A managed plan and an unmanaged plan can run on exactly the same hardware. The difference is the work around it: who applies security updates, who notices when something breaks, and who fixes it.
Choose managed if you want to run a website, not a server. Choose unmanaged if you are comfortable on the Linux command line, want full control, and accept that keeping the server healthy is your job.
Who does what
| Task | Managed | Unmanaged |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system updates | Host | You |
| Web server and PHP setup | Host | You |
| Firewall and security hardening | Host | You |
| Backups | Usually host | You |
| Monitoring and alerts | Host | You |
| Fixing a server that will not boot | Host | You, with the host’s console |
| Your website’s code and plugins | You | You |
Notice the last row. Even on managed hosting, your site’s software is yours. A host will not usually fix a broken plugin or a theme bug.
What unmanaged really means
You get a fresh operating system, an IP address and root access. From that moment, the server’s security is your responsibility. That means at a minimum:
- Locking down SSH. See SSH keys.
- Turning on a firewall. See firewall setup.
- Keeping packages updated. See automatic updates.
- Taking backups that live somewhere else. See server backups.
None of these is hard, and the Your first VPS path walks through them in order. What matters is that they are done before the server holds anything important, and kept up afterwards.
The real cost of unmanaged
Unmanaged plans cost less because you are doing the work. Count that work honestly:
- Setup: a few hours to secure a new server and install a web stack the first time, less with practice.
- Routine upkeep: checking updates, backups and disk space, perhaps an hour a month once automated.
- Incidents: the unpredictable part. A full disk, an expired certificate, a hacked plugin or a failed upgrade can take an evening, and it always happens at a bad time.
If your time is better spent on the site itself, or if downtime costs you money, the difference in price is usually worth paying. If you enjoy learning how servers work, or run several servers anyway, unmanaged gives you more control for less money.
The middle ground: a control panel on a VPS
A VPS with a control panel such as cPanel, Plesk or a free panel gives you a web interface for sites, databases, email, SSL and backups, while you keep root access. The panel handles much of the routine setup, but someone still needs to keep the operating system and panel updated. Many hosts sell this combination as “managed VPS”. It suits people who want more power than shared hosting without living on the command line. See what cPanel is.
Signs you picked the wrong one
- On unmanaged: updates go unapplied for months, you are unsure whether backups work, or you avoid touching the server because something might break. Move to managed, or schedule an hour a month for upkeep and stick to it.
- On managed: you keep asking support to install software, change settings or allow access, and waiting for them slows you down. An unmanaged VPS, or a managed plan that allows root access, will suit you better.
Questions to ask about a “managed” plan
“Managed” covers everything from a full operations team to an automatic update script. Before relying on it, find out:
- Which software do they keep updated: just the operating system, or the web server, PHP and database too?
- Are backups included, how often are they taken, where are they stored, and who restores them?
- What response time do they commit to when the server is down?
- Can you still get root or SSH access, and does using it void the support?
Related
Something out of date? Software changes. If a step no longer works, tell us and we will check it and update the page.
