Bluehost Shared Hosting vs Liquidweb Dedicated Hosting for WordPress - Should you pay more for Dedicated Hosting ?
Shared hosting vs dedicated hosting
Both shared hosting and dedicated hosting hold the data for your website on a single server. When web users access your website from their browser, this server sends your data to them.
The difference between the two hosting types is the type of server on which your website is stored. With shared hosting, your website lives alongside others, which are neighboring users utilizing the same server. With dedicated hosting plans, your website has a server all to itself. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both. Learn the difference between shared hosting and dedicated hosting to choose the best option for your business.
What is shared hosting?
Shared hosting works by hosting multiple websites on one server. Some have compared shared hosting to a public bus system, because it is inexpensive to use, and involves sharing resources with other users. Hundreds or even thousands of websites can be hosted on a single server, which creates advantages and disadvantages.
Pros of shared hosting
The advantages of shared hosting are:
- Low costs
- Low technical skills required
A huge factor influencing the use of shared hosting is its low cost. A single server’s maintenance costs can be distributed amongst its many users, driving down individual costs to customers. You also have the option to pay more to upgrade to hosting services that allow more traffic, and greater resources.
Many people first launch their websites with shared hosting because it requires little technical skill, or in-depth knowledge of servers. Shared hosting plans come with a control panel to facilitate website management, and pre-installed programs to accommodate most general websites. Server maintenance, like installing updates and patches, is carried out by the host providers, so all you have to worry about is developing your business.
Cons of shared hosting
The disadvantages of shared hosting are:
- Shared server resources
- Higher security risks
Shared hosting is great for new websites that require basic resources and expect low to moderate traffic. However, shared hosting does have its limitations. The most obvious limitation is the collective sharing of processing power, memory, disk space, and all other resources housed on a server.
A consequence of sharing server resources is the possibility of the “bad neighbor effect.” This is where one website on a shared server hogs resources, causing other websites on the server to slow down. However, chances of this actually causing a noticeable issue is low, since professional hosting companies provide more than enough resources to accommodate their users. They’re also efficient in moderating highly trafficked websites, and suggest growing websites move to higher hosting services that provide additional bandwidth.
Another risk associated with shared hosting is that your server’s IP address could be blacklisted if someone on the same server is sending out spam. To avoid having your emails dropped in the spam mailboxes of your recipients, make sure you choose a web hosting provider with policies against this abuse.
Who uses shared hosting?
Shared hosting is ideal for website owners looking for a beginner friendly, and cost-effective option. Personal projects, small businesses, and even medium sized businesses can benefit from the advantages of shared hosting. The disadvantages are inconsequential as long as website traffic isn’t too heavy, and the server is protected by reliable security protocols.
When websites do outgrow the resources allotted in shared hosting situations, there are other hosting plans ready to take over. Migrating a website from one hosting environment to another is an easy process, and does not detract from your site’s efficiency.
What is dedicated hosting?
Dedicated hosting means your website is hosted on a single server that is dedicated specifically to your website. This cuts out the competition of resources associated with shared hosting, and results in more robust website performance.
If shared hosting is like a public bus, then dedicated hosting is like renting your own car. You have more control where you take your car, how fast it goes, and what radio station plays. However, it also comes at a much higher cost, and requires more knowledge in order to maintain it. Dedicated hosting has very similar advantages and disadvantages.
Pros of dedicated hosting plans
The advantages of dedicated hosting are:
- Total utilization of server resources
- Ability to customize
With a dedicated hosting solution, there is no server sharing involved which means no bad neighbor effects. All your server’s processing power, memory, and disk space can be committed to your website. In addition, no other user could expose your website to cyber threats or cause your server’s IP address to be blacklisted.
Dedicated hosting allows extensive customization, giving you the ability to optimize your server settings. It also gives you root access so that you can modify software code. Server configuration is generally valued when a website requires a special application.
Cons of dedicated hosting
The disadvantages of dedicated hosting are:
- Very high costs
- Requirement of technical knowledge
- More labored maintenance
It comes as no surprise that greater resources and control come at a greater cost. Renting dedicated servers can run between $60 and $350+ per month, depending on how involved the hosting provider is with maintenance and security. Usually a website that garners the traffic requiring dedicated server resources is profitable enough to afford dedicated hosting.
Another limitation of a dedicated hosting solution is that it requires a high level of technical knowledge, especially if you want to take advantage of the customizability. If technology isn’t your specialty, you could hire a server admin, or purchase a plan that includes management support, however, these add to your costs.
Since much of the server maintenance is left up to you, a new burden is introduced. You’re responsible for updating and installing patches to your dedicated server, which may detract from your other responsibilities.
Bluehost
This is actually quite famous for its pricing plans. The services provided by this is shared hosting, VPS and reseller hosting. If you need services like domain registrations then the good is that it also provides that. The interface is very easy to use and it has one click installation for WordPress.
Liquid Web
Liquid Web hosting software provides dedicated and VPS customers with a guarantee that your website will be running all the time. It also gives response to any kind of problem within a 30 minutes and you can also get the hardware replaced within 30 minutes. It gives guarantees for these kind of things.
Bluehost Plans and Pricing
There are basically three hosting plans are available on Bluehost.
1. Shared Web Hosting Plans
In this plan there are four packages available and in price and services they differ from one another. The first plan is basic plan which gives a storage of 50 GB, Bandwidth is unlimited and you can register 1 domain with it along with that you’ll get 100 email accounts which costs $2.95/month. In the second plan which is plus plan you’ll get unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains and unlimited email accounts which costs $5.95/month.
