security
• Regular server-side updates

With an unmanaged server, you get what you pay for. They’re great for experienced developers who know how to handle the complications of maintaining a server, but for everyone else, stick with its managed counterpart.

How can I lower the cost of my web hosting?

1. Choose a hosting provider you can trust.

At A2 Hosting, our introductory Shared Hosting Startup plan starts at $2.99/monthly. Even though it’s a low-cost server, it still includes stellar performance.

We have servers around the globe so you can choose the location to best meet your needs for latency and reliability.

2. Choose a longer contract.

The longer contract you choose, the less expensive your web hosting package is.

Once your first contract expires, your plan often renews at a higher rate. To offset the higher cost down the line, lock in that discounted rate for as long as possible.

For example, our Turbo Boost is on sale for $83.88 for three years or $6.99/monthly. Then, after three years it renews at $755.64 yearly. If you choose only a monthly billing cycle, the first month is $15.99, but every consecutive month is $20.99. Choosing a longer billing cycle saves you money long-term if you’re willing to make the short-term investment.

3. When in doubt, start with a Shared plan.

The majority of new websites are better off starting with a shared web hosting package. It’s an entry-level hosting package allowing costs to stay low in the beginning. Unless you’re expecting a large volume of traffic at your website’s launch, shared hosting is enough for your needs.

You can always upgrade at any time. As our sales team always says, it’s easier to upgrade than to downgrade. Upgrades are free, but downgrades cost $25 to migrate so it’s best to start small and scale-up.

At A2 Hosting, we couple affordability with speedy plans. We offer generous discounts to get your business going and if you’re an existing customer, our sales team will work with you to come up with a more affordable solution.

The post Is Dedicated Web Server Hosting More Expensive? The Full Guide to Web Hosting Pricing appeared first on The A2 Posting.