by Cortland McCarthy

Whether you're managing a one-page personal homepage (we miss GeoCities too) or multiple eCommerce sites and apps under one umbrella, the web hosting service and package you choose is an important decision that shouldn't be made on a whim.

Of course, there’s no single hosting package that’s correct for everyone. Price, speed, security and support all need to be weighed based on your needs to ensure you find the right web hosting service that works best for you, your site, and your budget. 

Liquid Web has been a giant in the hosting world for more than two decades (when they were founded, Dawson’s Creek hadn’t even come out yet so, yeah, mind blown) and if you’re reading this article, odds are you’ve either hosted at least one website with them or you’ve considered it. In 2019, Liquid Web acquired Nexcess to round out their lineup of hosting options to serve sites of all sizes and needs.

But… with so many options between the two brands, it’s entirely possible you have no idea which one to choose. And since both Liquid Web and Nexcess are quite popular with shoppers here at Knoji, we felt it was important — I daresay we felt it was our duty — to help decode the differences for anyone unsure of whether a Nexcess or Liquid Web hosting plan works best for them.

What's the difference between Nexcess and Liquid Web?

The key difference between Nexcess and Liquid Web is hosting for a content management system versus more sophisticated hosting.

Nexcess offers managed hosting solutions on a cloud server for WordPress, WooCommerce and Magento content or store management systems. In broad terms, it's intended for small-to-medium sized businesses, online stores, and blogs that don't need a dedicated server all to themselves. For many, a managed cloud server is more than enough (and almost always more budget friendly). Managed hosting is also good for anyone who doesn’t want to perform their own maintenance tasks, like upgrading to the latest WordPress release or adding more RAM to a server during a high-traffic period. (It's also a nice upgrade from traditional shared hosting plans you might encounter at other hosts, where you are responsible for maintenance tasks and quite a bit of your own security — all while receiving less server resources.)

Liquid Web offers dedicated web hosting and Cloud VPS (virtual private server) solutions, which offer higher levels of security, speed, and customization. Those options are intended for mid- to large-size businesses, designers, developers, and agencies who need greater access and control.

If your product demands significant resources, Nexcess might not meet your needs. But if you're running a blog or a growing online store, then Liquid Web is probably above and beyond your current needs — like renting a fleet of U-Hauls to move your two-bedroom apartment. (Conversely, if you have enterprise performance needs but use Nexcess, that’s like trying to move your two-bedroom apartment on a skateboard. You know, I think this metaphor may have gotten away from me.)

Upfront hosting considerations you’ll need to weigh

Price.  Liquid Web is, by and large, more expensive in general than Nexcess — a big reason why Nexcess is the preferred web hosting solution for a majority of individuals and small businesses. But if you have a resource-intensive site that outpaces a managed cloud server, that could increase load times and ultimately drive away business. In other words, saving money upfront could end up costing you much more long-term.

Performance.  How fast your site moves matters. A survey by Kissmetrics found consumers expect a site to load in two seconds or less. And one extra second of delay can result in a 7% drop in conversions. (For a site that makes $10,000 a day, that's $250K in lost sales every year.) On top of the conversion rate, site speed is also a key factor in how your site ranks on Google.

Traffic. Your web server plays a key role in your site's page load times and can affect your visitors' experiences and conversion rates (especially in high-traffic situations). Nexcess is a great option for static pages, low to mid-traffic eCommerce sites, and apps or websites with databases that handle limited requests. Dedicated hosting and Cloud VPS are ideal for clients with higher traffic, a larger sales volume, and dynamic databases.

Security.  A dedicated hosting solution through Liquid Web can offer more security; after all, on your own server, you get to decide on the specific security measures that meet your exact needs. That being said, not every website or app runs the same risks and vulnerabilities. If security threats aren't a primary concern, then Nexcess (which still offers plenty of security against hackers and viral threats) might be enough. If your risk of attack is high, a dedicated server with Liquid Web might help you sleep better.

Control. Sometimes, not having ultimate control is a good thing. If you're growing your eCommerce store, you already have five million things to do at all times; optimizing your web server most likely isn’t going to be something you have time to do. In that case, look for a managed plan from Nexcess that will do the work for you. On the other hand, if you need total access into your system to enable, disable, install, reconfigure or add/remove software, you’ll likely want a dedicated or Cloud VPS plan through Liquid Web.

