A website is the main source of income for an online business. That is why it is so important for it to be available to the target audience 24/7 and to load as quickly as visitors expect.

One of the first questions that every owner or developer of an online resource faces is which company to host their website files with and what budget to allocate for hosting. In this article, you will learn about:

types of hosting and the price range for each of them;
what affects the cost of hosting, what is the ideal price-quality ratio;
in which cases you can opt for a cheaper tariff.

What determines the cost of hosting?

Hosting prices can range from a few dollars per month to several hundred. It all depends on the size of the database, level of site manageability , website traffic (number of database queries), as well as the level of website optimization, its functionality, and the presence of special requirements for security and confidentiality of data.

Accordingly, a specific type of hosting is selected for each need: virtual hosting (shared), virtual private server (VPS), or dedicated server.

Virtual Hosting

Standard virtual website hosting is the cheapest option, starting at $3.50/month (Cloud Site) for unmanaged and $3.95/month for managed one

The essence of shared hosting is that resources – memory and computing power – are shared between all accounts on the server, and disk space is allocated to each account according to the tariff. Each account can contain one or more websites.

This type of hosting is suitable for relatively small websites with traffic of about 1.5–5 thousand users per day (prices will vary depending on this).

Advantages of virtual hosting:

Affordability. Virtual hosting is the cheapest option for website hosting.
Convenience. Shared hosting usually comes with a control panel, allowing users who are new to hosting to easily manage their websites.
Security. Despite the common belief that websites on shared servers are more vulnerable in terms of security, HostPro’s shared hosting includes a whole range of security software. This includes protection against malware (antivirus), spam filtering, and protection against DDoS attacks.
Scalability. Contrary to popular belief, virtual hosting can be flexible. For example, Cloud Site Hosting allows you to increase the available resources (processor, RAM, disk space) by 8 times, or Hosting on NVMe disks , where you can double your resources if necessary.
Administration by the provider. Server settings are configured by the hosting company, so there is no need to delve into this yourself or hire a system administrator. In addition, the support service will help with any technical issues, such as installing a control panel or SSL certificate, 24/7 and free of charge.

Disadvantages of virtual hosting:

Customization options on virtual hosting are limited. There is no autonomy from other website owners, for example, when installing your own software.
Resource limitations. Virtual hosting has limited resources—RAM, disk space, and bandwidth. If a website requires large amounts of resources, it will not be able to function properly on shared hosting.

VPS

An unmanaged virtual server, or VPS, is a type of hosting in the mid-price range, starting at $5/month. And managed plans are twice as expensive as it is harder to manage than shared hosting.

The essence of VPS is that a physical server is divided into several virtual servers, one of which you rent. A good host usually protects against overselling (reselling the same resources) even on shared hosting. However, with VPS, thanks to KVM virtualization technology, you have 100% guaranteed resources that you don’t have to share with other sites on the server.

Fewer customers use the same physical equipment, and each has their own guaranteed private space and computing power. Even if you don’t use all the resources, they still won’t be redistributed among other customers, as is the case with shared hosting.

Advantages of VPS:

Control. VPS gives users complete control over their part of the server, including the operating system, software, and configuration. This means you can customize your servers to suit your specific needs, with administrator rights and root access.
Scalability. Many hosting providers let you easily upgrade resources without having to buy a new plan.
Security. Renting a VPS provides extensive security options, as you are the only one on your virtual server. Additionally, you get your own dedicated IP address, which eliminates the risk of penalties from search engines and email services if a neighboring account violates the law in any way.
Cost-effectiveness. VPS is usually a more cost-effective option than a dedicated server. At the same time, you can create as many databases, email accounts, or FTP clients as you want. In fact, you can host as many websites on a virtual server as it can accommodate.

Disadvantages of VPS:

More expensive than virtual hosting.
To set up and manage a dedicated virtual server, you need to have experience in its administration. Or you can rent a VPS with full administration .

Dedicated server

A dedicated server is a type of hosting where a physical server is rented by only one user, who then uses all the available resources of the physical machine independently and in isolation from other customers.

The cost of renting a dedicated server starts at $29/month.

A dedicated server is a good choice for websites that require high amounts of resources (500,000 or more visitors per month) and have special requirements for security and stability.

Advantages of a dedicated server:

High performance.
Increased security. With a dedicated server, you have complete control over the server environment, which allows you to implement stricter security measures and configure firewalls. That is why dedicated servers are often chosen by companies that work with confidential data or financial transactions.
Greater control and customization. You have complete control over the server environment, allowing you to customize it according to your software and hardware needs. And while VPS also offers some customization options, they are still limited by the resources provided by the pricing plan. With a dedicated server rental, you get complete freedom in choosing your configuration.

