Managed and unmanaged hosting are 2 web hosting approaches that differ in server management responsibilities and support levels.
Managed hosting is a web hosting service where the provider handles server setup, maintenance, security, and technical support. This gives users a simple and hands-off experience. Unmanaged hosting is a web hosting service that gives users full control over their server environment. This requires users to self-manage server configurations, updates, security, and performance.
Managed hosting inherently costs more as it includes greater involvement from the web hosts in the areas of server administration, 24/7 support, and built-in security features. Unmanaged hosting allows greater customization since users get full control over the server. Managed hosting has limited flexibility since providers provide a pre-configured environment. Server Maintenance is taken care of with managed hosting while unmanaged hosting requires ongoing manual upkeep. Managed hosting is more user-friendly while unmanaged hosting suits experienced users. Both enable strong performance in different ways. Managed hosting enables high performance because of the expert optimizations provided by the web host. Unmanaged hosting enables high performance by allowing for manual tuning.
Cost, maintenance, and user-friendliness are the 3 biggest distinctions between managed and unmanaged hosting. Choose managed hosting if you have the budget and want a convenient and provider-supported solution. Choose unmanaged hosting if you have the time and technical skills to configure, maintain, and secure your server independently.
managed hosting vs unmanaged hosting
What Is Managed Hosting?
Managed hosting, also known as “fully managed” hosting, is a type of hosting where the provider takes care of server configuration and server management tasks. This includes server setup, software installations, performance optimizations, monitoring, security and plugin updates and backups. The main advantage of managed hosting is convenience. It allows users to keep their focus on their core business or website activities instead of time-consuming and technically challenging backend administration.
What Is Unmanaged Hosting?
Unmanaged hosting, also known as “self-managed” hosting, is a type of hosting that gives users full control and responsibility over their hosting environment. The hosting provider supplies the server infrastructure and root access so that . The host does not handle updates, security patches, or software installations so users must configure and maintain their servers independently. The main advantage of unmanaged hosting is its greater affordability compared to managed hosting.
What Is the Difference Between Managed and Unmanaged Hosting?
The difference between managed and unmanaged hosting refers to their variations across 7 areas: cost, support, security, flexibility, maintenance, user-friendliness and performance.
Managed hosting is more expensive as it includes full provider support, security updates, and automated maintenance. Unmanaged hosting is cheaper but requires users to handle security, troubleshooting, and server upkeep themselves. Unmanaged hosting offers greater flexibility and customization while managed hosting is more user-friendly. Both provide strong performance, with managed hosting providing expert optimizations from the web host, and unmanaged hosting allowing advanced users to fine-tune configurations.
Cost
Managed hosting is more expensive than unmanaged hosting because it includes additional support services from the web host server on a regular basis. Unmanaged hosting is cheaper because users only pay for the server infrastructure and need to handle configurations and maintenance independently. However, it’s possible for unmanaged hosting to become costly if you need to hire your own IT team for server management.
Support
Managed hosting provides superior levels of support to unmanaged hosting. Managed hosting customers get access to a team of high-level technical experts with experience in site migration, troubleshooting, monitoring and optimization. This ensures fast issue resolution and optimal server performance at all times. Unmanaged hosting provides little to no support. The host maintains only the physical server, leaving users to handle all technical issues.
Security
Managed hosting is inherently more secure because it includes built-in security features such as firewalls, malware scanning, automated backups, and regular security updates. Unmanaged hosting places full security responsibility on the user. This means users need to know how to properly implement firewalls, install security software, manually apply patches, back up their websites and monitor security logs. While this demands expertise, it allows advanced users to implement highly customized security protocols.
Flexibility
Managed hosting is significantly less flexible because providers enforce certain settings for stability and security. Managed hosting restricts root access, preventing users from modifying system files or core settings. Software installation is also limited to approved applications and server modules. Server configuration changes are also restricted, blocking direct modifications to web server settings like Apache or Nginx tuning. Unmanaged hosting offers greater flexibility in all 3 areas, though the level depends on the hosting type. This gives users full control over server setup and settings.
Maintenance
Managed hosting significantly reduces the user’s maintenance efforts by offloading maintenance tasks to the web host provider. Common maintenance tasks that need to be taken care of on a regular basis include operating system (OS) updates, software installations, security patches, performance monitoring and troubleshooting. Unmanaged hosting requires more time and effort to sustain since the user needs to ensure they cover system administration and maintenance tasks on a regular basis.
User-Friendliness
Managed hosting is much more user-friendly because providers handle the most complex server tasks. Users need little to no technical skills. Most managed hosts even include website migration for easy setup. In contrast, unmanaged hosting requires users to have expertise in command-line operations, software installation, and security configurations. You are also on your own if technical problems arise.
