What Is the Required Disk Space for Your WordPress Site?

10 Jan, 2024

Are you considering a new web host or simply curious about what’s standard? Understanding your storage disk space and how much you require for your WordPress site is an important consideration. No matter what your reason, knowing how much space you’ll need is crucial when choosing a hosting package or estimating future needs.

In this post, we’ll explore how much disk space WordPress sites need and how you can save space and keep costs down.

WordPress sites typically use a lot of space, but there are ways to reduce the amount of storage your site needs. When you choose the right web hosting package and are mindful of using your site’s storage, you can still save money while maintaining a successful WordPress site.

How Much Disk Space Do Web Hosts Typically Offer?

Disk space is an important consideration when choosing a web host. This refers to the amount of storage space allocated to a website and all associated files on a server. You can think of it as your computer’s hard drive’s space.

When looking for a web host, it’s essential to consider how much disk space they offer. This is the amount of storage space your website will have on its servers. Be sure to compare plans and pricing among different hosts to find the best deal. You might hear this referred to as “disk,” “local storage,” or even “web space.”

At Rovity, we call it storage. We refer to our disk space specification as Premium NVMe SSD Storage because we offer the latest and most fabulous NVMe SSD storage space.

So let’s take a look at some examples. Popular host WP Engine, for instance, offers 10GB of disk space with their basic Startup plan.

Then there’s Kinsta. Their Starter plan also offers 10GB of disk space for those just starting out.

But suppose you’re looking for some serious storage room. In that case, Bluehost’s Basic plan offers an impressive 50GB – and it’s upgradable to unlimited storage!

At Rovity, we offer amazing 2 GB Premium NVMe SSD Storage with our Silver plan. Upgrade to our Diamond plan, and you’ll get an incredible 6 GB of Premium NVMe SSD Storage! This is a great way to store your data safely and securely.

You might be thinking that Kinsta’s basic plan doesn’t offer much space…or that 50GB is way too much space! Or even that unlimited SSD storage is too good to be true. I understand your concerns.

It can be tempting to think that you need a lot of storage space, but do you really? How much space do you need for a typical website? Most people only need less than 5GB or so. Although WordPress sites are usually pretty small, 50GB is probably too much for most. You don’t want to waste your money on something you don’t need!

You may think you need a lot of disk space, but that might not be the case. Let’s look at some numbers to see how much space you actually need.

What Is the Average Disk Space Usage of a WordPress Site?

If you’re not sure how much storage your website needs, don’t worry! It depends on many factors, including your primary files (WordPress core, plugins, and themes), database size, and media files.

Plus, there are other things you might want to store on your server, like backups and email hosting. Let’s break it down.

1 – Currently, WordPress core takes up 55.7MB.

2 – If you’re looking for a theme that’s lightweight and doesn’t take up too much space, Twenty Twenty-Two is an excellent option. It only takes 3.52MB of space, whereas some other themes can be as big as 42+MB. Remember that the most popular Divi theme is around 42.4MB.

3 – Plugins can be a bit of a mixed bag, and there’s no actual “typical” size. For instance, Jetpack is 25.9MB, Rank Math SEO is 6.75MB, and W3 Total Cache is 28.7MB. Suppose you add a security plugin to the mix and other tools for adding essential functionality to your site. In that case, you could quickly max out at 150MB or more.

4 – Media assets like images and videos will take up the most space on your WordPress website. It’s harder to estimate how much media files might take up, but you can save space by hosting your video on a platform like YouTube.

5 – You’ll also need to consider how much space you’ll need for your database. This will depend on the number of posts and comments you have and other factors like plugin and theme configurations.

When choosing a web host, be sure to think about email storage. If email is included in your website hosting package, this will use up part of your disk space. Keep in mind that emails with attachments can take up a lot of space, especially if you receive spam messages often. You can choose the best hosting plan for your needs by considering these factors.

You tried all those expensive WordPress caching plugins and subscribed to highly-priced managed WordPress or managed VPS services. Still, you can’t see your WordPress website loading within a few milliseconds? Have you lost all hope?

I have written How to Turbocharge Your WordPress Site in 4 Easy Steps guide to help you cut down your hosting subscription cost and make your WordPress website fly like a rocket.

Take these 4 easy steps and boost your WordPress website performance that it deserves. Then cut down on your hosting costs and see your SEO skyrocket.

Websites Have Different Storage Requirements

You need to consider how much storage you’ll need if you’re starting a website. Websites come in all shapes and sizes, and the amount of storage you’ll need will vary depending on the type of site you have. A simple blog might not need as much storage as a WooCommerce site selling dozens or even hundreds of products.

But no matter what kind of website you have, make sure you have enough space to host your files!

1 – If you’re looking for a place to share your thoughts, photos, and videos, a blog or personal website is the perfect solution. These platforms typically don’t require much disk space, so they’re ideal for people who want to get started online without breaking the bank.

2 – If you’re running a portfolio, agency, app, or business website with lots of dynamic content – including images, videos, audio clips, and scripts – you may need more space. This is particularly true if you’re engaged in content marketing, as this type of online activity typically requires more storage capacity.

3 – WooCommerce sites often have dozens of product pages with high-quality product images. These images are crucial for any online store but quickly fill up your disk space.

4 – If you’re looking for a website rich in multimedia content, be prepared to need a lot of disk space. Websites with music, videos, and gaming can take up vast amounts of server storage space. Make sure you have enough space on your server available.

