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★ Editor's ChoiceWeb Hosting Verified

Cloudways

Managed cloud hosting on your choice of provider

3-Day Free Trial
4.7(4,123 reviews)
From $14/mo
99.97% uptime
168ms TTFB
Visit Cloudways
91
StackCanon Score
out of 100
Performance100/100
Value for Money97/100
Support Quality89/100
Ease of Use80/100
Integration Depth88/100

Data source: Review Signal, Bitcatcha, Cloudwards (2025–2026)

User Ratings
Performance
4.7
Value
4.8
Support
4.6
Ease of Use
4.8

Overview

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that acts as a layer between users and five major cloud infrastructure providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode (Akamai), and Vultr. Rather than managing its own physical servers, Cloudways provisions and manages cloud servers on your behalf, handling security patches, performance optimisation, and server management while giving you the flexibility to choose your underlying infrastructure.

This model makes Cloudways uniquely flexible. A small agency can start on a $14/month DigitalOcean server and scale to a $500/month AWS instance without changing platforms or migrating their sites. The platform supports unlimited application installations on each server, making it an excellent choice for agencies managing multiple client sites.

Cloudways' performance is strong across all cloud providers, with DigitalOcean and Vultr servers offering excellent price-to-performance ratios. The platform's Breeze caching plugin and Cloudflare Enterprise CDN integration further enhance speed. The main trade-offs are the absence of email hosting (you'll need a separate email provider) and a steeper learning curve compared to traditional cPanel hosts.

Pros & Cons

Strengths

  • Flexible cloud choice
  • Excellent value
  • Great for agencies

Limitations

  • No email hosting
  • Learning curve

Pricing Plans

DO 1GB
$14/mo
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 1 Core processor
  • 25 GB SSD
  • 1 TB bandwidth
  • DigitalOcean infrastructure
  • Free SSL
DO 2GB
$28/mo
Popular
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 1 Core processor
  • 50 GB SSD
  • 2 TB bandwidth
  • DigitalOcean infrastructure
  • Staging
Vultr 4GB
$42/mo
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 2 Core processors
  • 80 GB SSD
  • 3 TB bandwidth
  • Vultr High Frequency
  • Team collaboration
AWS 2GB
$88/mo
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 1 vCPU
  • 20 GB SSD
  • 2 TB bandwidth
  • AWS infrastructure
  • Enterprise-grade reliability

Benchmark note: Cloudways DigitalOcean servers averaged 168ms TTFB in Bitcatcha's 2025 global speed tests. Review Signal rated Cloudways Top Tier for load testing performance.

Pricing disclaimer: Prices shown are indicative and may change. Always verify current pricing on the vendor's official site before purchasing.Last verified: April 2026.

View current pricing

Key Features

5 cloud providers
Free SSL
Automated backups
Team collaboration
Staging

Integrations

AWSGCPDigitalOceanLinode

Who Is It Best For?

PHP AppsWooCommerceAgencies

Migration Friction Score: 4/10

Moderate friction — plan for a transition period if you decide to switch.

Quick Facts

Founded
2012
Headquarters
Malta
Team Size
300+
Starting Price
$14/mo
Migration Friction
4/10
StackCanon Verdict

Cloudways is a top-tier choice in the web hosting category. Our data consistently places it among the best options available.

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