Hosting is a fundamental part of running a website. Get it right and you’ll be able to deliver a consistently exceptional experience.
Get it wrong and things can get tricky.
If you’re researching web hosting, you’ll have probably heard of Cloudways.
You will also probably have asked yourself whether they are any good, are they fast enough or are they worth using?
We aim to answer those questions and more.
This post provides a detailed review of Cloudways managed hosting. We tried it, hosted a site with it and gave it a thorough workout.
Here’s what we found.
Managed Hosting
Cloudways is a managed hosting service. The main benefit of managed hosting is that everything is handled for you.
The host manages the server, updates, maintenance, security, uptime, resilience and all the technical stuff.
This leaves you to run your website, grow your business and do whatever it is you do.
Managed hosting is easier to use and suitable for small businesses, bloggers, and individual users, along with bigger organizations.
Managed hosts will typically take care of:
- Server management
- Scaling and migration
- Security patches and the firewall
- Regular updates
- 24/7 technical and general support
Managed hosting costs a little more than standard hosting but it means you don’t need your own support team and can spend more time working on your business.
Main Features of Cloudways Managed Hosting
Here are some of the main features of Cloudways managed hosting service.
- Caching and NVMe storage
- Extra WordPress caching plugin for free
- Network monitoring and protection
- Cloudways CDN
- Choice of multiple class-leading providers
- 99.99% uptime
- Their own cPanel alternative
- Autoscaling
There’s everything a website needs to deliver exceptional uptime and performance.
Cloudways Autonomous Scalability
We first heard about Autonomous on April 13th, 2023, when the beta version was announced. It officially launched in January 2024
Cloudways Autonomous is a fully managed WordPress hosting solution that auto-scales server resources based on website traffic.
It ensures peak performance without requiring manual intervention.
It’s built on Kubernetes (GKE) with GCP’s C2 machines and integrated enterprise CDN and database caching. It offers built-in autoscaling, security, and optimized performance.
Autonomous Pricing
Autonomous is available for Cloudways customers at a starting price of $35.
You can run 1 application on an autonomous server. Other plans are available if you need more.
Cloudways Autonomous includes premium features on every plan, such as Cloudflare’s enterprise-level edge cache and CDN, along with the Redis Object Cache Pro plugin, which enhances database performance at no extra cost.
Note: Right now Autonomous is available for WordPress hosting only.
24/7/365 Support
Cloudways offers 24/7/365 live human support. The chat support has a high rating and guarantees prompt responses.
There’s also ticketed support and a dedicated Slack channel available for high-priority customers.
Online communities have rated the Cloudways support very highly. So this is one aspect where you can safely rely on your host.
Built-In Security features
Cloudways offers website security with advanced server and application-level protections, including free 1-click SSL, DDoS mitigation and Cloudflare Enterprise.
The company has collaborated with PatchStack so customers can access their excellent vulnerability scanner. This helps to detect security threats and vulnerabilities beforehand for WordPress core, themes, and plugins.
Collaboration with Malcare bot protection and brute force attack prevention is also part of the security stack.
The following security features are available on ALL plans:
- Dedicated firewall
- Free SSL certificates
- IP whitelisting
- SSL encryption
- Regular security patching
- Two-factor authentication
- Bot protection
- Vulnerability scanner
Supporting Multiple Apps
Cloudways provide support for a number of different apps including popular options such as Woocommerce, PHP, Laravel, Magento and others.
All apps are kept up to date by the system so you’re always using the latest version. One less thing to worry about!
Multiple IaaS Cloud Providers
Cloudways hosting is unique as it is among the only providers which is providing the choice to its users to choose from top 5 hosting service providers.
The list includes esteemed names including Vultr, Linode, Amazon Web Services, GCP and DigitalOcean.
This provides a wide range of options and price points as well as features to choose from.
Performance and Speed
Performance and availability are of utmost importance as it directly affects the efficiency and speed of websites.
Cloudways has 99.99% uptime, which is industry standard.
It also has fast servers, NVMe storage, fiber networks and multiple performance optimizations.
There’s also Cloudflare CDN to make sites faster with content distribution across more than 65+ data centers.
Ease of Use
With Cloudways, you get cloud hosting so simple you’ll find yourself cruising towards online domination in no time.
Every function is just a few clicks away and is easy to find and to use
Here are some of the things which makes it the most user-friendly hosting platform:
- Advanced server cloning allows you to clone SSL certificates, domains, and apps with a single click.
- Enjoy free unlimited migration with Cloudways Migrator Plugin (Free of cost) Expert support is provided during migration
- Install unlimited applications on a server
- Customize roles for developers, stakeholders, and clients for secure and productive teamwork.
Cloudways Vs. Other Web Hosts
Here’s how Cloudways compares to other web hosts:
| Features | Cloudways | Kinsta | Hostinger | WPEngine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest plan | $11/Month | $30/Month | $1.39/Month | $30/Month |
| Vertical scaling | 1-click scaling boost, RAM, CPU and storage | Available | Available | Not available |
| Cloud providers | Multiple | Single | Single | Not available |
| Sites included | Unlimited on all plans | 1 per plan | 1 per plan | 1 per plan |
| Multiple app support | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Hosting type | Cloud servers | Cloud servers | Cloud servers | Shared hosting |
As you can see, Cloudways compares favorably on all counts against some of the competition!
Cloudways Pricing
Cloudways has flexible pricing plans that depend on the options you choose.
Here’s an overview of the basic plans (price per month) so you get an idea:
| Cloud Provider | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | $11 | $14 |
| Linode | $14 | $28 |
| Vultr | $16 | $30 |
| AWS | $38.56 | $91.84 |
| Google Cloud | $37.45 | $84.12 |
As you can see, each plan has a standard and premium tier.
Premium tiers utilize Intel Xeon 2nd generation processors with built-in acceleration and Intel Mesh architecture for extra performance.
Cloudways Vs. cPanel
Cloudways offers a convenient Cpanel alternative that you’ll either like or not.
cPanel can be a little too complicated for those with little to no technical knowledge and experience.
Cloudways’ easy to use interface helps the user take control.
Forget about command lines, using separate control panels for server management and multiple clicks just to do a simple task.
The Cloudways interface gives you a single dashboard where you can drag and drop to manage your cloud servers and websites.
Here is a quick glance at the comparison between the two.
| Features | cPanel | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| User-friendly interface | No | Yes |
| High degree of control | Yes | Yes |
| 1-Click vertical install | Yes | Yes |
| Zero setup | No | Yes |
Check out the Cloudways vs. cPanel page for a more detailed comparison.
What Are Customers Saying About Cloudways?
Check out reviews from Cloudways customers on the G2 website.
The service has 4.7 out of 5 stars from 792 reviews. According to the reviews, it has an easy to use interface and great customer support.
Trust Radius has rated it 9.5 out of 10 with an overall rating of 5 stars.
You can also check out the Cloudways reviews page with verified reviews to understand the pros and cons of the platform.
Should You Use Cloudways?
Now we have reviewed all the major features of Cloudways hosting, the question arises, should you use it or not?
The short answer is, yes. If you’re looking for a new web host for all but the most demanding website, Cloudways is a good bet.
It’s fast, reliable, offers decent customer support and has sensible pricing. Reviews are good too, which is another great sign!
Add good security, Cloudflare CDN and NVMe storage and you have a solid web host on your hands!
Do you use Cloudways? What do you think of the service? Tell us your story below!
