Managed WordPress Hosting vs Shared Hosting: The Rent
Managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting: a shared bill rents the place. Updates, separate backups, and fixes are included from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
People line up managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting as if one server were simply nicer than the other. Shared hosting is rent for a place on a server. The managed part is the updates, a backup stored somewhere else, and a fix when the page breaks.
Short answer: Shared hosting is the rented place. Managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting adds the work: updates, daily backups stored separately, monitoring, and a fix when something breaks. Managed Website Hosting & Care covers that from $99 a month, and you can cancel any time.
What is managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting?
Shared hosting rents a place on a server. Managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting is that rent plus the work: updates, a daily backup stored separately, monitoring around the clock, security hardening, and a fix when something breaks. A bigger slice of server is not the difference.
Shared hosting means your WordPress site sits on a server with other sites, and the bill is for that place. The login is a door into that place. It is not a person who clicks the updates, keeps yesterday’s copy somewhere else, or changes the hours.
Say you run a neighborhood florist. The wedding-season hours changed. WordPress shows a row of updates. The shared host renewed, and the site still loads. The rent is paid. The page is the old page.
Every plan I sell includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately from the site, core, plugin, and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, and security hardening: locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. Fixing something that broke on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included.
The same split, written for a small business that is comparing the bill to the work, is on the small business website hosting page.
What do I still do myself on shared hosting?
On shared hosting you still apply core, plugin, and theme updates, keep a backup somewhere else, notice if the site is down, and change the page. The host bills for the place. A ticket about the account does not click the update or store that second copy.
A backup that lives on the same server as the site is one copy with a second name. If that server is the thing that failed, both copies failed together. A daily backup stored separately is a different object. If you cannot name where yesterday’s copy lives, you do not have it.
A password left over from the person who built the site is not security hardening. Leaving the update button alone, because you do not trust a copy, is a reasonable pause. It is not a plan.
You can look without changing a setting. The outdated website check looks for old libraries, an old copyright year, and a page that fails on a phone. It does not log in, and it does not click an update.
Small changes are text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section. Email them to michael@michaelheredia.com. A link or a screenshot helps. They use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.
Can I keep the shared host and add the work?
Yes. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting. I look after the site on that account and keep a daily backup stored separately. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included if you leave.
If the host itself is the problem, moving one standard site is included. I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before any work starts.
Priority includes a dedicated server only when I host. On a host you keep, Priority is still the 3 hours, the staging copy, malware cleanup, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
What do the plans cover that shared rent does not?
Essentials is $99 a month: 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month: 1 hour, a staging copy, and malware cleanup. Priority is $499 a month: 3 hours, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Essentials includes the updates and does not include a staging copy. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials. Business and Priority test updates on a staging copy before they go live, and malware cleanup is included. “Most popular” is the label on Business.
On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets a 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Checkout takes a couple of minutes. An email arrives within 1 business day to start onboarding. What a host bill still skips, written as a maintenance list, is in WordPress maintenance plan.
Which plan fits a site that is on shared hosting now?
Essentials fits a simple WordPress site with few edits. Business fits a site where updates should be tested on a staging copy and malware cleanup is included. Priority fits a site that needs 24/7 response if it goes down, plus a dedicated server when I host.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting and SSL, separate daily backups, updates, monitoring, security hardening, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
The price is the same if I host or if I look after the site on the shared host you already pay. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong fit if someone on staff already applies the updates, stores a separate backup, and makes the small changes. It is also the wrong fit if the site needs a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration before care is useful.
A care plan looks after the WordPress site you have. If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. Redesigns, new features, online stores, and integrations are a fixed quote before any work starts.
On cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
See the plans or send a question through the hosting form.
FAQ
What is managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting? +
Shared hosting rents the place the site sits. Managed WordPress hosting on these plans also includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately, core, plugin, and theme updates, monitoring around the clock, and security hardening. A fix on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included. Small changes use monthly time, then $125 an hour.
What do the monthly plans cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, with 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month, with 1 hour, updates tested on a staging copy, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month, with 3 hours, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Do I have to leave shared hosting? +
No. You can keep your current hosting at the same price. Your host keeps billing you, and I look after the site there with a daily backup stored separately. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included: I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time.
What do I get if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content, and you can ask for a complete copy any time. You do not manage a server login or control panel.