The third package which is prime and this package offers the same as the plus plan along with an SSL certificate and the pricing is the same too. The last plan is pro plan same as the plus and pro plan it offers unlimited storage, bandwidth, number of domains and emails along with some additional features and it costs around $13.95/month.
2. VPS Hosting Plans
This plan has three packages in which the first one is standard and it offers 30 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, one domain, one IP address and 2 GB RAM and it costs $19.99/month. The second one is enhanced which offers 60 GB of storage with unlimited bandwidth and 1 domain and 2 IP address.
The RAM in this one 4 GB. The cost of this package is $29.99/month. The last one is Ultimate which offers 120 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, one domain, 2 IP addresses along with 8 GB RAM and it costs $59.99/month.
3. Dedicated Server Plans
It also has three packages. The first one is a standard package which provides 500 GB of storage with bandwidth of 5 TB, 4 types of processor, 3 IP addresses along with that the RAM is 4 GB. It costs $79.99/month.
The second one is enhanced and this offers 1 TB of storage, bandwidth of 10 TB, 4 types of processor , 4 IP addresses and 8 GB RAM and it costs $99.99/month. The third one is premium which offers 1TB of storage, bandwidth of 10 TB, 4 types of processor, 5 IP addresses and 16 GB RAM and it costs $119.99/month.
Liquid Web Plans and Pricing
It also has three plans for three different areas.
1. Shared Web Hosting Plans
This plan comes with 4 packages. The first package is standard package which offers 5 GB of storage, 240 GB of Bandwidth, 2 domains and unlimited emails and it costs around $14.95/ month. The second one is Webmaster package which offers 20 GB of storage, bandwidth of 400 GB, 3 domains and unlimited emails and it costs $19.95/month.
The third one is professional package and it offers 40 GB of storage, 640 GB of bandwidth with 4 domains and unlimited emails and it costs around $24.95/month. The last one is semi-dedicated which costs around $40/month and it offers the same as professional package but instead of 4 domains this offers 5 domains.
2. VPS Hosting Plans
This plan depends on the RAM and it varies accordingly from one another. For 2 GB RAM you’ll get 40 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, one domain and one IP address and it costs around $59/month. The second plan is also for 2 GB of RAM and it offers 100 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth , 5TB of data transfer with a public IP address and it costs $79/month.
The third plan is for 4 GB and it offers 125 GB of storage , unlimited bandwidth and along with that 5 TB of data transfer and one public IP Address and it costs $119/month. The last one is for 8 GB of RAM and it costs around $169/month and offers 200 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth with 5TB of data transfer.
3. Dedicated Server Plans
This plan has 3 packages based on the processor. The first one is on single processor which provides a storage of 211 GB, bandwidth of 5 TB and the type of processor is 4 cores total @ 2.80GHz with a RAM of 4 GB. The second one is on dual processor( Intel Dual Xeon E5-2603v2) which costs around $400/month and provides storage of 1849 GB, bandwidth of 5 TB and the processors are the type of 8 cores Total @1.8 GHz with a RAM of 32 GB.
The third one is also on dual processor ( Intel Dual Xeon E5-2620v2) and it costs around $725/month. The services provided by this package are a storage of 1775 GB, bandwidth of 5 TB, the type of processor is 6 cores total @ 2.1 GHz with a RAM of 64 GB.
According to pricing I think Bluehost will fit into your budget but if you wanna take things to another level for running a huge business then in my opinion you should buy Liquid Web’s offers.
Bluehost vs. Liquid Web – Page Speed and Uptime
To conduct a performance test of the hosting servers for our Liquid Web vs.Bluehost comparison, we created a test WordPress site on both hosting servers by signing up to their WordPress hosting plans. Then, we installed a default WordPress theme, uploaded dummy content, including images, to mirror the production environment on our test site.
Finally, we also conducted a couple of speed tests such as:
Load Impact test: To record how the server responded during peak load time.
Bitcatcha test: To analyze server response times on 8 different international locations by ignoring content of the test site.
And here’re our results:
We also used Bitcatcha to record server response time of our hosting servers from 8 different geographical locations: New York, LA, London, Brazil, India, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. The speed for each location is measured three separate times, and then the results are averaged.
Bluehost vs. Liquid Web – Features
Bluehost is primarily geared towards beginner-level users. It comes with all the essential features you’ll need to get your site up and running. With all shared hosting plans, you get
- Unmetered bandwidth
- SSD storage
- Free SSL
- 1-click installers
With a slightly expensive shared web hosting plan, you’ll get unmetered SSD storage, unlimited email accounts, unlimited storage, $200 worth marketing offers, site backups, and more.
As a managed hosting provider, Liquid Web ensures blazing fast loading time, with industry-leading features, like:
- Auto-plugin updates: In addition to WordPress core updates, Liquid Web also offers automatic plugin updates with visual comparisons.
- Full server access: Unlike other managed hosting companies, Liquid Web offers full server access.
- Stencil: Save your time while building new sites by using the same plugins and theme.
- Easy staging: Easily create a staging site, which allows you to test your codes before deploying it to the live site environment.
Liquid Web on the other hand, is for users who want blazing fast website. Liquid Web’s managed WooCommerce hosting helps you build resource-heavy eCommerce store without having to hire a professional developer for optimizing your servers.
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