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Cloudways Reviews: 4.7/5 — Highly Rated
Cloudways is a managed hosting provider that focuses on performance and simplicity. Whether you need simple server and application launches, or ongoing server maintenance, Couldways is built to simplify the whole process of server management to support business growth thanks to its powerful suite of tools and services that can help manage your eCommerce stores and business sites. It also underscores user options–from cloud providers and hosting.
| Capabilities |
API
CLI
|
|---|---|
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Cloudways Pros and Cons
- Option to add as many website installations as you want
- Server speed is faster than competition
- Pay as you go pricing plan
- Managed app option with database backups
- No root access or server modifications
- Add ons require additional cost
- Inability to use Plesk or cPanel
Cloudways includes unlimited websites and unlimited visits on every plan, starting at $14 a month. That is the whole proposition, and it is a genuine outlier. Kinsta’s entry plan is $35 a month for one WordPress install with 20 GB of bandwidth; Cloudways’ $14 Micro server carries no install cap at all and 1 TB of transfer. You are renting a server rather than buying licensed slots, and the difference in what that gets you is substantial.
- What it is: Managed cloud hosting for WordPress, Magento, Laravel and PHP, on your choice of cloud provider.
- Best for: Agencies and developers hosting many sites who want managed infrastructure without per-site licensing.
- Pricing: From $14 a month for 1 GB RAM, rising to $99 for 8 GB. Verified July 2026.
- The honest catch: Server resources are the real limit — unlimited sites still share one server’s RAM.
What Is Cloudways?
Cloudways is a managed hosting layer that sits on top of cloud providers rather than running its own metal. You choose the provider and the server type — Basic, General Purpose or CPU Optimized; Standard or Premium — and Cloudways manages the stack, now branded Lightning Stack.
Two product lines sit side by side: Cloudways Flexible, the customisable managed hosting reviewed here, and Cloudways Autonomous, a fully managed autoscaling WordPress product for high-traffic ecommerce and LMS sites.
There is a free trial with no credit card required.
How Cloudways Works
- Server size is the meter — RAM, vCPU, storage and bandwidth.
- Websites and visits are unlimited on every plan.
- Billing is hourly, with a monthly figure shown alongside.
- Offsite backup storage costs $0.033 per GB per server.
- You choose the cloud provider and server class.
- All listed prices exclude tax.
Cloudways Pricing
Captured from Cloudways’ pricing page in July 2026 in US dollars, on DigitalOcean Standard servers.
| Plan | Monthly | Hourly | RAM | vCPU | Storage | Bandwidth | Per GB RAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | $14 | $0.0208 | 1 GB | 1 | 25 GB NVMe | 1 TB | $14.00 |
| Small | $28 | $0.0417 | 2 GB | 1 | 50 GB NVMe | 2 TB | $14.00 |
| Medium | $54 | $0.0804 | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB NVMe | 4 TB | $13.50 |
| Large | $99 | $0.1473 | 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB NVMe | 5 TB | $12.38 |
Every plan: Lightning Stack, unlimited visits, unlimited websites.
What actually decides your cost:
- Unlimited websites is the reason to be here. Managed WordPress hosts almost universally meter installs — Kinsta allows one at $35 a month and forty at $450. Cloudways allows as many as your server can run, at $14. For an agency with twenty small client sites, that difference is the entire business case.
- The real constraint moves from licences to resources. Unlimited sites on 1 GB of RAM is unlimited in the licensing sense only. What you are actually buying is a server, and twenty WordPress sites on a Micro will perform accordingly. Size by expected load, not by site count.
- The volume discount is real but modest. Cost per GB of RAM runs $14.00, $14.00, $13.50 and $12.38 across the four sizes — about 12% better at the top than the bottom, and no improvement at all from Micro to Small. Compare that with the flat-rate hosts reviewed here, where the per-unit price never moves at any size.
- Check how the hourly rate resolves against a full month. The published hourly figures correspond to the monthly price divided by 672 hours, a 28-day month — $0.0208 × 672 is $13.98, and the same holds for all four sizes. A 30-day month is 720 hours and a 31-day month 744, so confirm with Cloudways whether the monthly figure is a cap or whether a full month bills above it.
- Backups are an add-on. Offsite backup storage is charged at $0.033 per GB per server. On a 160 GB Large server that is a small but non-zero line, and it is separate from the storage included in the plan.
- Prices exclude tax, which the page states plainly. For EU buyers that is a meaningful addition to compare against gross-quoting competitors.
