What does unmanaged actually mean here?

You get the root account on a KVM virtual machine and full responsibility for everything above the hypervisor: the operating system, patching, firewall, applications and backups. We run the hardware, the network, the hypervisor and the deployment. There is no control panel imposed on you and nothing locked at our end.

Do any plans include backups?

No. Not on any plan, at any price. We do not hold a copy of your data at all, which is deliberate and stated everywhere on this site. If a backup matters to you — and it should — set up your own off-site copy before you put anything real on the server.

Do you offer managed hosting instead?

No. Every plan we sell is unmanaged. Our support answers deployment, network and platform questions — and does so quickly, usually within the hour — but does not administer your server, configure your software or debug your application.

How much Linux do I actually need to know?

Enough to connect over SSH, install a package, edit a config file and read a log. If those four are unfamiliar, an unmanaged server is still learnable — the knowledgebase exists for exactly that — but do not put a client project on it while you are learning. Take the $4.95 plan and break it a few times first.

Can I install any software I want?

Yes. Full root on KVM means you can install anything the hardware supports, load kernel modules, run Docker and nested virtualization, change the kernel and remove anything you do not want. The only limits are the Acceptable Use Policy and the resources on your plan.

What happens if I lock myself out?

It happens to everyone eventually, usually via a firewall rule. You can reinstall the operating system yourself from the client area, which returns the server to a clean install — and wipes everything on it. That is why the backup step matters before you start experimenting, not after.

Is unmanaged cheaper because the hardware is worse?

No. It is cheaper because nobody is being paid to administer it for you. The hardware, the KVM allocation, the dedicated IPv4 and the network are the same as they would be under any other label — what you are not paying for is a person applying your updates.

What is the difference between unmanaged VPS, VDS and a dedicated server?

All three can be unmanaged; the difference is how the hardware is shared. A VPS shares a physical host with other virtual machines under KVM, with resources allocated to you. A VDS gives you dedicated resources on the host: our VDS range starts at 2 GB of dedicated RAM with 2 cores, from $24.95 a month. A dedicated server is an entire physical machine. Unmanaged describes who administers it, not how it is provisioned.

Which operating systems can I install?

The Operating System menu at checkout offers Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS and Windows Server, and you can reinstall any of them yourself from the client area later. CentOS Linux has reached end of life upstream, so for a new RHEL-style server AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux is the better choice.

Is the Windows VPS unmanaged too?

Yes. Windows Server plans are unmanaged in the same way: you get the Administrator account and handle Windows Update, the firewall and your software. Windows Server needs at least 2 GB of memory, which 15 of our 16 plans have, and it costs the same as Linux on the same plan.

Is the Cloud VPS range unmanaged?

Yes. Every range is unmanaged, Cloud VPS included. What Cloud adds is NVMe (triple-replicated) storage, not administration. Your data is still yours to back up.

Which plan should I start with?

For learning or a small service, the entry Classic VPS plan at $4.95 a month is enough — note it carries a one-time $3.00 setup fee, so the first invoice is $7.95. Move up a range when you need faster storage or a 10 Gbps port rather than simply more memory.

What if I decide it is not for me?

First VPS orders are covered by a 7-day money-back guarantee, one per customer, requested within 7 calendar days of activation. Deciding you would rather not administer a server yourself is a perfectly good reason.

info@vpsforlife.com +44 7529 457798 @vpsforlife London, United Kingdom

Client Area Deploy a VPS

Unmanaged VPS Hosting · All 16 Plans

Unmanaged VPS hosting: root access from second one, and the responsibility that comes with it.

Every VPS For Life plan is unmanaged by design: the root account is yours the moment the server deploys, with no control panel imposed on you. This page is the honest version of what that means — including the 5 layers that become your problem, not ours.

