What is the difference between WordPress hosting and regular hosting?
The short answer
Technically, WordPress runs on any decent hosting. WordPress hosting is the same server space tuned for WordPress. It comes preinstalled, with matched caching and often automatic updates. Managed WordPress hosting goes further and takes over all maintenance.
In detail
The term WordPress hosting covers two very different products. At budget providers it usually means regular shared hosting with WordPress preinstalled and a few optimizations. That is handy for starters. It is not fundamentally different, and you barely pay extra for it. Bluehost and GoDaddy market heavily on this version.
Managed WordPress hosting is another category. Kinsta and WP Engine offer it. The whole environment exists solely for WordPress. You get server-level caching tuned for it and automatic updates that get tested first. Daily backups are included, plus a staging environment to try changes safely. Support comes from people who do nothing but WordPress. You pay accordingly, roughly $25 to $30 a month and up.
The choice is practical. For your first site, take regular hosting with a one-click WordPress install at a solid provider. Once the site earns money, managed hosting buys you time and certainty.