Hosting guide
How Much Does Managed Hosting Really Cost in the UK? (2026 Guide)
Managed hosting prices in the UK range from under £100 per month to several thousand. This guide explains what those prices really mean - and how to avoid paying for the wrong level of service.
Last updated: February 2026
Quick Answer
- Small business managed hosting typically costs £80-£250/month.
- Growing platforms usually fall between £250-£750/month.
- Mission-critical systems often exceed £1,000/month.
- Very cheap "managed" hosting rarely includes meaningful management.
Why Managed Hosting Prices Vary So Much
Two services labelled "managed hosting" can be completely different products.
Some providers include only basic patching. Others provide full monitoring, security management, incident response, and ongoing optimisation.
The price reflects how much responsibility the provider usually takes.
Typical UK Pricing Ranges
| Service Level | Monthly Cost | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Managed | £80 - £150 | Small sites, low traffic |
| Standard Managed | £150 - £350 | Agencies, SMEs |
| Advanced Managed | £350 - £750 | SaaS, e-commerce |
| Enterprise | £750+ | High availability systems |
These figures assume UK or EU-based infrastructure and professional support.
What You Are Actually Paying For
Managed hosting is primarily a service business, not a hardware business.
Most of your monthly fee goes towards expertise, availability, and risk reduction.
Core components
- 24/7 monitoring and alerting
- Security patching
- Incident investigation
- Backup oversight
- Performance tuning
- Capacity planning
- Technical support
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Low advertised prices often hide additional charges.
Common extras
- Emergency support fees
- Out-of-hours rates
- Backup storage charges
- Restore fees
- Migration costs
- Security incident response
Always ask for a written scope of what is included.
The True Cost of "Cheap" Hosting
Unmanaged or lightly-managed services appear cheaper, but often cost more long-term.
Downtime, breaches, and emergency consultants are far more expensive than proper management.
Real-world example
A £60/month VPS suffers a breach due to missed updates. Cleanup, data restoration, and reputation damage can easily exceed £5,000.
How Pricing Is Calculated
Most providers base pricing on risk and workload.
- Number of servers
- Traffic volume
- Criticality
- Security requirements
- Compliance needs
- Support expectations
Higher risk environments require more monitoring and expertise.
When Managed Hosting Is Worth the Cost
Managed hosting delivers the best value when:
- Your platform generates revenue
- Downtime impacts customers
- You lack in-house sysadmins
- Security matters
- You need predictable costs
For most commercial platforms, management pays for itself.
When It May Not Be Necessary
Managed hosting is not always the right choice.
- Personal projects
- Development sandboxes
- Learning environments
- Low-risk prototypes
In these cases, unmanaged hosting may be more appropriate.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Provider
- What response times are guaranteed?
- What monitoring is in place?
- How are backups verified?
- Who handles security incidents?
- Is out-of-hours support included?
- What is excluded?
Balancing Cost and Risk
The cheapest option is rarely the safest.
Most businesses benefit from choosing a provider that reduces operational risk, even if the headline price is higher.
How Volteric Can Help
Volteric provides transparent, UK-based managed hosting with clearly defined scopes and predictable pricing.
- Managed VPS and dedicated servers
- System administration services
- Security and monitoring
- Backup and recovery planning