| Shared hosting | Vercel | Firebase |
|---|
| Best for | WordPress or PHP sites: company websites, blogs and WooCommerce stores. | Websites and web apps built with Next.js. | Apps with user accounts, real-time data and cloud functions. |
|---|
| How changes go live | From the WordPress dashboard or by uploading files to the server. | Every code change deploys automatically, with a preview link before it ships. | Deployed from code: hosting, database and functions in a single project. |
|---|
| Who looks after the server | The provider maintains the server; WordPress, its plugins and the PHP version still need upkeep. | There’s no server to manage: the platform scales on its own and renews the SSL certificate. | Google runs the infrastructure; data access rules are designed along with the app. |
|---|
| When it falls short | High traffic or software the plan doesn’t allow: that’s when we look at a VPS. | Long-running jobs or programs that need an always-on server of their own. | When the project is mostly content that needs to rank on Google: Next.js or WordPress fit better. |
|---|
Shared hosting
- Best for
- WordPress or PHP sites: company websites, blogs and WooCommerce stores.
- How changes go live
- From the WordPress dashboard or by uploading files to the server.
- Who looks after the server
- The provider maintains the server; WordPress, its plugins and the PHP version still need upkeep.
- When it falls short
- High traffic or software the plan doesn’t allow: that’s when we look at a VPS.
Vercel
- Best for
- Websites and web apps built with Next.js.
- How changes go live
- Every code change deploys automatically, with a preview link before it ships.
- Who looks after the server
- There’s no server to manage: the platform scales on its own and renews the SSL certificate.
- When it falls short
- Long-running jobs or programs that need an always-on server of their own.
Firebase
- Best for
- Apps with user accounts, real-time data and cloud functions.
- How changes go live
- Deployed from code: hosting, database and functions in a single project.
- Who looks after the server
- Google runs the infrastructure; data access rules are designed along with the app.
- When it falls short
- When the project is mostly content that needs to rank on Google: Next.js or WordPress fit better.
This is how we choose hosting for most of our projects as of October 2026. If your app needs a server of its own, we evaluate a VPS or a dedicated server.