3 min readVPS
Every VPS host offers both, and almost none of them explain the difference in a way that helps you choose. Usually you get a feature grid where one column has more checkmarks and costs more. Here is the actual distinction, and how to work out which side you belong on.
The line between them
Self-managed means you get root and full responsibility. We keep the hardware, the network and the virtualization layer healthy. Everything above that is yours: the operating system, updates, the web stack, security, and fixing it at two in the morning.
Fully managed means we take that second list. We provision the server for what you told us you are running, install and configure a supported control panel, apply our security baseline before it goes into service, keep the operating system and platform patched, and answer the ticket when something breaks.
Same hardware. Same dedicated cores, same DDR5 ECC memory, same NVMe. The only thing that changes is who does the work.
Four questions that settle it
Do you already run servers? Not "could you learn." Do you, currently, for something else? If yes, self-managed will feel like being handed the keys and left alone, which is what you want. If no, you are about to learn Linux administration on production infrastructure that your business depends on, which is a bad classroom.
What happens if you are unavailable for a week? Vacation, illness, a family thing. If the answer is that nothing gets patched and nobody can log in, you need someone else holding a key.
Is your stack unusual? Custom builds, uncommon daemons, something compiled from source. Managed service works on supported configurations, and if yours really is custom, self-managed plus your own expertise is the better fit.
What is an hour of your time worth? Fully managed adds $30 a month. If server work costs you more than about twenty minutes a month, which it does for most people, managed is the cheaper option.
One thing to know before you order
A VPS ordered without a supported control panel cannot use our standard fully managed service. The panel is how we administer the platform, so if you pick "no control panel" the server goes out self-managed regardless of what else you choose. That is not an upsell. It is a limit on what we can promise to support.
Enhance is included for up to 10 websites on every size, and cPanel and Plesk are available if you would rather use those.
Where we stand
We recommend fully managed for most people, and we say so on the VPS page rather than burying it. The reason is that the failure mode of self-managed hosting is quiet, and by the time it is loud it is usually expensive.
But self-managed exists for a reason, and if you are the person it is for, you already knew which paragraph applied to you three sections ago. Take root, save the thirty dollars, and email us if you want a second opinion on sizing before you buy.