Confused to choose between WordPress hosting vs web hosting? If yes, then don’t go anywhere else.
Choosing the right hosting solution is hard if you’re unaware of terms like web hosting and WordPress hosting. Here, web hosting provides the foundation for any site, while WordPress hosting caters to websites built on the WordPress CMS.
Therefore, both of these popular hosting choices have significant differences. Making the right choice impacts your website’s performance and functionality.
In this article, we’ll first compare both types of hosting to understand their key differences. Next, we’ll help you determine which option is better for your site.
Without further delay, let’s dive in!
Comparison Table: WordPress Hosting vs Web Hosting
First, here’s a quick look at the differences between WordPress hosting and web hosting services. This table compares and contrasts these hosting solutions.
| Features | Web Hosting | WordPress Hosting |
| Optimization | General purpose | WordPress-optimized |
| Ease of Use | Standard control panel | WordPress-related dashboard |
| Performance | Varies depending on the web hosting solution | Faster for WordPress sites |
| Security | Basic features | Enhanced WordPress |
| Support | General hosting support | WordPress experts |
| Managed Service | Fewer managed services | Managed features |
| Scalability | Varies depending on the provider | WordPress focused |
| Price | Varies depending on the chosen solution | Comparatively, it’s higher. |
| Customization | Versatile | WordPress-focused |
Now, let’s go in-depth and check out each of them!
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is essential for making a website accessible on the Internet. It’s a service that offers the required resources and connectivity to publish a site online.
Notably, you can build a website on your local computer; however, it won’t be visible on the web until you host it. So, hosting is like purchasing a piece of land on the Internet where you make your website visible, as in building your house.
In addition, web hosting provides a versatile environment ideal for multiple CMS platforms or custom-built websites. You can go with such hosting if you require more control over server configurations.
Wondering how you get web hosting? Generally, a company referred to as a ‘web host’, ‘hosting provider’, or ‘hosting company’ provides web hosting services. Some popular web hosting companies are Hostinger, Bluehost, Cloudways, etc.
Check out our list of the best web hosting services here!
Different Types of Web Hosting Solutions
Web hosting solutions have multiple types for different user needs. The table below explains some of the famous web hosting types you can choose from:
| Web Hosting | Description | Examples |
| Shared | It’s a cost-effective solution where multiple websites share the same server and its resources. If you own a small website or are a beginner, then you can use it because of its affordability and ease of use. But remember, your website performance may degrade if the other sites on the server have high traffic. | InMotion shared, Namecheap shared, etc. |
| Dedicated | This hosting service provides an entire server exclusively for your website. As a result, you’ll get maximum performance and security. However, it’s ideal for larger websites because of its high cost. | Bluehost dedicated, InMotion dedicated, LiquidWeb dedicated, etc. |
| VPS | VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting. Meaning, your site will use a shared physical server, boosting affordability. Further, your website gets its own dedicated portion of resources, offering better performance. | Hostinger VPS, Bluehost VPS, DreamHost VPS, etc. |
| Cloud | This hosting solution uses virtual servers to host your websites. That’s why you’ll get scalable resources, allowing easy adjustments to resource usage depending on the web traffic and your needs. | Cloudways, Namecheap cloud hosting, etc. |
Pros and Cons of Web Hosting
Now, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of web hosting:
Pros of Web Hosting
- Flexibility: You can host any type of website, such as custom-built websites, static websites, and those using various CMSs.
- Control: Generally, web hosting gives you full control over server settings. Hence, you’ll have more customization options.
- Variety of Plans: There are many web hosting pricing and service plans to choose from. All of them cater to various needs and budgets. You can scale your plan or pick another web hosting solution as per your changing needs.
- Multiple Websites: Many plans let you host many sites on one account.
- Resource Allocation: You can pick plans that provide the specific resources (CPU, RAM, storage, etc.) you need.
Cons of Web Hosting
- Complexity: You must have more technical knowledge to set up and manage compared to specialized hosting solutions. For example, you may have to install a CMS and manage it yourself.
- Security: Standard web hosting services may require more effort to secure, especially if you’re running a custom setup.
- Support: Support quality differs based on your chosen solution, and the support team may not be specialized, like in platform-specific hosting.
What is WordPress Hosting?
WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting specifically designed and optimized for WordPress websites. It contains server configurations and features for enhancing the performance, security, and functionality of WordPress websites.
Moreover, this hosting service contains multiple tools and services to simplify WordPress website management. That includes one-click installations, automatic updates, and pre-configured settings.
Overall, WordPress hosting fulfills the unique needs of WordPress through improved speed, security, and usability compared to general web hosting options.
Thinking about using a WordPress hosting service? Then, you must purchase a plan from one of the WordPress hosting platforms. Some popular ones include Hostinger, Kinsta, Dreamhost, etc.
Check out the list of the best WordPress hosting platforms here!
