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Do I need WordPress Hosting to have a WordPress site?
You do not need WordPress Hosting to have a WordPress site. In fact, WordPress CMS, which is the software used to build WordPress websites, is free from WordPress.org.
If you don’t have a Hosting account and you want to simply learn how to use WordPress and build your first website without Hosting, you can download it onto your local computer.
Here is an article on how to do that,
“Does WordPress need Hosting? Hosting and No Hosting options.“.
However, if you want to have a WordPress website that is live on the internet then you do need Hosting.
But, first you must understand the difference between Hosting and WordPress Hosting.
WordPress Hosting is often interchangeable and synonymous with the term Managed WordPress Hosting.
It’s very important that you understand the differences between Hosting and WordPress/Managed WordPress Hosting.
In this post, I am going to go over the differences between Hosting and WordPress Hosting, i.e. Managed WordPress Hosting.
This way you can decide which Hosting you actually need and which is best for you in order to have a WordPress website that is live on the internet for the world to see.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress Hosting is when your Web Hosting Provider does all the backend managing your WordPress website.
The backend refers to everything that is kept within your Web Hosting Providers’s dashboard in your account. In other words, most of the “Techy” stuff.
This includes any apps that might be running on your WordPress website, security, plugins and in some cases even themes.
Any hacking or attacks on your site for example, downtime or any issues at all related to the technical aspects of having a WordPress website are handled through your Web Hosting Provider.
You shouldn’t have to do anything technical if you have a true Managed WordPress Hosting plan.
Can I use WordPress without Hosting?
As I’ve mentioned above, you can use WordPress without Hosting, if you upload WordPress CMS from WordPress.org onto your local computer.
Some people find this a great way to learn how to use the WordPress CMS, its themes and plugins etc. without having to pay for a Web Hosting plan.
Again, I refer you to the post above, where I go into more detail on how to get the WordPress CMS onto your local computer without Hosting, so you too can learn all about WordPress and practice building out your own WordPress website for free.
Do I need Web Hosting or Managed WordPress Hosting?
In most cases, you simply need Web Hosting. WordPress is quite easy to learn even many of the backend tasks that a Managed WordPress Hosting plan normally handles for their Managed WordPress clients.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to know or even learn a single line of code for any of the tasks that are related to running your WordPress website on the backend.
However, if you’re a technophobe and just want to focus solely on your content and other related purposes for having a WordPress website, then getting a Managed WordPress Hosting plan is a good option.
Does WordPress have its own Hosting Service?
WordPress.org is basically a non-profit foundation that promotes the WordPress CMS and ecosystem.
It also provides thousands of free themes and plugins as well as documentation, learning materials and a community that believes in the WordPress open source cause.
However, WordPress.org does not offer any Hosting Services. For that you can go to WordPress.com which does offer a variety of Web Hosting plans, all of them Managed WordPress Hosting plans.
You can also choose to self-host your WordPress website on any number of Independent Web Hosting Providers. If you are technically savvy, you can even buy your own Web Server and host your WordPress website at home.
But considering how low the costs of self-hosting your WordPress site with a Web Hosting Provider, this is mainly unnecessary.
What is the difference between WordPress and GoDaddy?
WordPress CMS is a Content Management System. This is basically software that is used to build websites with.
However, GoDaddy is a Web Hosting Provider. GoDaddy hosts not only WordPress websites but other CMS built websites as well.
WordPress.com is also a Web Hosting Provider that offers Managed WordPress Hosting plans too.
How can I use WordPress without paying?
If you would like a WordPress website that you can make live on the internet without paying, then your best option would be to take advantage of WordPress.com’s free blog plan.
There you can have a WordPress blog or website and get it hosted for free. It does have quite a few limitations, but it’s a great way to get to know the WordPress CMS and have something on the internet.
Is Hosting Wix easier than WordPress?
Wix is a proprietary and closed source CMS. Wix also has its own platform. With a Wix website you can only have it hosted on the Wix platform.
Since Wix is not open source you cannot simply and self-host a Wix website on another Web Hosting Provider.
