The choice between managed and shared hosting is not a simple cost comparison—it’s a business decision that directly affects revenue, brand reputation, and operational predictability. While shared hosting costs as little as $2–10/month, managed hosting typically ranges from $15–250/month depending on the platform. However, performance-driven businesses consistently report that managed hosting delivers superior return on investment by reducing downtime costs, improving conversion rates, and eliminating technical management overhead.
In 2026, the hosting market is consolidating around a fundamental principle: revenue is tied to performance predictability, not headline price. Businesses relying on uptime and speed to generate revenue are increasingly choosing infrastructure partners who offer guarantees over discounts. This shift has profound implications for how you should evaluate hosting costs.
The Cost Structure: Breaking Down the Numbers
Shared Hosting Pricing
Shared hosting remains the market’s most affordable option, with entry-level plans starting at $2–10/month. Mid-tier shared plans range from $60–120/month, adding features like increased storage and additional email accounts. The pricing model reflects the provider’s ability to amortize infrastructure costs across hundreds or thousands of sites on a single physical server.
This affordability comes with explicit resource limitations. Most shared hosting plans include capped bandwidth (often 100GB), limited disk space (30–100GB for entry plans), and no guaranteed CPU or RAM allocation. You’re purchasing a “slice” of a server’s resources, with no contractual promise that those resources will be available when you need them.
Managed Hosting Pricing
Managed shared hosting averages $50–100/month for mid-tier plans, with premium options reaching $250+/month. Managed WordPress hosting, a specialized subset, starts at $10–50/month for basic plans but climbs to $200+/month for enterprise configurations. Managed VPS hosting begins at $40–100/month, and managed dedicated servers start at $150–500/month.
The cost premium reflects concrete inclusions: automated updates, daily backups, malware scanning, performance optimization, staging environments, 24/7 technical support, and SSL certificates. Unlike shared hosting where you purchase server space, managed hosting is a managed service—you’re paying for the provider’s expertise, systems, and labor to maintain optimal performance.
Managed shared hosting averages $50–100/month for mid-tier plans, with premium options reaching $250+/month. Managed WordPress hosting, a specialized subset, starts at $10–50/month for basic plans but climbs to $200+/month for enterprise configurations. Managed VPS hosting begins at $40–100/month, and managed dedicated servers start at $150–500/month.
The cost premium reflects concrete inclusions: automated updates, daily backups, malware scanning, performance optimization, staging environments, 24/7 technical support, and SSL certificates. Unlike shared hosting where you purchase server space, managed hosting is a managed service—you’re paying for the provider’s expertise, systems, and labor to maintain optimal performance.