Two VPS with the same processor, the same memory and the same disk can be priced very differently. The difference is rarely the hardware: it is who administers the system.
The line, in one sentence
On an unmanaged VPS we hand over the machine powered on and with full access — from there, the system is yours. On a managed VPS someone looks after the system for you: updates, security, backups and monitoring.
| Who handles what |
Unmanaged / Managed |
| Hardware, network and power |
Provider in both cases. The physical machine and the connection are always ours. |
| Operating system and updates |
Unmanaged: yours. Managed: the provider's. |
| Firewall and hardening |
Unmanaged: yours. Managed: the provider's. |
| Backups |
Unmanaged: yours — and this is where most people get burned. Managed: usually included. |
| Control panel (cPanel, Plesk...) |
A separate licence in both cases. Not included in our plans, bought if you want it. |
| Installing and tuning applications |
Yours in both cases. Not even a managed plan looks after your site code. |
| When something stops at 3am |
Unmanaged: it is on you. Managed: someone answers. |
Which one suits you
| 1 |
Unmanaged if you have (or hire) someone who knows Linux or Windows Server, want full freedom and would rather not pay for administration you will not use.
|
|
| 2 |
Managed if administering servers is not your business. What looks dearer per month usually works out cheaper than one night of downtime.
|
|
| 3 |
Neither if what you have is an ordinary website. Shared hosting already comes administered by us and covers the overwhelming majority of cases, with no server to look after.
|
|
Questions to ask before buying (from us or anyone)
| 1 |
Are backups included? How often, kept where, and who performs the restore?
|
|
| 2 |
Who applies the system's security updates?
|
|
| 3 |
Is the control panel included, or a separate licence?
|
|
| 4 |
What exactly does support answer for — only the machine and network, or what runs inside it too?
|
|
| 5 |
If you lose access, is there a console to get in without going through the network?
|
|
|
Unmanaged does not mean abandoned. We keep the machine up, the network running and the console available, and we help you work out what is going on. What we do not do, in that model, is administer the system for you — see how far our support goes .
|
How our plans work
So there are no surprises: our VPS and Cloud plans are unmanaged by default.
| 1 |
We hand over the machine with the operating system installed and full access. That is what the price covers.
|
|
| 2 |
No control panel is included — not cPanel, not any other. It can be bought separately.
|
|
| 3 |
Backups are not included. This is the point to settle before you put real data on the machine, not after.
|
|
| 4 |
Want a panel, backups or hands-on help? Ask at order time or later by ticket. It carries its own cost, which we quote before going ahead.
|
|
|
Adding what you need costs less than you would think. An unmanaged VPS with a panel and backups bought separately still comes to less than most managed plans — and you only pay for what you use. Tell us what you need to run and we will work out the numbers.
|
