By HostingDive Team | Prices and terms read from Cloudways, Kinsta and WP Engine pages on 2026-11-01
Cloudways review in one line: it is a managed cloud platform that lets you pick the cloud provider and server size, charges per server rather than per site, and lists unlimited websites on every plan, from $14 per month for Micro (1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25GB NVMe) to $99 per month for Large (8GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 160GB NVMe). It suits agencies, WooCommerce stores with a developer and anyone who has outgrown shared hosting. It is a weaker fit for beginners who want an app-level support desk included. Figures here come from vendor pages; HostingDive has not measured Cloudways speed, uptime or support for this page.
Quick verdict
HostingDive score 4.3 / 5
| Item | Cloudways, as listed |
|---|---|
| Starting price | $14 per month (Micro), USD, excluding taxes |
| Websites | Unlimited Websites on every listed plan |
| Cloud providers | DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud (the home page says 5 cloud providers) |
| Free trial | Start Your 5-Day Trial; the pricing page says a free trial without a credit card |
| Free migration | The first website, handled by Cloudways engineers |
| Best for | Agencies, developers, WooCommerce stores with in-house tech |
| Weakest point | App-level (plugin and theme) help is a paid add-on; backups are billed separately |
The 4.3 / 5 score is an editorial judgment on pricing structure, plan limits, included features and add-on costs as published. It is not a speed, uptime or support measurement.
What is Cloudways?
Cloudways sits between shared hosting, a raw VPS and a fully managed WordPress host. You choose a cloud provider, data center and server size, and Cloudways layers a managed stack on top: backups, staging, SSL, caching and a firewall. You pay for the server, not per site, which is why multi-site owners and agencies look at it. DigitalOcean is the parent company, and DigitalOcean is also one of the five infrastructure choices.
The vendor home page now presents several products: Flexible (you pick provider, data center and size), Autonomous (hands-off hosting that autoscales WordPress and WooCommerce), Velocity (managed Node.js) and AI-agent hosting. This review covers the classic managed-server model described on the pricing page. Cloudways Site Manager, Copilot and SafeUpdates sit on top of it as separate tools.
Cloudways pricing: what a server costs
The pricing page lists four server sizes in its default view. Billing is per server per month (the page also shows an hourly rate), with no per-site fee. Do not read these as the whole bill: backups, the CDN upgrade and support add-ons are extra. The full cost breakdown, including hourly rates and add-on math, is in our cloudways pricing guide; the table below is the minimum needed to judge the platform.
| Size | Price | RAM | vCPU | Storage | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | $14 per month | 1GB RAM | 1 vCPU | 25GB NVMe | 1TB |
| Small | $28 per month | 2GB RAM | 1 vCPU | 50GB NVMe | 2TB |
| Medium | $54 per month | 4GB RAM | 2 vCPU | 80GB NVMe | 4TB |
| Large | $99 per month | 8GB RAM | 4 vCPU | 160GB NVMe | 5TB |
Price per GB of RAM, by server size (HostingDive arithmetic from the listed prices)
$14.00 per GB
$14.00 per GB
$13.50 per GB
$12.38 per GB
Scaling up buys slightly more RAM per dollar, but not dramatically: the per-GB price only drops from $14.00 to $12.38 between Micro and Large. The real saving is structural. Because the server price covers unlimited websites, an agency with many small sites pays for capacity, not for site count.
Paid extras that change the total
| Extra | Listed price | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Offsite backup storage | $0.033/GB per server | Applied for offsite backup storage |
| Enterprise Cloudflare CDN | Starts at $4.99/domain/mon | Edge page caching, Argo Smart routing and more Cloudflare Enterprise features |
| Site Manager | Starts at $3/app/mon | One dashboard for many WordPress sites, safe updates, visual regression testing, SSO |
| Malware Protection | Starts at $4/app/month | Automated malware removal |
| Advance Support Addon | $100/month | Support that extends to plugin and theme troubleshooting and performance optimizations |
If you are weighing Cloudways against other server-style hosts, see our cloudways alternatives roundup and the DigitalOcean versus Cloudways comparison. Source: Cloudways pricing page.
No Cloudways price is quoted here for individual cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud), because the provider selector was not readable on the saved pricing page. Check the provider you want before you commit. For promo terms, see our Cloudways promo code page; this review states no discount.
