Cloudways: Empowering Your Online Presence with Managed Cloud Hosting

Cloudways in Overview

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in St. Julian’s, Malta, Cloudways have established themselves as a leading managed cloud hosting provider. The company was acquired by DigitalOcean in 2022, and specializes in simplifying cloud hosting by offering a user-friendly platform that integrates with top cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Linode, and Vultr. This approach allows businesses to leverage the robust infrastructure of these providers and their many server locations without the need for extensive technical expertise.

Cloudways targets a diverse clientele, including digital agencies, e-commerce businesses, developers, and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMBs). Their platform is designed to cater to users seeking high-performance hosting solutions with the flexibility to scale resources as needed. The company emphasizes simplicity and performance, offering features like one-click application installations, automated backups, and real-time monitoring. 

A standout feature of Cloudways is their autoscaling capability, which ensures zero downtime during traffic spikes—a critical feature for growing businesses. Additionally, the platform emphasizes ease of use, making it accessible even to non-technical users. For developers, Cloudways offers robust tools like SSH access, Git integration, and staging environments, catering to more advanced needs.

Another standout feature is their flexible pricing model, which allows users to pay only for the resources they use. This pay-as-you-go structure is particularly advantageous for businesses with fluctuating traffic demands, as it enables them to scale resources up or down without incurring unnecessary costs. Security is also a top priority for Cloudways, as the platform includes a dedicated server-level firewall powered by Imunify360, free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt, and regular security patches and updates. Additionally, Cloudways offers malware scanning and vulnerability alerts to ensure that hosted applications remain secure.

In terms of industry reputation, Cloudways has garnered positive reviews for their performance and customer support. The company has been recognized as a top choice for managed cloud hosting by various industry sources. While the company is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), their consistently excellent performance and positive user feedback underscore their reliability and commitment to quality.

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The Hosting Features & Perks at Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that combines flexibility, performance, and ease of use to cater to a wide range of users, from developers to e-commerce businesses and digital agencies. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key features and perks that make Cloudways a standout hosting provider.

General hosting features and options

These are the foundational features included with most Cloudways hosting plans:

• Multiple cloud providers: Choose from top cloud server providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode, giving you flexibility and scalability
• SSD-based hosting: All servers use solid-state drives (SSDs) for faster load times and improved performance
• Free SSL certificates: Secure your new website with free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, ensuring encrypted data transmission
• Staging environment: Test site changes and updates in a safe staging environment before pushing them to the live site
• 1-click server launch: Launch servers and deploy applications like WordPress, Magento, Laravel, and PHP with just one click
• Unlimited bandwidth: Handle traffic spikes without restrictions or overage charges
• Custom control panel: Cloudways’ intuitive control panel simplifies server and application management, even for non-technical users
• Automated backups: Daily backups with on-demand restore options ensure your data is always safe
• Free website migration: Cloudways offers free migration for your first website, ensuring a seamless transition from your current host
• Real-time monitoring: Monitor server performance, resource usage, and application health in real-time
• Developer-friendly tools: Access SSH, Git integration, staging environments, and PHP version control for advanced customization
• Performance optimization features: They strive to ensure your website runs at peak performance in these ways:
  • Built-In advanced caching: Leverage Redis, Varnish, and Memcached for faster load times.
  • CDN integration: Boost global performance with Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.
  • Autoscaling: Automatically scale server resources during traffic spikes to ensure zero downtime.
  • High availability: Maintain uptime with redundant infrastructure and failover mechanisms.

Specialized hosting solutions

Cloudways offers tailored hosting solutions for specific use cases:

• Managed WordPress hosting: Optimized for WordPress websites with features like Breeze cache plugin, 1-click staging, and WooCommerce support
• E-Commerce hosting: High-performance hosting for platforms like Magento and WooCommerce, with 99.99% uptime and autoscaling
• Agency hosting: Tools for managing multiple client websites, including client billing, reporting, and team collaboration
• Developer hosting: This service offers advanced tools for custom development, such as SSH access, Git integration, and multiple PHP versions
• Multisite hosting: Simplified management for WordPress multisite networks with tailored solutions

Additional features

Cloudways offers extra tools and services to enhance your hosting experience:

• CloudwaysBot: Get real-time notifications about server performance, security updates, and potential issues
• Team collaboration: Add team members, assign roles, and manage projects seamlessly
• Client billing and reporting: Simplify invoicing and payment processes for agencies and freelancers
• DNS Made Easy add-on: Speed up DNS propagation and lookup times with this optional add-on
• Cloudflare Enterprise CDN: Enhance website performance and security with Cloudflare’s enterprise-grade content delivery network
• SafeUpdates add-on: Automate WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates while testing for compatibility
• Malware protection add-on: Proactively detect and remove malware with Imunify360-powered security

