If your website has outgrown shared hosting, you might have started to realize it is time to get a better hosting solution. Therefore, you might want to consider which one is better for your website: Cloud hosting vs. VPS. Luckily, both hosting plans will give you increased access to resources, higher performance, and increased reliability.
However, their individual perks and corresponding differences may seem difficult to comprehend. Here we discuss what these hosting categories are about and how they are so different. If you want to see what are some of the best providers available today, you can check our recommendations for the best VPS providers and the top cloud hosting providers.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS is short for Virtual Private Servers. In VPS hosting, one physical server is categorized into various sections, and each section belongs to a different client (like in shared hosting). However, the advantage here is that this section will act as a stand-alone server through virtualization. It will also run its own instance of the operating system.
If you sign up for unmanaged VPS hosting, you will have root access privilege. As a result, complete control of the website will be in your hands. If you or your team is not technically adept, you can leave all these technical aspects to the hosting provider through managed VPS hosting.
Also, there are other types of VPS hosting, like SSD VPS, Windows VPS, Linux VPS, WordPress VPS, etc. So, if you go for VPS hosting, you will find a VPS server that will satisfy your needs.
What is Cloud Hosting?
In cloud hosting, instead of depending on a single physical server, you instead rely on an extensive network of numerous servers connected by software. As a result, if any of them fails, another one takes its place immediately, leaving no room for downtime. Such seamless scalability is the main reason so many people are moving towards cloud hosting. It is a newer form of hosting compared to shared, dedicated, and VPS but is immensely popular in the industry nonetheless.
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting Pros and Cons
VPS Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
It’s simple to use and adaptable | Because the actual web server’s physical resources are shared among the many websites that use it, your VPS may not be able to use the total amount of RAM or disk space |
The majority of plans can be altered to match the user’s needs, and the majority of plans can be expanded | The amount of random access memory (RAM), central processing time, and server disk space available on a virtual private server (VPS) is restricted |
Other web apps can be run on the VPS and can be resumed separately | It may be challenging to set up an unmanaged VPS, and getting your website up and operating will take longer |
It is possible to host a massive number of websites efficiently | |
VPS comes with a slew of advanced features | |
The majority of VPS uses the Linux-based operating system, and it has a proven track record of being more stable and secure than the more expensive Windows-based operating system |
Cloud Hosting Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
It’s cost-effective because you buy all the resources from someone else | Users have limited control over the infrastructure |
It’s easy to implement | It is prone to privacy issues |
It has an easily accessible infrastructure | It is susceptible to cyber attacks |
It’s easily scalable and flexible, and users pay only for the number of used resources | Downtime is a prevalent issue with cloud hosting |
Has automatic data backups |
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting Overview Table
VPS | Cloud Hosting | |
Resources | Users have their own resources | Users can get resources from multiple servers |
Performance | Limited performance depending on the plan | Consistent performance and ability to handle high traffic spikes |
Security | Users are responsible for their security | Providers handle all security features and updates |
Customization | Enables users to have root access with unmanaged plans | Limited customization and no root access |
Cost | It is the cheaper alternative with predictable fees | The price depends on how many resources you use, and fees can be less predictable |
Scalability | Limited scalability | Unlimited scalability with no downtime |
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Resources
With VPS hosting, you have your own resources that you can use and customize as you wish.
With cloud hosting, you draw power from a multitude of servers, i.e., the cloud. This means the resources are spread out, and you will have nearly a 100% uptime guarantee. Because you have all these virtual servers connected together, it is perfect for servers who need to increase their resources within a short notice to handle higher levels of traffic.
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Performance
Both VPS hosting and cloud hosting have high levels of performance. However, VPS hosting will likely be the more limited of these two options because the physical server restricts you. You will only have access to a certain amount of resources. While VPS hosting is a serious step up from shared hosting, which still tends to use HDD (hard disk drive) and will, therefore, be much slower, it will use SSD (solid-state drive), which can read information much faster.
However, when comparing VPS SSD vs. VPS cloud hosting, cloud hosting will have a slight edge. Even if there is a period of high demand, like a new product release or sales, cloud hosting will continue to deliver the same high levels of speed, performance, and reliability. Because of the cloud of servers, it can handle even unexpected traffic spikes.
When comparing a plan from OVH VPS SSD vs. a cloud hosting plan, consider the speeds and overall performance to decide what is right for you.
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Security
Website security is yet another essential consideration to factor in when choosing a website hosting provider.
While both VPS hosting and cloud hosting are not 100% secure, they will both be much more secure than shared hosting. However, with VPS hosting, you will be responsible for your own security customization. You will also need to ensure that the installations stay updated to keep your website secure.
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Customization
VPS hosting allows complete customization of the website and related applications. It provides the client with root access in unmanaged VPS hosting; thus, you can tweak the technical configurations as much as you like. Your website will run on its individual operating system instance, but the whole server will run on the same OS. So usually, you can’t choose between Linux and Windows after signing up for the hosting plan.
Cloud hosting also limits the customization area since its operation is distributed among numerous servers. However, its liberty to customization is narrower than VPS as there is no root access privilege. Nevertheless, you can choose any OS you want from the readily available Windows and Linux clouds.
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Cost
When deciding between a cloud server vs. VPS, one of your biggest considerations is likely pricing. While both options are more expensive than a shared hosting environment, they are cheaper than a dedicated server, but you’ll still get many of the benefits of dedicated hosting.
Typically, VPS will be the cheaper option and tends to be more predictable. You’ll have resource caps and a certain level of support that you get for a set fee.
However, because cloud hosting is more scalable, the price is less predictable. Depending on the resources you used that month, you might have to pay more for one month if you have traffic spikes. It still has an excellent value for money and tends to be more affordable than a dedicated server plan.
Take the services of Upcloud vs. Vultr. Vultr starts as low as $1.00 a month and ranges up to $120, depending on your needs. Upcloud starts at $5 a month. However, Upcloud is unique from Vultr because you can choose to create your own plan, where you can decide how much CPU, memory, storage, and even the location of the servers you would like to use. This means that, because of this extreme flexibility, you are paying for precisely what you need each month.
For more information check out our dedicated pricing pages:
VPS vs. Cloud Hosting: Scalability
The amount of resources is theoretically unlimited in cloud hosting since any server can be replaced at any time without the risk of intermission periods. So you can have a boundless storage device, bandwidth, and processing power for your website, ensuring 100% uptime.
VPS hosting, on the other hand, has limited scalability. Although the client operates all website functionalities through a virtualized server, it is still bound by the fixed amount of resources in the physical container server. To scale up the resources beyond a certain point, you must migrate to another plan which can pose downtime risks.
Conclusion
One of the biggest differences when deciding between VPS vs. cloud hosting will come down to scale and customization. Cloud hosting plans can be scaled on a moment’s notice and automatically go up and down as you need more resources for your site. From resource usage to pricing, cloud hosting is the more flexible and scalable option.
VPS hosting isn’t as scalable, but it is a good option for people who want root access and have extreme customization needs but don’t want to pay for a dedicated server.
If you are still looking for a new hosting plan, you can compare two or three hosting plans to decide which one is right for you.