We are the host. You do not need to compare us to a generic provider list. Current prices and specs live on the catalogues: shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and LochStudios Mail.
If two rows look close, open a support ticket and tell us what the site or app does. We will point you at a plan.
| You need | Start with |
|---|---|
| A website we manage in cPanel | Shared hosting (Beginner or Standard) |
| Root access and a stack you choose | VPS |
| The whole physical machine | Dedicated |
| Mailboxes on your domain, no website plan | LochStudios Mail |
Shared hosting (cPanel)
Shared hosting is the usual home for a website. Your site shares a server we manage. You get a cPanel account, not a Linux login.
Open cPanel from the portal:
- Sign in at the portal.
- Open the hosting service for the site.
- Click Log in to cPanel.
Do not guess a hostname.
Plans:
- Beginner Level 1, 2, 3, and 4
- Standard Economy, Business, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus
Best for:
- WordPress, brochure sites, portfolios, and small shops
- Teams who want email, databases, and extra domains without running a server
- A first site, or a move where cPanel is enough
Every Beginner and Standard plan includes:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited email accounts, MariaDB databases, addon domains, subdomains, parked domains, and FTP accounts
- AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt)
- Acronis hourly backups
- WordPress Toolkit, Installatron, and Sitejet Builder
- 1000 emails per hour
- Hosting in Australia
The step-up between those plans is mostly disk, CPU, memory, I/O, and the file (inode) limit. Beginner disk runs from 500 MB to 5 GB. Standard disk runs from 10 GB on Economy to 100 GB on Enterprise Plus. Economy is the usual Standard pick. Beginner Level 4 is the usual Beginner pick.
For WordPress, install from WordPress Toolkit or Installatron in cPanel. Do not start by downloading a zip from wordpress.org. See Install WordPress.
Mailboxes you create in cPanel are the shared-hosting email product. That is not LochStudios Mail (Axigen). See Create an Email Account and Access Webmail.
Once the site is live, check how the account is sitting: Read your resource usage and metrics.
Browse current shared plans on hosting.
Virtual private server (VPS)
A VPS is a KVM virtual machine with its own CPU, RAM, and disk. You get root, an operating system you choose, snapshots, and an out-of-band console. Sign in at the portal, open the server, and use the credentials and console there.
You look after packages, the firewall, backups you take yourself, and the apps. We provide the machine and the console.
Locations: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Singapore.
Three lines:
- Standard (SSD) for typical sites and apps you want to run yourself
- HDD Storage when you need a lot of disk more than raw I/O
- CPU Optimised (NVMe) when the workload is CPU-heavy
Best for:
- Custom apps, Docker, or software cPanel does not ship
- Sites that have outgrown a shared CPU, memory, or inode limit
- Anyone who wants SSH and a firewall they control
After it is provisioned, start with First steps on a new VPS.
Browse sizes on VPS. You can often resize an existing VPS from the portal. If the next size is not listed, open a support ticket.
Dedicated server
A dedicated server is a whole physical machine. Nothing else shares that box. Use it when you need every cycle, a large RAM footprint, or a workload that should not sit next to other customers.
Current sizes are on dedicated servers. If those do not match, or you want help sizing, open a support ticket and we will talk it through.
Best for:
- Busy applications and large stores
- Isolation and steady performance
- Custom OS and software on hardware you do not share
Credentials and console sit on the server in the portal, the same way as a VPS.
Business email is a different product
Need mailboxes on your domain without a website plan? That is LochStudios Mail (Axigen): mailboxes from 500 MB to 100 GB, IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV, and 2000 emails per hour. Plans are on LochStudios Mail. Open the mail service in the portal and click Log in to WebMail. See What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in.
If you already have shared hosting, you can keep using the unlimited cPanel mailboxes on that account instead.
How to decide
Need a normal website? Start with shared hosting. Size disk for the files, mail stored on the account, and databases you expect. Register a domain at the same time if you do not already have one.
Need root, Docker, or a custom stack? Order a VPS.
Need the whole machine? Look at dedicated, or open a support ticket so we can size it.
Need mail only? Use LochStudios Mail.
Coming from another host? Order the plan first, then follow Migrate your website to us with minimal downtime. If the domain is with us, DNS is in the portal under Domains. See Point your domain at your hosting.
Do not pick a plan from a made-up visits-per-month chart. Traffic shape, plugins, and what else runs on the account matter more than a round number. If you are not sure, open a support ticket.
You do not have to get it perfect on day one
There are no lock-in contracts. You can cancel from the Client Portal.
Starting smaller is fine. If you outgrow shared hosting, open a support ticket and we will help you move up a plan or onto a VPS. If you outgrow a VPS, resize it in the portal or ask us.
Next steps
- Compare current shared plans on hosting
- Compare VPS and dedicated
- Register a domain if you need one
- After you order: Getting started after you order hosting
- Unsure which row to click? Open a support ticket