Among many choices one has to make when deciding what type of web hosting to use, there is a question of whether to go with reseller hosting or shared hosting. Although you can find many people on the internet claiming that reseller hosting is more cost effective and saves you money (even earns you money), this is not necessarily true. In this article we will try to point out why shared hosting might be a better idea for your website if you are primarily interested in having your website hosted and not in making money through web hosting.
The main difference between these two types of hosting accounts is that with a shared account you get a part of the server resources to use for purposes of building your website, while with a reseller account you get a certain amount of server resources which are then free for you to re-sell them and earn money in the process. Your host will take care of server maintenance and will retain control over server giving you only limited control, and effectively making you a middleman in the hosting business.
The first thing we need to consider when we compare the two hosting plans mentioned above is the fact that in commercial web hosting there is no such thing as non-shared hosting, unless we are talking about dedicated hosting. Although advocates of reseller hosting will say that one of its benefits is that you don’t share hosting with other people, in reality this is far from true. You share it with less people, that is very often a fact, but you still share it because reseller hosting is not dedicated by default.
Another misconception about reseller hosting is that you make money by just re-selling your space. The fact is – you will make money with reseller account, however, you will also need to work for that money, because you will be obliged to offer customer support, which is an extremely demanding thing to do.
One more thing you can read on the internet which is not true is that you cannot host multiple domains on shared hosting. Although there are some companies which limit your shared hosting to only one domain, if you search well enough you will find numerous other companies which will offer you to host multiple domains but won’t require you to apply for a reseller account.
The conclusion we can get from all the aforementioned facts is that, unless you are interested in the very process of reselling hosting and earning money this way, you shouldn’t go for reseller packages. Reselling web hosting is a great way to start your own hosting business, but if you are just a web site owner concerned with the quality of service you get and you really need to upgrade your website from shared hosting, do it by upgrading it to dedicated hosting, cause this is the only way to be sure that your website is alone on the server.
Shared Hosting:
- Cost-Effectiveness:
- Shared hosting is typically more budget-friendly than reseller hosting, making it a cost-effective choice for individuals or small businesses with limited resources.
- Ease of Use:
- Shared hosting is easy to set up and manage, making it suitable for beginners or those who don’t want to deal with the technical aspects of server management.
- Resource Sharing:
- Resources (such as disk space, bandwidth, and CPU) are shared among multiple users on the same server. While this is cost-effective, it may lead to slower performance during peak times.
- Limited Control:
- With shared hosting, you have limited control over server settings and configurations, as these are managed by the hosting provider.
Reseller Hosting:
- Entrepreneurial Opportunities:
- Reseller hosting is ideal if you want to start your own hosting business. It allows you to sell hosting services to others using the resources allocated to your reseller account.
- Multiple Hosting Accounts:
- With reseller hosting, you can create and manage multiple hosting accounts, each with its own control panel. This is beneficial if you have multiple clients or websites.
- Customization and Branding:
- Reseller hosting often allows for greater customization, including branding the control panel with your logo and setting your own pricing plans.
- More Control:
- Compared to shared hosting, reseller hosting provides more control over server settings and configurations, giving you the ability to tailor hosting environments for your clients.
Considerations for Both:
- Technical Expertise:
- Evaluate your technical expertise. If you’re not comfortable managing server configurations and dealing with technical issues, shared hosting might be more suitable.
- Scalability:
- Consider your future growth. If you plan to expand and offer hosting services to others, reseller hosting provides a scalable platform.
- Performance Requirements:
- Assess the performance requirements of your website(s). If you need dedicated resources for high performance, shared hosting might not be sufficient.
In summary, if you’re looking for simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and have a single website, shared hosting may be the better choice. If you want to run a hosting business, have multiple clients, and need more control, reseller hosting is the way to go.