OVERALL RATINGS
Best for?
- Individuals
- Businesses
Price
Starting at $11 per month
Our Verdict
Excellent Speed with 99.99% uptime. Seperate backup payment plan.
Cloudways simplifies the process of hosting high-end web applications. Cloudways shines as a unique player in web hosting. Partnering with top cloud providers—DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud—Cloudways streamlines the complex, simplifying the user experience.
With just a few clicks, websites are up and running in mere minutes. And it’s not limited to WordPress; Cloudways supports Joomla, Drupal, Larvel, Magento, PHP, and various open-source tools.
Cloudways “pay-as-you-go” model, is perfect for businesses aiming high on a limited budget. But before delving into specifics, buckle up for a journey through Cloudways’ features, pros, and cons. This Cloudways review is about to unveil the full scope of what they offer!
Cloudways Feature Images
Cloudways Product Offer
CloudWays stands out as a managed cloud hosting platform that prioritizes simplicity and user-friendliness within its hosting plans.
Catering to developers, digital agencies, and e-commerce businesses, this web hosting platform is crafted for those seeking to effortlessly manage their cloud infrastructure.
It streamlines various complexities associated with cloud hosting, including server maintenance and security concerns.
Key features encompass automated backups, a scalable architecture, and collaborative tools for team efficiency. Cloudways has established partnerships with prominent cloud services such as
- DigitalOcean
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Google Cloud
These companies ensure high-speed performance and reliable uptime.
Moreover, Cloudways extends support to a diverse range of open-source platforms, including managed WordPress hosting, Joomla, Drupal, Laravel, Magento, and PHP.
This inclusive approach enhances its appeal to users with varying preferences and requirements in the realm of web hosting.
DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean, a cloud infrastructure provider, stands as a reliable partner for Cloudways. Known for its simplicity and developer-friendly features, DigitalOcean offers virtual servers (Droplets) that can be easily deployed and scaled.
Best Time to Use
DigitalOcean is optimal for startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and individual developers. It’s particularly advantageous during initial development stages when cost efficiency and simplicity are crucial.
Worst Time to Use
In situations requiring extensive enterprise-grade features and resources, DigitalOcean may fall short. High-traffic, resource-intensive applications might benefit from more robust cloud providers.
Benefits of using DigitalOcean Plans
- Cost-Effective: DigitalOcean’s pricing model is straightforward, making it budget-friendly for small projects.
- User-Friendly: The platform is known for its simplicity, making it ideal for those new to cloud hosting.
- Scalability: Easy scaling of resources as your project grows.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
AWS, a giant in the cloud industry, offers a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services. It’s a powerhouse for scalability, security, and a wide array of tools and features.
Best Time to Use
AWS shines in situations demanding high-performance computing, and extensive data storage, and when working with large-scale enterprise applications. It’s beneficial for businesses with complex requirements.
Worst Time to Use
For small-scale projects with limited budgets, AWS might be overkill. The complexity and pricing structure could be overwhelming for beginners or projects with modest needs.
Benefits of using AWS (Amazon Web Service)
- Unmatched Scalability: AWS provides virtually limitless scalability to handle any workload.
- Broad Service Offering: A vast range of services, from computing power to machine learning.
- Reliability: AWS is renowned for its robust infrastructure and high availability.
Google Cloud
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is Google’s cloud computing offering, emphasizing data analytics, machine learning, and containerization.
Best Time to Use
GCP is excellent for projects that heavily rely on data analytics, machine learning, and containerized applications. It’s suitable for businesses with a focus on innovation and cutting-edge technologies.
Worst Time to Use
For those heavily invested in other Google services or with a preference for other cloud providers, GCP may not offer significant advantages. Additionally, it might be perceived as less user-friendly for beginners.
Benefits of Using Google Cloud
- Data Analytics: GCP excels in big data and analytics services.
- Machine Learning: Advanced machine learning tools and services.
- Kubernetes Support: Strong support for container orchestration with Kubernetes.
Overall Benefits of Cloudways Plans:
- Simplified Management: Cloudways streamlines the complexities of these cloud providers, offering a user-friendly interface for managing servers.
- Cost Efficiency: Cloudways optimizes costs by providing a pay-as-you-go model and handling server-related issues, reducing the need for additional personnel.
