Reseller vs Shared: Which Web Hosting Should I Get?
Website hosting is available thick and fast! There are so many different types of website hosting available today, it can often be confusing trying to choose the right one! When looking for website hosting, you may be bamboozled by all the different names – cloud hosting, reseller hosting, shared hosting, even dedicated hosting – Argh! Which is the one for you? Well, this article looks at two specific types of hosting that are often confused, but server a completely different purpose – Reseller hosting and Shared Hosting.
We look at a definition of each type of hosting, together with the pros and cons, and when this type of hosting should be used – enjoy!
Reseller Hosting
Definition
The clue to reseller hosting is in the name. It is hosting that you can sell to someone else – you can re sell it – see? In essence, you are purchasing a set amount of resources from a hosting provider, then you are selling those resources on to a third-party customer. Reseller hosting basically adds a separate layer of ownership between the hosting, and the end-customer, with you acting as the middleman.
Pros
– No expensive hardware costs such as servers and line rental
– No setup or server knowledge required
– Can use this service to enhance what your own business can offer
– You do not have to manage the hosting yourself
Cons
– Not suitable for personal usage
– Not as much control
Usage
Reseller hosting is generally used by either web developers, or those wishing to start their own hosting company. A web development company could purchase reseller hosting from a provider. They could then distribute this hosting and include it as part of their web development package to their customers. Alternatively, if someone wanted to start their own hosting business, but couldn’t afford to purchase servers and equipment, they could instead use a reseller service!
Shared Hosting
Definition
As with reseller hosting, the name is again a dead giveaway. If you purchase shared hosting, you are basically purchasing part of a server’s resources. On that same server, there could be a hundred other users who have also purchased a shared hosting plan. The difference to reseller hosting, is that you are purchasing shared hosting for your own usage – to host your own website, not to sell the hosting space to someone else. There is no middle man.
Pros
– Ultra low monthly cost: you can buy shared hosting for as little as $2.75 p/month
– Fantastic for small to medium sized websites
– Usually are pre-setup with all features installed
Cons
– Usually limited in bandwidth and storage – not suitable for large scale business
– Loading speeds could suffer at peak hours when server is at maximum capacity
Usage
Shared hosting can be used by anyone. The main thing it cannot be used for is as a reseller service however. When purchasing shared hosting, you are only purchasing part of a server’s resources – basically enough to run your own website. Small businesses would benefit from using shared hosting – the small monthly cost and features are perfect for this size of operation. Furthermore, people wishing to start a blog or a personal website could also benefit from shared hosting.
So as you can see, Reseller hosting and shared hosting actually fulfill two different roles in the world of websites and the internet. Hopefully, you should now know exactly what both types of hosting are, and if you could benefit from using either one of them!