You hesitate between a « WordPress-optimised » shared plan at a few euros and an offer sold as managed. Directory profiles disagree with promo landings: they expose verifiable entry price, score, server country, types and pros.
This comparison uses only o2switch, Infomaniak, RAIDBOXES, Hostinger, OVHcloud and IONOS. For managed scope, cross managed WordPress.
Managed vs shared: the real split
| Criterion | Typical WP shared | Managed (vendor scope) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Often lower | Often higher |
| Updates / cache | Yours or partial | Often packaged |
| CPU | Shared | Often better isolated, not magic |
| Path | VPS/cloud per host | Stay or migrate |
No invented performance benchmarks.
Six profiles, raw facts
| Host | entry price | score | server country | types (excerpt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IONOS | €1/mo | 8.3 | DE | shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, ecommerce |
| Hostinger | €2/mo | 8.4 | LT | shared, VPS, ecommerce |
| OVHcloud | €3.49/mo | 8.7 | FR | shared → dedicated, ecommerce, sensitive |
| Infomaniak | €5.75/mo | 9.2 | CH | shared, VPS, cloud, ecommerce |
| o2switch | €7/mo | 8.4 | FR | shared, ecommerce |
| RAIDBOXES | €9/mo | 8.7 | DE | shared |
Documented pros (excerpts): o2switch — clear single offer, FR support, France servers. Infomaniak — broad catalogue, Switzerland, ecology. RAIDBOXES — Germany infrastructure, SSL/backups per plan. Hostinger — price and interface; renewal caveats in cons. IONOS — low call-out price; higher renewals in cons. OVHcloud — broad shared-to-dedicated catalogue.
When shared is enough
Brochure, blog, light WooCommerce: o2switch (FR, €7, 8.4) or Infomaniak (CH, €5.75, 9.2) by jurisdiction. Hostinger and IONOS pull entry lower (€2 and €1) with LT and DE server country — read renewal and real DC notes.
When a more WordPress-centric approach helps
RAIDBOXES is DE shared from €9, score 8.7, pros on Germany / backups. Not a guarantee every custom plugin is covered — see managed WordPress.
OVHcloud offers shared → VPS/dedicated from France (€3.49, 8.7) when WordPress grows without leaving the ecosystem.
Common mistakes
Picking the lowest entry price without reading cons (Hostinger/IONOS renewals). Believing score 9.2 fixes a bad theme. Ignoring CH vs FR vs DE for data residency.
Decide
Critical plugins, traffic, jurisdiction, 24-month budget. Compare. Budget follow-up: cheap European hosting. Countries: UK, AT, PL, PT.
WordPress checklist: plugins, cron and email
Freeze content changes for 48 h, full database and media export, restore test on staging, DNS cutover off-peak, watch errors for 24–48 h. Whether shared or managed, this sequence avoids mixing a TTL issue with a host issue. Keep old-host access until business validation (forms, payments, transactional email).
Frequently asked questions
Shared WordPress or managed: what is the difference?
Shared hosts WordPress like any PHP site. Managed adds an ops layer (updates, cache, staging per vendor). See also our managed WordPress guide.
Who has the lowest entry price among cited profiles?
IONOS from €1/month, Hostinger €2, OVHcloud €3.49, Infomaniak €5.75, o2switch €7, RAIDBOXES €9 — values from our profiles.
Does RAIDBOXES suit every WordPress site?
The profile lists shared hosting in Germany (Münster), score 8.7, from €9/month, pros on DE infrastructure and backups per plan. Check the managed scope on the vendor site.
Is o2switch enough for WooCommerce?
Often for a light shop: FR shared plan, score 8.4, from €7/month. A plugin-heavy or high-traffic site can still saturate shared CPU — like any shared host.
The « best » European WordPress host matches offer type and entry price to your next tier — not the managed slogan.