Written by: Laura Bernheim
Edited by: Lillian Castro
What is managed hosting, you may ask? Bear with us as we explain through real estate.
If shared hosting is living in an apartment building (with multiple tenants sharing the same building), VPS hosting would equate to owning a condo — while you may share some resources with neighbors, you are ultimately responsible for maintaining your property.
Cloud hosting is staying at a hotel, renting an Airbnb, or maybe even couch surfing — you don’t have a permanent home but always have a place to stay. Dedicated hosting would be like owning a house; no one else but you has access to its resources.
In this analogy, managed hosting is like a property manager or a handyman. They take care of some of the work so you can relax or focus on making a living; managed hosting companies take care of the technical stuff while you decide what content to create.
What is “Managed VPS” Hosting?
VPS hosting gives you more control to customize your server options — but not total control. In this case, managed hosting is like a condo owners’ association. Yes, you can technically throw a huge party, but eventually, your neighbors are going to complain. Managed VPS hosting makes sure all the neighbors are getting along nicely and the community is monitored.
With the close monitoring, however, managed cloud and VPS hosting providers can quickly alert you and provide recommendations on the best way to scale — in many cases taking care of the upgrades for you. Alternatively, the host will be able to inform you if your property is ready to jump up to a dedicated server. Here are our top choices for managed VPS hosting:
1. Kamatera.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.00
- Cloud VPS that's more flexible and affordable
- Load balancer, firewall, and managed services
- Premium Intel CPUs with 300% more power
- Choose between monthly or hourly billing
- Sign up today for a 30-day FREE trial
- Get started on Kamatera now.
VPS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
Backed by cutting-edge cloud computing technology, Kamatera adds instant and limitless scalability to the VPS hosting marketplace. Each cloud or virtual server is equipped with blazing-fast SSD storage and Intel Xeon Platinum CPUs. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 20 GB SSD - 4 TB SSD | 1 - 104 cores | 1 GB - 525 GB |
2. IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.00
- $2/month with no hidden fees
- Try it FREE via 30-day money-back guarantee
- Full root access and API
- 10GB to 240GB SSD, Linux or Windows
- No throttling or traffic restrictions, ever
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
VPS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
For an all-star player in the game of web hosting flexibility, look no further than the low-cost options from 1&1 IONOS. The company's vServers are a powerful VPS option that includes dedicated resources and unlimited traffic. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 80 GB SSD - 240 GB SSD | 1 - 8 cores | 512 MB - 24 GB |
3. A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $5.99
- Turbo server & cache options for faster page loads
- Well-built plans starting with 4GB RAM
- FREE CDN plus auto-installs with Softaculous
- Multilingual support and up to unlimited databases
- Enhanced security with and daily kernel updates
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
VPS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
While A2 Hosting's turbocharged shared hosting platform gives site owners ample room to grow, the company's tech prowess is on full display with its portfolio of VPS options. Ranging from unmanaged, bare-metal environments to stress-free, fully managed space, A2 Hosting is sure to have the perfect option for your expanding online presence. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 minutes | 150 GB SSD - 450 GB SSD | 1 - 8 cores | 1 GB - 32 GB |
What is “Managed WordPress” Hosting?
Because managed hosting services typically refer to hosting administrators taking care of a server and other infrastructure for you, WordPress hosting can be a little confusing. Essentially, your managed hosting provider will still take care of all the tech stuff for you — but this time it will all be in the name of helping your WordPress site run faster and more securely.
Managed WordPress hosts give you a hassle-free experience with the world’s most popular content management system. Hosts, like the ones listed below, will often install web application firewalls, staging areas, and WP-specific caching solutions finely tuned for performance. And don’t forget automatic updates of the WordPress Core installation and your plugins!
4. Nexcess.net
Monthly Starting Price $12.67
- Fully managed WordPress hosting for 1 to 100 sites
- Get started quickly with Qubely Pro for Gutenberg
- 1-click staging and unlimited email accounts
- Built-in image compression, caching, and CDN
- 24/7/365 support via phone, email, and live chat
- Get started on Nexcess now.
MANAGED WORDPRESS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
Unlock the peace of mind that comes with premium managed services delivered by WordPress experts. The Nexcess team bundles performance, security, and always-available support into high-value hosting. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 15 GB - 800 GB | 6 minutes |
5. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $19.95
- 1-click WordPress installs via enhanced cPanel
- VPS with NGINX architecture for extreme speed
- Advanced CDN and WAF protection
- Custom cPanel simplifies WP site management
- Instant provisioning and regular backups
- Get started on Bluehost now.
MANAGED WORDPRESS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
From a custom WordPress control console to core software updates, Bluehost is a go-to for managed WordPress hosting services. The company’s plans are ideal for the first-time site owner, but Bluehost’s in-house hardware and performance-boosting technologies are fit for the seasoned website professional, too…. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 50 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 7 minutes |
6. SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- Managed services for all WordPress plans
- In-house-built technologies for speed and support
- WordPress kept up to date with automatic backups
- Easily test and deploy changes via staging area
- 3 levels of caching for optimal performance
- Get started on SiteGround now.
MANAGED WORDPRESS
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
The SiteGround team touts fully managed services across all hosting plans, including WordPress. The company caters its managed WordPress plans to customers in search of speed, performance, scalability, and support. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD | New or Transfer | 6 minutes |
See other top managed WordPress hosts »
What is “Managed Server” Hosting?