Security features

Cloudways prioritizes website security with the following features:

• Server-level firewall: Protect your applications with Imunify360’s advanced firewall, which blocks malicious traffic and DDoS attacks
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security to your account login process
• Regular security patches: Keep your server secure with automatic updates and patches
• Vulnerability scanner: Detect and address vulnerabilities in WordPress core, plugins, and themes
• Brute-force protection: Prevent unauthorized access attempts with robust brute-force protection
• IP and country blocking: Manually block malicious IPs or entire countries to safeguard your server
• Automated malware cleanup: Remove detected malware automatically with the Malware Protection add-on

Cloudways Plans & Prices

Cloudways offers a flexible and transparent pricing model that caters to a wide range of users, from small businesses to large enterprises. Unlike traditional web hosting providers, Cloudways operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, charging users only for the resources they consume. This approach allows for easy scalability and cost optimization. Payments can be made via credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) or PayPal. Cloudways also provides a 3-day free trial (no credit card required) for users to test the platform before committing.

All plans include 24/7/365 support, free SSL certificates, automated backups, real-time monitoring, staging environments, and 1-click app installations for popular platforms like WordPress, Magento, and Laravel. These features ensure a seamless hosting experience, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user. Note, however, that they charge $0.033/GB per server for offsite backup storage.

Below is a breakdown of Cloudways’ hosting plans, which are based on five leading cloud infrastructure providers: DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud. Each provider offers a range of plans with varying RAM, storage, bandwidth, and processor configurations.

DigitalOcean hosting plans

DigitalOcean is one of Cloudways’ most popular and affordable options, ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers two tiers: Standard and Premium, with which you get faster performance, priority support, and enhanced security features. There are many plans possible with this cloud provider, with names that signify the amount of RAM available, and here are just a few of them:

• DO1GB: This plan starts at $11/month for the standard tier or $14/month for the premium tier, and gives you 1GB of RAM, a 1-core processor, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth
• DO8GB: This plan starts at $88/month for the standard tier or $99/month for the premium tier, and offers 8GB of RAM, a 4-core processor, 160GB storage, and 5TB bandwidth
• DO32GB: This plan starts at $240month for the standard tier or $279/month for the premium tier, and includes 32GB of RAM, an 8-core processor, 640GB storage, and 7TB bandwidth
• DO64GB: This plan starts at $421/month for the standard tier or $487/month for the premium tier, and offers 64GB of RAM, a 16-core processor, 1280GB storage, and 9TB bandwidth

Keep in mind that while the premium plan options seem to top out at 64GB of RAM, standard plans can go all the way up to 192GB of RAM, which also gets you a 32-core processor, 3840GB storage, and 12TB of bandwidth; costing $1,056/month.

Linode hosting plans

Linode is another cost-effective option, known for its high-performance servers. Here are just a few of the plans, as there are many:

• Lin1GB: This plan starts at $14/month and includes 1GB of RAM, a 1-core processor, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth
• Lin8GB: This plan starts at $105/month and includes 8GB of RAM, a 4-core processor, 160GB storage, and 5TB bandwidth
• Lin64GB: This plan starts at $489/month and offers 64GB of RAM, a 16-core processor, 1280GB storage, and 20TB bandwidth
• Lin192GB: This plan starts at $1,253/month and includes 192GB of RAM, a 32-core processor, 3840GB storage, and 20TB bandwidth

Vultr hosting plans

Vultr offers two tiers: Standard and High-Frequency, with the latter optimized for speed and performance. Here is a sample of the plans available:

• Vultr1GB: This plan starts at $14/month for the standard tier or $16/month for the high-frequency tier, and starts at 1GB of RAM, a 1-core processor, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth for the standard tier. If you choose the high-frequency tier, you get an expanded 32GB of storage
• Vultr8GB: This plan starts at $99/month for the standard tier or $118/month for the high-frequency tier, and includes 8GB of RAM, a 4-core processor, 160GB storage, and 4TB bandwidth for the standard tier. If you choose the high-frequency tier, you get an expanded 256GB of storage
• Vultr16GB: This plan starts at $150/month for the standard tier or $173/month for the high-frequency tier, and offers 16GB of RAM, a 6-core processor, 320GB storage (384 GB in the high-frequency plan), and 5TB bandwidth

Keep in mind that there might be some further discrepancies between the plan specifics of the standard and high-frequency tiers. Also, while the standard plans also come in 32GB and 64GB permutations, the high-frequency plans come in 32, 48, and 58GB options.

