Shared vs VPS vs cloud — which do you actually need?
Most sites start on shared hosting and never need anything else. But when they do outgrow it, the jump to VPS or cloud can feel bewildering. Here's the honest version of what each type gives you — and what it costs you.
Shared hosting
Your site lives on a physical server alongside dozens — sometimes hundreds — of other sites. You share the CPU, RAM and disk with all of them, but each account is kept separate so they can't see your files.
✅ Good for
- Blogs, brochure sites, small WordPress installs
- First-time owners who don't want to think about servers
- Budgets under £5/month
⚠️ Watch out for
- "Noisy neighbour" slowdowns — a busy site on the same server drags everyone down
- Hard resource caps — CPU and RAM are throttled if you spike
- Shared IP reputation — if one tenant sends spam, your email deliverability suffers
- Limited software control — you can't change PHP versions freely or install server software
Typical UK price: £1–£8/month intro, £4–£12/month on renewal.
VPS hosting
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a slice of a physical machine that acts like a dedicated server. Your allocation of CPU cores and RAM is guaranteed — no noisy neighbours. You get root access, choose your OS, and install whatever you need.
✅ Good for
- Sites getting consistent traffic (10,000+ monthly visits)
- Developers who want full control over the stack
- Running multiple sites under one account efficiently
- WooCommerce, Magento, or any resource-hungry CMS
⚠️ Watch out for
- You manage the server — updates, security patches, backups are your job unless you pay for managed VPS
- Bigger jump in price — expect £15–£40/month for a usable spec
- Fixed resources — if you suddenly need more RAM, you have to resize (brief downtime) or upgrade plan
Typical UK price: £10–£60/month depending on RAM and storage.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting runs your site across multiple virtual machines in a provider's infrastructure. The defining trait is elasticity: resources scale up automatically when traffic spikes and scale back down so you only pay for what you use. AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure are the big three; Cloudways and Kinsta sit on top of them as managed layers.
✅ Good for
- Sites with unpredictable or fast-growing traffic
- E-commerce stores running flash sales or seasonal campaigns
- Teams who need 99.99% uptime with automatic failover
- Global audiences (CDN edge nodes baked in)
⚠️ Watch out for
- Billing surprises — pay-as-you-go means a traffic spike can cost more than expected
- Complexity — raw cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) have steep learning curves
- Cost vs VPS at steady traffic — if your traffic is predictable, a VPS is often cheaper
Typical UK price: £5–£30/month managed (Cloudways, Kinsta); highly variable on raw cloud.
Side-by-side comparison
| Shared | VPS | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £ | ££ | ££–£££ |
| Performance ceiling | Low | Medium–High | Very high |
| Resources | Shared pool | Guaranteed fixed | Elastic |
| Technical skill needed | None | Medium (unmanaged) / Low (managed) | High (raw) / Low (managed) |
| Root access | No | Yes | Yes (raw) |
| Traffic spikes | Poor | May need manual resize | Handles automatically |
| Ideal for | Brochure sites, blogs | Growing sites, devs | High-traffic, commerce |
Which should you pick?
Start on shared if: you're launching something new, have under a few thousand monthly visitors, or just want something that works without thinking about it.
Move to a managed VPS if: pages are loading slowly, your host throttles you regularly, or you need a specific PHP/Python version your shared plan won't allow.
Consider cloud if: you're running a shop with unpredictable bursts, need global edge performance, or your site has become a real business where downtime costs money.
Find the right host for your site →