Cloudways Review (2025): Hassle-Free Managed Cloud Hosting for Your Website
Cloudways Review: Cloudways provides managed cloud hosting by leveraging top cloud infrastructure providers. It handles server management for you, allowing you to easily install WordPress or other CMS platforms without the technical complexities. If you’re looking for a hassle-free, cost-effective cloud hosting solution, Cloudways is a great choice. Plus, you can try it risk-free with a 3-day free trial.
Why consider cloud hosting? A Cloudways Review highlights that it offers built-in redundancy by using multiple servers, enhancing your site’s speed and security. Additionally, it enables seamless scaling to handle traffic surges. However, setting up cloud hosting on your own can be complex and challenging, which is why a managed solution like Cloudways can save time and reduce technical headaches.
Pros:
- Flexible Pricing
- High Performance
- User-Friendly Interface
- Comprehensive Support
- Advanced Security Features
Cons:
- Additional Costs for Email Hosting
- No Domain Registration Services
- Limited Trial Period
4.6
Ranked 24 from 3860 Web Hosting
Pricing
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting provider that focuses on delivering high-performance hosting for websites and applications. Built on top of major cloud infrastructures such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode, Cloudways combines flexibility, speed, and scalability for developers, agencies, and businesses. But is it the right choice for your website?
- Speed: How quickly do websites load on Cloudways servers, and how consistent is performance under heavy traffic?
- Performance: Can Cloudways handle resource-intensive applications and sudden spikes in traffic without compromising speed?
- Reliability: Does Cloudways maintain high uptime across its cloud servers, ensuring websites remain accessible at all times?
- Customer Support: Are support channels responsive, knowledgeable, and available 24/7 for technical or account-related inquiries?
- Features: Does Cloudways provide essential tools like automated backups, staging environments, security features, and server-level caching?
- Pricing: Are the plans affordable and scalable, offering pay-as-you-go flexibility without locking users into long-term contracts?
This in-depth Cloudways review examines its hosting performance, features, and support services to help you determine whether it fits your website’s needs. For those seeking a managed cloud solution with strong performance and scalability, Cloudways presents a compelling option.
Cloudways Review Summary
| Performance grade: | A+ |
| Average load time: | 750 ms |
| Average response time: | 63.2 ms |
| Free domain: | No |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Live Chat / Knowledge Base | Yes |
| Support Options: | Live Chat, Ticketing System, Knowledge Base |
After evaluation, Cloudways is recognized as a high-performance, fully managed cloud hosting provider with robust tools and flexible plans. Its combination of speed, reliability, and developer-friendly features makes it ideal for growing websites, online stores, and business applications.
About Cloudways
Founded in 2011, Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that simplifies web hosting for agencies, small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and individuals. By partnering with leading cloud infrastructure providers such as DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, Linode, and Vultr, Cloudways offers users a seamless experience to deploy, manage, and scale web applications without the complexities of traditional hosting setups
Headquartered in St. Julian’s, Malta, at Junction Business Centre, 1st Floor Sqaq Lourdes, Cloudways has expanded its global presence with additional offices in Karachi, Pakistan. The company has a diverse team of over 200 employees across five continents, ensuring round-the-clock support and services to its clientele.
In August 2022, Cloudways was acquired by DigitalOcean, a leading cloud infrastructure provider, for $350 million. This acquisition aimed to combine Cloudways’ managed services expertise with DigitalOcean’s infrastructure, offering a more robust and user-friendly experience for customers.
Cloudways mission is to empower businesses by providing a fast, secure, and easy-to-use hosting platform. As of March 2024, the company serves over 83,000 customers, hosting more than 570,000 websites globally. With a focus on performance and reliability, Cloudways continues to enhance its services, recently adding 17 new data centers across 13 locations, including regions like Tel Aviv, Doha, and Munich, to better serve its growing customer base.
A Cloudways Review shows that the platform caters to a broad audience, including:
- Small to Medium Businesses: Those seeking affordable yet scalable hosting solutions.
- Bloggers and Content Creators: Users who need simple managed hosting with WordPress support and one-click installation.
- Developers and Tech-Savvy Users: Individuals who prefer cloud servers with full customization and root access.
- Growing Websites: Businesses that require scalable cloud hosting and reliable infrastructure for increasing traffic.
Overall, a Cloudways Review highlights that the platform appeals to website owners who value reliability, performance, and flexibility without compromising on support or ease of use.
