The question that is probably as old as the internet itself – which is the best web hosting solution for my website? If you have ever managed a website, you would know the importance of finding the right hosting platform. With your website’s ever-changing needs, to the plethora of hosting options, a site owner is bound to get overwhelmed. 

Today, we are going to focus our efforts on two popular web hosting platforms – Cloud Web Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting, and compare the two to help you make a decision.

Cloud Hosting & Dedicated Server Hosting

In Dedicated Server Hosting, your website resides on a Dedicated Server all by itself. It does not share the server or its resources with any other website. Dedicated Servers offer complete isolation, privacy and the resources of an entire server.

Alternatively, the way Cloud Hosting works is simple. Your site resides on a shared server with a cloud storage network backing it. The storage of site data across multiple servers accords high data redundancy to Cloud Hosting.

Which is better – Cloud Hosting or Dedicated Server Hosting?

Here is a quick comparison of the two:

Features	Dedicated Server	Cloud Hosting
Resource Sharing	Since your site is the only one on the server, the resources are reserved for its use.	The site resides on a shared server. Hence, the server resources (except data storage) are shared between multiple users.
Control	With Dedicated Server Hosting, you get complete root access to the server. Right from modifying the configuration settings to installing any third-party apps or customizing the hosting environment – everything is permitted.	Since it is a shared server, the amount of control over the resources is restricted. Hence, the hosting environment is standardized with fewer customization options.
Cost-Efficiency	Since your site is the sole user of the server, the cost of a Dedicated Server Hosting plan is higher than a Cloud Hosting plan. Also, you will incur additional charges if you need to hire a specialist or opt for managed services to take care of the server for you.	Cloud Hosting is cheaper than Dedicated Server Hosting since the resources are shared. Further, it offers flexible resource scalability.
Reliability	When you host your website on a Dedicated Server, there is a single point of failure. Hence, if the server faces any technical issue, your site can experience a slowdown or even downtime.	A Cloud Hosting service is more reliable than a Dedicated Server since there is no single point of failure. Due to data mirroring, if one virtual server crashes, another immediately takes its place.

Summing Up

As you can see, both Cloud Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting have their advantages and disadvantages. Picking a clear winner between the two is not entirely possible. It eventually boils down to the hosting needs of your website. Hence, before choosing between the two, ensure that you assess your site’s needs, compare options, and choose one best suited to your site. Remember, your site’s performance depends on your choice of hosting server. Ensure that you choose the right one and buy a suitable plan from the right provider. Good Luck!