Web Server Face-Off
Apache vs LiteSpeed: Which Web Server Wins on Real Page Speed
Apache built the web hosting industry's default toolkit; LiteSpeed slots into that same toolkit and asks it to run faster on less hardware — here's what actually changes under the hood.
Event-driven
LiteSpeed's connection-handling model
Built-in
LSCache full-page caching on LiteSpeed
NVMe
SSD storage under every Hosting Cheap plan
$2.09/mo
Starting price for LiteSpeed-powered hosting
In short
Apache vs LiteSpeed comes down to architecture and caching: Apache handles each connection with its own process or thread, while LiteSpeed uses an event-driven model that reads the same .htaccess rules but uses less CPU per request and adds built-in LSCache full-page caching. LiteSpeed is a drop-in replacement, not a rebuild. Hosting Cheap runs LiteSpeed with LSCache on pure NVMe SSD from $2.09/mo.
If your site already runs on Apache, switching the underlying server to LiteSpeed usually means no rewritten .htaccess rules and no reconfigured permissions — just a faster engine underneath the same setup.
Apache has been the default web server since the earliest days of shared hosting, and for good reason: it reads .htaccess files per directory, supports a huge range of modules, and lets hosts and site owners configure rewrite rules, redirects and permissions without touching a central server config. That flexibility comes at a cost, though — each incoming connection on Apache is handled by its own process or thread, and under concurrent load that adds up in CPU and memory use that has to be provisioned for somewhere.
LiteSpeed was built specifically to answer that cost without asking anyone to abandon the Apache way of doing things. It reads the same .htaccess syntax, honors the same rewrite rules and mod_security-style directives, and drops into an existing Apache-based setup as a replacement engine rather than a migration project. The real difference shows up in two places: how it handles concurrent connections, and what it does automatically once a page has been generated once.
Connection Handling: Processes and Threads vs an Event-Driven Core
Apache's traditional MPMs assign a process or thread to every connection, which is straightforward to reason about but means CPU and memory usage climbs in near lockstep with concurrent visitors. A page that's cheap to serve to one visitor gets proportionally more expensive to serve to five hundred visitors at once, because each of those connections is still holding its own process or thread open.
LiteSpeed uses an event-driven architecture instead, similar in spirit to Nginx, where a smaller pool of worker processes handles many connections concurrently without assigning one each. The practical effect is lower CPU load at the same traffic level — the difference is most visible under a real traffic spike, not on a quiet afternoon with one visitor.
Caching: LSCache Built In vs Configuring Apache's Cache Modules
Apache doesn't cache pages itself — mod_cache exists, but assembling a working full-page cache on Apache usually means adding a separate reverse proxy layer or a caching plugin that talks to an external cache store, plus manual invalidation rules so updated content doesn't serve stale.
LiteSpeed ships LSCache as a built-in feature, with official plugins for WordPress, WooCommerce and Magento that handle page caching and invalidation together, tied to the actual CMS actions that change content — publishing a post or updating stock automatically clears the right cache entries instead of leaving that logic to a separately configured module.
Configuration Compatibility: Why Switching Isn't a Rebuild
The most common objection to moving off Apache is migration risk — years of .htaccess rewrite rules, custom error pages and mod_security-style directives that would need re-writing for a different server's config syntax. That risk is real for Nginx, which uses its own configuration language entirely.
LiteSpeed avoids it by design: it parses standard .htaccess syntax and Apache-style directives natively, so existing redirects, custom error pages and per-directory permissions keep working without a rewrite. That's the core of the 'drop-in replacement' claim — it's a change to what's running underneath, not a change to how the site is configured on top.
Cost: Free and Ubiquitous vs Commercially Licensed
Apache's other advantage is that it's free, open-source, and installed by default across an enormous share of hosting infrastructure — there's no licensing conversation to have, and documentation for any edge case is a search away because so many people have hit it before.