Key Features of Cloudways
Shared / Managed Hosting
Cloudways’ managed hosting plans are designed to provide a robust entry‑point for individuals, bloggers, small businesses, or developers who want cloud hosting without having to manage server infrastructure. You can choose from multiple cloud providers (like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, Linode) and Cloudways handles server setup, security patches, monitoring, backups, and a managed dashboard.
These plans include features like free SSL, one‑click app installation, staging environments, server‑level caching, and support for multiple websites on one server (depending on the selected cloud provider and plan). While these managed hosting plans remove much of the technical burden, the price can be higher than basic shared hosting, and the user must still choose a cloud provider and plan size.
VPS / Scalable Cloud Hosting
Cloudways offers scalable cloud hosting equivalents to VPS (virtual private server) by allowing users to select CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth configurations on the underlying cloud infrastructure. Users benefit from full control of resource sizes and can adjust them as their needs grow. Full root access is not always available in the same way as traditional unmanaged VPS plans, because Cloudways is managed: the platform takes care of many server‑level tasks. That means it’s ideal for users who want more performance and scalability than shared hosting but don’t want to manage all server operations themselves.
Dedicated / High‑Performance Solutions
For very high‑traffic sites, eCommerce stores, or business applications that demand maximum performance and custom configurations, Cloudways supports high‑end cloud instances (e.g., larger RAM/CPU allocations, advanced caching, autoscaling) rather than classic “dedicated server” hardware. For example, the “Autonomous” tier uses Kubernetes and autoscaling to handle traffic surges. For very high‑traffic sites, eCommerce stores, or business applications that demand maximum performance and custom configurations, Cloudways supports high‑end cloud instances (e.g., larger RAM/CPU allocations, advanced caching, autoscaling) rather than classic “dedicated server” hardware. For example, the “Autonomous” tier uses Kubernetes and autoscaling to handle traffic surges.
Security Features
Security is a core element in Cloudways’ offering: free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, IP whitelisting, firewalls, two‑factor authentication (2FA), bot protection, and real‑time monitoring are all part of the platform. In addition, Cloudways supports advanced caching stacks (like Varnish, Redis, Memcached), Nginx and Apache, which not only improve performance but help guard against certain types of attacks or performance bottlenecks.
Website Migration
Cloudways offers free migration for your first website (and migration support tools/plugins) to move from another host. This service aims to reduce downtime and make the transition smooth. Because the platform supports multiple cloud providers, you also gain flexibility in choosing data centre locations and infrastructure for optimal site speed and audience reach.
Performance and Speed
SSD / High-Performance Storage
Cloudways leverages high-performance SSD storage across all hosting plans, including managed WordPress, PHP applications, and e-commerce sites. SSDs provide faster read/write speeds compared to traditional HDDs, resulting in quicker website load times and better overall performance, especially for websites with dynamic content or high traffic.
Uptime Guarantee
Cloudways guarantees a 99.99% uptime for its managed cloud hosting services. This is achieved through reliable infrastructure provided by underlying cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode. The high uptime ensures websites remain available consistently, minimizing disruptions to visitors and business operations.
Server Locations
Cloudways offers servers in 60+ data center locations worldwide, thanks to its partnerships with multiple cloud providers. This allows users to select the server closest to their target audience, reducing latency and improving website loading speeds globally. Locations include North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Additional Performance Features
Cloudways enhances hosting speed through server-level caching, Cloudflare CDN integration, PHP 8.x support, and optimized stacks like Nginx, Apache, and MariaDB. Users can also scale resources instantly to handle traffic surges without downtime.
Cloudways Pricing Plans
Cloudways provides managed cloud hosting across multiple cloud providers, offering scalable solutions for personal blogs, growing businesses, and resource-intensive websites. Plans are pay-as-you-go with hourly and monthly billing options, giving flexibility for scaling as your site grows.
- Micro – $14 USD per month
Perfect for personal websites and small blogs, the Micro plan includes 1 GB RAM, 1 CPU core, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. This entry-level plan is ideal for beginners or small sites that need fast cloud hosting without managing server complexities. - Small – $28 USD per month
Designed for growing websites and moderate traffic, the Small plan includes 2 GB RAM, 1 CPU core, 50 GB storage, and 2 TB bandwidth. It is suitable for small businesses or content-heavy blogs that require improved performance and reliability. - Medium – $54 USD per month
The Medium plan supports more demanding websites with higher traffic, including e-commerce stores or dynamic web applications. It offers 4 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 80 GB storage, and 4 TB bandwidth, along with server-level caching and enhanced scalability. - Large – $99 USD per month
Ideal for resource-intensive websites, high-traffic blogs, or online stores, the Large plan provides 8 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 160 GB storage, and 5 TB bandwidth. It includes advanced features like Redis, Varnish caching, and staging environments for optimal performance and growth.