AWS hosting plans

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ideal for enterprises and high-traffic websites, offering robust scalability and reliability. Here are just a few of the many plans available, which vary greatly in price:

• AWS Small: This plan starts at $38.56/month and includes 2GB of RAM, a 2-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• AWS Large: This plan starts at $183.22/month and offers 8GB of RAM, a 2-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• AWS 2XL: This plan starts at $445.76/month and includes 32GB of RAM, an 8-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• AWS 24XL: This plan starts at $3,569.98/month and includes 384GB of RAM, a 96-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth

Google Cloud hosting plans

Google Cloud is perfect for developers and businesses needing high-performance hosting with advanced features. Here's a sample of their many plans:

• GCE Small: This plan starts at $37.45/month and includes 1.75GB of RAM, a 1-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• GCE Large: This plan starts at $152.14/month and offers 7.5GB of RAM, a 2-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• GCE CO 4XL: This plan starts at $741.67/month and offers 64GB of RAM, a 16-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth
• GCE HC 16XL: This plan starts at $1,593.58/month and includes 64GB of RAM, a 64-core processor, 20GB storage, and 2GB bandwidth

Optional add-ons

Cloudways offers several add-ons to enhance your hosting experience:

• Cloudflare Enterprise CDN: This starts at $4.99/domain/month for enhanced performance and security
• SafeUpdates: This add-on automates WordPress updates and testing for $3/app/month
• Malware protection: This proactively detects and removes malware for $4/app/month
• Advanced support: This premium support includes plugin and theme troubleshooting, as well as performance optimization for $100/month
• Rackspace email: This is professional email hosting priced at $1/mailbox/month

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The Advantages of Cloudways

• Flexibility in cloud hosting providers: Cloudways offers the ability to choose from top-tier cloud providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode, allowing businesses to pick a solution that aligns best with their specific functionality needs and budget
• High-speed performance: With SSD-based hosting and caching layers (Redis, Memcached, Varnish), Cloudways ensures fast load times, enhancing the overall website performance. Additionally, the use of Cloudflare Enterprise CDN helps optimize global performance
• High level of scalability: Cloudways provides flexible vertical scaling, allowing users to easily upgrade or downgrade their server resources based on website traffic, ensuring optimal performance without overpaying for unused resources
• Managed hosting: As a fully managed hosting platform, Cloudways handles all server management, security updates, and backups, so businesses can focus on their core operations while leaving the technical aspects to experts
• Pay-as-you-go pricing: Cloudways offers a transparent pricing model where users only pay for the resources they actually use, with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. This makes them an ideal option for businesses with fluctuating traffic or seasonal demands
• Strong security features: Cloudways includes advanced security protocols such as a dedicated firewall (powered by Imunify360), free SSL certificates, automatic malware protection, and regular security patches to protect user websites from cyber threats
• 24/7 customer support: Cloudways provides round-the-clock support through live chat and ticketing. Support is available to assist with a range of issues, and the platform also offers advanced support tiers with dedicated account managers and 24/7 phone support for mission-critical websites
• Free migration: Cloudways offers free site migration for your first website, simplifying the process of transitioning to their platform without downtime or technical hassle
• User-friendly control panel: The intuitive Cloudways control panel allows even non-technical users to manage their servers, applications, and hosting settings easily. It simplifies server management while providing advanced features for experienced developers

Why You Might Not Choose Cloudways Hosting

• No built-in email hosting: Cloudways does not offer free email hosting, requiring users to integrate third-party email services like Google Workspace or use their add-on services, which adds to the overall hosting cost
• Limited free trial: Cloudways only offers a three-day free trial, which may not provide enough time for users to fully evaluate the platform, especially if they face any setup or migration issues during this period
• Lack of cPanel or industry standard backend: Cloudways uses a proprietary control panel, which may be unfamiliar to users who are accustomed to cPanel. This adds a layer of complexity, especially for those who are new to cloud hosting and need more intuitive server management tools. Therefore, for non-technical users, Cloudways' dashboard can present a bit of a learning curve, particularly when it comes to configuring server settings and managing advanced features, even though it is meant to be user-friendly
• Expensive offsite backup storage: Cloudways charges $0.033/GB for offsite backup storage by default, which can be costly if you’re managing large websites with frequent backup requirements. Users may want to seek more affordable third-party backup solutions
• Scaling costs for larger websites: While Cloudways offers scalability, increasing server resources for larger websites can become expensive. This can be a drawback for users who require extensive resources and need to scale up frequently
• No domain registration: Cloudways does not offer domain registration, meaning users must obtain their domain from an external provider like GoDaddy, which can be an inconvenience for those seeking an all-in-one solution
• No free CDN: Unlike many other hosting providers, Cloudways does not include a free CDN with their plans, which may require users to pay for a third-party CDN service, adding to the cost of hosting

