Cloudways review: managed cloud hosting without the renewal jump

Cloudways runs your sites on your own cloud server and handles the server work for you. You pay the same price every month.

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How Cloudways pricing works

Cloudways sells servers, not hosting plans. You pick a cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS or Google Cloud) and a server size, and you can put as many sites on that server as it can handle. Billing is hourly. On DigitalOcean, Vultr and Linode, a server that runs all month stops at its listed monthly price.

Cloudways also sells Autonomous plans for a single site that scales on its own, from $99/mo. There's a 3-day free trial with no credit card needed.

What you get, and what you don't

• Included: server setup, security patches, free SSL, automated backups, staging sites, a built-in cache and 24/7 chat support.
• Not included: email hosting (Cloudways sells Rackspace mailboxes as an add-on), domain registration and cPanel.
• Extra cost: faster support tiers and some add-ons, such as a CDN or extra backup storage.

Because Cloudways is owned by DigitalOcean, the DigitalOcean servers are its main product. You won't see a promo price that doubles in year two. What you pay in month one is what you pay later unless you resize the server.

Pros and cons

Who Cloudways suits

Cloudways makes sense for a WooCommerce store, a site that gets steady traffic, or a freelancer or agency hosting several client sites. Three or more small WordPress sites on one $22 server can cost less than three separate shared accounts after their renewals.

A one-page site for a local business doesn't need it. A shared plan from Bluehost or Namecheap is cheaper and includes email.

Cloudways vs shared hosting

Already have a site on shared hosting? Cloudways offers a free migration plugin for WordPress. If you're weighing other managed hosts, ScalaHosting sells managed VPS plans with cPanel-style control.

What reviewers and customers say

Most reviewers rate Cloudways' performance highly for the price. The critical reviews focus on two things: you pay a markup over what the same server costs directly from DigitalOcean, and some users report mixed support since the DigitalOcean acquisition. Developers on Reddit say the value depends on how you use it, and is strongest when you run several sites on one server.

Performance features

• Server-level caching with Varnish, Redis and Memcached, plus the Breeze plugin for WordPress.
• One-click staging sites so you can test changes before they go live.
• Vertical scaling: add RAM, CPU or storage to a server in a few clicks.
• Team accounts, so a freelancer or agency can give clients or staff access to specific apps.
• Optional Cloudflare Enterprise add-on for CDN and security.

Cloudways vs Kinsta and WP Engine

Kinsta and WP Engine are fully managed WordPress hosts that charge per site or per install. Cloudways charges per server, so one server can host many sites. That makes Cloudways cheaper for several sites, while Kinsta and WP Engine handle more for you and suit a single important site where you don't want to think about the server at all. Hourly billing on Cloudways also means you can test it for a few dollars and delete the server.

Cloudways vs Bluehost

This is the other common comparison. Bluehost is cheaper for one small site and includes email and a free first-year domain. Cloudways costs more per month but gives your sites their own server and keeps the same price every month. A common path is to start on shared hosting and move to Cloudways once the site earns money or slows down. See Bluehost vs HostGator if you're still choosing a shared host.

Promo codes

Cloudways runs short promo codes for new customers. In late October 2026, one gave 40% off hosting for 4 months; codes change often, so check at sign-up. The 3-day free trial is the best way to see the dashboard before you pay.

Setting up email and a domain

Because Cloudways includes neither, plan both before you move. Register or keep your domain at a registrar such as Namecheap and point it at your Cloudways server. For email, use Cloudways' Rackspace add-on, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. For a new business site, our guide on how to start a small business website covers the full order.

Questions