- Flexibility: Users can choose from various plans based on their specific needs, providing flexibility in resource allocation and costs.
Cloudways Pricing and Plans
Cloudways offers a straightforward and transparent pricing model, providing flexibility for users with varying needs. The pricing is based on the infrastructure provided by top cloud providers such as DigitalOcean, AWS (Amazon Web Services), and Google Cloud. Below is an in-depth look at Cloudways’ pricing structure:
DigitalOcean Pricing
| Plan | RAM | Processor | Storage | Bandwidth | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DO1GB | 1 GB | 1 Core | 25 GB | 1 TB | $11 |
| DO2GB | 2 GB | 1 Core | 50 GB | 2 TB | $24 |
| DO4GB | 4 GB | 2 Core | 80 GB | 4 TB | $46 |
| DO8GB | 8 GB | 4 Core | 160 GB | 5 TB | $88 |
| DO16GB | 16 GB | 8 Core | 320 GB | 6 TB | $149 |
AWS (Amazon Web Service) Pricing
| Plan | RAM | Processor | Storage | Bandwidth | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Small | 2 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $38.56 |
| AWS Medium | 4 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $91.84 |
| AWS CO Large | 4 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $164.22 |
| AWS Large | 8 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $183.22 |
| AWS CO XL | 8 GB | 4 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $262.75 |
Google Cloud Pricing
| Plan | RAM | Processor | Storage | Bandwidth | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCE Small | 1.75 GB | 1 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $37.45 |
| GCE Medium | 3.75 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $84.12 |
| GCE Large | 7.5 GB | 2 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $152.14 |
| GCE XL | 15 GB | 4 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $241.62 |
| GCE 2XL | 30 GB | 8 Core | 20 GB | 2 GB | $412.82 |
Key Features of Cloudways Plans
- Pay-As-You-Go: Cloudways operates on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing users to pay only for the resources they consume.
- Managed Services: Cloudways takes care of server management tasks, including updates, security, and performance optimization.
- Scalability: Plans are scalable, enabling users to easily upgrade or downgrade based on their evolving needs.
- 24/7 Support: Cloudways provides round-the-clock customer support to assist users with any issues or inquiries.
- Free Trial: Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial, allowing users to test the platform and its features before committing to a plan.
- Choice of Cloud Providers: Users can select their preferred cloud provider, giving them the flexibility to choose the infrastructure that best suits their requirements.
Cloudways’ transparent pricing and feature-rich plans make it a compelling choice for individuals, developers, and businesses seeking reliable and scalable cloud hosting solutions.
Cloudways Pros and Cons
- Scalable Infrastructure: The platform evolves in tandem with your business growth, facilitating the seamless expansion of resources to meet your evolving needs.
- Managed Services: Cloudways handles server management tasks, allows users to focus on their projects without the hassle of day-to-day server maintenance.
- Multi-Cloud Flexibility: Cloudways offers the flexibility of choosing from multiple cloud providers, This versatility allows users to select the infrastructure that aligns best with their specific needs and preferences.
- Learning Curve: Despite its emphasis on simplicity, CloudWays may pose a learning curve for individuals new to cloud hosting, as certain features might appear overwhelming initially.
- Variable Performance: While Cloudways provides excellent performance for many users, the performance can be variable based on the chosen cloud provider and plan.
- Pricing Complexity: Cloudways pay-as-you-go price structure with the underlying cloud provider costs can be confusing for those new to cloud hosting.
Best Time to Use Cloudways
CloudWays is particularly beneficial for developers, digital agencies, and e-commerce enterprises, as it offers sought-after features such as automated backups, load balancing, and auto-scaling.
These functionalities are specifically crafted to guarantee a seamless operational workflow.
The platform includes built-in features that facilitate collaboration among team members, making it especially popular among larger organizations and those operating with a distributed workforce.
CloudWays is also well-suited for small businesses in the tech, e-commerce, and digital marketing sectors, spanning from fledgling startups to medium-sized enterprises.
Worst Time to Use Cloudways
Avoid CloudWays if your operations depend on a Windows server environment, as the platform exclusively supports Linux-based servers.
Additionally, businesses heavily reliant on third-party integrations might encounter limitations with CloudWays.
