Are you looking for an optimal web hosting solution for your business? VPS hosting could be the perfect option for you.
Virtual private servers (VPS) offer increased stability, scalability, and control compared to shared hosting, giving businesses far more scope to customize their website.
However, choosing the wrong VPS hosting provider can be detrimental to your web traffic (but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered)
I’m AJ, and In 2022, I sold my digital agency for million(s). During the time that we built it, we worked with (nearly) every hosting provider you can think of.
Are you ready to get down on the pros and cons of VPS hosting? Let’s nerd out and dive in!
Key Takeaways
- VPS hosting provides increased scalability, stability, and control
- VPS is more costly than shared hosting but represents an excellent middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting.
- Most of the pros on this list outweigh the cons
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting stands for “Virtual Private Server” and provides businesses with a more secure and advanced website hosting solution than shared servers.
What’s the Difference Between Normal Hosting and VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting runs on the same servers as shared hosting; however, when using VPS, you receive your own virtualized environment with root access.
This gives you increased control and flexibility, making it an excellent choice for businesses with more advanced needs.
Here’s an example:
There are ten websites on a shared server, nine of which use shared hosting, and your website uses VPS.
You get a dedicated environment partitioned off virtually from the other websites.
This virtual partition gives you a guaranteed allocation of resources (CPU, RAM, storage) and the ability to customize your system.
Who Uses VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting is excellent for those who need more control and flexibility than shared hosting offers.
It is ideal for businesses requiring increased security, scalability, and reliability or using resource-intensive applications such as live streaming, gaming servers, or websites will large traffic numbers.
When to use VPS:
- If you’re a startup business that is scaling quickly: Use VPS
- If you’re a large business with a high-traffic website: Use VPS
- If you’re launching a gaming server: Use VPS
Who Shouldn’t Use VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting doesn’t make much sense for those just launching a website and will get minimal (if any) traffic out of the gate.
In this case, shared hosting (or general web hosting) will do just fine because you won’t need more resources, you’re not scaling quickly, and you don’t require more security (because you’re not getting traffic).
When not to use VPS:
- If you’re a small blog or website with low/minimal traffic: Don’t use VPS
- If you’re starting out and don’t have the budget: Don’t use VPS
- If you’re not working with resource-intensive applications: Don’t use VPS
What are the Benefits of VPS Hosting?
VPS offers a host of advantages, including:
VPS Saves on Costs over Dedicated Hosting
VPS is great for businesses who want to save on costs over dedicated hosting. It provides the same level of control and isolation but at a fraction of the price.
It also eliminates additional hardware purchases, as everything is provided in a virtual environment.
VPS Hosting Is Very Customizable
VPS hosting is highly customizable, making it easy to tailor the platform to the specific needs of your website.
You can configure everything from software to hardware, including control panels and other features.
VPS Hosting Gives You More Control & Security
VPS hosting provides businesses with far more control and security than shared hosting.
You have full root access, allowing you to customize your environment in ways that would be impossible on a shared server.
This makes it ideal for mission-critical applications or websites needing higher levels of security.
VPS Hosting Is More Scalable
VPS hosting is incredibly scalable and can easily handle large spikes in traffic.
You can scale up your resources as needed, making it an excellent choice for websites with high-traffic numbers or resource-intensive applications.
What are the Disadvantages of VPS Hosting?
While VPS hosting has many benefits, it also has several drawbacks.
VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting and may be too costly for businesses on a tight budget.
Although it isn’t a massive increase in cost, VPS can be double or even triple the cost of standard shared hosting.
Some Web Hosts Charge for VPS But Don’t Allocate Resources Appropriately
Regarding VPS hosting, some web hosts may try to take advantage of their customers by charging more for features but not allocating the necessary resources.
This is why it’s essential to research and pick a reliable VPS web host with a good reputation.
Currently, our favorite pick is Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans.
VPS Hosting Isn’t As Secure as Dedicated Hosting
Although VPS hosting is more secure than shared hosting, it’s still less secure than dedicated hosting.
Since multiple users share the same server space, there is a slight risk of security issues or other malicious activities. However, this risk can be minimized by taking the appropriate measures.
VPS Hosting Requires Technical Knowhow
Despite all its advantages, VPS hosting requires technical know-how and experience to use it properly. You’ll need to understand server administration basics to get the most out of your VPS.
If you don’t have these skills, setting up and managing your virtual environment correctly will be too challenging.
Can You Run a Website off VPS Hosting?
Yes, you can run a website off VPS hosting.
Many businesses and entrepreneurs prefer to host their websites on VPS due to its superior performance, scalability, control, and security compared to shared hosting.
How Reliable is VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting is highly reliable, offering dedicated hardware and resources for your virtual environment.
With the right VPS web host, you can rest assured that your website will be up and running with minimal downtime.
Most web hosts offer an uptime guarantee. E.G., Hostinger’s uptime guarantee is 99.99%.
Do You Need VPS Hosting?
It depends on your website and hosting needs.
If you need more control, scalability, and security than what shared hosting provides, then VPS hosting is an excellent choice for your website.
However, if you don’t need VPS’s extra features or have a tight budget, then shared hosting might be the right choice. It entirely depends on your business needs.
Yes. VPS hosting is more secure, flexible, and reliable than shared hosting.
It also offers full root access and scalability that shared hosting does not provide. VPS is ideal for mission-critical websites or applications requiring a higher level of security.
However, VPS does come with a higher price tag than shared hosting.
Is VPS Hosting Better Than Cloud Hosting? It Depends
It depends. VPS and cloud hosting are good choices for websites requiring increased control, scalability, and security.
VPS is the best choice if you require dedicated hardware resources and full root access to your virtual environment.
In contrast, cloud hosting is better suited for websites that need multiple servers in a load-balanced cluster or businesses that are scaling (very) quickly.
Is VPS Better than Dedicated Hosting? No
No. Dedicated hosting is more secure, reliable, and powerful than VPS hosting.
However, dedicated servers are much more expensive than VPS and may not be suitable for small businesses or websites with limited budgets.
But if you require the maximum security and power available, then dedicated hosting is the right choice for your business.
Best VPS Hosting Providers
We’ve taken the guesswork out of choosing a great VPS hosting provider. We tested over 25 popular web hosts by launching a staging site on each.
Here are the top two from our list.
Hostinger: Hostinger offers high-performance VPS hosting plans with full root access, SSD storage, and reliable uptime.
DreamHost: DreamHost provides a range of powerful yet affordable VPS plans with robust security and excellent performance.
So if you’re looking for a reliable VPS hosting provider, these are two great options. If you’d like to read our full article, check out the best VPS hosting providers our team chose.
Conclusion
VPS hosting is an excellent choice for websites requiring increased control, scalability, and security.
It offers the best of both worlds — performance power like a dedicated server while still being more affordable than one.
If you have experience running a server, VPS hosting can be an excellent choice for your website.
However, shared hosting may be the best option for your business if you don’t have the technical know-how or are on a tight budget.
No matter what type of hosting you choose, make sure to do your research and find a reliable web host that meets your website’s needs.
Ultimately, it’s up to you.
