For individuals and small businesses, saving money where possible is almost a priority. Sure, you need a professional website that comes with premium hosting, but is the higher cost you pay worth it?
Below, we compare the two hosting options to give you better insight and help you make a more informed choice.
Cheap vs. Premium Hosting
Cheap hosting refers to the most affordable hosting offered by host providers. For instance, the cheapest WordPress hosting is predominantly shared hosting, although there are inexpensive cloud and dedicated options too. Premium hosting oftentimes refers to managed hosting as it is the most expensive.
Differences between cheap and premium hosting
Seeing as most of the web hosting features are measurable items, it is easy to make a comparison between the two hosting options.
1. Bandwidth & Storage
Most, if not all, premium hosting options have no limits on storage and bandwidth. In cheap hosting, the bandwidth is throttled, and storage size limited. However, if you are running a lightweight website or you are just starting out, this may not be a big issue.
2. Features
More often than not, the number of features and tools at your disposal are fewer in cheap hosting compared to premium hosting. Cheap hosting restricts your abilities by cutting corners on the advanced features. Most providers use this as a strategy to get site owners to subscribe to the premium plans. To determine if you need Premium hosting, check out the specific features provided, and see if you need them at the moment.
3. Domain Name
Although some providers throw in a free domain name when you sign up for their cheap plans, the domain usually includes the name of the hosting provider e.g., yourdomain.WordPress.com. This gives a poor impression to visitors who end up questioning the site’s professionalism.
The custom domain names are typically reserved for premium plan subscribers. The renewal fee is, however, twice the initial registration fee.
4. Performance
Seeing as the cheap plans have limited resources, it is not surprising that the option is almost always unreliable in terms of performance. Providers reserve hosting firepower i.e., fast page loading speeds, stability, uptime, and modern technologies to premium plans.
5. SEO
The cumulative effects of poor speeds, limited bandwidth, and resources result in low traffic. Hosting providers offering cheap plans may also throw in ads on your site. This may negatively impact your site’s credibility and, in the long term, the SEO rankings.
6. Support
Understandably, most providers give premium plan subscribers priority when it comes to technical support. They get 24/7 support and alternative ways to reach support in case of any issues. For cheap hosting, technical support is basic with one or two ways to contact the help desk.
Pros and cons of premium hosting
Pros
- Responsive and fast support to fix any issues that may arise
- More advanced features such as security, updates, and themes at your disposal
- Fast speeds and page loading time
- Unlimited resources such as bandwidth and storage
Cons
- Premium hosting options cost a lot
- In the case of managed hosting, you give up control to your website
- Access to other functionalities is restricted
Pros and cons of cheap hosting
Pros
- Affordable thus preferred by most site owners
- You get all the necessary features to keep your website up
- Host providers update all software including those used in cheap hosting, so you don’t miss out on that
Cons
- You share resources with many other sites hence more likely to be affected by slow speeds
- You lose out on features such as security which can affect your website
- You only get limited resources to use
Conclusion
Selecting between cheap hosting and premium hosting should be based on what your needs are at that particular moment. Remember that you can always upgrade, and good hosting doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank. It is okay to be prudent, but don’t be too frugal that you miss out on the benefits of premium hosting that may help grow your business.