The backbone of every website is the type of web hosting it makes use of. From reseller hosting to VPS hosting to shared hosting and dedicated server hosting, there are multiple options you can select from. Finding the right one usually depends on your business type, the features you’re looking for, and, of course, your budget.
In this article, we’ve narrowed it down to two popular web hosting types; Reseller Hosting and VPS Hosting. One good way to choose between both is to simply consider some important topics and how they relate to each web host type.
Factors like security, complexity, control, management, cost, scalability, and the likes will be evaluated based on how they work with the two web host plans. Making your pick between reseller hosting Vs. VPS can seem daunting, but by the end of this article, you’ll know which to go for.
What is Reseller Hosting?
Reseller Hosting is when you purchase web hosting services from a larger provider and then resell portions of it to your own customers. Think of it as leasing a large office building and then subleasing individual offices to different businesses. This allows you to offer web hosting without having to own or manage all the technical infrastructure yourself.
Reseller hosting is typically ideal for those starting a business in web hosting or web designers and developers who already have clients needing web hosting services.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server and is a modern web hosting type that allows multiple business owners to own a set of resources on the same server. Through a technology known as virtualization, resources on a single server are divided into smaller server partitions, each one functioning as an individual server with its resources.
Unlike Shared Hosting, VPS allows each user to have resources that are private and separate from others despite being on the same server. Commonly referred to as a fusion of dedicated and shared hosting, this web hosting option is perfect for business owners looking to scale up their website but can’t afford a Dedicated Server.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting – Pros & Cons
All web hosting types have their advantages and also disadvantages. It usually just boils down to what you’re looking for and what your business requires. Here are the benefits and downsides of choosing either Reseller hosting or VPS hosting.
Pros and Cons of Reseller Hosting
| S/N | Pros of Reseller Hosting | Cons of Reseller Hosting |
| 1 | Perfect for anyone new to web hosting | Does not allow root access to the server |
| 2 | Easy to setup and manage. Web Host Company takes care of the backend technical aspect. | Fully dependent on the parent web host company |
| 3 | Provides reseller with admin control over third party clients account | |
| 4 | Plan is affordable and scalable | |
| 5 | Reseller determines charging rate |
Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting
| S/N | Pros of VPS Hosting | Cons of VPS Hosting |
| 1 | Offers more control and root access to server | More expensive than reseller hosting |
| 2 | Best for large businesses wishing to scale up | |
| 3 | Allows for OS Customization | |
| 4 | Professional support from Web host provider |
Reseller Vs. VPS Hosting Overview Table
This section contains an overview of salient topics every prospective website owner should consider when deciding between reseller hosting and VPS Hosting.
| Topics | Reseller hosting | VPS Hosting |
| Resources | Dedicated resources | Dedicated resources |
| Performance | Web host company determines Performance | High Performance |
| Security | Not very secure | Very secure |
| Customization | Allows for customization on third party websites | Highly Customizable |
| Management | Web Host service Provider manages website | Management is dependent on VPS Plan |
| Cost | Affordable in comparison with VPS hosting | Expensive |
| Complexity | Ideal for non-tech inclined individuals | Caters to both tech savvy and non-tech savvy individuals |
| Setup | Setup is done by web host provider | Setup is dependent on VPS plan |
| Control | Control is limited | Server Control is determined by VPS Plan |
| Configuration | Configuration is Limited | Configuration access is determined by VPS Plan |
| Stability | Allows for scalability | Allows for Scalability |
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Resources
Resources are the means through which a server hosts a website on the internet. It generally includes the RAM, Bandwidth, Hard Disk Space, and CPU, all of which are necessary for the functioning of any website. Most web hosting types share resources among websites using a single server; however, VPS doesn’t. With VPS, each client website has its own fixed resources and doesn’t share with other websites.
How Resources Work with Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting involves buying resources from a web host and selling to third-party clients. These resources are then distributed to multiple websites depending on the reseller hosting plans they purchase.
How Resources Work with VPS Hosting
Resources in VPS Hosting are usually fixed and allocated to each website separate from others. This means you won’t have to share storage space, bandwidth, or other resources with other websites on the same server.
Reseller Vs. VPS Hosting: Performance
In today’s world, your website’s performance is crucial to your online business’s survival. Recent SEO research showed that almost 50% of internet users expect a website to load within 2 seconds and are more likely to leave a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
This means for every second your website experiences downtime or is slow to load, you lose site visitors. Resources, web host provider, page element, amongst other things, contribute to your website performance.
How Performance Works with Reseller Hosting
If you are reselling to third-party clients, ensure you purchase resources from a reliable web host company that guarantees fast speed. As reseller hosting allows you to host all your websites under one login, this sometimes leads to increased latency and negatively affects performance.
How Performance Works with VPS Hosting
Website performance depends on the amount of resources the server has. The good news is that only one website has access to a VPS server per time. This results in fast speed and heightened performance for that website as other users cannot affect its performance.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Security
According to Techjury, a cyber attack occurs on the internet every 39 seconds. This shows how, more and more, hackers pose security threats to online businesses, whether small or big. As such, security is a crucial factor to consider when it comes to web hosting.
The best web hosting plans typically have several security measures included in their packages to help keep your website as secure as possible. Look out for things like periodic network monitoring, security updates and backup, access to Secure Socket Shell (SSH) network protocol, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
How Security Works with Reseller Hosting
As a Reseller, server security for each website under your account rests on your shoulders. You can ensure this by opting for a reputable and reliable parent web host company, carrying out regular security updates, and offering your clients SSL certificates.