Disadvantages of a dedicated server:

It is more expensive. Dedicated servers are significantly more expensive than virtual or VPS hosting. However, this investment is worthwhile to ensure that your business is completely secure.
Technical expertise: Managing a dedicated server requires server administration skills. But at HostPro, renting a dedicated server also includes basic configuration and administration by technical support.
Increased responsibility: If dedicated server rental is provided without administration included in the price, you are responsible for managing server security, software updates, backups, and troubleshooting any technical issues.
Limited flexibility: Scaling resources on a dedicated server can be difficult and expensive, making it less flexible than other hosting options.

Let’s summarize the above and compare the cost of different types of hosting at HostPro (the cost of the average price plans at the time of publication of the article is indicated)

Virtual hosting	Managed virtual hosting	VPS	Managed VPS
10 GB NVMe disk	10 GB NVMe disk	50 GB NVMe disk	35 GB NVMe disk
from $4.95/month	From $3.95/month	from $11.00/month	From $10.00/month

What else affects the price of hosting?

The cost of each hosting plan varies depending on:

The type of hosting (virtual, VPS, or dedicated server)
The pricing plan (disk space, amount of RAM, number of databases and mailboxes)
Traffic volume (some hosting providers, especially those not based in Ukraine, may have strict restrictions on visits)
Additional features included in the plan (backups, protection against DDoS attacks, antivirus)
The quality of the hardware and the location of the data center where the servers are located (if the hosting is based on high-performance servers from well-known brands, it simply cannot cost $1/month. In addition, data centers in different parts of the world with uninterruptible power supply and a pool of additional security measures are quite expensive)
Licensed software (some software, such as operating systems or database software, can be quite expensive, so their cost may be included in the total cost of hosting plans to make them more affordable for customers)
Dedicated IP addresses (in order for hosting provider customers to access their websites, IP addresses are required — one for shared virtual hosting [with the option to get your own dedicated IP] and separate ones for each virtual and dedicated server)
Equipment upgrades and modernization (to ensure that websites on servers run smoothly, their components (processors, power supplies, disks, RAID controllers) should be periodically updated)
Availability and quality of technical support (hiring a team of support specialists, their level of qualification, and the possibility of changes for round-the-clock work are also an important component of the hosting tariff price)

5 cases when you can opt for a cheaper plan

Most hosting providers offer a fairly extensive price list, which means that even for a start-up project, you can choose the cheapest plan, and when the website has more traffic and requires more resources, you can easily upgrade to a more expensive plan.

It is not worth saving on the cost of hosting, but there are cases when a cheaper plan will really be enough:

the initial stage of the business;
a personal website or blog with low traffic;
seasonal projects (in such cases, Cloud Site is ideal — to keep the resource available, you pay $3.50/month, and when there is a sudden need for a processor, RAM, or disk space, you turn on “Turbo” mode with hourly billing);
development or testing (if you are working on a new project and want to try out different features, themes, or software, or test an API, it is really better to start with a lower tariff);
for training (when pupils/students need to demonstrate live how certain features work on the website).

Overview of HostPro’s pricing plans

Overview of the most popular virtual hosting plans. Prices are valid at the time of publication.

	Managed virtual hosting	Managed WordPress hosting
Cost of the lowest plan from	$3.95/month	$4.95/month
Cost of the highest plan	$7.95	$7.95
Disk space	10-30 GB NVMe SSD	20-60 GB NVMe SSD
Number of websites	2-25	5-30
Free SSL certificate	✅	✅
Daily backups	✅	✅
Money-back guarantee (30 days)	✅	✅
24/7 technical support	✅	✅

Overview of the most popular VPS plans at HostPro. Prices are valid at the time of publication.

	Managed VPS	Managed Cloud
Cost of the lowest plan from	$12/month	$10/month
Cost of the highest plan	$144	$220
Disk space	100-960 GB NVMe SSD	35-700 GB NVMe SSD
Unlimited bandwidth	✅	✅
Processor	Intel Xeon	Intel Xeon
Full management	✅	✅
24/7 technical support	✅	✅

In conclusion

As we can see, website hosting prices vary depending on the provider, type of hosting, and the amount of resources provided. If you need help choosing the right plan, you can always contact our technical support team for a free consultation. We are available 24/7.