WordPress Hosting vs. Web Hosting
As with any software, WordPress first needs to be installed. How? With the hosting option of your choice.
While some might opt for a website builder that offers a simple drag-and-drop interface, others might go for Shared Hosting. Both require self-installation, however, and the steps to install can be quite complicated, especially for beginners.
Traditionally, regular WordPress was installed by downloading the software from WordPress, re-uploading to your web host of choice, and undergoing a series of technical steps along the way. Worst-case scenario, this would take several hours and even in the best-case scenarios for seasoned web professionals, this would become a time-consuming task. For some Shared Hosting options, including Namecheap’s Shared Hosting and Namecheap’s EasyWP Managed WordPress solution, the installation process is simplified with just one click.
So, how does Managed WordPress differ from Shared Hosting? Managed web hosting for WordPress differs from traditional installations in that it handles the entire installation for you. Managed WordPress hosting also provides a user-friendly dashboard portal that allows you to update, manage, and backup all of your future installations. This means that you don’t have to figure out how to use a control panel (cPanel or Plesk) to manage your website. (As a friendly reminder, cPanel is a dashboard that is used to control your hosting environment.)
With most managed WordPress hosting options out there, the servers are configured and optimized for WordPress websites. And, thanks to cloud server technology, your website can independently handle those extra spikes in traffic. In other words? Your website is far less likely to experience slowdowns. This is the case with EasyWP Managed WordPress Hosting from Namecheap.
Shared Hosting, although flexible in theory, can suffer from server slowdowns if another website suddenly gets a lot of traffic. This constraint is why most Shared Hosting plans have disk quotas and bandwidth limits already in place. However, with Shared Hosting, there is direct access to cPanel and works well if you’re running more than just WordPress or if you plan to switch to a different software platform in the future.
While some Shared Hosting providers require you to install everything yourself, Namecheap’s Stellar Hosting features the Softaculous app in cPanel that handles the entire WordPress installation for you. All you have to do is log in. Not too shabby, right?
Namecheap is proud to host your WordPress website either through Managed WordPress Hosting (EasyWP) or Shared Hosting. Our handy comparison table below lists the differences.
| | Namecheap EasyWP | Namecheap Shared Hosting | GoDaddy WordPress Hosting |
| Price | From $3.88/month | From $2.88/month | From $12.99/month |
| Hosting Platform | Namecheap’s cloud, which is optimized for WordPress. | cPanel + CloudLinux, which is optimized for general usage. | Shared Hosting with GoDaddy’s dashboard |
| Architecture | Kubernetes with each website in its own container, guaranteeing uptime and performance. | Shared server on distributed storage for flexibility and reliability. | Shared Hosting platform |
| CDN | Yes (Free) | Coming Soon | Yes |
| SSL | Yes (Free)* | Yes (Free) | Premium Plans Only |
| Websites | 1 | Up to 3 | 1 |
| Suitable For? | Ideal for beginners and advanced users alike, EasyWP only supports WordPress websites. | Ideal for intermediate and advanced users, Shared Hosting not only supports WordPress but also a variety of content management systems, e.g. Joomla or Drupal. | Ideal for beginners. |
*Currently, the free PositiveSSL feature is only supported by Namecheap domains. Stay tuned for external domain support.