CloudWays may not be the most suitable choice for beginners entering the realm of cloud hosting, as it comes with a moderate learning curve.
Moreover, large enterprises seeking extensive customization and control might perceive CloudWays as too streamlined to meet their intricate requirements.
Cloudways Feature Ratings
Custom Control Panel
CloudWays’ custom control panel stands out as an intuitive and user-friendly interface, providing users with a personalized and efficient means to manage their hosting environment. This feature allows for a seamless and tailored experience, ensuring that users have the flexibility and control they need.
Application Management
CloudWays excels in application management, offering robust tools that simplify the handling of applications. This feature streamlines the process, ensuring optimal performance and ease of use for users managing multiple applications.
Server Management
With CloudWays, server management becomes a straightforward task. The platform’s user-friendly approach empowers users to effortlessly navigate and administer their servers, eliminating the complexities associated with server management.
Team Management
CloudWays includes built-in functionalities for effective team management, fostering collaboration among team members. This feature proves especially beneficial for larger organizations or those operating with a distributed workforce.
Staging and Cloning
CloudWays’ staging and cloning feature enhances the development process by providing a risk-free environment for testing and experimentation. This invaluable tool allows users to refine their projects before deploying them live.
Advanced Caching
Experience optimized website performance with CloudWays’ advanced caching feature. This ensures faster load times and improved user experiences, contributing to the overall efficiency of hosted websites.
Vertical Scaling
CloudWays facilitates vertical scaling, allowing users to effortlessly adjust resources according to their growing needs. This feature ensures scalability aligned with the expansion of businesses, providing a seamless growth path.
Free SSL Installation
Securing an online presence is made easy with CloudWays’ free SSL installation. This feature provides a robust layer of protection for websites and user data, contributing to a secure and trustworthy online environment.
One-Click Staging Environment
CloudWays simplifies the development workflow with its one-click staging environment. This feature is instrumental for creating, testing, and refining websites, ensuring a streamlined and efficient development process.
Multiple Cloud Providers
Enjoy the flexibility of choosing from multiple cloud providers with CloudWays. This feature allows users to tailor their infrastructure to specific requirements and preferences, offering a diverse range of options.
Unlimited Application Hosting
CloudWays empowers users with the freedom of unlimited application hosting. This feature is particularly advantageous, enabling users to host and manage multiple applications without encountering limitations.
ThunderStack
Experience enhanced performance with CloudWays’ ThunderStack. This optimized web stack ensures that websites run at peak efficiency, contributing to a superior hosting experience.
Breeze Caching Plugin
Turbocharge website loading speeds with CloudWays’ Breeze caching plugin. This addition to the suite of tools enhances overall performance, providing users with an efficient and accelerated web experience.
Scalable
Adapt to growing business demands seamlessly with CloudWays’ scalable architecture. This feature ensures that resources are readily available as businesses expand, providing a scalable solution for evolving needs.
CDN
Improve global accessibility and reduce load times with CloudWays’ integrated CDN. This feature ensures that content reaches users around the world with efficiency, contributing to a smooth and optimized user experience.
OVERALL RATINGS
Cloudways Customer Support
Getting assistance from Cloudways when encountering issues with your website is straightforward. You have the option to reach out through email, contact the support team via phone, or engage in a live chat.
Utilizing live chat proves to be an effective means of communication with Cloudways’ technical support team. For simpler inquiries, Cloudways has a dedicated page covering technical queries, billing, sales, and other common questions through their frequently asked questions page.
While I received immediate help via live chat, it took more time to resolve issues when I reached out via phone or email.
Cloudways’ user interface equips you with information to address many problems without relying on technical support. Even if immediate contact through phone or email isn’t possible, the live chat feature allows you to promptly address a multitude of issues.
Cloudways Performance Tests
Making sure a website is fast and works well is super important, and we checked how Cloudways does this in our hands-on review. We looked closely at how fast the pages load and how often the website stays up.
Cloudways Speed Test
Cloudways demonstrated exceptional prowess in the one-off WebPageTest analysis, boasting a median load time of under half a second.
This achievement positions Cloudways among the top performers in the realm of WordPress hosts. The results underscore the platform’s commitment to delivering swift and efficient page loading experiences.