What every Cloudways plan includes
The pricing page lists these as built in on every plan:
- Unlimited apps and unlimited visits, up to what the server can support
- Free SSL (Let's Encrypt) and a dedicated server firewall (Imunify360)
- Free Redis cache, listed as worth $100/Mon
- Free Object Cache Pro on a 4GB server or above, which the page says usually costs $95 a month
- Free advanced staging and cloning, listed as worth $20, with one-click push live
- A free WordPress vulnerability scanner and built-in firewall with IP blocking
- Automated or on-demand backups with one-click restore (storage billed separately)
- Vertical scaling and 24/7 expert support
The Object Cache Pro detail matters for WooCommerce: it is the main reason the Medium size (4GB RAM) is the sensible starting point for a store rather than Small.
Performance, uptime and speed: what is claimed and what is measured
This page carries no HostingDive speed, uptime or support-response figures for Cloudways. Earlier versions of this review quoted first-party numbers; they are not restated here because they are not part of the sourced set. For first-party speed data on the hosts we do measure, see the HostingDive Speed Index and how we test hosting speed.
| Claim | Where it appears | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 99.99% uptime | Cloudways home page: "99.99% uptime, enterprise-grade DDoS protection, automated backups, and free SSL on every app" | Vendor marketing language, not measured uptime |
| Built-in CDN and intelligent caching | Cloudways home page | Describes the stack; no speed figure is given |
| NVMe-based servers, PHP-FPM, advanced cache | Cloudways pricing page comparison list | Feature list; performance depends on app, plugins and region |
Practical read: the stack is built for caching (Redis, Object Cache Pro on 4GB and up), so a well-configured WordPress site on a mid-sized server is the target case. The honest limit of any review built on vendor pages is that no speed claim can be confirmed from them.
Features worth knowing
Cloud providers and data centers
Cloudways lets you pick from five providers: DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud. The home page advertises 150+ data center locations across 5 cloud providers, while the pricing page comparison list says "50+ Global Data Centers". Treat the counts as marketing and check the location list for your chosen provider and region.
Staging and cloning
Staging is included: create a staging copy, test changes and push them live with one click. The pricing page also lists 1-click server cloning, which helps agencies replicate a known-good setup.
Backups
Backups can be on-demand or automated, with one-click restore. Storage is not free: the pricing page lists $0.033/GB per server for offsite backup storage. For a site with a large media library this line item is worth modeling before you compare totals with a host that bundles backups.
Security
The page lists a server firewall (Imunify360), IP and country allow or block, bruteforce protection, bot protection, DoS protection, malware scanning, free SSL and server and app monitoring. Malware Protection (automated removal) is a paid add-on.
Scaling and developer features
Vertical scaling is listed as built in, and the comparison list names multiple PHP versions, a built-in MySQL manager, 1-click SafeUpdates for WordPress and auto-healing servers. Cloudways also hosts Magento, Laravel and other PHP apps, and offers managed Node.js through Velocity.
Customer support
Cloudways lists 24/7/365 support on all plans. The scope is the point to understand: the Advance Support Addon, listed at $100/month, is the tier described as extending to plugin and theme troubleshooting and performance optimization. A reasonable reading is that standard support is about the server and platform, and that app-level debugging of a broken checkout or plugin conflict is the paid tier. HostingDive has not measured response times, and the vendor figures for response speed and satisfaction are not repeated here.
Where the plan limit actually bites: storage, not site count
Every plan lists Unlimited Websites, so adding another install never trips a tier. The constraint is shared capacity: the entry Micro size includes 25GB NVMe storage for every site on the server, and Small includes 50GB NVMe. A portfolio of modest sites can fill that faster than expected once backups, media libraries and staging copies pile up. Model total storage across all sites, not the count of sites, before consolidating onto one server, and check which size covers it. When storage rather than site count becomes the binding constraint, compare capacity per dollar instead of treating the missing site cap as the deciding advantage.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Server pricing covers unlimited websites, so per-site cost falls as you add sites | Backups are billed separately at $0.033/GB per server |
| Choice of five cloud providers and a large location footprint | App-level help (plugins and themes) is the paid Advance Support Addon at $100/month |
| Staging, cloning, SSL, firewall and vulnerability scanner included | The CDN upgrade is an add-on from $4.99/domain/mon |
| Object Cache Pro included on 4GB and above | Entry sizes are small: Micro has 1GB RAM and 25GB NVMe |
| Free first-site migration and a 5-Day trial | Not a beginner product: no hand-holding setup is described |
Who should (and should not) use Cloudways
Good fit
- Agencies and freelancers with several client sites: unlimited websites per server is the economic edge.