How Security Works with VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting provides one of the best web hosting security for websites. It acts like a Dedicated Server when it comes to allocation of resources, and that ensures each website has separate resources and isn’t vulnerable to risk from other websites.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Customization
Website customization basically refers to your ability to edit and customize your website as you see fit. This includes adding things like your brand logo and changing your website’s theme and user interface. While this may not be a make-or-break decision, it gives you a sense of control over how your website looks and the changes you can make to it.
How Customization Works with Reseller Hosting
As a Reseller, you can access a Web Host Manager (WHM) tool to change the cPanel of third-party client websites under your account.
How Customization works with VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting is highly customizable, and that includes making changes to your Operating system and customizing software scripts.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Management
Management in web hosting refers to the maintenance of a web server which in most cases is typically carried out by the web host provider. Reseller hosting requires the reseller to have admin control by using Web server management software such as cPanel and Web Host Manager. However, backend maintenance is done by the parent web host company. Most VPS Hosting packages come with two management plans; Managed and Unmanaged VPS.
How Management Works with Reseller Hosting
The reseller does management under reseller hosting. You have admin control and can manage multiple accounts using the Web Host Manager software.
How Management Works with VPS Hosting
There are 2 types of management under VPS hosting; Managed VPS and Unmanaged VPS. In the Managed VPS plan, your web host provider is in charge of setting up and maintaining your server while for the unmanaged VPS plan, server management is totally up to you.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Cost
The price of a web host plan is a crucial factor to consider when deciding on web hosting for your website. Both VPS and reseller hosting don’t come cheap; however, reseller hosting is more affordable in comparison with VPS hosting. Taking your budget as well as the needs and size of your business into consideration, you can easily decide between both choices.
How Cost Works with Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting is an ideal option for anyone looking to start a career in web hosting. It is much more affordable than VPS hosting because many responsibilities will be handled by your host and not you yourself. For example, you would not have to hire a team of dedicated technicians to maintain your server.
How Cost Works with VPS Hosting
VPS hosting is best for online businesses that require more storage space and bandwidth but do not want to get a Dedicated Server. It is more costly when compared with Reseller Hosting.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Complexity
Complexity in web hosting involves managing the server’s hardware and software components. It requires a person with an IT background to handle it. Although non-tech folks can do both reseller and VPS Hosting, there’s a limit to just how much they can do with the website.
How Complexity Works With Reseller Hosting
If you are not tech inclined but would still like to start a career in web hosting, then reseller hosting is for you. Several software tools aid with managing multiple websites, and the web host company takes care of backend server management.
How Complexity works with VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting offers plans catering to both tech and non-tech savvy individuals. Depending on your experience, you can use the managed or unmanaged VPS plan.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Setup
Setup in web hosting refers to the installation of the hardware and software components required to ensure the smooth running of a website. For reseller hosting, web host setup is done by the parent web host provider as the reseller is simply renting resources and doesn’t own the server. On the other side, setup in VPS hosting depends on your VPS plan.
How Setup Works with Reseller Hosting
Resellers don’t have autonomy over web servers as they simply resell resources to third-party clients. The web host provider is in charge of setup for the server.
How Setup Works with VPS Hosting
Unmanaged VPS plan allows you, the business owner, to be in charge of setup for your website, while under the managed VPS plan, the web host service provider does it all for you. You will need to have some technical know-how if you want to opt for the unmanaged VPS plan.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Control
Control refers to the ability or power you have over your web server and the number of changes that can be made. Both reseller and VPS Hosting offer the user some level of server control, but it is limited. If you want complete control over your server, your best option is the unmanaged VPS plan.
How Control Works with Reseller Hosting
Control under the reseller hosting plan is limited. As we stated earlier, the reseller is simply an intermediary between the web host provider and third-party clients and, as such, doesn’t have complete control over the server.
How Control Works with VPS Hosting
Control in VPS Hosting is dependent on the plan you select. Unmanaged VPS gives you root access and thus total server control, while control in the managed VPS plan is limited as the web host provider is in charge of the server.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Configuration
Web hosting configuration is closely tied to the amount of control the web host type gives you. The more control you have, the more access you have to configure your server as you wish. Server configuration mainly deals with changes to your Operating system, software, and script installations.
How Configuration Works with Reseller Hosting
Configuration in reseller hosting is limited to functions the Web Host Manager tool allows.
How Configuration works with VPS Hosting
Configuration under a managed VPS plan is quite limited as the user doesn’t have complete control. On the flip side, an Unmanaged VPS plan offers complete control, which allows for server configuration based on your preference.
Reseller Hosting Vs. VPS Hosting: Scalability
Scalability is an essential aspect of web hosting as it deals with your ability to upgrade your resources in the event of expansion to your online business. Most websites typically start as small businesses requiring just a little bandwidth and storage space.
However, with time the business expands, and the site begins to see more traffic. At this point, the initial storage space and bandwidth are no longer sufficient to accommodate the heavy traffic. This is where scalability comes in. A scalable web host type would easily provide more resources that can cater to the current needs of your business.
How Scalability Works with Reseller Hosting
The best reseller hosting plans offer scalability for third-party websites under the reseller account.
How Scalability Works with VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting is designed to scale up and provide a larger amount of resources as your business needs.
Conclusion
Both reseller hosting and VPS Hosting have a lot to offer when it comes to web hosting; however, both types are distinctive in the kind of businesses they cater to.
Reseller hosting is perfect for web developers or designers who wish to break out into the web hosting industry.
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VPS hosting is ideal for almost any business offering the benefits of dedicated server hosting but not as expensive.
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