Who Should Use Cloudways
- Agencies hosting client sites. The clearest case — one server, many sites, no per-install licence.
- Developers running multiple projects. Laravel, Magento and PHP alongside WordPress on the same platform.
- Businesses wanting cloud choice. Pick the provider and server class rather than accepting one stack.
- Anyone testing before committing. A free trial with no credit card.
It fits poorly for people who want one high-performance site with dedicated support, where Kinsta or WP Engine invest more per site; for teams wanting a fully hands-off product, which is what Cloudways Autonomous exists for; and for buyers who need certainty on monthly cost before understanding hourly billing.
Honest Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Unlimited websites and unlimited visits on every plan, from $14.
- 1 TB of transfer bandwidth even on the entry server.
- Choice of cloud provider and server class.
- NVMe storage across the range.
- A free trial with no credit card.
- A real, if modest, volume discount — 12% better per GB at the top.
Limitations
- Unlimited sites still share one server’s RAM.
- No per-GB improvement from Micro to Small.
- Offsite backups cost $0.033 per GB on top.
- Hourly rates imply a 28-day month — confirm whether monthly is a cap.
- Prices exclude tax.
- Support and tuning are lighter than dedicated managed-WordPress hosts.
Cloudways Alternatives and How It Compares
- Kinsta and WP Engine are the premium managed-WordPress hosts, metering installs but investing more per site.
- Flywheel targets designers and agencies with a similar philosophy to Kinsta.
- SiteGround and A2 Hosting sit in the mid-market with simpler shared plans.
- Hostinger and DreamHost compete at the budget end.
- Liquid Web offers managed VPS and dedicated infrastructure.
- DigitalOcean directly, if you are willing to manage the stack yourself.
For a broader survey, browse our cloud hosting directory.
The Verdict
Cloudways answers a question the managed-WordPress market mostly refuses to: what if you just rented a server and put as many sites on it as it could handle? Unlimited websites and unlimited visits on every plan, starting at $14 a month with 1 TB of transfer, is a fundamentally different proposition from hosts that license installs. Against Kinsta’s $35 entry plan for a single WordPress site with 20 GB of bandwidth, the contrast is stark — and for an agency carrying twenty small client sites, it is the whole argument.
The honest counterweight is that “unlimited” describes licensing, not physics. Twenty sites on a 1 GB Micro server will perform like twenty sites on a 1 GB server, and the skill Cloudways asks of you is sizing by real load rather than by site count. That is a fair trade for the price, but it does move a responsibility onto you that premium managed hosts absorb — which is also why their per-site investment, support depth and tuning tend to be greater.
Two commercial details to settle before you commit. The published hourly rates work out to the monthly price divided by 672 hours — a 28-day month — so $0.0208 × 672 gives $13.98 against the $14 headline, and the same relationship holds at every size. Real months run 720 to 744 hours, so ask Cloudways directly whether the monthly figure is a cap or whether a full month bills above it. And offsite backup storage is $0.033 per GB per server, separate from the NVMe storage in the plan, with all prices excluding tax. The volume discount, meanwhile, is modest but genuine: $14.00 per GB of RAM at Micro and Small, falling to $12.38 at Large — roughly 12%, which is more than several flat-rate competitors offer at any size.
FAQ
How much does Cloudways cost?
Captured in July 2026 in US dollars on DigitalOcean Standard servers, excluding tax: Micro $14 a month for 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB NVMe storage and 1 TB bandwidth; Small $28 for 2 GB; Medium $54 for 4 GB; and Large $99 for 8 GB. Every plan includes unlimited websites and unlimited visits. Offsite backup storage costs an additional $0.033 per GB per server.
Does Cloudways limit how many websites I can host?
No. Unlimited websites and unlimited visits appear on every plan, including the $14 Micro server. The practical limit is server resources rather than licensing — the sites you host share the RAM, CPU and storage of the plan you buy — so size the server by expected traffic and application load rather than by how many sites you intend to run.
Is Cloudways billed hourly or monthly?
Both figures appear. Each plan shows a monthly price and an hourly rate, and the hourly rate corresponds to the monthly price divided by 672 hours — a 28-day month. Since real months run 720 to 744 hours, it is worth confirming with Cloudways whether the monthly figure acts as a cap or whether a full month of hourly billing can exceed it.
Cloudways or Kinsta?
They solve different problems. Cloudways rents you a managed server with unlimited sites from $14 a month, putting resource-sizing in your hands. Kinsta licenses WordPress installs — one at $35, forty at $450 — with more per-site tuning, support and infrastructure investment. Choose Cloudways for many small sites at low cost, and Kinsta for fewer sites where performance and support matter more than price per site.
