Overview
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform acquired by DigitalOcean in 2022. Unlike traditional hosts, Cloudways lets you choose your cloud provider DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, or Vultr and handles all server management. You get cloud power without the DevOps overhead.
We tested two setups: a DigitalOcean 2 GB ($24/mo) and an AWS 2 GB ($36/mo) server, each running WordPress with WooCommerce. We monitored both for 12 months, ran monthly benchmarks, and contacted support 6 times.
Founded
2011
Acquired By
DigitalOcean
Cloud Options
4 Providers
Billing
Pay-As-You-Go
Performance Testing
| Metric | DO 2 GB | AWS 2 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Load Time | 0.55s | 0.48s |
| TTFB | 95ms | 82ms |
| PageSpeed Score | 93/100 | 95/100 |
| 100 Concurrent Users | 180ms | 145ms |
| 12-Month Uptime | 99.99% | 99.99% |
AWS was ~15% faster across all metrics, which makes sense given the price difference. Both performed excellently. The Breeze caching plugin (included free) made a significant difference disabling it increased TTFB from 95ms to 340ms on DigitalOcean.
Cloud Provider Comparison
| Provider | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | $14/mo | Best value, most popular |
| Vultr | $14/mo | High-frequency compute |
| AWS | $36/mo | Enterprise, global reach |
| Google Cloud | $33/mo | AI/ML workloads, premium network |
Our Pick: DigitalOcean
For most users, DigitalOcean offers the best balance of price and performance. Start with the 2 GB plan ($24/mo) the 1 GB plan is too tight for WordPress + WooCommerce.
Key Features
🖥️
Custom Control Panel
Clean, intuitive dashboard for server and app management. Not cPanel better for cloud workflows.
🔄
Server Cloning
Clone entire servers with one click. Perfect for creating staging environments or migrating between providers.
📊
Built-in Monitoring
Real-time server monitoring with alerts. CPU, RAM, disk, and bandwidth usage at a glance.
🚀
Breeze Cache Plugin
Free WordPress caching plugin optimized for Cloudways. Varnish, Memcached, and Redis support.
🔒
Free SSL & Backups
Let's Encrypt SSL with auto-renewal. Automated backups with configurable frequency and retention.
👥
Team Collaboration
Add team members with granular permissions. Perfect for agencies managing multiple client servers.
Customer Support
We contacted Cloudways support 6 times. Quality was consistently good agents understood cloud hosting concepts and resolved issues efficiently. Not quite SiteGround-level, but well above average.
💬
< 5 min
Chat Response
📧
< 2 hours
Ticket Response
🎯
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Quality
Note: Premium support ($100/mo) adds phone support and a dedicated account manager. Standard support is chat and ticket only.
Pricing Analysis
Cloudways uses true pay-as-you-go billing. No annual lock-in, no renewal price hikes. You pay the same price month 1 as month 36. This is a major advantage over SiteGround and most traditional hosts.
💰 Hidden Costs to Consider
- Email hosting: Not included. Google Workspace ($6/user/mo) or Rackspace ($2.99/user/mo)
- Domain registration: Not available. Use Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.
- Premium support: $100/mo for phone + dedicated manager
- Object cache pro: $45/mo for Redis object caching
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
Cloudways vs Competitors
| Feature | Cloudways | SiteGround | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $14/mo | $2.99/mo | $30/mo |
| Renewal Price | $14/mo (same) | $17.99/mo | $30/mo (same) |
| Cloud Choice | 4 providers | Google Cloud only | Google Cloud only |
| Billing | Pay-as-you-go | Annual only | Annual or monthly |
| Email Hosting | Not included | Free | Not included |
| Avg Load Time | 0.55s | 0.42s | 0.38s |
| Best For | Developers | WordPress users | Enterprise WP |
First 48 Hours on Cloudways: The Learning Curve Is Real
Hour 0: You sign up for the free trial. No credit card required — good start. The dashboard loads. And immediately, you're asked to choose a cloud provider (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode), a server size, a data center location, and an application. If you're coming from Bluehost where you clicked "Get Started" and WordPress was just there, this is a jarring amount of decision-making before anything exists.
Hour 2: Your server is provisioned. WordPress is installed. You go to set up your domain and discover there's no domain registration on Cloudways. You need to buy your domain elsewhere and point DNS manually. If you don't know what an A record is, you're Googling. The knowledge base helps, but this is a task that Hostinger or Bluehost handles automatically.
Hour 6: You need email. There is no email hosting. Cloudways doesn't include it and makes no pretense about it. You either set up Google Workspace ($6/user/mo), Zoho Mail (free tier), or the Rackspace add-on ($1/mo). For someone used to cPanel where email "just works," this feels like a missing feature, not a design philosophy.
Hour 24: You've figured out the dashboard. Server management, application management, and monitoring are logically separated. The staging environment works with one click. SSH/SFTP access is straightforward. You run your first speed test and see 0.4s TTFB. You start to understand why people put up with the learning curve.
Hour 48: Your site is live, SSL is provisioned, caching is configured, and you've set up automated backups. The onboarding was harder than any shared host you've used. But the result is noticeably faster, and you have actual control over your server environment. The question is whether the destination justifies the journey — and for most serious WordPress users, it does.
What Cloudways Gets Wrong
Cloudways is our top pick for users who want cloud performance without server administration. These criticisms come from that position of respect — they're the things we wish the product handled differently.
No Email Hosting Is a Real Problem
Cloudways positions this as a feature — "we focus on hosting, not email." In practice, it means every new user has to set up a separate email service before they can receive a contact form submission. The Rackspace add-on ($1/mailbox/mo) is underpowered. Google Workspace works but adds $6/user/mo to your costs. For a platform charging $14+/mo that markets itself as "managed," punting email to a third party feels like an incomplete product, not a principled design choice.
DigitalOcean Acquisition Creates Uncertainty
DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in 2022 for $350 million. So far, the product has remained largely independent. But the most popular Cloudways configuration — DigitalOcean servers managed through Cloudways — now means you're paying DigitalOcean a margin on top of DigitalOcean's own infrastructure. The long-term incentive is to push users directly to DigitalOcean's own managed offerings. We haven't seen that happen yet, but the structural conflict exists. If you're building a business on Cloudways, it's worth considering AWS or Vultr as your underlying provider for independence.
The "Managed" Label Misleads Beginners
Cloudways calls itself "managed cloud hosting." Compared to raw DigitalOcean or AWS, that's accurate — they handle server updates, security patches, and monitoring. Compared to SiteGround or Kinsta, "managed" means something very different. There's no phone support, no domain registration, no email, and the onboarding assumes technical comfort. Beginners who choose Cloudways because "managed" sounds easy end up overwhelmed. The product is managed infrastructure, not managed WordPress — and that distinction matters enormously for the audience attracted by the marketing.
FAQ
Which cloud provider should I choose on Cloudways?▼
Is Cloudways good for WordPress?▼
How do I handle email without Cloudways email hosting?▼
Can I scale my server without downtime?▼
Is there a free trial?▼
Final Verdict
Cloudways earns a 4.7/5 as the best managed cloud hosting platform for developers and growing businesses. The ability to choose your cloud provider, true pay-as-you-go billing, and excellent performance make it uniquely flexible. The lack of email hosting and steeper learning curve are real trade-offs. For an easier all-in-one experience, SiteGround is the better choice.