VPS vs Shared hosting
VPS vs shared hosting: the real differences
Shared hosting gives you a directory on a machine that hundreds of other sites also use, with no root access and hard limits on processes, memory and inodes. A VPS gives you an isolated machine with guaranteed resources and full root. Shared hosting is cheaper and requires no administration; a VPS is the point at which you stop being limited by someone else's configuration.
| Dimension | VPS | Shared hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Root access | Full | None |
| Resources | Guaranteed and isolated | Shared, with hard caps |
| Software | Anything you can install | Whatever the host provides |
| Neighbours | Cannot affect you | Routinely do |
| Entry price | From $4/month | From ~$3/month |
| Administration | Yours | The provider's |
| Suspension risk | Only for genuine abuse | Common, for resource use |
Which should you choose?
VPS
Choose a VPS as soon as you need a specific PHP version, a background worker, a non-web service, or freedom from arbitrary process limits.
Shared hosting
Choose shared hosting for a brochure site you never want to administer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a VPS harder to manage than shared hosting?
Yes, materially. You own updates, firewalling and backups. That is the price of not being limited by someone else's configuration.
Can shared hosting run Docker or a background worker?
Almost never. Both need process control that shared hosting does not grant. This is the most common reason people move to a VPS.