Shared or reseller hosting?

Shared hosting and reseller hosting run on the same kind of server and use the same control panel. The difference is who they are for. Shared hosting gives you one account for your own websites. Reseller hosting gives you the right to create several separate accounts and hand them to other people, usually clients.

This guide compares the two side by side, explains who each one suits, and covers the questions that usually decide it: how many sites, whose sites, who answers the support emails, and what happens as you grow. If you are still deciding between hosting and a VPS, start with shared hosting or a VPS for your first website.

What is in this guide

• A few words you will see
• What they have in common
• Side by side
• Choose shared hosting if
• Choose reseller hosting if
• Four questions that decide it
• Three examples
• Moving from one to the other
• Limits
• When to step up

A few words you will see

Term	What it means
Shared hosting	One hosting account on a server shared with many other customers. The provider runs the server.
Reseller hosting	A larger slice of a shared server that you can split into several separate hosting accounts.
cPanel	The control panel each hosting account uses to manage sites, email, databases and files.
WHM	WebHost Manager: the extra panel resellers use to create and manage cPanel accounts.
Add-on domain	An extra website in the same account, sharing its login and limits.
Package	A set of limits a reseller gives to each account, such as disk space and email accounts.

Add-on domains and cPanel accounts explained covers these terms in more depth.

What they have in common

• The provider runs the server. Hardware, operating system, web server software and server security are handled for you.
• A web control panel. No command line needed. You upload files, create databases, set up email and install apps such as WordPress from the panel.
• Email on your domain is usually included.
• Shared resources. Your sites share a server with other customers, with limits on CPU, memory and processes per account.
• No custom server software. Neither runs background programs, VPNs or game servers. For those, you need a VPS.

Side by side

	Shared hosting	Reseller hosting
Who it is for	You and your own sites	You and the people you host sites for
Accounts	One	Several, each with its own login
Several websites	Yes, as add-on domains in one account	Yes, each in its own account
Sites kept apart	No, they share one account	Yes, separate files, email and limits
Giving someone their own login	Not really, they would see everything	Yes, that is the point
Extra panel	No	WHM, to manage accounts
Who answers support questions	The provider answers yours	You answer your clients, and the provider answers you
Time needed	Low	Higher: accounts, support and billing
Cost	Lower	Higher, spread across your clients

Choose shared hosting if

• Every site is yours, such as a blog, a portfolio and a side project.
• You want one login and nothing more to manage.
• You do not need to give anyone else access.
• Your sites are small. Check how many add-on domains a plan allows.

Choose reseller hosting if

• You build or look after websites for other people.
• Each site should have its own login, email and limits.
• You want one site's problem, such as a hack or a traffic spike, kept away from the others.
• You are ready to handle your clients' questions, billing and backups. Reseller hosting for freelancers and small agencies covers what that involves.

Four questions that decide it

1. Whose sites are they? All yours points to shared hosting. Other people's points to reseller hosting.
2. Does anyone else need to log in? If a client, a family member or a club treasurer needs their own access, separate accounts are much safer.
3. What happens if one site is hacked? In one shared account, every site shares files and a user, so one hacked site puts the others at risk. Separate reseller accounts contain the damage.
4. Who will answer the emails? With reseller hosting, people come to you when something breaks. If you do not want that role, give each person their own shared hosting plan instead and let them deal with the provider.

Three examples

These are illustrative. Your own case may differ.

• A photographer with a portfolio, a blog and a small shop. Shared hosting. All three sites are hers, and one login is simpler.
• A freelance designer who hosts eight client sites. Reseller hosting. Each client gets their own account and email, and one client's outdated plugin cannot affect the others.
• Someone who looks after a parent's business site and a local charity's site. Either works. Reseller hosting keeps them apart and lets each have its own login. Two separate shared plans, each in the owner's name, means the owners deal with the provider directly, which may suit everyone better.

Moving from one to the other

From shared to reseller. When you start hosting other people's sites, move each one into its own account. In WHM, create an account per site, then move each site's files, database and email across, usually with the panel's backup and restore tools. Do it one site at a time, and point each domain at its new account once it is tested.

From reseller to shared. If you stop hosting for others, hand each client a backup of their account and help them move to their own plan. Make sure each client controls their own domain. See domains and DNS explained.

From either to a VPS. When a site needs more resources or software than a control panel allows, see moving an overgrown cPanel website to a VPS.

Limits

• Shared limits apply to both. Every account has limits on CPU, memory and processes. "Unlimited" features are still subject to fair use.
• Neither runs custom software. No background apps, bots, VPNs or game servers.
• Backups are still your job. Even if a plan includes backups, keep your own copies of each site off the server.
• Bulk email does not belong here. Newsletters to large lists can break sending limits. Use an email sending service.
• Reselling is a responsibility. Your clients' sites must follow RackNerd's acceptable use policy too. If one breaks the rules, it is your plan that is at risk.

When to step up

From shared hosting, step up to reseller hosting when other people need their own accounts, or to a VPS when your own sites need more resources or software. From reseller hosting, a VPS gives more power for busy client sites, but you then run the whole server yourself. Choosing the right kind of RackNerd hosting compares every option.

To compare what is available now, start with the cheapest RackNerd VPS guide and check the sales page.