5 – News and digital publications, like your blogs and personal sites, need a lot of disk space to function correctly. This is because they consist of posts, photos, and videos that take up a lot of space.

Typical WordPress Site Usage

We have collected some data on average usage if you’re curious about how much disk space your WordPress site will need. This information can help you plan your site’s storage needs.

According to Rovity’s study, the average client uses around 1GB of data for a single WordPress installation. However, this amount can vary depending on the specific site. So don’t worry if your usage is a little higher or lower.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Some users’ databases are considerably larger but use fewer files, while others have smaller databases but require more files. Your specific needs will determine which option is best for you.

WordPress users often overestimate the amount of disk space they need, negatively impacting their purchasing decisions. In many cases, overestimating can lead to negative consequences.

You’re likely using much less disk space than you’re paying for. In fact, most users only need a fraction of the storage they’re allocated. So why not switch to a plan that better suits your needs?

Some users only consume ~200MB of their disk space, and others use 90% of the 6GB premium NVMe SSD storage offered in the Diamond plan.

With Rovity’s flexible hosting plans, you can get just the right amount of storage for your business – without overspending on unused resources.

Calculating How Much Disk Space You Need

If you’re curious about how much disk space your WordPress website uses, there are a few different ways to find out.

If you’re looking for an easy way to keep track of your WordPress site’s size and storage usage, the My Simple Space plugin is a great option.

My Simple Space WordPress Plugin

This free plugin adds a widget to your WordPress dashboard that displays details about your site.

My Simple Space WordPress Plugin Stats

This report provides information on the size of your website, database, and each folder in your WordPress installation.

Suppose you’re using control panels like DirectAdmin. In that case, you can see a quick overview of your total disk usage in the sidebar.

Disk Space Usage in DirectAdmin

This information can help ensure that your site runs smoothly and doesn’t exceed its allocated storage space.

You can check disk usage by logging into your host via SSH if you’re an advanced user. Your host will give you more information on how to do this. At Rovity, we provide SSH access to all of our subscribers, so you can quickly check the disk space usage from your terminal.

Considering Your Website’s Future Plans

If you’re in the process of launching a new website, chances are you won’t need a massive amount of disk space right now. But as your online presence continues to grow—and your website with it—you’ll want to consider your options for scaling up.

This is why it’s essential to know how much storage space your website is currently using. And ensure there’s room for expansion in the short term while considering any growth plans.

With Rovity, you can easily add disk space when you need it, thanks to our scalable cloud-based infrastructure. This makes it easy to get the resources you need without worrying about storage limitations. Our customizable technology ensures that your added storage is always available and reliable.

If you’re unsure if your website will grow soon, it might be a good idea to stay with your current hosting plan. However, suppose you know that your website will expand over time. In that case, you may want to consider upgrading to a more reliable hosting option with more disk space. Options like VPS, managed, or cloud hosting can give you the power and flexibility you need to handle a more extensive website.

If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable WordPress hosting option, Rovity is a perfect choice. Our Gold and Diamond plans include plenty of disk space to get started, and you can always add more when needed. Plus, our WordPress hosting experience is unbeatable – you won’t find a faster or more reliable service anywhere else.

Rovity’s customers usually start with a Gold or Diamond plan and then add the disk space to their base plan as needed. This will help them save a lot of money on their hosting expenses while still enjoying the super-fast WordPress hosting experience that is unmatched.

Don’t wait until you’re faced with an unexpected scaling challenge to start thinking about your options. Planning for the future is always a smart move, and knowing your scaling options in advance will help you stay ahead of any problems.

Disk Space Saving Tips

If you’ve just discovered that your disk usage is almost maxed out, don’t worry – here are some tips to help you free up space.

1 – Optimize your images for speed and performance. Review your media and delete any that you don’t need. Use the Media Cleaner plugin to find and delete under-utilized media. Then, you can compress them with an image optimization tool. This will help you shrink the size of your images, remove unnecessary file information, and help your images load faster on both desktop and mobile devices.

2 – Deleting unused plugins and themes is best for WordPress maintenance and security. It’s essential to keep your site running smoothly and securely by getting rid of anything you’re not using. So go ahead and delete those plugins and themes that you’re no longer using – it’ll make your WordPress site run better and save your disk space!

3 – Old backups can take up valuable disk space, so it’s essential to delete any old backups you no longer need. Log in to your site via FTP or DirectAdmin and check through all your folders to ensure you’re only keeping the most recent backups. If your WordPress site is hosted with Rovity, we handle a backup for you to focus on more important things. But even if it’s not, using a service like AWS, Dropbox, or Google Drive for off-site storage is a great way to save space and add an extra layer of security.

4 – Optimize your database for better performance with any WordPress optimization plugin. You can then quickly clean up your database and delete post revisions, spam and deleted comments, outdated transients, and much more. Cleaning such data can often help you save disk space.

Summary

Whether you’re deciding on a new hosting package or planning for the future, your site’s hosting and storage needs are important to understand. Make sure you estimate how much space your site will need, based on its current size and expected growth. This way, you’ll be sure to get a hosting plan that’s right for you!

When you’re starting out, you likely don’t need a lot of space on your hosting plan. It’s wise to choose an affordable and scalable option, like Rovity’s shared hosting. With our custom disk space feature, you can purchase more storage when you need it – without impacting your business.

Jafar Muhammed

Jafar Muhammed has 10+ years of experience in WordPress, web hosting, domain names, DNS, CDN, server administration, etc. He is an open web advocate. He is the CEO of Rovity, the fastest-growing premium shared hosting startup in India.