Does Cloudways include backups?
Not offsite ones at no charge. The pricing page notes that “$0.033/GB per server will be applied for offsite backup storage”, so backup retention is a separate usage-based line on top of the plan. The NVMe storage listed against each plan — 25 GB to 160 GB — is the server’s own disk rather than backup capacity.
Compare Cloudways with other popular tools in the same category.
The servers they offer are fast. More pricey than others. But it's worth it since you get 24/7 customer service with skilled employees who know what they're talking about.
Can be a little bit technical. luckily they have easy manuals that you can follow
I have my own dedicated server now, instead of sharing my servers with other users. This makes the server very fast!
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, I am constantly seeking innovative tools that enhance productivity and streamline processes. Today, I'm excited to share my insights on Cloudways automated management tools for WordPress, which I consider among the best in the market. Although my application to the affiliate program was not accepted, I'm confident that this issue can be resolved in the future. Without a doubt, I would recommend Cloudways services to my clients. Effortless Automation for WordPress Management: Cloudways offers sophisticated and efficient automated tools that simplify WordPress website management, including server deployments, domain integrations, updates, and backups. Unmatched Flexibility and Scalability: Cloudways provides easy scalability for WordPress websites, allowing users to adjust resources with a few clicks. Their flexible infrastructure can be customized to meet specific requirements. Enhanced Security and Reliability: Cloudways prioritizes security by offering built-in firewalls, regular security patches, and SSL certificate installations. Their reliable infrastructure, powered by leading providers, ensures maximum uptime. Turning Disappointment into Opportunity: Despite not being accepted into the affiliate program, I am confident that any setbacks can be resolved over time, leading to a positive collaboration with Cloudways. Resounding Recommendation: I wholeheartedly recommend Cloudways automated WordPress management tools to my clients due to their unmatched automation, flexibility, security, and reliability. Cloudways allows businesses to optimize their WordPress websites and focus on achieving their digital goals. Conclusion: Cloudways automated WordPress management tools are at the forefront of digital innovation. Despite any disappointment, I am confident in the potential for a fruitful collaboration. As a Digital Consultant, I highly recommend Cloudways for seamless WordPress management, scalability, security, and reliability. Disclaimer: This review is based on personal experience and observations and is not influenced by any external factors.
Improving the Affiliate Program: A Suggestion for Cloudways To enhance the affiliate program, I suggest considering the following points: Professional Analysis: Implement a professional evaluation process for applicants, taking into account their experience and expertise, even if they haven't been previous customers. This would acknowledge the value that experienced professionals can bring to the program. Interactive Application Process: Make the application process more interactive and engaging, creating a sense of connection and mutual benefits. Ensure that applicants feel valued and that Cloudways is actively seeking to establish strong relationships. By focusing on these suggestions, Cloudways can improve the affiliate program and address the issues raised by applicants who may have faced obstacles during the application process.
Regarding the question about the affiliate program, while Cloudways' flexibility for WordPress websites is game-changing, there were concerns expressed in the review about not being accepted into the program. However, by implementing a more interactive and personalized application process and recognizing the value of experienced professionals, Cloudways can address these concerns and create a stronger, more inclusive affiliate program that benefits both the company and its affiliates.
the ease of deploying a server in recognized providers such as Vultr or Digital ocean, they also have excellent support and the server configuration is optimal for speed
when we wanted to take the cloudways service we did the respective tests with a Vultr server, unfortunately we did not choose the high frequency server option, this caused our instance to suffer performance drops despite the fact that it was used in a single site and it was a plan 4gb ram and 2 core, we did other tests directly with amazon with the same configuration and the performance had a huge improvement, the option that cloudways offered us was to increase the size of the server but the cost was very high and this option was not possible .
At this moment we manage an instance to carry out tests and it is going very well, unfortunately we could not locate our live sites here due to the cost, but in general all the contribution of cloudways is very positive
Recently had the opportunity to use Cloudways and I must say that my experience was nothing short of exceptional. From their user-friendly interface to their robust features and outstanding support, Cloudways exceeded my expectations in every aspect.
Although they offer a simplified pricing structure, there is one drawback to consider in terms of pricing: their trial period is limited.
In a nutshell, Cloudways tackles the hurdles of server management, scalability, performance optimization, security, and cost-effectiveness. By tapping into their services, you can concentrate on your main goals while reaping the rewards of a dependable and streamlined cloud hosting platform.
