Managed vs unmanaged VPS: we sell unmanaged. Here's how to tell which you need.
Every plan here is unmanaged: full root access, and the administration is yours. Most people searching for “managed VPS” have not actually established that they need one — and some genuinely do. Six questions below will tell you which group you are in, and if the answer is that you need managed, we would rather you bought it somewhere else than bought the wrong thing here.
- Unmanaged, all 16 plans
- Deployment & setup support
- 800+ how-to articles
- 7-day money-back
$4.95/mo
No management fee, because there is no management
- Full root access on every plan
- 1 dedicated IPv4 included
- Deployment help by email or WhatsApp
- No ongoing administration by us
Managed vs Unmanaged, in One Paragraph
The hardware is not the difference. The labour is. A managed VPS is the same virtual machine with a person attached: the provider patches the operating system, monitors it, configures software and responds when something breaks at the server level, and bills for that time. An unmanaged VPS hands you the root password and stops there. Everything on this site is the second kind — all 16 plans across 4 ranges. That is why it starts at $4.95, and it is also why it is the wrong purchase for some people. Working out which you are is what the rest of this page is for.
- What we run: the hypervisor, hardware, network and your IP.
- What we answer: deployment and setup questions, by email or WhatsApp.
- What we document: more than 800 articles across 29 categories.
- What you run: the OS, the patching, the firewall, the applications.
- Storage: NVMe VPS uses NVMe storage, Cloud VPS uses NVMe (triple-replicated) storage, Classic VPS uses SAS storage and VDS uses NVMe storage.
- Safety net: 7-day money-back on a first order.
Related: Unmanaged VPS in detail · Full root access · Compare the 4 ranges · Terms of Service
Managed vs Unmanaged VPS, Side by Side
Same kind of virtual machine on both sides. Every row is a question of who does the work. The managed column describes what managed plans typically include. What any one provider offers varies, so read their scope before you buy.
| Task | Managed VPS (typical) | Unmanaged VPS (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system security updates | Applied by the provider on its schedule | Applied by you, or automatically by unattended-upgrades once you turn it on |
| Monitoring and incident response | The provider watches the server and responds to server-level problems | We watch the hardware, hypervisor and network. What runs inside your server is yours to watch |
| Installing and configuring software | Common stacks set up for you: web server, PHP, database, control panel | You install whatever you want, however you want it |
| Control panel | Often bundled: cPanel, Plesk or the provider’s own | None bundled. Install your own, with its licence, if you want one |
| Root access | Sometimes limited, or given on conditions so the provider can keep supporting the server | Full root from deployment |
| Backups | Usually included or sold as part of the plan | None held by us, on any plan. Set up your own off-site copy |
| Support scope | Server problems, and often application problems | Deployment, network and platform questions |
| Price | Higher, because the labour is in the price | From $4.95/mo, because it is not |
| Best for | Businesses without anyone to administer a server, or with compliance rules that require provider-side patching | Anyone comfortable on the command line, or teams with their own administrator |
What Is Managed VPS Hosting?
Managed VPS hosting is a virtual private server where the hosting company also administers the server for you. It keeps the operating system patched, monitors the server, configures and maintains the software it supports, and responds when something breaks at the server level, and it charges for that time on top of the server itself. An unmanaged VPS is the same machine without the administrator: you get the root password and the work that comes with it.
What usually separates one managed plan from another:
- How far the management reaches. The operating system only, or your web server, database and applications as well.
- Response times. Whether someone acts on an incident in minutes, or answers a ticket the next working day.
- What you can still change. Some managed plans restrict root access or software choices so the provider can keep supporting the server.
- Backups and restores. Whether backups are included, how often they run, and whether a restore is free.
If you need those things, a managed plan is worth its premium. If what you mostly need is a fast server with a dedicated IP that stays out of the way, you would be paying for labour you do not use. The six questions below settle which one you are.
Six Questions That Decide It
Answer these honestly rather than optimistically. Two “buy managed” verdicts and you should be shopping for a managed host, not for us — and we would rather say so now than process a refund later.
| Ask yourself | If the answer is no | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Are you comfortable connecting to a server over SSH and running commands? | If this sentence is unfamiliar, unmanaged hosting will be a frustrating purchase. That is not a judgement, it is a fit question. | Fine |
| Will you apply operating system security updates yourself, regularly? | This is the single biggest difference. An unmanaged server that nobody patches becomes a liability — to you first, and then to your account under the acceptable use policy. | Fine |
| Is someone available if the server goes down at an inconvenient hour? | We keep the hypervisor, the hardware and the network running. What is running inside your server at 3am is yours. If your business cannot absorb that, price a managed provider. | Think |
| Do you need someone else to configure your applications for you? | We answer deployment and setup questions, which is not the same as administering your stack on an ongoing basis. If you need the latter, you need a managed host. | Buy managed |
| Do you have a compliance obligation that requires documented, provider-side patching? | Unmanaged hosting cannot satisfy that, and no amount of good intentions changes it. Buy managed, or buy managed services on top of unmanaged infrastructure. | Buy managed |
| Do you mostly want a server that boots fast, keeps its IP, and gets out of the way? | Then unmanaged is what you are looking for, and you are paying a managed premium for nothing if you buy elsewhere. | Fine |
What Is Actually Covered, and What Is Not
Three columns, no overlap. The middle one is the part that surprises people: unmanaged does not mean undocumented.
What support covers
- Deployment questions — getting the server up and reachable.
- Initial configuration guidance by email or WhatsApp.
- Anything to do with the hypervisor, the network or the IP address.
- rDNS / PTR records on request.
What the knowledgebase covers
- more than 800 step-by-step articles across 29 categories.
- Hardening, firewalls, fail2ban, SSH keys and 2FA.
- Nginx, Apache, databases, Docker, Node, PHP, Python.
- Backups, monitoring, DNS, SSL and mail deliverability.
What stays with you
- Applying OS and application security updates.
- Firewall rules, user accounts and SSH policy.
- Installing, configuring and monitoring your software.
- Backups of your own data, kept off the server.
Where the Money Actually Goes
The reason to be clear about this: a managed plan is not a better server. It is the same server with labour bundled in.
What a managed plan buys
Someone else's time: patching on a schedule, monitoring, incident response, and software configuration. That is real work and it is reasonable to charge for it. If you need it, it is worth the premium and you should pay it — to whoever offers it properly.
What our plans buy
The infrastructure and nothing bundled on top: KVM virtualization, a dedicated IPv4, storage from SAS to NVMe depending on range, and datacenters in 56 countries. From $4.95, because the administration line item is not on the invoice. See the locations →
If unmanaged is the right answer, start here: Compare the ranges · Linux VPS · Windows VPS · Cheapest entry plan · KVM virtualization · Uptime guarantee
Managed VPS Questions
If unmanaged suits you, it starts at $4.95.
Full root access on all 16 plans, a dedicated IPv4 on every one, and a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first order if the six questions turned out to be harder in practice than on paper.