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Quick decision
Not sure if I need managed or unmanaged
You know you need a VPS but you're not sure if you should manage it yourself or pay someone to handle the server layer. The answer depends on whether you want to own the system or just run your app.
CloudwaysManaged VPS on top of major cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP). You deploy apps, they handle OS updates, security patches, server monitoring. Best if you want VPS performance without terminal access.
Visit Cloudways
HetznerUnmanaged — full root access, you configure everything. Best price-to-performance ratio. Right choice if you're comfortable with Linux and want complete control.
Visit Hetzner
DigitalOceanUnmanaged but with the best documentation and managed add-ons (databases, Kubernetes). Good middle ground if you want to learn while having guardrails available.
Visit DigitalOceanNote
Managed hosting costs 2-4x more than raw VPS. If you've never administered a Linux server and can't hire someone who has — managed is the honest answer, not a shortcut.
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