Different Types of WordPress Hosting Solutions
Similar to web hosting solutions, WordPress hosting also has different categories. The table below points out some of the popular WordPress hosting types:
| Web Hosting | Description | Examples |
| Shared | It hosts several websites sharing the same server and its resources. Moreover, you’ll get basic WordPress-specific features, including automated updates and one-click installations. | Hostinger shared, Bluehost shared, DreamHost shared, etc. |
| Managed | This hosting provides WordPress-optimized plans with more facilities than regular hosting. It manages your website’s security, updates, backup, speed, and maintenance. So, if you want to focus on content and growth rather than website management, then choose managed WordPress hosting. | Hostinger managed WordPress, Bluehost managed WordPress, Kinsta managed WordPress, etc. Find the best managed WordPress hosting platforms here. |
| Dedicated | This hosting service allocates one server exclusively for your WordPress website. This offers maximum performance, control, and security. | DreamHost dedicated hosting |
| VPS | This hosting offers dedicated resources for your WordPress website in a shared environment. So, you’ll get more power and customization options at affordable prices. | Find the best managed VPS hosting services, like InMotion WordPress VPS. |
Pros and Cons of WordPress Hosting
Now, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of WordPress hosting:
Pros of WordPress Hosting
- WordPress-Optimized: Here, servers are configured specifically for WordPress, ensuring better performance and compatibility.
- Ease of Use: Provides one-click WordPress installations for easy setup.
- Managed Services: Many WordPress hosting providers offer managed services, including automatic updates, backups, and security.
- Support: In comparison, support teams are highly knowledgeable about WordPress-specific concerns.
- Performance: Optimized caching, CDN, and other performance enhancements tailored for WordPress.
- Security: Enhanced security features specific to WordPress vulnerabilities.
- SEO: Focus on improving SEO strategies for better website rankings.
- Staging Environments: With a staging website, you can test changes, plugins, and themes on your website.
Cons of WordPress Hosting
- Cost: It can be more costly than general web hosting due to the specialized services.
- Limited Flexibility: Optimized for WordPress, it’s less suitable for hosting websites using other CMSs or apps.
- Customization Restrictions: Using certain plugins or customizations may be restricted to ensure server stability and security.
- Less Control: Other than WordPress-related settings, these hosts have limited server-level customization options.
With that, let’s move to the differences section, shall we?
Differences Between WordPress Hosting vs Web Hosting
Until now, we looked at the different solutions of web hosting and WordPress hosting separately. Now, find their differences under various factors together. These may help you decide on the ideal one for your website’s needs.
Get set, go!
1. Infrastructure
First, let’s contrast the server environment differences between the two hosting types. This goes a little in-depth on their technical part.
Web Hosting
Web hosting platforms are built in a general-purpose environment. Simply put, they let you host a wide range of applications and databases. If you want to host a WordPress website, then you can do it too.
Moreover, such web hosting solutions offer flexible configurations. Meaning, you’ll have the freedom to modify server configurations for a customized setup.
For example, Bluehost’s web hosting solution allows the hosting of sites built on WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. Plus, it offers shared, dedicated, and VPS options.
Depending on your solution, you’ll have options to adjust the server settings, install your custom software, and configure the platform.
WordPress Hosting
On the other hand, WordPress hosting providers have a server architecture specifically designed to deliver the best performance for WordPress sites. Hence, they are WordPress-optimized.
In addition, they come with pre-configured PHP versions, database software, and caching settings. All of these are optimized for WordPress so that the manual setup process is significantly reduced.
For example, Hostinger’s servers are configured to deliver peak performance based on the needs and common usage patterns of WordPress websites. You can choose from the data centers present across the USA, UK, France, India, etc.
2. Ease of Use
Another criteria for choosing a web hosting niche is checking its usability. The ease of use and dashboard functionality are crucial for accessing and managing your hosting plan.
Let’s have a look at how they differ for web hosting and WordPress hosting.
Web Hosting
Depending on your hosting provider, the user-friendliness of its dashboard varies. So, it can be easy or a bit difficult for beginners based on the web host.
Whichever web hosting provider you pick, one thing is mostly common. And that’s the need to manually install WordPress if you want to build a WordPress site. However, some platforms may have a one-click installer to make it a little simpler.
For instance, Bluehost web hosting plans provide a user-friendly interface. Thankfully, you’ll find a one-click installation option that lets you install CMS platforms like WordPress.
WordPress Hosting
On the other hand, the hosting dashboards of WordPress hosting platforms are much simpler. They mostly have pre-installed WordPress or can be set up with one click.
Furthermore, these dashboards are designed for managing WordPress websites. That includes various features, like updating the software and tools.
For instance, hPanel of Hostinger gives a clean and modern design for host and website management. It lets you manage websites, domains, emails, and more.
3. Performance and Optimization
Following that, there’s also a difference between these two hosting services based on the way they handle performance and optimization. Check them out now!
Web Hosting
The performance of web hosting services varies based on how the server is set up and configured. For example, shared web hosting doesn’t provide good performance compared with other web hosting solutions.
Further, you must set up site caching and apply optimization strategies yourself. This enables more control; however, you require technical knowledge.