Whereas with WordPress, as mentioned above and throughout this post, is open source and can be self-hosted on any number of Web Hosting Providers.
If you’ve never had a website before, I must say that Wix is quite easy to set up and get a website on the internet.
However, your ability to scale and to actually build something that would be worth something in the future is quite limited.
For example, it’s pretty difficult to sell a Wix website. Whereas WordPress websites are the most in-demand CMS websites for sale on the market.
In fact, as of writing this post, the market value for a revenue generating WordPress website for example, is about 30 to 50 times it’s monthly revenue.
What should I look for in a Managed WordPress Hosting plan?
Basically, you need to find out and look for everything that the Web Hosting Provider whose offering the Managed WordPress Hosting plan is going to include.
You see, many Web Hosting Providers offer Managed WordPress Hosting plans, but they may leave out some important items like security, managing updates, fixing any security breaches or downtime of your website, by moving it to another server, etc.
Many will only offer to install WordPress in your dashboard and leave the rest up to you, then charge you for a Managed WordPress Hosting plan, which is usually more than a Shared Hosting plan.
In addition, you need to find out if that Managed WordPress Hosting plan will be on a Shared Server along with other websites or if they have a VPS or even a Dedicated Server which only contains other Managed WordPress websites.
This could mean a big difference in the performance of your website and how it’s managed.
So you need to ask and find out exactly what is included in each Managed WordPress Hosting plan that you are considering before deciding.
In the end though, you may just simply go for a Shared Hosting plan.
What is WordPress Dedicated Hosting?
WordPress Dedicated Hosting is when your WordPress website is hosted on its own physical server.
There are no other websites hosted on this Dedicated Server as well.
If you find a Web Hosting Provider that actually offers Managed WordPress Hosting on a Dedicated Server, then that’s the ultimate if you don’t know how to manage a website and especially, if you don’t know how to manage a server.
You get the best of all worlds, someone managing all the technical details of your website as well as top performance, because it’s hosted on its own Dedicated Server.
However, expect to pay top dollar for this type of VIP Dedicated Hosting Service.
Which is better: Web Hosting or Managed WordPress Hosting?
In all honesty, getting a regular Shared Web Hosting account for your WordPress website, even if it’s your first WordPress website, is better than getting a Managed WordPress Hosting plan.
You will not only save money, but you may also save yourself some aggravation that will inevitably come from being disappointed and what your Web Hosting Provider considers as Managed WordPress Hosting.
Besides, the WordPress CMS is quite easy to figure out and use. Most Web Hosting Providers that do offer Shared Hosting plans usually have what’s called a cPanel dashboard. You can easily download WordPress directly into your Web Hosting Provider account’s Dashboard.
cPanel dashboards are actually quite easy to use and there’s normally documentation that you can use if you have any difficulties navigating it.
You will save quite a bit of money by simply getting a Shared Hosting plan, especially if it’s a fresh new site without too many extras on it.
What is the cheapest WordPress Hosting?
The cheapest Hosting for a WordPress website is a Shared Hosting plan. Some plans may even include “Unlimited” websites, although the definition of “Unlimited” varies from one Web Hosting Provider to another.
Always check for details such as server space and Data Limitations.
Although I’ve had an “unlimited” web hosting package for years hosting numerous websites and never had any trouble.
As far as the cheapest Managed WordPress Hosting plan, that’s difficult to say since there are so many Web Hosting Providers offering it who also have different definitions of what exactly is included in their particular “Managed WordPress Hosting” plans that the only way to truly find out is to shop around and compare plans.
Do I need WordPress Hosting after all? Summary.
To sum up, if you want your WordPress website to be live on the internet it does need Hosting.
However, Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting as you ca see, are quite different.
You do not need Managed or any special WordPress Hosting to host a WordPress website live on the internet.
But if you are interested in having your Web Hosting Provider not only install your WordPress website for you but manage all the technical aspects of running your website including security, updates, minimal down time resources etc. then a Managed WordPress Hosting plan may be for you.
But it’s very important for you to shop around and know what is included with the Managed WordPress plan you are interested in.
Always ask for the details of any Managed WordPress plan you’re looking at and compare it to others on the market to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.
