Managed, self-hosted, or source handoff: how to choose
The same system can be delivered in different ways. The real difference is maintenance responsibility, technical overhead, and future change cost.
Start with technical capability
Clients often compare packages by price first. The better question is: who is responsible for stability after launch? If the client has no technical team, self-hosting or source handoff is usually the wrong first choice.
A managed license is closer to buying an operating system plus ongoing assurance: public site, admin, database, hosting, SSL, CDN, backups, and critical bug fixes.
Who should choose managed hosting
Managed hosting works for clients who do not want to handle servers, CDN, security, or backups. The client focuses on business content, rates, numbers, and ad results while Truspaix keeps the system running.
- Standard fits one market and low-frequency changes
- Plus fits ongoing ads, landing-page tests, and more frequent operations
- Ad budget, complex CRM, and major redesigns are still scoped separately
Who should choose self-hosting
Self-hosting fits clients with their own technical people or existing infrastructure. It costs less because the production environment, backups, security, and troubleshooting are mainly the client’s responsibility.
The boundary must be written clearly. Deployment notes can be included, but operations coverage, data backups, security incidents, and environment problems are not default maintenance.
Who should choose source handoff
Source handoff fits clients who want the project as an internal technical asset. It costs more than usage rights because the delivery includes public site source, admin source, database schema, deployment notes, and one launch assist.
Source handoff does not mean copyright buyout or resale rights. Resale, exclusivity, or restrictions on Truspaix reuse must be scoped and priced separately.