Starter vs. Managed

RadiateU WordPress Service Plans — Starter vs. Managed

WordPress Service Plans
Starter vs. Managed

A clear guide to what’s included, who’s responsible, and how to choose the right service level for your site.

Same Monitoring Infrastructure Different Level of Response Guaranteed Action on Managed
Every Client Receives

The Foundation — Included on All Plans

Every WordPress site on RadiateU’s platform benefits from the same automated monitoring and maintenance infrastructure — regardless of plan tier.

🔄

Automated Updates

Automated plugin updates run on a regular schedule. Starter sites also get a scheduled manual review roughly every 6 months to cover premium plugins.

👁️

Visual Regression Testing

Automated before-and-after screenshots capture visual changes triggered by updates so issues are caught early.

📡

Uptime Monitoring

Continuous availability tracking with instant downtime detection keeps a constant eye on site availability.

🛡️

Security Scanning

Vulnerability notifications identify potential security risks across plugins, themes, and WordPress core.

📋

Monthly Reports

Automated monthly reporting provides comprehensive site health insights including updates, uptime, and flags.

💾

Backup System

Hosting-level backups ensure data recovery capabilities are available when needed.

Critical Understanding: These monitoring and alert systems provide visibility into potential issues — they do not include automatic human response or intervention. The key difference between service tiers lies entirely in who responds to these alerts.

The Crucial Distinction: Visibility vs. Response

Both service tiers receive identical monitoring data and alert notifications. The fundamental difference is not in what we detect, but in who takes responsibility for acting on that information.

🔔 Starter — You’re Alerted → ⚡ Managed — We Take Action
Plan Breakdown

How Each Plan Works

The same alerts reach both tiers. What happens next is what separates them.

⚙️ Starter (Automated)

Client-Directed Support

Technology provides the signals. You decide when to act.

Automated systems monitor your site and surface alerts. Your team — or your agency partner — reviews those alerts and decides when to request support. RadiateU responds when called upon.
How It Works
1
Alert Generated Automated systems detect an update failure, downtime event, or vulnerability
2
Client Assessment Client or agency partner reviews alerts and determines which require immediate attention
3
Support Request Client or partner contacts RadiateU to request investigation or remediation assistance
4
Hours-Based Work RadiateU performs requested work using approved support hours from the client’s block allocation
Best Fit Agencies with dedicated tech teams, clients who prefer hands-on control, or small brochure sites with low complexity and limited premium plugins.
🛡️ Managed

Proactive Response

Technology provides the signals. We guarantee action.

When alerts trigger, the RadiateU technical team investigates and addresses issues proactively — without requiring client prompts. Clients are notified of what was found and what was done.
How It Works
1
Automatic Alert Detection System identifies potential issues through automated monitoring across all tracked metrics
2
Team Investigation RadiateU’s technical team reviews the alert context, severity, and potential impact — immediately
3
Proactive Resolution Issues addressed without waiting for client request — updates rolled back, vulnerabilities patched, uptime restored
4
Risk Reduction Continuous attention minimizes exposure windows and maintains optimal site health without client oversight
Best Fit Organizations without technical staff, ecommerce or membership sites, agencies managing large portfolios where proactive oversight adds significant value.
Side-by-Side Comparison

Capability Matrix

Use this when consulting with clients or partners to determine the right service level.

Capability Starter Managed
Automated updates & monitoring ✓ Included ✓ Included
Visibility into alerts & issues ✓ Included ✓ Included
Guaranteed proactive response ✕ Not included ✓ Included
Investigation of update failures ✕ Not included ✓ Included
Visual regression review & rollback ✕ Not included ✓ Included
Uptime incident response ✕ Not included ✓ Included
Vulnerability triage & mitigation ✕ Not included ✓ Included
Manual plugin updates (premium/licensed) Semi-annually * ✓ Included
Priority handling ✕ Not included ✓ Included

* For Starter plans, failures and vulnerabilities are visible to the client and may be addressed during the scheduled six-month manual update cycle or via requested support hours.

Simply Put

Is Starter the Right Fit?

Use this guide to quickly assess whether a client site is well-suited to the Starter plan.

✓ Starter Works Well For

  • Small brochure or basic lead-generation sites
  • Sites with low to moderate complexity and limited custom functionality
  • Sites with minimal reliance on licensed/premium plugins
  • Organizations with higher tolerance for delayed response to issues
  • Agencies with in-house technical expertise who handle their own incident response
  • Clients comfortable reviewing alerts and submitting support requests when needed

✕ Starter Is Not Well-Suited For

  • Ecommerce or payment-processing sites
  • Membership sites or areas with login-required content
  • Sites using advanced plugins or custom-coded features
  • Businesses that need fast, hands-on help or proactive monitoring
  • Sites where downtime, security incidents, or instability have reputational, revenue, or legal impact
Decision Guide

How to Choose the Right Plan

Consider these four factors when recommending a service tier to clients or partners.

🔧 Technical Capacity

Does the client or agency have dedicated WordPress expertise to regularly review dashboards and respond to alerts?

→
Yes — Internal team actively monitors and coordinates response
Starter may be appropriate
→
No — Monitoring and response need to be handled externally
Managed recommended

⚠️ Risk Tolerance

How quickly must security vulnerabilities or uptime issues be addressed to avoid business impact?

→
Higher tolerance — Temporary downtime or delayed fixes are acceptable
Starter acceptable with awareness
→
Low tolerance — Downtime or incidents carry reputational, revenue, or legal impact
Managed strongly recommended

🌐 Website Complexity

How complex is the site’s functionality and underlying technical setup?

→
Low complexity — Brochure sites, basic lead generation, minimal integrations
Starter can be sufficient
→
High complexity — Ecommerce, memberships, subscriptions, LMS, payments, custom code
Managed strongly recommended

🎯 Response Expectations

What level of human response is expected once an issue is detected?

→
Best-effort — Issues are visible; action taken when requested
Starter may be appropriate
→
Proactive — Issues investigated and addressed without client prompting
Managed required
Universal Policy

Premium Plugin Licensing

This policy applies uniformly to all service tiers and is a critical consideration for clients and partner agencies.

License Requirements

Premium plugins cannot receive updates without valid, active licenses from their original vendors.

RadiateU’s Position

We can purchase a plugin on behalf of a client at the client’s request. If not requested — ownership remains with the client or agency.

Client Responsibility

Clients or their agency partners must provide valid licenses for any premium plugins requiring maintenance.

Unlicensed Plugin Risk

Plugins without valid licenses remain on the site as documented risk factors but cannot be updated. RadiateU documents and notifies the client accordingly.

Important for Managed clients: While Managed plans include proactive response and manual updates for premium plugins, clients must still provide valid licenses. Our team can perform the work, but cannot update plugins without proper licensing.
Essential Takeaway

Signals vs. Action

Both plans run on the same monitoring platform. The difference is entirely about who is accountable for what happens next.

📶

Same Signals

Identical monitoring data, alerts, uptime tracking, and monthly reports for every client.

⚙️

Starter = You Act

You review alerts, decide priority, and submit requests. RadiateU responds when called.

🛡️

Managed = We Act

RadiateU investigates, resolves, and reports back. No client prompting required.

“Think of it as the difference between a car with a check engine light and a car with a dedicated mechanic. Both vehicles alert you to problems. Only one comes with someone responsible for fixing them.”