Shared vs VPS vs Cloud vs Dedicated: Which Hosting to Choose?

Choosing the right hosting type can save money and headaches. Here’s a practical breakdown for South African websites.

Table of contents

• Shared hosting
• VPS hosting
• Cloud hosting
• Dedicated servers
• Windows/MSSQL considerations
• SLAs and support
• Upgrade path and when to switch

Shared hosting

• Cheapest, easiest to start
• Shared resources; performance varies
• Ideal for small sites, personal blogs, brochureware

VPS hosting

• Virtual machine with dedicated resources
• Better isolation and performance
• Suits busy blogs, SMB ecommerce, and apps

Cloud hosting

• Elastic scaling across nodes
• High availability, pay-as-you-grow
• Perfect for startups with variable traffic

Dedicated servers

• Full control and max performance
• Highest cost and maintenance
• Enterprise apps or compliance-heavy workloads

Windows/MSSQL considerations

Choose Windows hosting only if you need ASP.NET, .NET Core with IIS, or MSSQL. Many SA hosts offer Linux by default; Windows plans are niche and costlier.

SLAs and support

Ask about uptime guarantees, response times, and backup policies. “Unlimited web hosting” is marketing—check fair use.

Type	Performance	Scalability	Cost	Management
Shared	Low–Medium	Low	Low	Easiest
VPS	Medium–High	Medium	Medium	Moderate
Cloud	High	High	Medium–High	Moderate
Dedicated	Very High	Low	High	Hardest

Upgrade path and when to switch

• Slow TTFB or frequent resource limits
• Traffic spikes or ecommerce growth
• Need for custom server config

Next steps: compare providers in Best Web Hosting in South Africa, see performance/value in our Hostinger South Africa review, or plan a migration with How to Move or Transfer Web Hosting. Agencies should explore Reseller Hosting South Africa.