- WooCommerce stores with in-house developers: Object Cache Pro (4GB and above), staging and a larger NVMe allowance.
- PHP app developers: Magento, Laravel and other PHP apps are supported alongside WordPress.
- Owners who outgrew shared hosting and want cloud servers without running a raw VPS; see the best WordPress hosting and best hosting for WordPress developers guides.
Not the right choice
- Absolute beginners who want a guided, all-in-one account.
- Owners who need app-level support included rather than as a $100/month add-on.
- Single small blogs on tight budgets, where a cheaper shared plan may be enough. See how to choose a web host.
Cloudways versus managed WordPress hosts
| Item | Cloudways | Kinsta (single-site plan) | WP Engine (Essential) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed price | $14 per month (Micro) to $99 per month (Large) | See vendor page: it shows first-month and later figures | GBP 24.00 per month, billed annually (GBP exactly as shown) |
| Websites | Unlimited Websites | 1 WordPress install | See vendor page |
| Storage | 25GB NVMe on Micro | 10GB storage | See vendor page |
| Backups | Automated or on-demand; storage billed per GB | Backup retention of 14 days | Daily automated backups |
| Support | 24/7/365 on all plans; app-level help is an add-on | 24/7 human support | 24/7 chat support |
| Free migration | First website free | Unlimited free migrations | See vendor page |
The pattern: Cloudways trades bundled convenience for capacity and flexibility, while Kinsta and WP Engine sell a managed WordPress experience per site. See our Kinsta review, WP Engine review and the Cloudways vs SiteGround comparison. Sources: Kinsta pricing page and WP Engine plans page.
Migrating to Cloudways
The pricing page says Cloudways engineers will migrate your first website for free from any web host; you tell them and they handle it. The home page says free migration covers WordPress and WooCommerce sites, and its agency section lists 5 free managed migrations. The process is: launch a server, request the migration, supply source-host access, test on a temporary URL and then point DNS. The cost of additional migrations is not stated on the saved pages, so confirm it before moving a large portfolio. To plan an exit from an old host, see how to leave a web host.
Our verdict
Cloudways earns 4.3 / 5 as an editorial score for pricing structure and feature set: a flat per-server price, unlimited websites, a solid included feature list and clear add-on prices. It loses points for separately billed backups, app-level support behind a paid add-on and a learning curve for non-technical owners. Start on Small if you run one WordPress site, and on Medium if you run WooCommerce or several sites, since Medium is where Object Cache Pro is included. Re-check the provider you choose, because this review quotes no per-provider price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Cloudways cost?
The pricing page lists four sizes: Micro at $14 per month, Small at $28 per month, Medium at $54 per month and Large at $99 per month, excluding applicable taxes.
Does Cloudways have a free trial?
The pricing page offers "Start Your 5-Day Trial" and says you can try Flexible without a credit card. The home page "30-Day Free Trial" button refers to Cloudflare Enterprise, not the hosting trial.
Is Cloudways good for WordPress and WooCommerce?
It is built for both. Object Cache Pro is included on a 4GB server or above, staging is included and the server price covers unlimited websites. App-level plugin troubleshooting is the paid Advance Support Addon at $100/month.
Does Cloudways include backups?
Backups are included as a feature, but offsite backup storage is billed at $0.033/GB per server.
Can I host more than one site on Cloudways?
Yes. Every listed plan shows Unlimited Websites and Unlimited Visits. The practical limits are the server resources, such as 25GB NVMe on Micro, not a site count.
Does Cloudways migrate my site for free?
The pricing page says the first website is migrated for free. The home page agency section also lists 5 free managed migrations.
What are the best Cloudways alternatives?
It depends on whether you want a similar server-style host or managed WordPress. The alternatives roundup linked in the pricing section covers both, and the Kinsta and WP Engine reviews cover the managed side.
Related: HostingDive Speed Index, cloud VPS hosting.
Sources
Vendor pages read on 2026-11-01 (logged-out view). Prices are list or offer prices as shown that day and can change.
- Cloudways pricing, plans, included features and add-ons, fetched 2026-11-01
- Cloudways home page, products, providers and uptime claim, fetched 2026-11-01
- Kinsta pricing, single-site plan features, fetched 2026-11-01
- WP Engine plans, Essential plan in GBP, fetched 2026-11-01
Disclosure: HostingDive earns a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Prices, limits and guarantees on this page are read from the vendor pages listed under Sources and are not the result of HostingDive measurements.
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