Their reliability and prompt customer service
I don't have any bad reviews so far. It has been a seemless experience.
Web and email hosting for my web development clients
Easily manageable and secured. Very handly for Wordpress and PHP sites. Specially Codeigniter and Laravel.
Can't downgrade the server's current plan.
Previously my wordpress hacked too much. After migrating the hosting to Cloudways I feel safe.
Its flexibility, reliability, and ease of use. Additionally, its ability to integrate with multiple cloud providers, its pay-as-you-go pricing model, and its advanced optimization features are key advantages.
One potential drawback of Cloudways is that it does not offer email hosting, which means users need to use a third-party email hosting service or set up email hosting separately.
Cloudways is solving several problems for me: -Simplifying Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting can be complex and intimidating for beginners like me, but Cloudways simplifies the process by offering an intuitive user interface and one-click deployment options. -Improving Website Performance: which ultimately benefits me by providing faster and more reliable websites. -Providing Flexible and Scalable Hosting
Best About Cloudways:- 1. Pay-As-You-Go (No Extra Charge) 2. Simple & Clean Dashboard 3. Instantly Deployed Application 4. Very Secure & Fast 5. Managed Sever & Global Availability. 6. Sensible & Experienced Team 7. Fast Support 8. 99.9% Uptime My Cloudways experience is very good & I recommend people to use Cloudways services.
Improvements For Cloudways:- 1. Complicated Setup For Beginners. 2. New WordPress user don't know how to add domain, SSL certificate & how they can get their user I'd & password. 3. They don't know how to access backups, php & more things. 4. They don't know how to migrate website. 5. Application features are not in one place. 6. Cloudways should add different dashboard for WordPress users so they can customise easily.
Best thing about cloudways is managed server, so we don't worry about backend. 1. Easy Setup 2. Clean Dashboard 3. Easy Upgrade & Downgrade Server Size 4. Fast & Secure 5. Daily Backups 6. Experienced Support Team 7. 24/7 customer support 8. Auto Healing & Staging Tool helps a lot
It is easy to use. Being able to choose between several servers.
The support. One day I needed help with a 2022 contest topic and they couldn't solve it for me.
When my clients need an ecommerce and it is required to be fast.
It's easy to create a new site within 3 minutes. Backups are automatic. TTL is cut in by 80% compared to my previous VPS.
Caching and SSL aren't always optimised.
Affordable & fast hosting.
There are many things to be liked: Ease of use, reliability, very good support are definitely worth mentioning.
Not much to be honest. Maybe at teh beginning it can be not very intuitive.
The most important thing is the hosting service for our website. It is fast, reliable, does not need too much attention and does not require too much technical knowledge to set up.
The GUI is very intuitive and modern, it provides lots of very useful features in a way that makes logical sense. It's very easy to perform the tasks I need to do on a daily basis whilst also providing advanced features that I need as a web developer.
When connecting to a server or application via SFTP using Cyberduck, the credentials expire after a very short period of time meaning I have to login again to continue making changes. I understand this is for security however especially when developing on non-live staging environments, it's very frustrating.
Scalable cloud hosting for larger websites whose demands may increase over time as their business increases, this allows us to work with larger clients and keep them happy and their websites performing well.
What I like most is the flexibility of the program. I often have peaks in my site visitors and cloudways handles it perfectly.
It´s a bit pricey, however I haven´t really had any issues with it.
I never have problems with downtime anymore. Also, the site speed is excellent.
Easy to create a new VPS. Regular backups and easy to restore in case of problems. Saved my skin more than once. Fast UK servers. Not bad pricing and easy to upgrade a VPS as required.
Support is often vague and less than helpful. Occasionally they have DNS outages which causes the CNAME to fail and the site to go offline. I've resorted to using only IP addresses.
Takes away the hassle of hosting dozens of sites. Ideal for clients who don't need on-server emails. Minimal management required and no specific technical experience required.
The ability to create easily staging website or even duplicate it. The backups offers as well a great value
Not the ability to downgrade with the Vultr servers
A trustful server
We've been using the Cloudways platform for over a year now, most frequently with DigitalOcean servers, we find the servers and pricing to be excellent value and the support is responsive, knowledgable and genuinely helpful.
There are really no downsides, if you do not need 'bare metal' servers then Cloudways offers a great option
Easy to be up and running quickly, simple to scale up from pre-live to post live server capacity, which makes managing the hosting part of deploying WooCommerce a simple task not a painful one
*Simplified handling an astonishingly higher volumes of traffic. *High speed compared to others alike. *Simple to use with all controls. *Easy and perfect to manage multiple sites.
