If your website has outgrown shared hosting, it‘s time to upgrade to a hosting solution that can provide more power, flexibility and control. The two leading options are virtual private server (VPS) hosting and dedicated server hosting.
While both provide significant improvements over a basic shared hosting plan, VPS and dedicated servers differ in key ways when it comes to their architecture, performance, and management. Understanding these differences is essential for choosing the right hosting environment for your website or application as it grows and evolves.
In this comprehensive comparison, we‘ll dive deep into how VPS and dedicated hosting work, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and scenarios when you should choose one over the other. We‘ll also highlight some top VPS and dedicated hosting providers and example plans to kickstart your search.
Let‘s get started with an overview of each type of hosting:
What is VPS Hosting?
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a virtualized hosting environment where a physical server is split up into multiple virtual servers using virtualization technology. While the virtual servers share the physical server‘s underlying hardware, each VPS is a separate, secure container with dedicated storage, CPU, RAM, and bandwidth allocations.
Here are the key characteristics of VPS hosting:
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Virtualization – A bare metal server is divided into virtual machines (VMs) each running their own operating system (OS). The VMs are independent and isolated from each other.
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Dedicated resources – Each VM or VPS has server resources dedicated solely for its use. One user can‘t tap into another user‘s allocated CPU, RAM, or bandwidth.
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Root access – VPS users get complete control over their server environment, with root-level or administrative access to install software and customize configurations.
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Affordability – Since a single server is split up and the cost is distributed among several users, VPS plans are more affordable than renting an entire dedicated server.
VPS hosting is a good fit for small to medium sites experiencing increased traffic, like blogs, small business websites, or web applications. It provides an intermediary step if you need more resources than a shared plan but aren‘t ready to lease a full dedicated server.
What is Dedicated Server Hosting?
With dedicated hosting, your website is hosted on a physical server that is exclusively yours. All of the server‘s hardware resources – CPU cores, RAM, bandwidth, and storage – are 100% dedicated to powering your site alone.
The key characteristics of dedicated hosting are:
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Single tenancy – As the only user leasing the server, you have full control and don‘t share space or resources with any other websites.
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High performance – With an entire server‘s CPU, memory and storage at your disposal, dedicated hosting offers maximum speed and performance for resource-heavy applications.
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Security – Since you aren‘t sharing the server, you have greater protection against threats like DDoS attacks or malware infections from "neighboring" sites.
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Customization – Root/admin access provides total freedom to configure the server, install any OS or software, and optimize the environment to your exact requirements.
As the most powerful hosting option, dedicated servers are ideal for high-traffic websites, large ecommerce stores, and online businesses with comprehensive technical needs and a larger budget. You‘re essentially renting the server itself rather than just space on it.
Head-to-Head Comparison: VPS Hosting vs Dedicated Hosting
Now that we‘ve covered the basics of how VPS and dedicated hosting function, let‘s compare them side-by-side across the most important factors for selecting a web host:
Performance and Resources
Both VPS and dedicated hosting provide a major upgrade from shared hosting when it comes to server speed and available resources. However, they achieve this in different ways.
VPS plans come with set CPU cores, memory, and SSD storage amounts dedicated to your virtual machine. For example, an entry VPS might include 2 CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM, and 75 GB of storage. The physical server‘s resources are split up, so you have guaranteed access to your share without interference from other VMs.
With dedicated hosting, you get exponentially more resources and 100% of the physical server‘s capacity. An starter dedicated server could have an 8-core CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB of storage, for instance. Having an entire server‘s power behind your site leads to the highest possible performance.
Scalability
As your website grows, being able to easily scale your hosting resources is crucial. VPS hosting makes this relatively simple – you can often upgrade your CPU, RAM or bandwidth with a few clicks in your host‘s control panel, no migration required. Some hosts even allow you to automatically scale based on demand.
Dedicated hosting provides massive amounts of resources to accommodate growth. But if you max out your server, you‘ll need to physically upgrade to a higher-tier machine. Some dedicated plans offer "burstable" bandwidth which allows for traffic spikes, but you‘re still capped at that server‘s specifications.
Security
VPS and dedicated servers both come with enhanced security features compared to shared hosting. With a VPS, the hypervisor keeps each virtual machine fully isolated – if a neighboring site has a security breach or malware infection, it‘s extremely unlikely to affect your VPS.
Dedicated hosting has the edge when it comes to security. Without any other websites on the physical server, you have complete control over security configurations. You can implement an intrusion detection system (IDS), configure your own firewall rules, and take other proactive measures to harden your server.
Customization
A major perk of VPS and dedicated hosting is having root access to customize your environment. With a VPS, you can choose your preferred Linux or Windows operating system and configure things to your liking, such as installing a custom server stack.
Dedicated servers provide the ultimate flexibility. You have free reign over every aspect of the machine, from the OS and control panel to the server software and security settings. Hosts often allow you to build a custom dedicated server tailored to your exact needs.
Pricing
Cost is a big factor in deciding between VPS and dedicated hosting. VPS plans are much more affordable, since you‘re only paying for a slice of the server. Pricing can start as low as $20 to $50 per month, depending on the resources you require.