Full root, all 16 plans
KVM, own kernel
~60s deploy
7-day money back

See the Responsibility Split Real Pricing

Layers you own

5 of 10

From $4.95/mo · unmanaged means unmanaged

No control panel forced on you
Install anything, remove anything
No backups held on our side
No server administration by us

Unmanaged VPS Hosting, in One Paragraph

An unmanaged VPS gives you full root access to a virtual server and makes you responsible for its ongoing administration — installing software, applying security updates, configuring the firewall and taking your own backups. In exchange it costs considerably less than managed hosting, because nobody is being paid to do those things for you. Every VPS For Life plan is unmanaged: 16 plans across four ranges from $4.95 to $69.95 a month, each with the root account, a dedicated IPv4 address and outbound Port 25 open by default.

You control: operating system, patching, firewall, applications, backups.
We control: hardware, KVM hypervisor, network, datacenter power, your resource allocation.
Backups: none held by us, on any plan, at any price.
Support scope: deployment, network and platform questions — not server administration.
Right for you if: you can SSH in, install a package, edit a config file and read a log.
Wrong for you if: you need someone else to keep the server patched and running.

Diagram of a server stack split horizontally: the lower layers marked as the provider's responsibility, the upper layers marked as the customer's. — The same split at a glance. Everything below the line is what you are paying us for; everything above it is what you are taking on.

Who Is Responsible for What

Ten layers between the mains socket and your visitor's browser. We operate the bottom 5. The top 5 are yours — and that is the whole difference between unmanaged and managed hosting.

Your backups We hold no copy of your data. None. This is the single most important line on the page. You
Your applications Web server, database, mail software, whatever you install and however you configure it. You
Firewall & access control UFW, firewalld, SSH keys, fail2ban. Yours to set, and yours to lock yourself out of. You
Patching & updates Security updates for the OS and everything on it. Nobody applies them for you. You
Operating system Install it from the panel, then it is yours down to the kernel. You
the line between unmanaged and managed
Allocated CPU, RAM, disk Allocated to your instance under KVM rather than drawn from a shared pool. VPS For Life
KVM hypervisor The virtualization layer, kept patched and running underneath your kernel. VPS For Life
Physical host node The hardware, and monitoring of it around the clock. VPS For Life
Network & your IPv4 Routing, upstream connectivity, volumetric DDoS filtering, your dedicated address. VPS For Life
Datacenter power & cooling Redundant power and network feeds at the facility. VPS For Life

The backup row is the one that catches people. We hold no copy of your data on any plan — not as an upsell, not on the expensive tiers, not at all. A backup stored on the same VPS is not a backup; set up an off-site copy before you put anything you care about on the server.

Is Unmanaged Right for You?

We would rather talk you out of it now than refund you in a week.

You can SSH in and read a log

Connect, install a package, edit a config file, read an error. Those four skills are the entire entry requirement.

You want a specific stack

A particular kernel, an unusual database, software a panel would refuse to install. Unmanaged is the only way to get it.

You are learning deliberately

A real server you can break and reinstall is the fastest way to learn server administration. Start on the cheapest plan.

You are paying attention to cost

Unmanaged is cheaper because nobody is administering it for you — not because the hardware underneath is worse.

You need someone on call

If a server going down at 3am needs somebody other than you to fix it, this is the wrong product. We answer questions; we do not operate your server.

You expect backups to just exist

They do not. This is the assumption that ends projects, so it is worth reading twice.

It is a client project and you are new

Learn on your own server first. A production deadline is a bad place to discover what a firewall rule does.

You want a control panel included

None is bundled. You can install cPanel or DirectAdmin yourself, with their licensing, on a plan with enough memory.

Unmanaged Pricing

Every plan we sell is unmanaged, so this is simply our price list. The entry plan of each range is below, generated from the same data as the pricing page.

