VPS vs Cloud vs Shared Hosting: Which Is Best? | NZ

Most New Zealand websites belong on shared hosting (from $4.49/month). Choose a VPS (from $23.99/month) when you need full control of the server. Choose cloud (from $19.47/month) when you need to scale, or when downtime costs you real money. That’s the short answer — here’s how to be sure which one is you.

1. Is it a website? A business site, blog, portfolio or small store → shared hosting. We manage everything; it’s the cheapest way to be online properly.
2. Do you need root access, a specific OS, or to install custom software? → VPS. Your own slice of a server, configured your way.
3. Are you growing fast, getting traffic spikes, or is downtime genuinely expensive? → Cloud. Scale up a tier whenever you need to.

 

Still not sure? The comparison below settles it.

Side by side

	Shared	VPS	Cloud
From (GST incl.)	$4.49/mo	$23.99/mo	$19.47/mo
Resources	Shared server	Dedicated slice: 1–10 cores, up to 32 GB RAM	Scalable tiers: 1–48 cores, up to 128 GB RAM
Control	Managed for you	Full root access, 10 OS choices	Managed, scale on demand
Growing	Upgrade plan	Move to a bigger VPS	Move up 10 tiers
Region choice	—	USA or UK	Our cloud, AWS or Google Cloud — incl. Sydney & Melbourne
Skill needed	None	Some (or choose managed)	None (fully managed)
Best for	Websites & small stores	Developers, custom apps, agencies	Scaling sites, SaaS, peak traffic

Is a cloud server the same as a VPS?

No — though they look similar on a spec sheet. A VPS is a fixed slice of one physical server. You get guaranteed cores, RAM and SSD, full root access, and it stays that size until you move to a bigger plan. Cloud hosting runs on platform infrastructure, so you move up tiers as you grow and you can choose which region your server lives in.

 

The practical difference: VPS is about control, cloud is about scale and resilience. A developer who wants root access and a specific Linux distro wants a VPS. A business whose traffic doubles every quarter wants cloud.

Shared hosting: the right answer for most websites

If your site is a business website, portfolio, blog or a modest online store, shared hosting does the job — and doing it on a $24 VPS instead just means paying for resources you won’t use.

 

Ours includes free SSL, a free global CDN, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited 10 GB mailboxes, malware scanning, DDoS protection, on-demand backups, a website builder and one-click WordPress — from $4.49/month including GST, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

 

Choose shared if: you want a fast, secure website without ever thinking about a server. → Compare web hosting plans

 

Running WordPress specifically? Our managed WordPress plans add staging, StackCache caching and no visitor limits from $5.99/month.

Is cloud hosting better than shared hosting?

Not automatically — it’s better at different things. Shared hosting is cheaper and simpler, and for a standard website it performs perfectly well. Cloud hosting is better when you need to scale quickly, handle unpredictable traffic, or choose your region for latency.

 

Paying for cloud when a shared plan would do is one of the more common ways businesses overspend on hosting. Start where you are; upgrade when the site tells you to.

VPS: when you want the keys

A VPS gives you a guaranteed slice of a server — your own cores, RAM and SSD — plus full root access and a choice of ten operating systems (CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Oracle Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows Server).

 

Ours are 100% SSD, run on 100% renewable energy, deploy in USA or UK data centres, offer up to 1,000 Mbps port speed and 1 Tbps+ anti-DDoS — from $23.99/month, managed or unmanaged.

 

Choose VPS if: you or your developer need control that shared hosting won’t give. → See VPS plans

What are the disadvantages of VPS hosting?

Worth being straight about this, because plenty of guides aren’t:

 

• It costs more. $23.99/month versus $4.49 — real money if you don’t need the resources.
• Unmanaged means unmanaged. Updates, security patches and configuration are yours. Get it wrong and the site goes down or gets compromised. (Our managed option removes this, but that’s the trade-off.)
• You can outgrow it. A VPS is a fixed size; growing means migrating to a larger one.
• It’s overkill for a brochure site. Most websites genuinely don’t need it.

 

If none of those bother you and you want control, a VPS is excellent value. If two or more made you wince, shared or cloud is your answer.

Cloud: when growth or uptime is the point

Cloud servers run on scalable infrastructure with region choice — including Sydney and Melbourne, the closest cloud regions to New Zealand, available on our AWS and Google Cloud deployments. Start on a Micro at $19.47/month and scale through ten tiers to 48 cores and 128 GB RAM as you grow. Fully managed, with free backups and free CDN.

 

Choose cloud if: you’re scaling, traffic is spiky, or downtime costs you money. → See cloud server plans

What are the four types of hosting?

Most providers, including us, offer some version of these:

 

1. Shared hosting — many sites on one managed server. Cheapest, simplest.
2. VPS hosting — a dedicated slice of a server with root access.
3. Cloud hosting — scalable resources across platform infrastructure.
4. Dedicated hosting — an entire physical server for one customer. Rare for small business; usually cloud makes more sense now.

 

Managed WordPress hosting is really shared or cloud hosting tuned specifically for WordPress.

You’re not locked in

Most businesses walk the same path: start on shared, move up when the site earns it. Starting small isn’t a mistake — it’s the sensible order. When you do outgrow a plan, our team handles the move for you.

FAQ

What’s the difference between VPS and cloud hosting? A VPS is a fixed, dedicated slice of one physical server with full root access. Cloud hosting runs on scalable platform infrastructure where you can move up tiers and choose your region. VPS is about control; cloud is about scale.

 

Is shared hosting good enough for a business website? For most New Zealand business websites, yes. Modern shared hosting with SSL, CDN, backups and malware scanning handles typical business traffic comfortably. Upgrade when you consistently outgrow it.

 

When should I move from shared hosting to VPS or cloud? Move to a VPS when you need custom server software, a specific operating system, or root access. Move to cloud when traffic growth or uptime requirements outgrow a shared environment. Pages slowing down at busy times is usually the first sign.

 

Which is cheapest? Shared, comfortably — from $4.49/month including GST. VPS and cloud only pay for themselves when you actually need the control or the scale.

 

Can I switch later? Yes. You can move up whenever you’re ready, and our team handles the migration.