Website hosting is crucial to creating a website but among the different varieties of hosting, WordPress hosting and Linux hosting remain a popular choice to the majority of users globally.
What Is WordPress Hosting?
WordPress is open-source software and a content management system that has turned the tide from being a simple blogging platform back in 2003 to now being the world’s most popular website builder.
It is used to fuel an estimated 37% of all the websites around the world and even the White House uses it for their website.
To use WordPress for building a website, you will need a web hosting account from an official WordPress hosting provider.
WordPress works best with hosting servers that are specifically dedicated to WordPress. Such hosting is called WordPress hosting or Managed hosting.
What Is Linux Hosting?
Linux is also an open-source software but it works to connect all your local software to the physical resources to make your computer carry out your commands smoothly.
Linux is an open-source version of UNIX that was created with the joint effort of Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman back in 1994.
Today Linux powers more than one-third of all the websites on the internet and is also a popular choice for operating systems used in cellphones.
That said, Linux hosting is the type of web hosting that involves the hosting plans from providers via Linux-based web servers.
Read More: How To Start A Blog Step By Step Guideline
Pros And Cons Of WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is one of the world’s most popular hosting solutions but it also has its benefits and disadvantages some of which we will be discussing below.
Pros —
- Expert support
Using WordPress hosting, you will get support for your WordPress-related problems from a dedicated team of professionals.
This is beneficial because they focus on a single CMS and hence are better experienced and provide better customer service.
- Security
WordPress does not provide flawless security but it does give you some advantages over regular hosting options such as shared or dedicated hosting.
WordPress has a support team that will help you if your website gets hacked and will also protect it from malware.
- User-friendly
WordPress has a user-friendly dashboard that lets you easily manage your website. You also get to customize your website with thousands of different themes and plugins for free.
WordPress also provides a one-click staging environment that lets you play with different plugins and PHP versions to make your work easier.
- SSL certificate
Your website needs an SSL certificate for its servers to provide security. But the process of setting up your SSL is a tedious one.
WordPress gives you an easy to install SSL certificate that only requires a few clicks and your WordPress hosting provider can also get you an advanced SSL certificate if needed.
Cons—
- Expensive
Managed hosting is expensive. Though they provide better hosting plans and customer service, the cost is often a turn-off for many.
Thus, small business websites and hobbyist blogs that bring in small web traffic usually steer away from such hosting.
- No email Hosting
Email is a crucial part of professional websites. It allows you to get a better chance of connecting with your audience.
As WordPress usually focuses on WordPress related problems, the providers often do not include email hosting as a part of their plans and you have to turn to third-party organizations for getting this support
- A limited number of sites
WordPress plans only allow you to create sites according to the price you’re paying. If you want more sites you have to pay more.
The number of sites you can manage using a single hosting account is thus limited much to the user’s dismay.
- Limited storage
Storage is also limited when you use managed hosting. You only get what you pay for. Nothing more, nothing less.
So, If a user wants more space they’ll have to pay extra to do so. The cost of storage is also usually higher than the regular hosting solutions.
Pros And Cons Of Linux Hosting
Linux hosting is a close competitor to WordPress hosting. They both are popular among worldwide users and so we will also discuss the pros and cons of Linux hosting below.
Pros—
- Cost-effective
Linux hosting is the best option if you don’t have a big budget as it is also open-source software.
It allows you to get the most out of your servers at low prices by omitting all the unnecessary plugins and gives you a cheaper hosting plan.
- Fast throughout
Other hosting servers such as the ones using Windows usually slow down with time due to hidden issues in the background.
Linux hosting does not need a registry and hence it does not slow down as much and gives the user a steady performance even after years of usage.
- Secure
The open-source quality of Linux allows it to deal with malware problems easily and also provides a support team that can help you through your security issues.
Also, since Linux is not as big of an OS brand, hackers target Linux servers less and hence it is often more secure.
- Versatile
Linux hosting includes many types of hosting plans such as shared, dedicated, or VPS hosting that allows it to serve a larger user base.
It is a versatile option as the hosting isn’t limited to a single CMS.
Cons—
- Software incompatibility
The Linux-based servers do not support applications from companies such as Microsoft Windows.
That said, this incompatibility handicaps the user experience to some level as finding other such applications can be a hassle.
- Migration problems
Changing servers is often tiresome work as a lot of your website’s configuration needs to be changed as well.
This means that your server might crash and your data might be erased if you do not follow a steady backup plan.
- Learning needed
Users can’t just start using Linux as it is. Beginners are often conflicted in navigating Linux.
So, time and effort have to be given to tightly grasp the learning curve and to use the knowledge to your advantage.
- Weak office software solutions
There are things that Microsoft software has mastered throughout the years. But Linux servers aren’t compatible with them.
As a solution, Linux hosts provide you with other open-source software such as LibreOffice, which can get the job done but is more complex to users and lacks some features that make such solutions weak.
Similarities Between WordPress Hosting And Linux Hosting
Apart from the obvious web hosting part, we will be discussing a few similarities between WordPress hosting and Linux hosting.
Open source software —
Both Linux and WordPress are open sources. This allows users access to modify the codes within the system in any way they want.
Good security —
The easy to set up SSL from WordPress is s great reassurance to many users, but Linux isn’t much behind as well with its user-friendly SSL and SSH password generating features, etc that provide top quality security.
Support against malware —
Both WordPress and Linux hosting plans include support from dedicated professionals that helps you sweep away your malware problems.
Control —
What good is your website if you’re not free to do whatever you want with it? Both WordPress and Linux hosting allows you to have complete control over both your sites and your servers.
Easy to use environments —
We’ve already discussed the one-click environment staging for WordPress but Linux is also similar due to its environment being adaptable to any variety of coding language.
Differences Between WordPress Hosting And Linux Hosting
With the similarities covered, it is only fair to discuss the differences next.
Costing —
Between the two, WordPress is the costlier one. The plug-ins and extra features make the bill longer by an estimated $20-$30 extra than what Linux hosting costs usually.
Performance —
Even though Linux has a fast throughout and no license requirements, it cannot beat the WordPress servers in regards to performance. The updates make it faster and even better as well.
User interface —
While WordPress is a favorite to users because of its easy-to-use dashboard, Linux users have to use command lines and syntaxes that are difficult to grasp without prior programming knowledge.
Maintenance —
WordPress hosting plans allow users to be tension-free about their website maintenance as most of the work is usually handled by professionals. Linux doesn’t allow users to have that benefit but still, the support team is usually pretty good.
Data encryption —
WordPress uses SFTP to allow secure file transfer whereas Linux servers use FTP that is not as much secure for data encryption.
WordPress Hosting vs Linux Hosting — Which Is Better For What?
As head-to-head rivals, both WordPress and Linux hosting have areas that they have mastered.
For example, WordPress provides better performance out of the two but Linux allows users an easier route to editing their content.
Linux hosting is also an easier and more affordable version for many users, more specifically for people who are just starting. WordPress on the other hand needs more learning to handle.
Maintenance wise WordPress takes the trophy and file transfer is also more secure via WordPress servers, but Linux supports a variety of coding languages that WordPress doesn’t.
Which One To Choose?
The type of hosting you choose solely depends on the type of website you run. You could ask yourself questions to help you choose such as —
- What budget are you willing to invest in for your website and its maintenance?
- What is your opinion about using cPanel and command lines?
- Do you wish to expand or stick to a single CMS?
As per our research, Bluehost is the best WordPress hosting provider whereas Apache is the best Linux hosting provider. And to end, the fun fact is that WordPress hosting can also be done using Linux servers!
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