The Cloudways Customer Experience

Cloudways seems to enjoy a positive overall reputation among users online. They receive a high average 4.5 stars out of 5 review score on Trustpilot, calculated from over 2,700 individual reviews. They get similarly high scores at Capterra and G2, 4.3 and 4.7 out of 5, respectively. Their Google reviews score is a somewhat more modest 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Postive feedback

Cloudways receives consistent praise for their exceptional customer support, with users highlighting the fast, knowledgeable, and helpful agents who are available around the clock. Many customers note that support staff go the extra mile to resolve issues quickly, even those unrelated to hosting, such as troubleshooting malware, DNS configurations, and plugin conflicts. The personalized and attentive nature of the support is frequently praised, with several customers naming specific agents for their outstanding service. Additionally, the platform’s intuitive control panel is appreciated for simplifying server management, making it accessible even for users with limited technical skills. Features like 1-click server launches and automated backups further enhance the user experience, saving time and reducing the complexity of managing hosting environments.

Performance and flexibility are other strong points that customers highlight in their feedback. Users often report significant improvements in website speed and uptime, with many observing their sites loading much faster after migrating to Cloudways. The platform’s optimized stack, which includes advanced caching and built-in CDN, contributes to their reliable performance even during high-traffic periods. Scalability is another advantage, as users can easily adjust resources to meet their needs. The transparent pricing model and pay-as-you-go structure are particularly appreciated, with users valuing the ability to pay only for the resources they use, without hidden fees or long-term commitments. The 3-day free trial also serves as a valuable opportunity for potential customers to test the platform before making a decision.

Critical feedback

Some customers have expressed dissatisfaction with billing issues, such as unexpected charges or difficulties canceling subscriptions. A few users reported technical issues, including unexplained downtime or server crashes, which they felt were not adequately addressed by the Cloudways support team. Others found the platform’s advanced settings and customization options confusing, particularly for beginners. Additionally, the lack of built-in email hosting was noted as a drawback, forcing users to rely on third-party services. While these issues are not universal, they highlight areas where Cloudways could improve.

Cloudways’ responses to critical reviews are generally professional and courteous, with the company often offering to investigate issues further and escalate cases to resolve them. While some customers appreciate the proactive approach, others feel that resolutions are not always timely or satisfactory. Overall, the company’s engagement with feedback demonstrates a commitment to addressing concerns, though there is room for improvement in follow-through and transparency.

Customer Support

Cloudways offers multiple customer service channels to ensure users can resolve issues quickly and efficiently. The primary method of contact is through 24/7 live chat and support tickets, accessible via the Cloudways platform. Live chat, which is also accessed on the support page, provides instant assistance from in-house experts, while support tickets allow for more detailed inquiries and follow-ups. You may also email support at support@cloudways.com.

For self-help, Cloudways provides a comprehensive and extensive knowledge base with step-by-step guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting articles. Additionally, users can monitor the status of Cloudways services in real time through the system status page.

For those needing more advanced assistance, Cloudways customer service may be accessed via premium options, as well:

• Advanced support add-on: Priced at $100/month or 10% of your invoice (whichever is higher), this plan includes priority live chat and ticketing, plugin/theme troubleshooting, performance optimization, and proactive server monitoring
• Premium support add-on: At $500/month or 10% of your invoice (whichever is higher), this tier adds a private Slack channel for direct communication with senior engineers and 24/7 phone support for mission-critical websites

For pre-sales inquiries or general questions, users can fill out the contact form on the Cloudways website or schedule a call with the sales team. Cloudways also hosts webinars, publishes eBooks, and shares case studies to help users optimize their hosting experience. For feedback and suggestions, customers can visit the Cloudways feedback portal, where they can submit ideas and vote on existing ones to help shape future improvements.

Final Verdict

In conclusion, Cloudways offers a robust managed cloud hosting platform that combines flexibility, scalability, and performance, making them an excellent choice for businesses seeking high-performance hosting without the need for extensive technical expertise. With their flexible pricing model, 24/7 customer support, and advanced security features, Cloudways provides an efficient solution for a wide range of users, from developers to e-commerce businesses. However, they may not be the ideal choice for those looking for built-in email hosting or more traditional cPanel management.

While Cloudways excels in many areas, including speed, reliability, and ease of use, their learning curve, lack of free CDN, and higher scaling costs could deter a lot of users, particularly beginners. That said, if you’re looking for a scalable, secure, and flexible cloud hosting provider, Cloudways is certainly worth considering.

For those who want to explore other hosting options or compare various providers, visit our comprehensive hosting service reviews page and use our hosting services comparison tool to find the best fit for your needs. Additionally, be sure to check out our blog for expert advice and tips on choosing the right hosting solution for your business.

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