What it costs to run
How much it costs depends on how you host it — and the biggest cost is the one people forget: your time. Here's a realistic look at the three common options.
Cloud Key vs self-managed VPS vs managed hosting
- Cloud Key / on-site — ~$199 hardware up front, power only after that, plus your time for setup, patching, backups and eventual replacement.
- Self-managed VPS — roughly $5–$20/mo, plus the time to install, secure, update and back it up yourself.
- Managed hosting (us) — from $5/mo, with effectively no time cost — we run it.
Figures are approximate and for comparison only; hardware and VPS pricing vary.
The cost nobody counts: time
A Cloud Key or a VPS can look cheap until you add the hours. Someone has to install the controller, keep it patched, take and test backups, harden it against attack, and troubleshoot it when a release breaks something. For a business owner or a one-person IT team, that time is the real expense — and it tends to arrive at the worst moment.
Our managed UniFi hosting starts at $5/mo with no per-device surprises — and updates, backups, monitoring and security are included, so the time cost is on us.
Quick answers
Is it cheaper to buy a Cloud Key or pay for hosting?
A Cloud Key is a lower one-time cost, but you maintain it and eventually replace it, and it depends on your site's power and internet. Managed hosting is a small monthly fee with updates, backups and uptime handled — often cheaper once you count your time.
How much is managed UniFi hosting?
Our managed UniFi hosting starts at $5/mo with no per-device pricing surprises; larger or multi-site deployments get a custom quote.
Want it hosted and managed for you?
Fully managed by a real US-based team — call 317.774.2100.