{"id":172,"date":"2016-02-06T07:20:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-06T01:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merahost.org\/blog\/?p=172"},"modified":"2016-02-06T07:20:02","modified_gmt":"2016-02-06T01:50:02","slug":"what-does-unlimited-hosting-really-mean-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merahost.org\/blog\/what-does-unlimited-hosting-really-mean-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Unlimited Hosting Really Mean? [Pros and Cons]"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have a domain name<\/a> and the next thing you need to get your website live is hosting<\/a>. There are too many hosting providers<\/a> to choose from. You can find web host services that provide unlimited disk space or bandwidth. It is often common with most companies and other features may vary a little.<\/p>\n

Finding a reliable web host can often be difficult for new bloggers. They usually tend to look for best deals and forget the important factors. For my very first website, I compared hosting services based on the cost of running and eventually, I ended up regretting.<\/p>\n

Even if you are new to this topic, I\u2019m sure you must have seen companies providing unlimited disk space and bandwidth for unbelievably cheaper prices. Smaller websites\/blogs might consider the price factor.\u00a0That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you should go for it. Unlimited web hosting plan<\/a> has\u00a0its pros and cons.<\/p>\n

What is Unlimited Disk Space?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Disk space in general refers to the amount of space on a server your account is allocated.\u00a0 The hosting industry is more competitive than ever and you\u2019ll notice that web hosts now market their disk space as unlimited.<\/p>\n

In reality this is actually impossible given that there is no such thing as an unlimited hard drive.\u00a0 When you buy a hard drive for your computer you can buy different disk sizes but never a disk that is unlimited so how do web hosts able to provide unlimited disk space?<\/p>\n

Most websites use on average anywhere from 5GB (5000mb) to 25GB (25000mb).\u00a0 Taking these values, web hosts can determine what users actually use and offer \u2018unlimited\u2019 as a marketing technique.\u00a0 This idea is similar to going to a restaurant that gives bottomless drink refills.\u00a0 Sure you can have 2-3 or even 4 refills but in reality you cannot drink 100 glasses of coke.\u00a0 The same concept applies to unlimited hosting.\u00a0 You are allowed to use as much space as you need for your website but in reality most people won\u2019t exceed the 5GB to 25GB values.<\/p>\n

As a general consumer we know that nothing is truly unlimited so when you see unlimited disk space you can take it with a grain of salt.\u00a0 If you dig in to the terms of service you\u2019ll always find clauses on how much disk space you can actually use or what you can store on your hosting account.\u00a0 For example, some people think that since a web host offers unlimited disk space they can store all of their pictures and videos and it won\u2019t be a problem.\u00a0 This is simply not the case!\u00a0 If you\u2019re one of these people don\u2019t even consider a hosting plan that offers unlimited disk space as your host will likely suspend your account.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard so many stories where people think that \u2018unlimited disk space\u2019 gives them the freedom to store whatever they want which is just not going to fly with your web host.<\/p>\n

After being exposed to the hosting industry for so long I\u2019ve learned a lot and as a consumer you have to understand that nothing is truly unlimited.\u00a0 <\/strong>This is not to say that hosts that offer unlimited disk space are a scam but it\u2019s just a marketing technique and works well as long as the end-users understand what their really getting in to.<\/p>\n

What is Unlimited Bandwidth and Transfer?<\/h3>\n

The same concept applies here.\u00a0 Bandwidth is the amount of inbound and outbound traffic going from the hosting server to the outside world.\u00a0 The best analogy would be to think of a highway as the bandwidth and the cars on the highway as the traffic.\u00a0 Just like disk space almost all hosts offer unlimited bandwidth transfer.\u00a0 Most web hosting providers have multiple bandwidth providers they connect to which means they have more \u2018highway lanes\u2019.\u00a0 For example when you upload a 8mb .mp3 to the server that counts as 8mb of inbound traffic.\u00a0 When someone downloads the 8mb .mp3 from your website it counts as 8mb of outbound traffic.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking web hosts are likely to be a little more lenient on bandwidth than on disk space because they buy large connections so they can handle the traffic of all of their customers.\u00a0 For the average user bandwidth should not be a concern as you are unlikely to cause a problem.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you have a media website and you have 1000 people downloading or watching videos.\u00a0 The bandwidth can add up very quickly.\u00a0 Personally most shared web hosts can handle 1000 connections but once this number starts to climb your web host may take action and you\u2019ll want to be prepared.\u00a0 If your site is growing at a fast pace you\u2019ll probably want to move to a VPS or dedicated server so that you have more resources for your website.<\/p>\n

Should I choose a web host that offers unlimited space and bandwidth?<\/h3>\n

The term \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d really applies to unlimited hosting.\u00a0 For the average user unlimited hosting is more than suitable.<\/p>\n

Unlimited hosting plans are budget hosting plans ranging from $3.99 to $9.99 per month.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on a budget then there is nothing wrong with choosing a web host that offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be able to upload your website and likely won\u2019t have any problems unless you start uploading tons of videos, music or pictures OR if your site becomes very busy.<\/p>\n

I always recommend a shared web host that offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth as almost every website starts on a shared server.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll get a great package at an affordable price and as your site grows you can upgrade to a larger server.\u00a0 Scripts like WordPress and Joomla are perfectly fine to run on an unlimited hosting plan and most web hosts offer a one-click install for them as well.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Unlimited Hosting<\/h3>\n