WordPress hosting or shared hosting, which one is better?

I’m setting up a WordPress blog and looking for a hosting service. I finally decided to go with DreamHost, but I’m not sure about the difference between shared hosting and WordPress hosting.

I’ve noticed WordPress hosting is usually more expensive. Does anyone know what the actual differences are?

Most ‘WordPress hosting’ plans are just a marketing trick.

Any hosting that supports PHP and MySQL can run WordPress. I use shared hosting and installed WordPress through the one-click installer in the hosting control panel.

If shared hosting is cheaper, just go with that. The only real difference is some managed WordPress hosting services come with auto-updates and WordPress-specific support, but you can do most of that yourself.

I’ve been using a small hosting provider run by someone in this forum for two years without issues. It’s around $120 a year, but if you’re just starting, you can find cheaper options at $5 a year.

@Kara
Thanks! I’ve installed WordPress locally before, so I think I can handle setting it up on shared hosting. But if the price is the same, maybe WordPress hosting has some extras like better support or automatic updates.

By the way, do you know if I can run a plain HTML, CSS, and JS site on WordPress hosting?

@Kara
Are you using HostKoala?

CharlotteMia said:
@Kara
Are you using HostKoala?

Yeah, that’s the one.

@Kara
Which hosting service are you using? Do you have a link?

Indigo said:
@Kara
Which hosting service are you using? Do you have a link?

HostKoala

If you go to WordPress.com, you’ll get a site like yourname.wordpress.com unless you pay for a custom domain.

If you self-host (which is what shared hosting usually means), you can have your own domain and full control over your site. You’re not tied to WordPress.com’s limitations.

@Jude
That’s true for the free plan. If you pay for their hosting, you can use a custom domain.

Abel said:
@Jude
That’s true for the free plan. If you pay for their hosting, you can use a custom domain.

Even on their paid plans, they limit which plugins and themes you can use. Self-hosting gives you full freedom.

@Jude
Yeah, WordPress.com restricts some plugins, but for most bloggers, those limitations don’t really matter.

Managed hosting (like WordPress.com or WP Engine) can be great if you don’t want to deal with security and updates. But if you need full control, self-hosting is the way to go.

@Abel
That’s exactly the issue—every managed WordPress host has restrictions. If you want total freedom, avoid managed hosting.

DreamHost is pretty bad. I’d recommend Namecheap instead. If you want to read some horror stories about DreamHost, check out r/webhosting.

The difference between shared hosting and ‘WordPress hosting’ mostly comes down to support and optimization.

Many WordPress-specific hosts optimize their servers for performance and caching. Some also provide better customer service with WordPress-specific troubleshooting.

That being said, big hosts like DreamHost don’t always provide the best support. If you want premium WordPress hosting, companies like Kinsta, Flywheel, and Hustly offer well-optimized environments with great customer service.

They can be expensive, but you get what you pay for.

The main advantage of managed WordPress hosting (like WordPress.com or WP Engine) is that they handle security, updates, and technical support for you.

If you’re comfortable managing things yourself, you can save money by using regular shared hosting and installing WordPress manually. But if you prefer hassle-free hosting, managed WordPress hosting is a good option.