What Type of Hosting Do You Need?
When shopping for game server hosting, you'll encounter terms like "dedicated," "shared," "VPS," and more. Here's what they actually mean and which is right for you.
Shared Hosting
What It Is: Multiple customers share the same physical server resources.
Pros
- ✅ Cheapest option
- ✅ Simple setup
- ✅ Good for small servers
Cons
- ❌ Performance varies based on neighbors
- ❌ "Noisy neighbor" problem
- ❌ Limited customization
- ❌ Resource contention during peak times
Best For: Small Minecraft servers, testing, low-traffic games.
VPS (Virtual Private Server)
What It Is: Virtualized portion of a physical server with guaranteed resources.
Pros
- ✅ Guaranteed RAM and CPU
- ✅ Better performance consistency
- ✅ More control
- ✅ Scalable
Cons
- ❌ Still shares physical hardware
- ❌ Some performance overhead from virtualization
- ❌ More expensive than shared
Best For: Most game servers, communities, competitive play.
Dedicated Server
What It Is: An entire physical server for you alone.
Pros
- ✅ Maximum performance
- ✅ Complete control
- ✅ No neighbors
- ✅ Best for high-population servers
Cons
- ❌ Most expensive
- ❌ Requires technical knowledge
- ❌ You handle all maintenance
- ❌ Overkill for small servers
Best For: Large communities (100+ players), esports, multiple servers.
What HostedGG Uses
We use containerized VPS hosting powered by Pterodactyl panel—the best of both worlds:
- Guaranteed Resources: Your RAM and CPU are yours
- Instant Scaling: Upgrade in seconds
- Isolation: Other users can't affect your performance
- Easy Management: No sysadmin skills required
- Enterprise Hardware: NVMe SSDs, latest CPUs
This approach gives you dedicated-like performance at VPS prices.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Shared | VPS (HostedGG) | Dedicated |
| Price | $ | $$ | $$$$ |
| Performance | Variable | Guaranteed | Maximum |
| Resources | Shared | Guaranteed | Exclusive |
| Setup Time | Instant | Instant | Hours/Days |
| Technical Skill | Low | Low | High |
| Best Players | 1-10 | 10-200 | 100+ |
Our Recommendation
For 99% of game servers, containerized VPS (what we offer) is the sweet spot:
- Affordability: Starting at $2.49/month
- Performance: Guaranteed resources, no neighbors stealing CPU
- Simplicity: We handle the infrastructure
- Scalability: Upgrade with one click
Only consider dedicated servers if you're running multiple high-population servers or have specific compliance requirements.
The Bottom Line
Don't overpay for dedicated hosting you don't need. Don't underpay for shared hosting that will frustrate your players.
HostedGG's containerized approach delivers reliable, guaranteed performance at prices that make sense.
Deploy your server and see the difference.
