Managed vs Unmanaged VPS: Which Should You Choose?

When shopping for a VPS, you'll encounter two main options: managed and unmanaged. The difference comes down to one question: who handles the server administration — you or your provider?

This guide breaks down both options so you can make the right choice for your skills, time, and budget.

What is an Unmanaged VPS?

An unmanaged VPS gives you a bare server with an operating system installed. That's it. Everything else is your responsibility:

• Installing software
• Configuring firewalls
• Security updates and patches
• Performance optimization
• Troubleshooting issues
• Backups

You get root access and complete control, but also complete responsibility.

Common unmanaged VPS providers:

• Hostinger
• Hetzner
• Vultr
• DigitalOcean
• Linode

What is a Managed VPS?

A managed VPS includes server administration as part of the service. Your provider handles:

• Operating system updates
• Security patches and hardening
• Server monitoring
• Performance optimization
• Technical support for server issues
• Sometimes: backups, malware scanning

You still get root access (usually), but there's a team watching your server and fixing problems before you notice them.

Common managed VPS providers:

• Cloudways (manages Vultr, DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS)
• Liquid Web
• InMotion Hosting
• A2 Hosting

Managed vs Unmanaged: Quick Comparison

Aspect	Unmanaged VPS	Managed VPS
Cost	$4-30/mo	$15-100+/mo
Control	Full root access	Full (with restrictions)
Setup	You do everything	Provider helps or does it
Updates	Your responsibility	Provider handles
Security	You configure	Provider configures
Support	Infrastructure only	Infrastructure + server
Learning Curve	Steep	Gentle
Best For	DevOps, developers	Business owners, agencies

When to Choose Unmanaged VPS

Choose unmanaged if:

1. You know Linux — Comfortable with command line, SSH, and basic sysadmin
2. You want to learn — VPS management is a valuable skill
3. Budget is tight — Unmanaged is significantly cheaper
4. You need specific configurations — Custom stacks, unusual software
5. You enjoy tinkering — Some people actually like server work

Unmanaged is great for:

• Personal projects and learning
• Development/staging environments
• Self-hosted tools (n8n, Nextcloud, etc.)
• Developers who want control
• Small teams with technical skills

Unmanaged VPS Pricing Examples

Provider	Specs	Price
Hostinger	2 vCPU, 8GB RAM	$5.99/mo
Hetzner	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	€4.15/mo
Vultr	1 vCPU, 2GB RAM	$12/mo
DigitalOcean	1 vCPU, 2GB RAM	$12/mo

Hostinger offers the best value for unmanaged VPS — you get 8GB RAM for under $6/month.

When to Choose Managed VPS

Choose managed if:

1. Time is money — You'd rather focus on your business than servers
2. You're not technical — No interest in learning sysadmin
3. Running production workloads — Downtime costs real money
4. Compliance requirements — Need documented security processes
5. Peace of mind — Want someone else handling 3 AM emergencies

Managed is great for:

• Business websites and applications
• E-commerce stores
• Agencies managing client sites
• Anyone who values time over money
• Production applications with SLA requirements

Managed VPS Pricing Examples

Provider	Specs	Price
Cloudways (Vultr)	1 vCPU, 1GB RAM	$14/mo
Cloudways (DigitalOcean)	1 vCPU, 1GB RAM	$14/mo
Liquid Web	2 vCPU, 2GB RAM	$15/mo
A2 Hosting	1 vCPU, 1GB RAM	$25/mo

The Middle Ground: DIY Management Tools

What if you want unmanaged VPS prices but don't want to manage everything manually? There's a middle path: server management panels.

These tools give you a GUI to manage your unmanaged VPS:

• Coolify — Open source, deploy apps with git push
• Dokploy — Docker-based deployments, free
• Ploi — Paid panel, Laravel-focused
• RunCloud — Paid panel, WordPress-focused
• ServerPilot — Simple LAMP stack management

The setup:

1. Get a cheap unmanaged VPS from Hostinger or Hetzner
2. Install a management panel
3. Get 80% of managed convenience at 20% of the cost

Check our Coolify VPS guide or Dokploy guide to get started.

What "Managed" Actually Includes

Not all managed VPS providers offer the same level of management. Here's what to look for:

Always Included

• OS updates and patches
• Server monitoring
• Basic security configuration
• Support for server-level issues

Sometimes Included

• Automatic backups
• Free SSL certificates
• DDoS protection
• Malware scanning
• Application-level support (WordPress, etc.)

Rarely Included

• Code debugging
• Application optimization
• Database query tuning
• Custom development

Always check what's included — "managed" means different things to different providers.

Cost Analysis: Managed vs Unmanaged

Let's compare total cost of ownership:

Scenario: Running a Production Web App

Unmanaged (Hostinger 8GB plan):

• VPS: $5.99/mo
• Your time (4 hrs/mo @ $50/hr): $200/mo
• Total: ~$206/mo (but you learn a lot)

Managed (Cloudways DigitalOcean 8GB):

• Managed VPS: $96/mo
• Your time: minimal
• Total: ~$96/mo (no learning, more time for your business)

The takeaway: If your hourly rate is high and time is limited, managed VPS often makes economic sense. If you're learning or have time to spare, unmanaged is the better investment.

Hybrid Approach: Start Unmanaged, Add Tools

Our recommended path for most people:

1. Start with Hostinger unmanaged VPS — Cheapest entry point, great value
2. Install Coolify or Dokploy — Get a management interface
3. Learn the basics — SSH, firewalls, updates
4. Use automated tools — Docker for deployments, cron for backups
5. Scale up as needed — Move to managed only if truly needed

This gives you the best of both worlds: low cost, learning opportunity, and reasonable convenience.

Security Comparison

Security Aspect	Unmanaged	Managed
Firewall setup	You configure	Pre-configured
SSH hardening	You configure	Pre-configured
Updates	You run manually	Automatic
Monitoring	You set up	Included
Incident response	You handle	Provider helps
Backups	You configure	Often included

With unmanaged VPS, use our VPS Security Guide to lock down your server properly.

Making Your Decision

Choose Unmanaged if:

• Budget under $20/mo
• You're technical or want to learn
• Running personal projects or dev environments
• You enjoy system administration

Choose Managed if:

• Running business-critical applications
• Time is more valuable than money
• You need guaranteed uptime and support
• Compliance or auditing requirements

Our Recommendation

For most readers of this site: start with an unmanaged VPS from Hostinger.

Why?

1. Price — $4-6/mo vs $15-100/mo for managed
2. Learning — VPS skills are valuable and transferable
3. Control — No restrictions on what you can run
4. Tools exist — Coolify/Dokploy make management much easier

Managed VPS makes sense for businesses where server issues mean lost revenue. But if you're exploring self-hosting or building side projects, unmanaged is the way to go.

Next Steps

Ready to get started?

• Best Cheap VPS — Top unmanaged options
• VPS Security Guide — Lock down your server
• Coolify VPS Guide — Easy self-hosted PaaS
• VPS Buying Guide 2026 — Complete buying guide