Dedicated hosting is significantly more expensive as you‘re renting an entire physical machine. Entry dedicated plans typically start around $100/month and can scale up to $500 or more for high-end configurations. However, you are getting a lot more horsepower and control for your money.
Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting
Another important consideration is the level of server management, support and maintenance you require. Both VPS and dedicated hosting come in managed and unmanaged flavors:
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Managed hosting means the provider takes care of server maintenance tasks like security patches, software updates, and uptime monitoring. They offer technical support if any issues arise. This allows you to focus on your website while they handle server administration.
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With unmanaged hosting, the host is only responsible for maintaining the physical hardware and network connectivity. Server software, security, and optimization are up to you. You‘ll need technical expertise to manage things yourself, or hire a sysadmin separately.
Some hosts also offer a hybrid "semi-managed" option, which usually includes basic server maintenance but less comprehensive support than fully managed plans.
In general, managed hosting costs more as you‘re paying for the host‘s time and expertise in server administration. Unmanaged plans are cheaper, but require you to handle maintenance yourself. Choosing managed or unmanaged largely depends on your technical know-how and if you want to outsource server management.
Top VPS Hosting Providers
Here are a few of the leading companies offering quality VPS hosting:
Liquid Web
Liquid Web provides fully managed, core managed, and self-managed VPS plans with high-performance cloud VPS technology. Their VPSs have guaranteed CPU cycles, RAM, and SSD storage amounts. Root access is included and you can easily scale resources as needed. Plans start at $59/month for 2 GB RAM, 4 vCPUs, 40 GB SSD storage, and 10 TB bandwidth.
InMotion Hosting
InMotion‘s managed VPS hosting offers free server migrations, cPanel/WHM, and root access. SSD drives and RAID-6 redundancy ensure fast and reliable performance. Plans include unlocked CPU cores, enterprise Nginx/Apache, multiple dedicated IP addresses, and DDoS protection. Pricing begins at $39.99/month for 4 GB RAM, 75 GB storage, and 4 TB bandwidth.
Hostwinds
Hostwinds has both managed and unmanaged Linux and Windows VPS hosting with a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. Their SSD-powered plans come with a free SSL certificate, built-in firewall, nightly backups, and snapshots. Instant upgrades and a custom VPS control panel make management simple. Linux plans start at $16.99/month for 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth.
Best Dedicated Server Hosting Providers
If you‘re in need of maximum power and control, these respected hosts deliver top-notch dedicated hosting:
Liquid Web
In addition to VPS plans, Liquid Web has a range of single processor and dual processor dedicated servers. Customize your server‘s CPU, RAM and drives or choose a pre-built configuration. All servers include DDoS attack protection, multi-stage firewalls, and built-in backup/restore solutions. Managed support includes proactive monitoring, security patches, and 100% network and power uptime guarantees. Plans start at $169/month for an Intel Xeon 1230 processor, 16 GB RAM, 240 GB SSD primary disk, and 1 TB backup drive.
SiteGround
SiteGround‘s managed dedicated hosting includes their proprietary Exo platform with unique speed optimizations for WordPress, Joomla, and Magento. Servers have fast Intel Xeon processors, RAID-10 SSD storage, and the latest PHP versions. The host proactively monitors servers and includes automated daily backups, 24/7 VIP support, and free CDN and SSL certificates. Entry servers start at $269/month for an Intel Xeon E3-1230 CPU, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, and 480 GB SSD storage.
DreamHost
DreamHost offers fully managed dedicated hosting with high-performance SSD drives, RAID 1 mirroring, and a 100% uptime guarantee. Their standard dedicated plans provide great value for the specs, while their enterprise-grade DreamDedicated servers offer top-of-the-line speed and security. All plans include unlimited bandwidth, DDoS protection, and 24/7 system monitoring. Standard servers start at $149/month for a 4-core CPU, 4 GB RAM and 1 TB HDD.
Choosing Between VPS and Dedicated Hosting
With an understanding of how VPS and dedicated hosting compare, how do you decide which one is right for your website? Here are some general guidelines:
Choose VPS hosting if you:
- Have outgrown shared hosting and need better performance, stability and control
- Run a small to medium traffic website or application
- Want dedicated resources at an affordable price point
- Need to be able to easily scale resources as your site grows
Choose dedicated hosting if you:
- Have a high-traffic, resource-intensive website that needs maximum performance
- Run an ecommerce store, web app, or large site and want the highest level of security
- Desire complete control over your hosting environment and custom configurations
- Have the technical know-how or team to manage a server, or the budget for a fully managed solution
Ultimately, the decision comes down to balancing the resources your website requires and the level of management you‘re comfortable with against your budget. VPS hosting provides more power than shared hosting with dedicated resources and scalability. Dedicated hosting offers the utmost in performance, security, and customization, but with a higher price tag.
By assessing your current needs and planning for how your site may expand in the future, you can select the hosting type that will help your website succeed in the long run. With an array of VPS and dedicated server packages available from leading hosts, you have plenty of options to choose from.
