In short: For a WooCommerce shop, shared hosting is fine at the start, a VPS gives you dedicated resources but needs someone to run it, and managed WordPress hosting takes technical work off your hands. What counts: resources for simultaneous orders, caching, separate backups, up-to-date versions of PHP and the database, support, and data stored in Europe.
You can see the theme; you can't see the hosting. Yet it decides two things that matter a great deal: how well the shop responds when lots of customers arrive at once, and how quickly you are back up and running after a failure. A beautiful theme on a struggling server sells less than a simple one on the right server.
The three main types
Shared hosting
Your site lives on a server alongside many others. It's cheap and simple. The resources are shared: if a neighbour uses a lot, you slow down too. It suits a small shop or one that is just starting out. Ask what limits apply to simultaneous processes, memory and visits.
VPS and cloud
A slice of a server with reserved resources. You get more power and more control. In return, someone has to install, update, secure and monitor the system. Without a competent person in charge, a VPS is more of a risk than an advantage.
Managed WordPress hosting
The provider configures the server for WordPress and WooCommerce: caching, updates to the environment, security and often backups. It costs more than shared hosting and gives you less freedom to install whatever you like. For many shops it is the best compromise.
What really matters
- Resources for orders. The basket and payment can't be served from a cached page: every customer puts load on the database. What counts is how many PHP processes and how much memory you can use in parallel.
- Caching. Page caching for the public sections and object caching (Redis, for example) to take load off the database.
- Versions. PHP and the database kept up to date and still supported. Old versions are slower and stop receiving security fixes. Check the list of supported PHP versions.
- Backups. Daily copies (or more frequent ones for a busy shop) stored off the server, which you can restore yourself. See backups that actually work.
- Staging environment. A copy of the site for testing updates and changes without touching the live shop.
- Security. An HTTPS certificate included and renewed automatically, protection against automated attacks, isolation between sites.
- Support. Who answers, through which channels and at what times. Ask whether they know WordPress and WooCommerce or only deal with the server.
- Data location. Data centres in the European Union make privacy notices and dealings with customers simpler. See privacy for an online shop.
- Exit. How the site is exported; how it moves to another provider; how much notice is needed.
Questions to ask before you sign
- How many simultaneous orders can the plan handle? With what limits?
- What happens when I exceed the resources: does the site slow down, stop, or cost more?
- Can I restore a backup myself or do I have to open a ticket?
- Are PHP updates included? Can I choose the version?
- What does support include, and what is charged separately?
When to switch
- The site slows down or goes down during promotions.
- The provider doesn't update PHP or the environment.
- Backups can't be restored.
- Support is slow or not very knowledgeable.
- The shop has grown and the plan is still the one you started with.
To move hosting without halting sales, you prepare the copy on the new server, test it, lower the DNS time-to-live and make the switch at a quiet time. The old server stays live for a few days.
The right cost
It depends on what a day of downtime is worth to your shop. If the site sells every day, cheap hosting that freezes at the wrong moment costs more than a suitable one.
Further reading: a slow site sells less · domain, DNS and SSL certificate · Black Friday: what to prepare
Frequently asked questions
Shared hosting or a VPS for an online shop?
Shared hosting costs less but shares resources with other sites and can slow down at peak times. A VPS offers reserved resources and more control, but someone has to configure, update and secure it. For a shop taking a few dozen orders a day, good shared or managed hosting is often enough.
What is managed WordPress hosting?
A service in which the provider looks after the server, updates to the environment, caching and often backups and security. It offers support specific to WordPress. It costs more but reduces the technical workload.
Where should an Italian shop's data be stored?
The GDPR does not require data to stay in Italy or in Europe, but it does require appropriate safeguards for transfers to countries outside the EU. Choosing servers in the Union makes privacy notices, contracts and customer requests simpler.
How can you tell if your hosting is too slow?
Measure the server response time and your visitors' real Core Web Vitals, especially at peak hours and during promotions. If the page takes a long time to start loading regardless of the weight of images and scripts, the problem lies with the server.