Understanding Database Size Limits
Every hosting plan has resource allocations that include database storage. Understanding these limits helps you plan your website growth and avoid unexpected issues.
Database Limits by Plan
- Starter Plan – Up to 5 MySQL databases with a combined storage limit based on your overall disk quota.
- Standard Plan – Up to 25 MySQL databases.
- Premium Plan – Unlimited MySQL databases.
All databases share your account's total disk space allocation. Individual databases do not have separate size limits; they collectively use your available storage.
Checking Your Database Size
You can check how much space each database is using:
- Open phpMyAdmin from cPanel.
- Click on your database name in the left sidebar.
- The main panel shows all tables with their size in the Size column.
- The total database size is displayed at the bottom of the table list.
Alternatively, check your overall disk usage in cPanel under Statistics on the right sidebar.
What Happens When You Reach Limits
If your databases fill your disk quota, several things may happen:
- Your website may display database errors as MySQL cannot write new data.
- Email delivery may fail if the mail system shares the same disk quota.
- File uploads through your website or FTP will fail.
Reducing Database Size
- Optimise tables – Use phpMyAdmin to optimise tables and reclaim wasted space from deleted records.
- Clean up revisions – WordPress stores post revisions that can bloat the database. Use a plugin to limit or delete old revisions.
- Remove spam and trash – Delete spam comments, trashed posts, and old transient data.
- Archive old data – Export and remove old records that are no longer needed on the live site.
Upgrading Your Plan
If you consistently need more database storage, consider upgrading to a higher hosting plan with more disk space. You can upgrade at any time from your client area, and the change is pro-rated.