All Cloudways plans include free SSL certificates, free website migration (in many cases), and managed cloud hosting features. For users starting out, the Micro plan offers an affordable way to begin with personal websites or small blogs. As their website grows, they can upgrade to higher-tier plans like Medium or Large to gain additional resources, enhanced performance, and advanced tools such as server-level caching, Redis, and staging environments.
Cloudways Support and Customer Service
Cloudways is renowned for its robust support and customer service, ensuring users have access to assistance whenever needed.
24/7 Expert Support
Cloudways offers round-the-clock support through live chat and a ticketing system. Their team of experts is readily available to address any hosting-related issues or inquiries. Users can submit requests via the Cloudways Ticketing System, where a support staff member will respond promptly.
Comprehensive Help Center
For those who prefer self-service, the Cloudways Help Center provides an extensive collection of knowledge base articles. This resource covers a wide range of topics, including getting started guides, managing subscriptions and billing, server and application administration, and troubleshooting. The Help Center is designed to empower users to find solutions independently with detailed, step-by-step tutorials.
Sales and General Inquiries
For sales-related questions or general inquiries, Cloudways offers a contact form on their website. By filling out the form, users can connect with the sales team to get answers to hosting questions, explore suitable pricing plans, or learn about partnership opportunities.
Cloudways Security
Cloudways prioritizes server security by implementing a comprehensive suite of features designed to protect websites from various threats. Key security measures include:
Dedicated Server-Level Firewall
Each server is equipped with a firewall powered by Imunify360, which detects and filters out malicious traffic, safeguarding sites from potential attacks.
Automated Protection with Fail2Ban
To prevent unauthorized access, Cloudways employs Fail2Ban, which monitors login attempts and automatically blocks suspicious activities.
Regular Security Patches and Updates
The platform ensures continuous protection by applying regular security patches and server OS updates, maintaining an up-to-date defense against emerging threats.
Malware Alerts
Applications hosted on Cloudways are regularly scanned for malware using Imunify360. If any malicious software is detected, users receive immediate alerts via CloudwaysBot, enabling prompt action.
Vulnerability Scanner
In collaboration with Patchstack, Cloudways offers a Vulnerability Scanner that provides instant notifications about potential vulnerabilities in WordPress core files, plugins, or themes, allowing users to address issues proactively.
Free 1-Click SSL Certificates
To enhance data security, Cloudways provides free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, easily installable with a single click, ensuring encrypted connections for websites.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) with IP and Country Blocking
The integrated WAF offers advanced protection by blocking blacklisted traffic and challenging suspicious visitors with CAPTCHA. Users can control access by IP and country, helping to protect against known malicious regions and high-risk IPs.
Malcare Bot Protection
To defend against brute force attacks, DDoS attacks, and other automated bot threats, Cloudways incorporates Malcare Bot Protection, effectively mitigating malicious traffic.
Cloudways: Pros and Cons
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that simplifies the deployment and management of applications by offering a user-friendly interface atop leading cloud infrastructure providers. Below are the key advantages and disadvantages of using Cloudways:
Pros of Cloudways
- Flexible Pricing: Cloudways operates on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing users to scale resources up or down based on their needs without long-term commitments.
- High Performance: By partnering with top cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud, Cloudways ensures high uptime and fast load times for hosted applications.
- User-Friendly Interface: The platform offers a modern, easy-to-navigate dashboard that simplifies server and application management, making it accessible even for users without extensive technical expertise.
- Comprehensive Support: Cloudways provides 24/7 live chat, support tickets, and a detailed knowledge base, ensuring that assistance is readily available when needed.
- Advanced Security Features: The platform includes features like firewalls, automated backups, and two-factor authentication to enhance the security of hosted applications.
Cons of Cloudways
- Additional Costs for Email Hosting: Email hosting is not included in the standard plans and is available at an extra cost of $1 per mailbox per month.
