Unlimited Web Hosting: Is It Really Unlimited? Things That You Should Know

Whenever you browse through the net for a web hosting service provider, you will almost find every hosting company offering Unlimited Hosting. But have you ever thought about this phrase? How is it possible for a company to offer something that is unlimited, which includes storage space and bandwidth?  Unlimited is something that is listed as features of any hosting plan, but before you choose one, let’s try to delve deeper into it and understand what these unlimited actually means to the end user.

What is unlimited disk space or bandwidth?

Disk space often denotes the amount of space that is allocated to your account on the server. Since the hosting industry is very competitive, you will find most of your web hosts offering this. But in reality, this is not possible as there is no such thing as an unlimited hard drive. It is all about the actual usage and probability. On an average, most websites use anything from 5GB to 25 GB and considering these values the host companies can determine the actual use and then offer something which is “unlimited web hosting” as a marketing technique.

Similarly, bandwidth is also the total amount of inbound or outbound traffic that goes out from the hosting server. Similar to unlimited disk space, most hosts also offer unlimited bandwidth transfer. Web hosting service providers buy large connections and have multiple bandwidth so that they can handle the traffic of all their customers. Normally, most shared web hosts can handle about 1000 connections, but if this number starts to increase, then your web host may take some action.

The Logic behind the unlimited hosting offers

Let’s explain this with an example. Suppose you go for a buffet in a restaurant and you are allowed to eat as much as you want. This means that you are offered unlimited food there.  But we all know that there is always a limit on how much we can eat. Most people only consume a plate or at the most two at a buffet. And the restaurant owners make their profit as there are also customers who eat very little and compensate for those who eat a lot. Similarly, a web hosting firm also operates in the similar manner and can offer unlimited hosting web space and bandwidth as there are always customers who can balance high usage consumers.

Since most websites grow at a rate that is limited, there is no impact by the constraint, but the moment your site starts to increase the disk space, your web host can terminate it on the grounds that the contract has been breached.

Should I choose an unlimited hosting package?

Picking up a reliable and good hosting company is the first step for your business. And when it comes to unlimited hosting, you actually get what you pay. For an average user, the term unlimited hosting is something that is more than suitable as it usually remains within your budget that ranges from $3 to $9 per month. If you have this budget, then there is nothing wrong with it in choosing a company offering unlimited web space and bandwidth.  You will be easily able to upload your site unless you start to upload tons of videos, pictures, music or unless the site becomes very busy.

Some benefits of unlimited hosting:

Unlimited hosting is always beneficial for users who can approximately estimate their storage and bandwidth that their website actually needs. Since you get a package at an affordable pricing, and your site can grow as you upgrade, it is beneficial:

• Enough disk space for average sites
• Enough bandwidth available
• Affordable pricing
• Perfect for normal websites without heavy traffic

Since nothing comes for free, it is best to scrutinize your web hosting service providers and check the contract before you finalize one for your website.