Managed dedicated hosting packages will typically offer the most services, while managed cloud and VPS services are more likely to focus on the infrastructure setup and maintenance. If you’re paying top dollar for exclusive use of an entire server, managed services likely won’t break the bank. Consider signing up with one of the hosts listed below for true white-glove service.
In your house of dedicated hosting, managed services are like hiring a landscaping company or handyman. You’re still most likely responsible for hanging pictures on the wall, but you can hire as many people as you want to paint, clean, and cook. Here are our top three picks for managed dedicated hosting:
4. IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $33.00
- Explore server deals to find the best rates
- High powered modern AMD and Intel processors
- Unlimited traffic and 1 Gbit/s network connectivity
- 8-minute deployment with full API control
- Auto backups, DDoS protection, and RAID-1 storage
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
DEDICATED
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
If you need blazing-fast speed, optimum uptime, top-notch flexibility, and full control over the fate of your website the dedicated servers from 1&1 IONOS have you covered. The company offers an assortment of entry-level, performance-focused, and business-class server options. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 minutes | 480 GB SSD - 2 TB HDD | 4 - 32 cores, 8 - 64 threads | 16 GB - 256 GB |
5. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $69.99
- Bare-metal or managed servers available
- 1-on-1 time with a server administrator
- 99.99% uptime via Smart Routing™ technology
- Tier 1 network with redundant bandwidth
- SSH root access and DDoS protection on all servers
- Upgrade for cPanel, migration, and auto backups
- Get started on InMotion now.
DEDICATED
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
InMotion Hosting offers amazingly fast and reliable dedicated hosting on market-leading hardware — making it an easy choice for anyone seeking a premium dedicated server host. From free SSDs to a fanatical support team, InMotion has all the bases covered for both small-scale and large-scale operations. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 minutes | 1 TB SSD - 4 TB SSD | 4 - 8 cores, 8 - 16 threads | 16 GB DDR3 - 128 GB DDR4 |
6. LiquidWeb.com
Monthly Starting Price $99.00
- Linux or Windows with choice of 3 control panels
- 100% network and power uptime guarantees
- Custom configurations and instant provisioning
- Auto-migrations, backups, and real-time monitoring
- Block/object storage and load balancer add-ons
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
DEDICATED
RATING
★★★★★
Our Review
Liquid Web's strong suit is managed dedicated server hosting. The company owns and operates five state-of-the-art datacenters in the US and Europe works tirelessly to build and maintain custom solutions for added performance and security. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 minutes | 250 GB - 500 GB SSD (+ 1 TB HDD) | 4 - 12 cores | 16 GB - 32 GB |
See other top dedicated server hosts »
A Basic Definition
Simply put, managed hosting services minimize the amount of hands-on IT work that needs to be performed to keep a server running at peak performance. With this type of plan, the hosting company will handle the hardware while you focus on your software.
Don’t have the knowledge, staff, or time to manage a web server? Sign up for managed web hosting.
Managed hosting used to be somewhat synonymous with dedicated hosting. Larger companies that can afford dedicated hosting decide if they want their IT teams to handle the web servers, or focus on in-house hardware and leave the servers to the hosting company.
Intro to Managed Hosting
The specific services included with managed hosting can vary wildly among hosting companies. Some companies offer managed hosting as an add-on to their existing cloud, VPS, or dedicated packages, while others include managed services in each rate or even make their system administration teams available at hourly rates.
The differences in managed service packages boil down to what you want the hosting provider to administer: infrastructure or operations.
- Semi-managed hosting is great for people or businesses who want to use a hosting company’s support and infrastructure but feel comfortable managing their own servers.
- Fully-managed hosting is best for those with limited technical knowledge. Fully-managed hosting allows people or companies to focus on growing their business.
When your website family is growing too large for your cramped apartment, it’s time to move out of the shared hosting complex and into VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting. This is where managed hosting shines.
Some hosts offer managed shared hosting, but beware: technically, shared hosting is inherently managed. Don’t let a company charge extra for the same cPanel access, 24/7 support, or one-click WordPress installations that you can find included in most other shared hosting packages.
Kick Back, Relax, and Let Your Hosting Provider Take Care of the Rest
To keep the analogy flowing, think of managed hosting as a vacation. This is your opportunity to sit back, do what you enjoy, and let others take care of the nitty-gritty technical details. With managed hosting, you can focus on your business or design while your host installs updates and optimizes performance.
Managed hosting is the perfect solution for those with a growing website or online business, and not much technical know-how as far as optimizing performance and security. Don’t fret about trusting your site to the experts — they’ll take perfect care of you.
See Our Full Review of Kamatera
Whatever type of hosting plan you’re looking for, Kamatera is a solid choice no matter the scale. Our reviewer Laura Bernheim recently took Kamatera for a spin, and rated the popular host a 4.9 in the VPS Hosting category out of a perfect score of 5.0. Here’s what Laura had to say about Kamatera:
Offering an astounding 30-day free trial of its cloud computing and storage hosting plans, Kamatera is a great choice for developers who value performance and scalability. Beginning site owners may be a bit overwhelmed at first, but the web host’s managed cloud services and always-there support team will help you through any issues.
Before signing up for Kamatera, it’s a good idea to read through Laura‘s full review to learn about all the features Kamatera offers. You can also compare it to other web hosts to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible:
If you decide Kamatera is the right choice, keep in mind that it takes just minutes to deploy your Kamatera server space. And at $4.00 per month, it’s a bargain considering the many great features that come in any Kamatera plan.
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