Shared hosting vs dedicated server: when the jump is worth it

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These are the two extremes: on one side, everything handled by us on a shared machine; on the other, an entire physical machine that is yours alone, to administer.

Side by side


Shared hosting
Dedicated server
Resources Resources shared with other accounts, with per-account limits (CPU, memory and processes). The whole physical machine: Xeon or i7 processor, 16 to 64 GB of RAM, its own disks in RAID 1.
Administration Ours. System, security and updates are on us. Yours. Delivered with the operating system installed.
Control panel cPanel included. Not included, bought separately.
Growing Change plan in minutes, no migration. Changing machine means a migration and a maintenance window.
Backups Taken by us every night before dawn. Not included, bought separately.
Built for Company websites, small and medium shops, business e-mail. High, constant load, full isolation requirements, lots of disk.

The short answer

This jump is rarely justified in one go. If shared hosting is no longer enough, the natural step is a VPS, not a dedicated server. Dedicated wins when the load is high and constant, when you need a lot of your own disk, or when isolation or compliance requirements mean nothing may be shared.

See Shared hosting plans See Dedicated server plans

Signs it is time to move

1 The load is high all day, not only in peaks.
2 You need several terabytes of your own disk in RAID.
3 You have isolation requirements that allow no neighbours, not even virtual ones.
Moving up a tier changes who administers it. Above shared hosting, the system becomes your responsibility: updates, firewall and backups. Read what changes between a managed and an unmanaged service before deciding — that is the part that catches people out.
What does not change with the plan. The domain stays registered in your name and e-mail can come along. Migrating does not force an address change or lose messages — it is planned and done without the site going offline.

If you are not sure, tell us what the site does and how much traffic it gets. Asking costs less than moving twice.

We will tell you the right option for your case, with no push towards the dearest plan.

Talk to our team

SEE ALSO

All four tiers at once: Shared hosting, VPS, Cloud or dedicated: the full comparison.

WEB HOSTING

Looking for hosting that stays out of your way?

cPanel, a free SSL certificate, backups every night before dawn kept for a year, and support that answers in your language.

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Free migration of your current site · no lock-in

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT

Dedicated server

The whole machine to yourself, no neighbours, nothing shared. from $52.13/mo

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