NVMe VPS

4 plans · from $9.95/mo

Enterprise NVMe VPS Hosting

Entry plan

Starter NVMe VPS

1 Core · 2 GB RAM
20 GB NVMe · 10 Gbps Port

$9.95/mo

+ $1.00 one-time setup

Compare NVMe VPS

Cloud VPS

4 plans · from $13.95/mo

Scalable Cloud VPS Solutions

Entry plan

Starter Cloud VPS

1 Core · 2 GB RAM
30 GB NVMe (triple-replicated) · 10 Gbps Port

$13.95/mo

Compare Cloud VPS

Classic VPS

4 plans · from $4.95/mo

Affordable Classic VPS Hosting

Entry plan

Starter Classic VPS

1 Core · 1 GB RAM
15 GB SAS · 1 Gbps Port

$4.95/mo

+ $3.00 one-time setup

Compare Classic VPS

VDS

4 plans · from $24.95/mo

Dedicated Resources, Maximum Performance

Entry plan

Starter VDS (Xeon E3)

2 Cores · 2 GB Dedicated RAM
50 GB NVMe · 10 Gbps Port

$24.95/mo

Compare VDS

All 16 Unmanaged VPS Plans

Every unmanaged VPS plan, cheapest first
Plan	CPU	RAM	Storage	Port	Per month
Starter Classic VPS	1 Core	1 GB	15 GB SAS	1 Gbps	$4.95+ $3.00 setup
Business Classic VPS	1 Core	2 GB	20 GB SAS	1 Gbps	$7.95+ $2.00 setup
Starter NVMe VPS	1 Core	2 GB	20 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$9.95+ $1.00 setup
Business NVMe VPS	2 Cores	2 GB	30 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$12.95
Starter Cloud VPS	1 Core	2 GB	30 GB NVMe (triple-replicated)	10 Gbps	$13.95
Professional Classic VPS	1 Core	4 GB	30 GB SAS	1 Gbps	$13.95
Business Cloud VPS	2 Cores	2 GB	40 GB NVMe (triple-replicated)	10 Gbps	$16.95
Professional NVMe VPS	2 Cores	4 GB	40 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$17.95
Enterprise Classic VPS	2 Core	8 GB	40 GB SAS	1 Gbps	$18.95
Professional Cloud VPS	2 Cores	4 GB	50 GB NVMe (triple-replicated)	10 Gbps	$21.95
Enterprise NVMe VPS	3 Cores	8 GB	50 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$23.95
Starter VDS (Xeon E3)	2 Cores	2 GB Dedicated	50 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$24.95
Enterprise Cloud VPS	4 Cores	8 GB	60 GB NVMe (triple-replicated)	10 Gbps	$28.95
Business VDS (Xeon E5)	2 Cores	4 GB Dedicated	60 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$32.95
Professional VDS	4 Cores	8 GB Dedicated	100 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$44.95
Enterprise Dual Xeon VDS	8 Cores	16 GB Dedicated	150 GB NVMe	10 Gbps	$69.95

Every plan includes full root access, a dedicated IPv4 address and open Port 25. No plan includes backups. Full specifications on the pricing page · first-month totals including setup fees. Prices are the base monthly price in USD. Some datacenter countries cost more, and the price for each is shown at checkout.

Unmanaged VPS Questions

Your server, your rules, your responsibility.

From $4.95 a month with root access from the first second — and a 7-day money-back guarantee if you decide administering it yourself is not the job you wanted.

See All 16 Plans Ask Before You Order

Unmanaged VPS hosting: root access from second one, and the responsibility that comes with it.

Unmanaged VPS Hosting, in One Paragraph

Who Is Responsible for What

Is Unmanaged Right for You?

You can SSH in and read a log

You want a specific stack

You are learning deliberately

You are paying attention to cost

You need someone on call

You expect backups to just exist

It is a client project and you are new

You want a control panel included

Your First Hour on a New Server

Unmanaged Pricing

All 16 Unmanaged VPS Plans

Unmanaged VPS Questions

What does unmanaged actually mean here?

Do any plans include backups?

Do you offer managed hosting instead?

How much Linux do I actually need to know?

Can I install any software I want?

What happens if I lock myself out?

Is unmanaged cheaper because the hardware is worse?

What is the difference between unmanaged VPS, VDS and a dedicated server?

Which operating systems can I install?

Is the Windows VPS unmanaged too?

Is the Cloud VPS range unmanaged?

Which plan should I start with?

What if I decide it is not for me?

Your server, your rules, your responsibility.