- No Domain Registration Services: Cloudways does not offer domain registration, requiring users to procure their domain names from third-party registrars.
- Limited Trial Period: The platform offers a brief 3-day free trial, which may be insufficient for users to fully assess its capabilities.
Cloudways offers a robust managed cloud hosting solution with flexible pricing, high performance, and comprehensive support. However, potential users should be aware of additional costs for services like email hosting, the absence of domain registration, a limited trial period.
Cloudways Hosting Competitors and Alternatives
Cloudways isn’t the only solution in the managed hosting space. Depending on your project’s size, technical needs, and budget, several strong alternatives provide similar or even complementary features. Below are four notable competitors worth considering when evaluating Cloudways.
Kinsta
Kinsta is a premium managed WordPress hosting provider built on Google Cloud Platform. It focuses on delivering optimized performance for WordPress sites with advanced security and developer-friendly tools.
Strengths:
Exceptional performance powered by Google Cloud’s C2 machines;
Automatic daily backups and one-click restore;
24/7 expert WordPress support and robust site monitoring;
Considerations:
Higher pricing compared to general cloud hosting providers;
Limited flexibility for hosting non-WordPress applications;
WP Engine
WP Engine is another managed WordPress hosting solution that emphasizes security, scalability, and reliability for high-traffic websites and enterprises.
Strengths:
Strong focus on speed and uptime with proprietary EverCache technology;
Developer tools including staging environments and Git integration;
Excellent customer support and performance analytics;
Considerations:
WordPress-only hosting—unsuitable for other CMS or custom stacks;
Premium pricing compared to more flexible providers like Cloudways;
SiteGround Cloud Hosting
SiteGround offers cloud hosting with fully managed infrastructure, ideal for users seeking a balance between automation and control.
Strengths:
Fast server setup with auto-scaling and isolated cloud accounts;
Built-in caching and free CDN for improved performance;
Strong security with AI-driven anti-bot systems and free SSL;
Considerations:
More expensive than Cloudways’ entry-level plans;
Fewer customization options for server configurations;
DigitalOcean App Platform
DigitalOcean’s App Platform provides a developer-focused PaaS (Platform as a Service) experience, allowing users to deploy and scale applications with minimal setup. While Cloudways offers managed hosting on top of DigitalOcean, the App Platform is suitable for developers who prefer direct access and lower-level control.
Strengths:
Transparent, predictable pricing and hourly billing;
Simple deployment workflows with GitHub/GitLab integration;
High scalability and performance for custom applications;
Considerations:
Requires more technical knowledge compared to Cloudways;
Limited managed services and support for non-developers;
Cloudways competes effectively by offering a balance between flexibility, performance, and ease of use, bridging the gap between unmanaged cloud servers and premium managed hosting providers.
Conclusion: Is Cloudways the Right Choice for You?
Cloudways stands out as a powerful managed cloud hosting provider, offering flexibility, high performance, and scalability. Our testing confirms its impressive speed, strong uptime, and ability to handle traffic spikes efficiently.
For developers and growing businesses, Cloudways provides full control over server configurations while managing the complexities of cloud hosting. Beginners may face a learning curve due to its advanced features, but the intuitive control panel simplifies many tasks.
While Cloudways does not include domain registration or email hosting, its pay-as-you-go pricing and integration with top cloud providers like AWS and Google Cloud make it a great choice for those who need scalable and high-performance hosting.
Overall, Cloudways is ideal for businesses, developers, and agencies looking for cloud hosting with strong customization, reliability, and speed.
Cloudways Coupon
Looking to save on your hosting plan? Cloudways provides exclusive discounts, making it even more affordable to get high-performance cloud hosting.
To claim this deal, click here to visit Cloudways’ website—the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Take advantage of this offer to experience top-tier cloud hosting at a reduced price.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cloudways
What is Cloudways?
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that allows you to deploy applications on top cloud providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud.
Does Cloudways offer a free trial?
Yes, Cloudways provides a 3-day free trial on its DigitalOcean, Linode, and Vultr plans.
Can I host WordPress sites on Cloudways?
Yes, Cloudways supports WordPress and offers optimized hosting solutions with advanced caching and security features.
Does Cloudways offer email hosting?
No, Cloudways does not include email hosting by default, but you can purchase a Rackspace email add-on.
Is Cloudways support available 24/7?
Yes, Cloudways offers 24/7 live chat and ticket-based support, along with premium support plans for advanced assistance.
