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The hosting of a website makes a big difference to its range, security and speed. It is therefore important to choose the right method for your own requirements. Normal WordPress hosting, web hosting and VPS all have their place and should be used in different situations. But what is the difference between these three types? We will go into this and show you which hosting is best for you.
WordPress hosting
WordPress hosting is a sub-category of web hosting and focuses purely on WordPress in its functions. Most people will be familiar with it, as around 40 % of all websites run on WordPress and it is one of the most popular platforms for both newcomers and long-established web designers. The choice of themes and settings options is huge, and there are also hundreds of plugins that further enhance the WordPress experience. The open source program is programmed in PHP.
However, find out about the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. The first option is WordPress as a direct provider for a website construction kit, which can be used both free of charge and for a subscription (currently available in four tariffs). WordPress then takes care of everything else internally and hosts the website and its content itself. WordPress.org, on the other hand, is the variant that is installed on a self-hosted server. In this case, it is worth opting for direct WordPress hosting if you are not planning to use another website builder. Here you pay separately for the hosting, WordPress is just the program that is later installed on the server, so to speak.
Whether hosted directly by WordPress or somewhere else, the features are actually the same. However, it should be noted that a plan with wordpress.com is significantly more expensive because a lot of work is done for you there and you have to take care of the website. Direct web hosting for WordPress is cheaper, but requires more effort on your part.
It doesn't hurt to familiarize yourself with the free version first, which already fulfils many wishes. WordPress is versatile and not the most popular tool for creating your own website for nothing. What's more, professional support is always at your side.
Advantages:
- adapted to WordPress
- offers countless possibilities for websites
- Choice of two models for every taste
Cons:
- Difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org difficult for newcomers
- No change to another service possible
- WordPress hosted variant very expensive
Web hosting
Web hosting is generally understood to mean the ability to display your website on the Internet and have it accessed by yourself and others. The website is hosted on a server, i.e. stored there and optimized for Internet access.
In order to secure such space on a server, it is necessary to create a corresponding plan for the Hosting to select.
The digital data for the website is then stored there.
There is a large selection of web hosting services, all of which offer different packages. It is therefore important to choose the right service for you. Important factors are, of course, the features, but also the speed and security of the provider. Rely on proven hosting platforms to keep your data safe.
The big advantage of web hosting is that it is not just focused on WordPress. Although WordPress is still the most popular option for creating a website, you have many more options with a general server. Conversely, this also means that the server is not programmed on specific software, which in turn can lead to compatibility problems.
One disadvantage of web hosting is that in most cases you share a server with other customers (shared hosting). This leads to more downtime and slows down your own website. However, it is also the cheapest way to create a website. Some providers now also have a package for cloud hosting, which is a little more expensive but offers much higher performance. The data is not stored on a physical server, but on a purely virtual server and accessed from there. This increases the speed of the website immensely and offers greater control over the website.
Advantages:
- Great freedom (not limited to WordPress)
- Comparatively favorable
- Cloud hosting is becoming increasingly popular
Cons:
- Speed depends heavily on the server
- Servers are shared
- Support not always available (and not always in German)
VPS
VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server) gives you the option of storing your website and all associated data on a separate server. This immediately brings many advantages, including better performance, more control and greater security. In addition, there is always the option to expand the server further and invest more resources. This makes VPS hosting particularly popular for medium-sized and large companies that need a broad network for their online activities and offer a lot via their website.
Another advantage is that VPSs are becoming cheaper and cheaper, allowing more users to use their services. Compared to web hosting, dedicated servers are still more expensive, but they also offer great advantages. Therefore, in the long run, it may be the better solution.
However, some disadvantages are also evident here, especially for newcomers. They will find it difficult to get to grips with the system at first, as the learning curve is very steep. Even for people who are familiar with system administration, the Hosting via VPS a thing in itself. As a result, a VPS is very time-consuming and may require an additional position in IT to manage it. This results in additional costs that are avoided with other types of hosting.
Advantages:
- High level of control over website
- Own virtual server for performance
- Lots of storage space
Cons:
- more expensive than normal web hosting
- Entry difficult
- time-consuming
Conclusion
In the end, your own preferences must decide which hosting package is the right one for your website. Focusing only on WordPress has many advantages, but leaves little room for flexibility. VPS hosting is much freer, but comes with a steep learning curve. The best solution in the future will probably be cloud hosting, a sub-category of web hosting.
