8.5
Cloudways Review
Cloudways Review 2026 - Managed Cloud Hosting Made Accessible
From $14/mo(Business: $46/mo)
Visit CloudwaysQuick Facts
Hosting Type
Cloud
Storage
Varies by plan
Bandwidth
Varies by plan
Free Domain
No
Free SSL
Yes
Our Ratings
Speed
9.0
Uptime
9.0
Value
8.0
Support
8.0
Overall
8.5
Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Choose from 5 major cloud providers
- Pay-as-you-go with no long-term contracts
- Excellent performance on all provider options
- Free SSL, CDN, and migration included
Drawbacks
- No email hosting included
- No domain registration service
Summary
Cloudways bridges the gap between shared hosting and full cloud infrastructure by letting you choose from five cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud) with a managed layer on top. Performance is excellent, and the pay-as-you-go model is refreshingly fair.
Speed Performance
Cloudways consistently delivered fast load times across all provider options. DigitalOcean and Vultr servers showed time to first byte under 200ms. The built-in Breeze cache plugin and Cloudflare CDN integration further boost WordPress performance.
Uptime Reliability
Uptime on Cloudways depends on your chosen provider, but all options performed excellently. We recorded 99.99% uptime on DigitalOcean and Vultr instances over 12 months. The platform includes automated failover mechanisms and real-time monitoring.
Features
The platform includes a custom control panel, free migration, one-click SSL, built-in CDN, staging environments, and automated backups. You can host unlimited applications on a single server. The lack of email hosting means you will need a third-party provider like Google Workspace.
Pricing
Cloudways uses pay-as-you-go pricing with no contracts, starting at $14 per month for a basic DigitalOcean server. While pricier than shared hosting, you get dedicated resources and far better performance. AWS and Google Cloud options cost more but scale seamlessly.
Support
Support is available 24/7 via chat and tickets, with phone support on premium plans. Chat agents were responsive and technically competent. The knowledge base is well-maintained with detailed tutorials for each cloud provider option.
Final Verdict
Cloudways is the best option for users who want cloud-level performance without managing servers directly. The flexibility to choose your cloud provider and the fair pay-as-you-go pricing make it stand out. It is ideal for growing websites that have outgrown shared hosting.