For example, Bluehost web hosting is designed to provide faster websites. It recommends the use of caching for speed optimization through the use of object caching, static content caching, and other optimization tools.
WordPress Hosting
In contrast, WordPress hosting services often have built-in caching solutions. This improves your website’s speed and responsiveness.
Moreover, it involves server-side optimizations and WordPress-specific configurations. So, you’ll get faster load times and reliable website performance.
For example, Hostinger’s WordPress hosting has LiteSpeed Web Server and LiteSpeed Cache for the website’s performance. It also features automatic image optimization, code minification, object cache, and many more.
Find out the best WordPress speed optimization plugins and how to increase your website speed.
4. Security and Backup
Security and backup are significant factors when choosing a hosting platform for safeguarding your website and critical data. So, let’s compare WordPress hosting vs web hosting based on this factor.
Web Hosting
You must take care of your website’s security by applying various measures. However, some providers provide basic security features based on the solution.
In addition, these hosting platforms let you take backups only if they’re included in the plan you pick. So, you must use various plugins and tools to handle yourself.
In the case of Bluehost web hosting, all of its plans offer free SSL powered by Let’s Encrypt. Further, you can buy the premium SSL powered by Comodo for advanced security. Plus, all plans except the starter plan contain daily backups.
WordPress Hosting
Other than the general security features, WordPress hosting platforms provide measures to protect your website against WordPress-specific vulnerabilities.
Moreover, regular backup options are mostly included. Further, you can also restore a backup from the control panel of your hosting solution.
In Hostinger WordPress hosting, you’ll get much more features. That includes free SSL certificates, a malware scanner, a secure access manager, etc. Further, it offers various backup options on its plans, like weekly, daily, on-demand, manual, etc.
Check out the best WordPress security plugins. Also, find the top WordPress backup plugins and learn how to backup your website here!
5. Managed Services and Support
The differences between WordPress hosting vs web hosting is also visible in terms of their managed services and support. Check them out here!
Web Hosting
Web hosting has limited managed services. You’re responsible for managing your website. To simplify the tasks, you may need to use plugins and tools.
In addition, web hosting providers let you host websites built on multiple pieces of software. Hence, the support teams must also cover a broader range of issues. Suppose you host a website built on Joomla. But you may not receive support from its experts.
Thankfully, Bluehost provides certain managed services for its users, unlike other web hosting providers. Moreover, you’ll get phone calls and chat support, but their team contains professionals with knowledge of all platforms but expertise on none.
WordPress Hosting
On the other hand, managed WordPress hosting is a separate solution offered by many WordPress hosting providers. They handle technical steps like backups, caching, software updates, performance optimizations, etc.
In addition, the customer support team is also an expert in WordPress. Hence, you’ll easily receive their assistance to resolve any issue.
Guess what? Hostinger offers a managed WordPress hosting service that relieves your concerns about managing almost all technical aspects. Further, it offers priority support on all of its plans by WordPress expert professionals.
Suppose you want a clear distinction between the example platforms we’ve mentioned. Then check out the Bluehost review and the Hostinger review.
Now, we’ve made a clear comparison between the two hosting services. Wondering which one to go for? Make your decision after going through the next section!
How to Choose One? – WordPress Hosting vs Web Hosting
In the end, the decision of whether to go with web hosting vs WordPress hosting is completely up to you, your needs, and your budget. However, you must analyze certain scenarios to determine which type will be the ideal fit for you.
When Should You Choose WordPress Hosting?
You should select WordPress hosting under the following situations:
- If you’re sure about using the WordPress CMS platform.
- In case your budget is good enough to pay a little extra for better performance, security, and support.
- When you want to receive expert customer support.
- If you want to focus on your website and not the technical features. Then, go with a managed WordPress hosting provider that takes care of everything.
- Suppose security is your utmost priority but you don’t have much knowledge about it. Then, use this hosting offering protocols in place to address WordPress-specific issues.
- It’s also suitable for experts or experienced users. They can manage multiple WordPress websites on one dashboard.
When Should You Choose Web Hosting?
On the other hand, you can choose web hosting when you’re in these situations:
- If you want to host non-WordPress websites.
- In case you want more control over your server configurations.
- If you’re on a budget and want an affordable web hosting solution.
- When you only require general customer support.
- Suppose you can take care of the security of your hosting and websites.
In addition, you can migrate your website from WordPress hosting to any web hosting solution and vice versa. However, WordPress-built websites can’t always be converted into other CMS platforms or apps. Good luck!
Learn how to choose a web hosting platform in this detailed guide! If you’re a beginner, then read our comprehensive guide on how to make a website.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap! Hopefully, you understand the differences between web hosting vs WordPress hosting. We also hope you can now decide which one to choose.
WordPress hosting is specialized for WordPress websites, while web hosting has general features for launching websites with different CMS platforms. Overall, your choice must align with your needs, skills, and budget.
Both WordPress hosting and web hosting services have their merits. So, comment down your choice and let us know if you’ve any confusion. We’ll gladly help!
In addition, make sure to read our articles on web hosting FAQs and the best web hosting services for freelancers.
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