Compare Web Hosting Plans: Shared, VPS, Managed UK
A web hosting plan is the rented server space that keeps your site online. In the UK, shared plans often sit around £3 to £15 a month, managed WordPress around £15 to £50, and VPS or cloud from about £20. The right plan depends on traffic, who updates the site, and whether you want to buy hosting separately or fold it into a monthly website arrangement.
What you are actually paying for
Hosting is not the same as a domain name. The domain is the address. The plan is the computer that stores files, runs the CMS, and serves pages to visitors. Almost every plan also includes email on your domain, a control panel, SSL, and some backup. Those extras vary wildly, which is why two £8 plans can feel nothing alike.
You pay monthly or yearly. Yearly is cheaper on paper but locks you in. I usually tell clients to start monthly until they know the site will stay on that host.
Shared hosting plans
Shared means many sites sit on one server. That is why it is cheap. For a brochure site with a few hundred visits a day it is usually enough.
Typical UK shared plans in 2026:
- Entry: £2.99 to £6.99 a month. One site, 10 to 50 GB storage, limited CPU. Fine for a five-page site.
- Mid: £7 to £12 a month. Several sites, more PHP workers, better uptime claims.
- Unlimited marketing: still shared. Storage and bandwidth caps still exist in the small print.
Trade-offs: noisy neighbours can slow you down. Support is ticket-based and slow at weekends. You still have to install WordPress, keep plugins updated, and restore backups yourself unless you pay extra.
Who shared suits
A local trades site, a simple shop with under 50 products, or a holding page. If you already have someone who will log in and update core files, shared can be enough.
VPS and cloud plans
A VPS (virtual private server) carves out dedicated RAM and CPU. Cloud plans do the same with extra scaling. You get more headroom when a campaign spikes traffic.
UK ballpark:
- Small VPS: £12 to £25 a month for 1 to 2 GB RAM. You often manage the OS yourself unless you buy a managed add-on.
- Comfortable VPS: £30 to £60 a month. 4 GB RAM, better for WooCommerce or membership plugins.
- Cloud with autoscaling: £40 plus, billed on usage. Easy to overspend if you leave a staging copy running.
You need either technical skill or a developer on retainer. A misconfigured firewall or an unpatched PHP version is your problem, not the host’s, on unmanaged VPS.
Managed WordPress hosting
The host installs WordPress, handles core updates, caches pages, and often includes staging. That is the product, not just disk space.
Typical UK prices: £15 to £25 for a light site, £30 to £50 once you need more PHP workers or a CDN. Agency-style managed hosts charge more and include human support that actually knows WordPress.
Limits to watch: plugin blacklists, visitor caps, and extra fees for each extra site. A £20 plan that allows one site only becomes expensive if you later need a staging domain.
Side by side
| Type | Typical UK monthly | You still do | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | £3 - £15 | Updates, security, speed tweaks | Low-traffic brochure sites |
| Unmanaged VPS | £12 - £60 | Server OS, patches, firewall | Developers who want control |
| Managed WordPress | £15 - £50 | Content and plugin choices | Owners who want less server work |
| Cloud usage | £20+ variable | Watch the bill and scale rules | Spiky traffic or apps |
Costs that sit outside the plan
Budget for these even if the advert says unlimited:
- Domain: £10 to £15 a year for a .co.uk or .uk.
- Premium DNS or email if the host’s mail is poor: £1 to £6 a month extra.
- CDN or image optimisation: £0 to £20.
- Daily off-site backups if not included: £3 to £10.
- SSL is usually free now. Paid certificates are rarely needed for a normal small business site.
- Migration: £50 to £200 if you are leaving a host that will not export cleanly.
A £4 shared plan plus those extras can match a £20 managed plan that already bundles them.
How to choose in practice
Work through this list before you enter a card:
- Count expected monthly visits, not hits. Under 5,000 unique visitors, shared or cheap managed is enough for most brochure sites.
- Note the CMS. WordPress needs PHP workers. A static site does not.
- Decide who applies updates. If that person is you and you will not log in monthly, do not buy unmanaged shared.
- Check the backup restore process. A backup you cannot restore in under an hour is not a backup.
- Read the exit clause. Can you download a full copy of files and database without a fee?
- Test support before you migrate. Open a pre-sales ticket at 7pm on a Friday and time the reply.
One-off build then hosting, or pay monthly
If you pay a designer once, you then pick a hosting plan yourself and keep paying that host. You also need a maintenance habit or a separate retainer. That route works if you have cash upfront and someone technical on call.
If cash is tight at launch, a pay-monthly website plan can wrap the build, hosting, updates and ongoing management into a setup fee then a monthly price. That is genuinely hands-off. I offer both routes through ArloWebStudio; exact figures are on the site rather than here because they depend on pages and extras. Pay monthly suits many small firms that cannot write a large cheque on day one. One-off suits firms that already have IT cover and want to own the hosting contract directly.
Neither route removes the need to write decent copy and keep the Google Business Profile in order. Hosting only keeps the lights on.
Red flags on cheap plans
Introductory prices that jump 300 percent after 12 months. “Unlimited” sites on a server that throttles after two busy shops. Hosts that only let you use their page builder. Email that lands in spam because they share IP reputation with scammers. If the plan is under £3, assume you will move within a year.
Also skip hosts that force you onto their CDN with no off switch, or that store backups only on the same disk as the live site.
A sensible starting point
For a new UK small business site with under ten pages: a mid shared plan or an entry managed WordPress plan, paid monthly, with off-site backups enabled. Revisit after six months of real analytics. If checkout is slow or admin pages time out, step up to more PHP workers or a small VPS rather than throwing plugins at the problem.
Keep the domain registered with a registrar you control, not bundled inside a host account you might leave. That one habit saves a painful transfer later.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cheapest web hosting plan fine for a new site?
Often yes for a handful of pages and low traffic. Watch the renewal price, backup restore, and whether you must apply WordPress updates yourself. A £4 plan that you cannot restore after a hack costs more than a £20 managed plan.
Do I need a VPS for a small business website?
Usually no. Shared or managed WordPress covers most brochure and small shop sites. Move to a VPS when you have sustained traffic, heavy plugins, or a developer who wants root access.
What is included in a typical UK hosting plan?
Disk space, bandwidth, a control panel, SSL, and email. Backups, staging, and hands-on WordPress updates are extras on cheap shared plans and standard on managed WordPress plans.
Should I pay yearly to save money?
Only after you have used the host for a few months. Yearly discounts are real, but they trap you if support or speed is poor. Start monthly.
Can hosting be included with the website instead of bought separately?
Yes. You can buy a one-off site and a separate hosting plan, or use a pay-monthly website arrangement that includes hosting and updates. The second option needs less cash at the start and less technical work from you.
How much should I budget each year after launch?
For hosting alone, £50 to £400 a year is common for a small UK site, plus the domain. Add maintenance if you are not updating WordPress yourself. That is separate from advertising.