WordPress hosting vs web hosting
You can run WordPress on either. The difference is how much of the maintenance is handled for you, and how much of the stack is tuned specifically for WordPress.
Web hosting
A general-purpose plan that happily runs WordPress alongside anything else.
Best for
- Simple WordPress sites
- Several small sites on one plan
- Tight budgets
WordPress hosting
A WordPress-specific setup with managed updates, staging and cart-aware caching.
Best for
- Business sites that must stay online
- WooCommerce stores
- Agencies managing client sites
Side by side
The differences that matter
| Feature | Web hosting | WordPress hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Runs WordPress | Yes | Yes, tuned for it |
| Core & plugin updates | You apply them | Managed and visually checked |
| Caching | Server caching | Full-page + object, tuned per plan |
| Staging site | Manual | One click, push to live |
| WooCommerce tuning | General | Cart-aware caching, tuned database |
| Malware scanning | Included | Included, with cleanup |
| Support expertise | Hosting engineers | WordPress specialists |
Our verdict
So which one should you buy?
If the site is a hobby project or a simple brochure you update rarely, web hosting is enough.
If the site earns money, managed WordPress hosting pays for itself the first time an update is rolled back before it reaches your visitors.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
More comparisons on the hosting comparison hub, or see every hosting plan.
Want a second opinion?
Send us your current setup and traffic. We'll tell you which plan fits, even when it's the cheaper one.