Hosting types compared: shared, VPS, dedicated, public cloud and managed cloud
How each kind of hosting works, how it is usually priced, who it fits and what to watch for on the bill.
This table compares hosting types, not providers. Many businesses combine rows, for example shared hosting for a brochure site and a cloud server for an internal app. The pricing units are the common ways each type is charged; dollar figures elsewhere on this site are illustrative ranges, not market prices. Read across a row to see where the type fits and where the bill usually grows.
Select a column header to sort.
| Hosting type | How it works | Usual pricing | Good fit for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | Many customers' sites share one server and a control panel | Flat monthly or annual plan, often discounted for the first term | Brochure sites, small WordPress sites, email for a few people | Renewal price after the promotional term, resource limits, add-on fees for backups, SSL or extra sites |
| Virtual private server (VPS) | A virtual machine with fixed vCPU, RAM and storage on a shared host | Fixed monthly price per plan, usually with a data transfer allowance | Predictable sites and apps where someone can manage the server | You patch and secure it unless it is managed; overage on data allowance; backups often extra |
| Dedicated server | A whole physical server rented to you alone | Monthly rental per server, plus setup, extra IPs and bandwidth | Steady heavy workloads, licensing that needs dedicated hardware | Long minimum terms, hardware replacement times, scaling means buying more servers |
| Public cloud (IaaS) | Rent virtual machines, storage and networking by the second or hour | Pay as you go per resource, with commitment discounts and spot capacity | Variable or growing workloads, teams comfortable with cloud consoles | Egress, snapshots, idle resources, public IPs, NAT gateways and support plans add up; often billed in USD |
| Managed cloud | A provider or partner runs cloud or VPS servers for you: patching, monitoring, backups | Infrastructure cost plus a management fee per server, per month or as a percentage | Businesses without in-house systems staff | What "managed" excludes, response times, mark-up on infrastructure, exit and handover terms |
| Platform services (PaaS, managed database) | The provider runs the operating system and software; you deploy code or data | Per instance size, per request or per GB, often with free tiers | Developers who want less server maintenance | Usage-based charges that scale with traffic, harder to move to another provider |
| Colocation | You own the server and rent space, power and connectivity in a data centre | Per rack unit or rack, per kW of power, plus cross-connects | Businesses with their own hardware and staff to maintain it | Hardware purchase and replacement, travel for hands-on work, remote-hands fees |
| On-premises server | A server in your own office | Hardware purchase, power, internet, maintenance and staff time | Specific local needs, legacy software | Single site risk, backups, cooling, security patching, replacement every few years |
Pricing units are typical patterns, not rules; providers combine and rename them. All dollar ranges on this site are illustrative and exclude GST unless stated. Check prices on each provider's own price page for the region you will use (for example a Sydney or Melbourne region), on the day you buy. For GST on hosting bought from overseas, see the Australian Taxation Office. For privacy obligations when data is stored or accessed overseas, see the OAIC. For unfair contract terms in small business contracts, see the ACCC.