Managed vs Self-Hosted React Native OTA: It's About Ownership, Not Infrastructure

When choosing between managed and self-hosted Over-the-Air (OTA) update systems for React Native apps, the core difference lies in who owns operational responsibility, not where files are stored. Both approaches support channels, rollouts, rollbacks, and CDN delivery, but a managed service shifts platform operations to a provider while self-hosting places that burden on the organization. One responsibility that cannot be outsourced in either model is verifying that an OTA update is compatible with the native binary already installed on a user's device, since OTA can only replace JavaScript and bundled assets, not native modules or compiled capabilities. Self-hosted systems offer greater flexibility and control but require the organization to handle server upgrades, security patching, backups, and multi-generation client protocol compatibility. The right choice depends on an organization's size, regulatory requirements, and existing platform capabilities rather than a universal preference for one model over the other.