Managed hosting where managed actually means something.
Most hosting sold as managed is a shared server with a control panel and a support queue. Ours means your site sits in its own isolated container, updates are tested on staging before they touch it, backups run off-site nightly, and when something is wrong a person who knows your site answers.
Server healthyIsolated, monitored, backed up
What managed hosting gives you
Nine things that separate real managed hosting from a cheap shared account with a fancy name.
An isolated environment
Your site runs in its own container with its own resources. A busy neighbour cannot slow you down, and a compromised neighbour cannot reach you.
A staging site
A full copy of your site to test updates and changes on before anything touches the live version. This single feature prevents most of the disasters we get called about.
Nightly off-site backups
Stored away from the server itself with thirty day retention, and restores that get tested rather than assumed. A backup on the same machine is not a backup.
A global CDN
Your pages cached at edge locations worldwide, so a visitor in Cape Town and one in London both get it fast. Included, not an upsell.
Current PHP and server software
Kept to a supported PHP version and tested for compatibility with your site first, so you never hit the white screen that follows a forced upgrade nobody prepared for.
Free SSL, managed
Issued, installed and renewed automatically, with expiry monitored. Nobody should lose a day's traffic to a lapsed certificate in 2026.
Server-level caching
Configured properly for WordPress and WooCommerce, including the pages that must never be cached, like carts and checkouts.
Support from people who know your site
You message us, not a ticket queue that asks you to clear your cache. We built or audited the site, so we already know how it is put together.
Migration handled for you
We copy the site, test it fully on the new server, then switch DNS at a quiet hour. Free with any plan, and your existing site stays live until the new one is proven.
The cheapest hosting is the most expensive thing on your site the week it fails.
Shared hosting against managed hosting
Cheap hosting is genuinely fine for a hobby site. The table below is about what changes once the site has to earn.
| What you are paying for | Cheap shared hosting | Managed hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Resources | Shared with hundreds | Isolated container |
| Updates | Your problem | Tested on staging weekly |
| Backups | Same server, if any | Off-site nightly, 30 days |
| Staging site | No | Included |
| CDN | Paid add-on | Included |
| Speed under load | Degrades | Holds |
| Support | Ticket queue | People who know your site |
| If it gets hacked | Quoted separately | Cleanup included |
| Monthly cost | R60 to R250 | From R1,250, plan included |
The real comparison is not R60 against R1,250. It is R60 plus a backup service, plus a security plugin licence, plus your own hours, plus the cost of the week it goes wrong.
How migration works
Free with any plan, done in the evening, and your current site stays live until the new one is tested and proven.
Full copy taken
Files, database, email routing checked, nothing touched on your live site.
Rebuilt on our stack
Current PHP, caching configured, SSL issued, and the site tested page by page.
You approve it
We give you a preview link so you can click through everything before anything changes publicly.
DNS switched
Done at a quiet hour with a low TTL set in advance, so visitors move across without noticing.
Old host kept for 14 days
We do not cancel anything until the new setup has run clean for two weeks. Then you close the old account.
Managed hosting pricing
Hosting is not sold separately. It is included in every maintenance plan, because hosting without maintenance is how sites end up in the state we get called to fix.
Essential
Managed hosting, staging, nightly backups, updates and monitoring for a standard business site.
Growth
Everything above plus content, search work and two hours of changes a month.
Critical
For stores and lead-critical sites: one hour response, after-hours line and a maintained staging environment.
Full plan comparison on website maintenance packages. Security detail on website security.
Managed hosting questions
What does managed hosting cost in South Africa?
Ours starts at R1,250 a month with the full maintenance plan included. Standalone managed hosting locally runs roughly R400 to R3,000 a month depending on resources. We do not sell it standalone, because hosting without someone maintaining the site is where most problems come from.
Where are the servers located?
On enterprise infrastructure with a global CDN in front, so pages are served from an edge location near the visitor. For a South African audience that means local delivery speed, and international visitors get the same.
Will moving hosts affect my Google rankings?
Not when it is done properly, and Google documents the correct approach in its site move guidance. URLs stay identical, the site is tested before the switch, and DNS moves at a quiet hour. Rankings usually improve afterwards because the site gets faster, which is a ranking factor.
What happens to my email when I move hosting?
Nothing. Email and web hosting are separate services with separate DNS records, and we do not touch your mail records. If your email is currently on the same old host, we plan that move separately so nothing goes dark.
Can I get access to the server?
Yes. You get full access including files, database and staging. Some agencies hold hosting hostage to keep clients. Everything is in your name and you can take it elsewhere whenever you like.
How much traffic can the hosting handle?
Far more than most South African business sites will ever see, and it scales if you outgrow it. If a campaign or a press mention is coming, tell us and we provision ahead of it rather than discovering the ceiling live.
Do you host e-commerce stores?
Yes, with caching configured correctly for WooCommerce so carts and checkouts are never cached. Busy stores usually belong on Performance or Critical, since downtime on a store is directly measurable in lost sales.
What is a staging site and do I need one?
It is a private copy of your live site where changes and updates get tested first. You need one the moment your site matters, because it turns a broken update from a public emergency into a private inconvenience.
Can I host multiple websites?
Yes, each on its own plan, and we discount multiple sites under the same account. Speak to us with the number and we will price it properly rather than multiplying the list price.
Is there a setup fee?
No, and migration is free. The only once-off charge is the R2,500 audit for sites we did not build, and that is credited against your first three months.
What if I want to leave?
Thirty days notice, we hand over a full backup and help move the site to wherever you are going. No exit fee and no hostage-taking.
Do you offer a service level agreement?
On the Critical plan, yes, with a one business hour response commitment and an after-hours emergency line. Lower plans commit to same business day, which suits most businesses honestly.
The rest of what we do
Managed hosting is one part of it. Start from website design company in South Africa for the overview.
We will move your site across for free.
Send us your web address and current host. We copy the site, rebuild it on our stack, and give you a preview link so you can see it running faster before you commit to anything.