When choosing a web hosting service, it’s easy to focus solely on the monthly price tag. I initially thought, “Lolipop should be enough for a personal site.”
Indeed, Lolipop is cheap. However, when I actually used it and compared it calmly with Xserver including backup costs, I noticed something important for the first time.
This article is not about determining which is “better.” It’s a record organized with the premise that evaluation changes depending on usage.
The Baseline: How Much Does Xserver Cost?
First, let’s check Xserver’s cheapest plan as our baseline.
Xserver (Standard Plan)
- Monthly: ~990 yen (with long-term contract)
- WordPress: Standard support
- Daily automatic backup: Included as standard
- Self-restore via admin panel
- Additional options: Not required
What’s crucial here is that “backup” and “self-restore” are included from the start at this price.
In other words, it’s priced with the assumption that you can recover immediately even if you break something.
Lolipop: The Gap Between “Display Price” and Actual Operating Costs
On the other hand, Lolipop’s monthly fees look significantly cheaper.
- Light: ~264 yen
- Standard: ~495 yen
- High Speed: ~550 yen
At this point, I had the impression that “Xserver costs about twice as much.”
Honestly, at this stage, I wasn’t really aware of any downsides.
The Unexpected Downside I Found: Backup Wasn’t a “Given”
What I realized during actual operation was that backup is not a standard assumption with Lolipop.
- Light/Standard: No automatic backup
- High Speed and above: Automatic backup available
- However, restoration basically requires support request
- If you want to restore/download yourself
→ 7-generation backup option (~440 yen/month) required
This is when I first felt, “The conditions change in actual operation.”
What Happens When You Line Up Prices Including Backup?
Let’s compare with the same conditions as Xserver.
Lolipop (High Speed + Backup)
- High Speed: 550 yen
- Backup Option: 440 yen
- → Total: ~990 yen/month
Xserver (Standard)
- Monthly: ~990 yen
- Backup: Included as standard
- Restore: Immediately available from admin panel
The moment the prices aligned, my evaluation axis changed.
The premise that “Lolipop is cheap” becomes clear that it’s only valid “when you don’t add backup.”
However, There Are Cases Where Lolipop Is Definitely Cheaper
This is important, so let me be clear. There are actual use cases where Lolipop is clearly cheaper.
For example:
- Backup is not necessary for now
- Willing to rebuild from scratch if needed
- Self-managed backup with plugins like UpdraftPlus is sufficient
- Testing/experimental sites
- Low-update-frequency, small-scale sites
For such purposes,
- Light (264 yen/month)
- Standard (495 yen/month)
can be operated, and it’s a fact that this is overwhelmingly cheaper than Xserver.
If you prioritize “cheapness” with a “compromise mindset,” Lolipop is rational.
The Difference Appears “The Moment You Can’t Compromise”
However, what I actually felt while using it was:
- Articles started accumulating
- Configuration changes became more frequent
- Recovery after breaking something became troublesome
Around this point, the compromise of “I don’t need backup” stops working.
At that timing, when you reconsider:
- I want to properly set up backup
- I want to be able to restore immediately
The price of Lolipop + options aligns with Xserver.
This was the “unexpected downside” I realized only after using it.
Conclusion: Take the Cheapness or Take the Assumption?
When organized, the division is quite clear.
Use it cheap with compromises → Lolipop
Operate with the assumption you can recover from mistakes → Xserver
It’s not about which is “correct.” It’s a difference in where you compromise.
However, the moment you need to add backup options, Xserver looks simpler and clearer.
This was something hard to notice from just comparing specs beforehand, and something I understood only after actually using it.
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