Cloudways
by Cloudways (DigitalOcean)
Managed cloud hosting that simplifies server management.
Score
Score
Our verdict
Cloudways bridges the gap between shared hosting and raw cloud servers, providing managed hosting on DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud with a simple dashboard, free SSL, CDN, and staging. It excels for developers and agencies who want cloud performance without DevOps overhead. The main caveat is no email hosting and a higher price point than basic shared hosting.
Overview
Screenshot
Score breakdown
Overall score
Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.
Expert review
CBAI Editorial Team
Compare Best AI · Editorial Team
Cloudways solves a real problem: getting cloud hosting performance without needing server administration skills. It deploys servers on DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud and manages the server stack — PHP, MySQL, NGINX, Varnish, Memcached — so you can focus on building websites.
How we tested
Days tested
30 days
Tasks evaluated
- ·Server deployment and configuration
- ·WordPress performance benchmarks
- ·Staging workflow
- ·CDN performance
- ·Backup and restore testing
- ·Support response quality
Method
Head-to-head with Kinsta and SiteGround on identical WordPress and WooCommerce sites
Reviewer
CBAI Editorial Team
Plans & pricing
DigitalOcean 1GB
Small WordPress sites and blogs
- 1GB RAM
- 1 core
- 25GB SSD
- 1TB bandwidth
- Free SSL and CDN
- Staging
DigitalOcean 2GB
Growing sites and WooCommerce stores
- 2GB RAM
- 1 core
- 50GB SSD
- 2TB bandwidth
- All managed features
AWS Small
Sites needing AWS infrastructure and reliability
- 2GB RAM
- 2 cores
- 20GB SSD
- AWS infrastructure
- All managed features
GCP Small
Sites wanting Google Cloud performance
- 1.7GB RAM
- 1 core
- 20GB SSD
- Google Cloud infrastructure
- All managed features
Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Cloudways | Kinsta | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | |||
| Cloud provider choice (DO, AWS, GCP) | |||
| Dedicated server resources | |||
| Management | |||
| Managed server stack | |||
| Staging environments | |||
| Flexibility | |||
| Non-WordPress hosting | |||
| Pricing | |||
| Pay-as-you-go billing | |||
Is it right for you?
Good fit for
Web developers
Cloud performance with SSH, Git, staging, and multiple PHP versions — without server management overhead.
Agencies
Host multiple client sites on one account with team management, server cloning, and white-label options.
WooCommerce stores
Optimized stack with object caching, CDN, and dedicated resources for fast e-commerce performance.
Users outgrowing shared hosting
Natural upgrade path from shared hosting to cloud with managed simplicity and better performance.
Less suited for
Email hosting needs
Cloudways doesn't include email hosting; you'll need a separate email service like Google Workspace.
Non-technical beginners
While managed, Cloudways still requires more technical understanding than Hostinger or SiteGround.
Budget hosting needs
Starting at $14/month is more expensive than shared hosting at $3-4/month from Hostinger or SiteGround.
User reviews
Editorial score
Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.
Use cases
Typical ways teams rely on this tool — from everyday tasks to specialized workflows.
- WordPress Hosting
- WooCommerce Hosting
- Agency Hosting
- Laravel Hosting
- Cloud Hosting
- Application Hosting
Integrations
Reported connectors
Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- Laravel
- PHP applications
- Cloudflare
- Git
- DigitalOcean
- AWS
- Google Cloud
Privacy & compliance
Security & data practices
Highlights we track from the vendor's documentation. Always confirm current terms, subprocessors, and regional policies on their official site.
- GDPR-ready
Details
Category
Price
- DigitalOcean from $14/mo
- AWS from $38.56/mo
- GCP from $37.45/mo
Free version
Best for
- Flexible managed cloud hosting
- agency site hosting
- developer-managed app stacks
Frequently asked questions
Cloudways
Infrastructure & Hosting
Ready to get started?
Visit the Cloudways website to explore plans and pricing.
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