Performance
Both managed and unmanaged hosting offer the potential for high performance, but managed hosting includes convenient speed optimizations by the provider. 3 common performance enhancers in managed hosting are caching, content delivery networks (CDNs) and autoscaling. Unmanaged hosting allows for more fine-tuned adjustments, but performance depends on the level of the user’s expertise in managing the server.
How Do I Choose Between Managed and Unmanaged Hosting?
Choose managed hosting if you need a reliable, hands-off solution with provider-managed security, updates, and support. Choose unmanaged hosting if you require full control over your server or if you’re on a budget and have the technical expertise to handle configurations and maintenance.
Is There Such a Thing as Semi-Managed Hosting?
Yes, there is such a thing as semi-managed hosting. Semi-managed hosting is a hybrid solution that includes partial management services while leaving specific configurations and maintenance tasks to the user. The hosting provider handles critical updates, basic security measures, and server monitoring, while users retain control over software installations, custom configurations, and performance tuning. This type of hosting is ideal for users who need some level of assistance but still want control over certain aspects of their server environment.
What Hosting Types Can Be Managed or Unmanaged?
There are 4 hosting types that can be managed or unmanaged.
The first is VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting. VPS hosting is a type of hosting that provides a virtualized environment with dedicated resources, balancing affordability and performance. VPS hosting is available as both managed VPS and unmanaged VPS. The second is WordPress hosting, which is a type of hosting optimized for sites built on the WordPress platform. WordPress hosting is predominately available as managed WordPress plans. The third is dedicated server hosting, which is a type of hosting that provides an entire physical server exclusively for one user, delivering maximum performance and customization. Both managed dedicated server hosting and unmanaged dedicated server hosting is available. The fourth is cloud hosting, which is a type of hosting that uses multiple servers to ensure scalability and reliability. This is available in both managed cloud hosting and unmanaged cloud hosting plans.
What’s the Difference Between Managed and Unmanaged VPS?
The key difference between managed and unmanaged VPS is that unmanaged VPS ensures root access. Root access refers to full administrative control over the virtualized server. It allows users to configure software, modify system files, and install applications without restriction. Certain managed VPS plans restrict root access to maintain stability and security, while unmanaged VPS grants full administrative control. Learn more about the differences between managed and unmanaged VPS with our guide.
What Are the Advantages of Managed WordPress Hosting?
There are 6 advantages of managed WordPress hosting. The first is a faster WordPress site. The second is enhanced security. The third is automatic daily backups. The fourth is expert support tailored for WordPress users. The fifth is a more user-friendly hosting experience. The sixth is local WordPress development tools. Learn more about managed WordPress hosting with our guide.
Managed and Unmanaged Dedicated Server: What’s the Difference?
The primary difference between managed and unmanaged dedicated servers is hardware monitoring. Hardware monitoring refers to the continuous tracking of server performance, temperature, and potential failures to ensure optimal functionality and prevent downtime. Managed dedicated server hosting includes proactive monitoring, updates, and security management, while unmanaged dedicated hosting leaves these responsibilities to the user. Learn more about managed vs unmanaged dedicated hosting with our guide.
Managed Hosting vs Unmanaged Hosting: Difference Summary
The difference between managed and unmanaged hosting is most evident in terms of cost, maintenance, and user-friendliness. The distinct characteristics between managed and unmanaged hosting are presented in the table below.
| Attribute | Managed Hosting | Unmanaged Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Higher, includes server management and support | Lower, users handle all configurations |
| Support | 24/7 technical assistance available | Limited or no support beyond hardware issues |
| Security | Provider-managed firewalls, backups, and patches | Users must implement their own security |
| Flexibility | Limited customization due to provider settings | Full control over software and configurations |
| Maintenance | Provider handles updates and troubleshooting | Users responsible for all maintenance |
| User-Friendliness | Easier to use, no technical expertise required | Requires advanced server management skills |
| Performance | Provider optimizations ensure stability | Fully customizable, depends on user expertise |
| Use Case | Small businesses, startups, eCommerce, agencies, bloggers | Developers, enterprises, custom applications, budget-conscious users |
Managed hosting costs more but includes provider support, security updates, and automated maintenance. Unmanaged hosting is cheaper but requires users to handle configurations, security, and upkeep. Unmanaged hosting offers greater flexibility but managed hosting is easier for beginners. Both perform well, with managed hosting benefiting from provider optimizations and unmanaged hosting allowing manual performance tuning.