When you need hosting, you will usually face a choice: do it yourself through an online storefront, or choose a managed plan where someone else looks after it for you. Neither route is right for everyone. The best choice depends on how much time you have, how comfortable you are with the technical side, and how much help you want.
The self-serve route
With self-serve hosting, you register domains and pick hosting in an online storefront and run it yourself. That suits people who know what they need, are happy to set things up, and want to stay in direct control. You choose the domain, choose the hosting, and manage the account from there. If you already own a domain, you can choose “I already have a Domain Name” when you buy hosting, so the cart charges hosting only. You can also add Unlimited Email Hosting for $2.99/mo in the storefront if you need email on your domain.
The managed route
With a managed plan, Webcraft builds, hosts, and looks after everything for one monthly price. That suits business owners who would rather focus on running the business than on website settings. Business email setup is included in every managed plan: we create your addresses on your domain, set up the mail records, and hand you the logins. Managed plans are Launch at $29/mo, Growth at $59/mo, and Business at $99/mo. You can also pay yearly at 10× the monthly price — $290, $590, or $990 per year — which works out to two months free.
How to choose
Ask yourself a few honest questions. Do you enjoy setting up accounts and sorting out settings, or would you rather hand that work to someone else? Do you have time to keep an eye on the site, or is that time better spent with customers? If you like control and are comfortable doing the setup yourself, self-serve may suit you. If you want the website handled for you, with email setup included, a managed plan may be the simpler choice.
There is no wrong answer, and you do not have to decide alone. If you are not sure yet, say so in the Start Your Project form — tell us what your business needs, and we can talk through which route fits best before you commit to anything.