LiteSpeed Enterprise is commercially licensed, which is the trade-off for the CPU savings and built-in caching — the license cost is typically absorbed by the host rather than billed separately to the site owner. Hosting Cheap runs full LiteSpeed with LSCache across its plans, so the caching and CPU benefits are included rather than something to configure or pay for separately.
Why Hosting Cheap Runs LiteSpeed, Not Stock Apache
Every Hosting Cheap plan runs on LiteSpeed rather than stock Apache, paired with pure NVMe SSD storage, so the CPU savings and built-in LSCache described above aren't a configuration project you'd need to take on yourself.
That means existing .htaccess rules, redirects and permissions from a site moved over via free managed migration keep working exactly as they did before, while the underlying engine handles concurrent traffic with less CPU overhead and caches pages automatically.
- LiteSpeed with built-in LSCache on every plan, no separate caching module to configure
- Full .htaccess and mod_security-style compatibility, so migrated sites need no rewrites
- Pure NVMe SSD storage paired with LiteSpeed's event-driven connection handling
- Free managed migration moves an Apache-configured site over without breaking redirects
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
Built-in LSCache
Full-page caching ships with LiteSpeed, with official plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce.
Lower CPU per request
Event-driven connection handling keeps CPU use down as concurrent traffic climbs.
Drop-in .htaccess support
Existing Apache-style redirects, rewrites and permissions keep working without a rewrite.
Pure NVMe SSD storage
LiteSpeed's caching pairs with NVMe storage instead of older spinning-disk hardware.
Free managed migration
An Apache-hosted site moves over to LiteSpeed without you touching a single config file.
24/7 human support
Real help if a migrated .htaccess rule or redirect needs a second look after the move.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Check your current server
Confirm whether your existing host runs Apache, and note any custom .htaccess rules in place.
Migrate to LiteSpeed hosting
Use free managed migration to move your site's files, database and configuration across.
Turn on LSCache
Install the LSCache plugin for your CMS and confirm cached pages are serving correctly.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Confirm whether your current host runs Apache, Nginx or LiteSpeed
- Check for custom .htaccess rewrite rules that need to survive a migration
- Compare CPU usage under concurrent load, not just idle-server benchmarks
- Look for built-in full-page caching rather than a separately configured module
- Confirm mod_security-style compatibility if your site relies on specific directives
- Ask whether the migration keeps existing redirects and permissions intact
- Test that cached pages update correctly after publishing new content
- Weigh licensing cost against measured CPU and caching gains for your traffic level
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is LiteSpeed actually faster than Apache?
For concurrent traffic, generally yes — LiteSpeed's event-driven model uses less CPU per connection than Apache's process-per-connection approach, and built-in LSCache caches full pages without a separate module. The gap is most visible under real traffic load rather than on a single-visitor test.
Will my .htaccess file still work if I switch to LiteSpeed?
Yes, LiteSpeed reads standard .htaccess syntax natively, including rewrite rules and mod_security-style directives, so existing redirects and permissions carry over without being rewritten for a different configuration language.
Does moving off Apache mean rebuilding my site?
No, LiteSpeed is described as a drop-in replacement because it swaps the underlying server engine, not the site's configuration. Free managed migration moves the files, database and settings across without a rebuild.
Is Apache still a reasonable choice today?
Apache remains a solid, free, well-documented option, particularly for setups with heavy custom module requirements. It just carries a higher CPU cost per concurrent connection than LiteSpeed's event-driven model at real traffic volumes.
Does LiteSpeed's caching replace a CDN?
No, LSCache handles full-page caching at the server level, which speeds up how fast a page is generated and served; a CDN separately caches content closer to visitors geographically. The two solve different parts of the speed problem.
What server does Hosting Cheap run?
Every Hosting Cheap plan runs on LiteSpeed with LSCache enabled, paired with pure NVMe SSD storage, rather than stock Apache, so the CPU and caching benefits are included by default.
Move From Apache to LiteSpeed Without a Rebuild
Free managed migration keeps your .htaccess rules intact — LiteSpeed hosting with LSCache from $2.09/mo.
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