Scalability. All of Nexcess's plans allow you to scale up easily (with one click, you’ll be able to handle a high-volume spike), as does Liquid Web's Cloud VPS option. If you're not sure what your scalability needs might be, a managed hosting plan might actually be better than dedicated options. A dedicated solution means you're on your own server, but that can make things more complicated if you need to scale up suddenly.

So, do you need Nexcess or Liquid Web?

If your needs are fairly straightforward and you have a limited knowledge of servers and web tech (or you have the knowledge but don’t have the time or desire), the answer for you is probably Nexcess.

Nexcess caters to sites, stores and applications running on WordPress, WooCommerce and Magento. (Magento was built on Nexcess servers, so they know what they're doing.)

Each plan includes a variety of premium features that emphasize speed, security, scalability and support. Even at the base level, you can expect to get what you need and more. Things like a 14-day free trial, website migration, premium freebies, daily backups, and 24/7/365 support.

A few signs you probably need Nexcess:

• You're using WordPress, WooCommerce, or Magento

• You require basic hosting services for a single website (or group of sites)

• Your tech knowledge is fairly limited

• You don't have an IT support staff

• Your site or sites don't get a huge volume of traffic (even if that might change)

• Your budget is a strong consideration

Liquid Web offers faster web hosting than you'll get through Nexcess (faster than Amazon Web Services or Rackspace, as rated by third-party analytics firm Cloud Spectator). Liquid Web's premium hosting plans offer just that: premium service. Of course, that comes with a corresponding price tag.  (If you need the power and control of a dedicated server at a much lower price, they also offer more affordable Cloud VPS hosting.)

But whether you need all the power and freedom that Liquid Web offers depends on your product.

Liquid Web isn't just for large companies. Small businesses that require a dedicated hosting solution will find Liquid Web to be a better fit. That includes situations in which security is a top concern. Or, if your site deals with huge amounts of traffic or transactions each day, Liquid Web's dedicated hosting might be the way to go.

A few signs you probably need Liquid Web:

• Your eCommerce site(s) is receiving lots of traffic and doing a significant volume of sales

• You have an IT department or outsourced staff to help

• Price is less of a concern than rock solid reliability

• You need hosting for a mobile app

• You need to host your own email system

• You're concerned a semi-dedicated solution won't be enough 

• You're currently using a shared hosting service that can't handle the amount of traffic/data transfers you require

Use cases: Nexcess vs. Liquid Web

Here are a few use cases and scenarios that might give you a better idea of where you fit, and whether Nexcess or Liquid Web hosting options are the solution you're looking for.

Small businesses.  Usually Nexcess. Are most of your web hosting needs fairly basic? If your site doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles (or dynamic, database-driven pages), Nexcess should be more than enough.

Emerging eCommerce stores.  Probably Nexcess, but it depends. Are you starting small with room to grow over the next few years? If so, the robust array of solutions from Nexcess are probably enough. But if you're going big right off the bat and investing a lot of money into advertising and ramping up sales immediately, Liquid Web might be worth a look.

Expanding eCommerce stores.  It depends on what your expansion looks like. Have you found your site is running slower than it used to? Is 99% uptime not enough anymore (and you need 99.99%)? Liquid Web might be better suited to handle your needs as your eCommerce offering grows.

Corporate websites. Probably Liquid Web. If you need dependable web hosting with unwavering uptime and near-limitless capabilities (and price isn't a huge concern), Liquid Web might be the easy choice. That said, many corporate websites, due to the nature of their business, don't require the robust services Liquid Web has to offer. So don't pay for something you don't need.

Apps. Probably Liquid Web. It depends on the app and what you're trying to accomplish. But in general, a dedicated server through Liquid Web will provide much more stability. With a shared hosting service, you run the risk (or guarantee) that your app won't run smoothly 100% of the time. Apps that crash or load too slowly tend to turn customers away. So some extra money up front to ensure a good user experience can be well worth the price.

Blogs.  Probably Nexcess. If your blog has a ton of content (including photos and videos), is accessed by thousands of people a day, or you have serious security concerns, then a VPS or dedicated server through Liquid Web might be something to consider. Until then, hosting through Nexcess is probably enough.

Plans and pricing

Nexcess offers managed hosting for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento. Plans for single WordPress sites or WooCommerce stores start at $19/month and scale up, while managed Magento hosting starts at $49/month.

Liquid Web offers both cloud VPS (virtual private servers) starting at $15/month, and dedicated servers starting at $99/month.