Further scrutinizing Cloudways’ performance under scale, we utilized Load Focus to assess its response time with a simulated surge of 20 visitors within a 60-second period. Impressively, Cloudways delivered stellar results, with a mean average response time of just 582 ms and a 90th percentile time of 611 ms.
While not the absolute pinnacle, Cloudways outshone many competitors, establishing itself as a reliable and responsive hosting solution.
| Page Load Time in Seconds | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreenGeeks | 1.56 | 1.29 | 1.21 |
| A2 Hosting | 2.01 | 1.30 | 1.25 |
| GoDaddy | 1.94 | 1.44 | 1.28 |
| Cloudways | 1.73 | 1.46 | 1.30 |
| SiteGround | 1.54 | 1.56 | 1.35 |
| Hostinger | 1.61 | 1.63 | 1.35 |
| WP Engine | 1.65 | 1.66 | 1.37 |
| Namecheap | 1.60 | 1.69 | 1.40 |
| Dreamhost | 1.84 | 1.75 | 1.63 |
| Kinsta | 1.77 | 1.82 | 1.70 |
| Bluehost | 2.87 | 2.07 | 1.89 |
| IONOS | 1.95 | 2.32 | 2.20 |
| InMotion | 2.75 | 2.58 | 2.35 |
| iPage | 2.76 | 2.60 | 2.58 |
| HostGator | 2.78 | 2.72 | 2.70 |
Cloudways Uptime
Beyond speed, uptime is a critical metric in evaluating a hosting provider’s reliability. Cloudways held its 99.99 ground, ensuring the continuous availability of our test site.
| Uptime Chart | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudways | 100 | 100 | 99.99 |
| SiteGround | 99.97 | 100 | 99.99 |
| WP Engine | 99.99 | 99.99 | 99.99 |
| Namecheap | 99.99 | 100 | 99.99 |
| Kinsta | 100 | 100 | 99.99 |
| InMotion | 99.73 | 99.95 | 99.99 |
| A2 Hosting | 99.99 | 99.98 | 99.99 |
| HostGator | 99.91 | 99.99 | 99.98 |
| GreenGeeks | 99.98 | 99.98 | 99.97 |
| GoDaddy | 99.90 | 99.96 | 99.95 |
| Hostinger | 99.48 | 99.92 | 99.95 |
| Bluehost | 99.96 | 99.99 | 99.95 |
| iPage | 98.45 | 99.85 | 99.95 |
| Dreamhost | 99.99 | 99.96 | 99.83 |
| IONOS | 99.91 | 99.93 | 99.71 |
My Verdict on Cloudways: Do I Recommend It?
In conclusion, for digital marketers seeking a managed cloud-storage solution with flexibility and robust features, Cloudways stands out. Its user-friendly interface simplifies cloud hosting, making it an excellent choice for those considering a switch.
With high rankings in reliability and speed, Cloudways provides a cost-effective means to enhance your site’s user experience.
Though the 3-day trial may seem short, it offers ample time to experience the platform firsthand. Don’t miss out on elevating your website’s performance—take Cloudways for a spin today!
Click here to explore their web hosting plans and unlock the full potential of your online presence.
Cloudways Alternatives
Cloudways Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What types of businesses are best suited for CloudWays?
CloudWays is a game-changer for small and medium-sized enterprises, supercharging your online presence! Digital marketers, this is your secret weapon for affiliate marketing success. E-commerce, startups, and agencies, buckle up for seamless, powerful hosting – CloudWays has your back!
Is there a free migration service?
Absolutely! CloudWays provides a hassle-free migration service at no extra cost. Say goodbye to the stress of transferring your website. Their expert team ensures a smooth transition, allowing you to focus on your business while they handle the technicalities. It’s a fantastic perk that makes moving to CloudWays a breeze for digital marketers and businesses alike.
DreamHost provides easy one-click installations for WordPress, making it simple to get your website up and running. With their reliable uptime and 24/7 customer support, DreamHost is an excellent option for hosting your WordPress site.
How secured is Cloudways?
CloudWays takes security seriously, ensuring a robust environment for your business. With dedicated firewalls, regular security patches, and SSL certificates, your data is shielded. The platform also offers two-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection. Rest easy, knowing CloudWays prioritizes your website’s security, making it a reliable choice for businesses.