I have no any dislike on Cloudways at all.
*Reliable web hosting with easy management. *Teams' real-time collaboration . *All security is in place.
Website management is very good & migration from another server is also good.
Costing is quite high as same plans are available at half price at cloud service providers
Handling multiple applications from one dashboard is quite easy with Cloudways.
- Simple navigation - Powerful features - Reasonably priced
I can't think of anything specific at the moment.
Previously my company had its website hosted by a large company on a shared hosting plan to save money. With Cloudways, I was able to move us to a more performant platform while remaining within budget.
Hosting Management system & speed is good
Cloudways don’t have an email option in the hosting.
Easily manage complicated VPS for hosting websites with efficient and feature-rich software with just a few clicks without coding or complicated stuff
The service is very good and the performance are good for the price, but this is to be logical because there is Digital Ocean in the backend to power the service.
Honestly, I haven't found any major issues to report. Sometimes I had some problems with the interface loading delay, but nothing major
A hosting service with the potential of digitalocean but without the problems of having to manage the servers independently. in fact for some projects it can be very useful not to waste too much time
Its easy to use but you can access enough settings. Using it for Laravel/PHP and its damn fast. Have only used support once for a privileges issue and they sorted it very quick.
Would be cool if they had some sort of managed or semi-managed database service for a slightly better all round package.
Easy, cheap way to deploy apps to a generic server. Config & updates work well out the box.
I switched to Cloudways to improve the loading speed of my websites and it worked well. The process of moving my sites to the new host was smooth thanks to the free migration service they offer. I also appreciate the flexibility to upgrade my server as needed, and the features like staging sites and cloning make it easy to update my websites. The best thing about using Cloudways as a hosting provider is the ability to choose a server that is located close to my target audience.
Initially, I had some difficulty getting used to the interface of Cloudways as it was different from what I was used to with cPanel. However, I found that Cloudways does provide a lot of resources that helped me set up my server correctly. In addition, I found that watching videos on YouTube was a great way to learn how to use the platform more easily.
By switching from a shared hosting provider to Cloudways where I have more control over my own server, the loading speed of my website has improved, which in turn has positively impacted my SEO. As a result, I have seen a significant increase in my website's search engine ranking and jumped from page 3 to page 1, just by changing my hosting provider.
The help documents, and easy support via chat.
The very odd occasion I get someone on support who isn't knowledgable in the right way to help me.
I host websites for myself and clients. So I make extra income from hosting plus have easy access to my clients sites to make edits and look after them.
Easy to add new servers and applications. Customer support is always prompt and helpful when I have an issue. I wish that there was a phone number to call for extremely urgent issues, but the chat support has been surprisingly timely when needed.
I host websites for clients, and I wish my client could log into individual accounts and manage their own hosting (eg add more resources when needed). This would be super helpful for e-comm sites that use a lot of resources, in particular.
Fast and affordable hosting that keeps my sites secure and allows me to scale up server resources as needed without requiring advanced technical knowledge or a degree in hosting.
The performance of the hosting has been much faster than what we had previouly.
Can't think of anything right now that I don't like
They've helped with website performance as we weren't happy with it prior to switching to Cloudways.
They have a very proactive and fantastic customer service.
Their service is a bit expensive. And their CPU usage size is not competitive when compared to others
Ability to completely own my hosting server
I like the fact that I can see the specs of my server, and increase as I wish. It's also one of the most cost-effective options in the market right now. The speed is also impressive.
I dislike the fact I'm unable to restore any backup point I want for a live environment to staging. Also, having a tough time getting used to the caching on cloudways.
Cloudways is solving problems by providing you a cloud hosting service that comes with great tools like cPanel (where you can install scripts and applications), unlimited bandwidth and so on.
It gives you the performance of VPS hosting, while simplifying the setup and taking care of security.
Email accounts need to be paid separately. Compared to Siteground it does not give the same eas of use, but it gives way superior performance.
It is simplifying cloud hosting of websites or PHP applications.
The user interface of Cloudways is very good and easy to navigate. If you ever need help then your help is just a chat away with Cloudways.
If you are on a Digital Ocean droplet of $5 then you will be paying double to Cloudways. I use a $5 droplet but I pay $10 every month.
Managing the cloud hostings like Digital Ocean for a non-developer like me is a tough job to do. This problem is solved by Cloudways for me.