Cloudways Review 2026: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons, Ratings & More

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting service that relieves businesses from the complexities of hosting and server management. With two unique solutions, Cloudways Flexible and Cloudways Autonomous, Cloudways caters to over 100,000 businesses worldwide.

Cloudways Flexible offers the freedom to choose from three top cloud providers and deploy various PHP-based apps like WordPress, Magento, and Laravel. Users can customize server specifications and pay only for the resources they use. On the other hand, Cloudways Autonomous is a hands-off managed WordPress solution built on Kubernetes. This platform provides autoscaling and integrated enterprise CDN for enhanced performance. Cloudways Autonomous also removes the need for infrastructure and traffic management so businesses can focus on growth.

Furthermore, Cloudways solutions come with exceptional 24/7 free technical support for prompt assistance with an average response time of 90 seconds. Cloudways aims to optimize site speed, uptime, and cost-effectiveness, making it ideal for businesses looking for a hassle-free online presence.

What's new in Cloudways?

Cloudways dedicates itself to enhancing its services based on user feedback to ensure a seamless experience for its diverse clientele. This commitment is reflected through robust security measures and optimized website performance, reaffirming Cloudways' mission to offer top-tier hosting accessible to businesses of all sizes. In this section of our Cloudways review, we will share Cloudways' recent updates. 

• Simpler Scheduling Process for SafeUpdates. Cloudways has introduced a new update that simplifies the scheduling process for SafeUpdates. This update improves the user experience for WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates. Previously, activating SafeUpdates required users to set schedules and specify WordPress components for configuration. But now, with just one click, SafeUpdates automatically manages updates based on a default schedule to cover all plugins and themes. 
• Cache and Security Analytics. In our research for this Cloudways review, we discovered that Cloudways offers enhancements in its Cloudflare Enterprise add-on with Cache and Security Analytics. Users can now easily track the performance of their website's cache. This includes the number of requests served by Cloudflare versus the origin server, and monitoring security events, such as malicious traffic blocked and potential threats challenged. These new analytics features provide valuable insights to users to empower them to make informed decisions about their website's performance and security.
• Simpler DNS Management. Cloudways has introduced a new and improved version of the DNS Made Easy Add-On. This update aims to simplify DNS management for users. With this update, users can access a user-friendly platform with features such as a simple interface, instant DNS propagation, ANAME records for faster performance, powerful analytics, email templates, and a flexible pricing model. This enhancement addresses common pain points associated with managing DNS, offering convenience, agility, and efficiency to users managing multiple domains.
• Cloudflare Enterprise Add-On. Cloudways has recently introduced the Cloudflare Enterprise Add-on which aims to enhance website performance and security. This update builds upon the existing partnership with Cloudflare and offers advanced features like Edge Page Caching and Argo Smart Routing. This update will result in significant improvements in page load times and overall website performance.

In this section of our Cloudways review, let’s talk about cost. Cloudways offers different pricing plans for its two solutions - Cloudways Flexible and Cloudways Autonomous. Pricing for Cloudways Flexible plans is either hourly or monthly. More so, there are charges for offsite backup storage at $0.033 per gigabyte per server. It is worth noting that a free trial is not available for Amazon Web Services or Google Compute Engine, and users need to upgrade their accounts to launch and access servers on these platforms. With Amazon (AWS) and Google (GCE), disk sizes can be configured, and bandwidth is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. Below are the Cloudways pricing plans for the Flexible option:

DigitalOcean Plans

DO1GB - $14 per month

• 1 GB Ram 
• 1 Core Processor
• 25 GB Storage 
• 1 TB Bandwidth 

DO2GB - $28 per month

• 2 GB Ram 
• 1 Core Processor
• 50 GB Storage 
• 2 TB Bandwidth 

DO4GB - $54 per month

• 4 GB Ram 
• 2 Core Processor
• 80 GB Storage 
• 4 TB Bandwidth 

DO8GB - $99 per month

• 8 GB Ram 
• 4 Core Processor
• 160 GB Storage 
• 5 TB Bandwidth 

DO16GB - $170 per month

• 16 GB Ram 
• 8 Core Processor
• 320 GB Storage 
• 6 TB Bandwidth 

DO32GB - $279 per month

• 32 GB Ram 
• 8 Core Processor
• 640 GB Storage 
• 7 TB Bandwidth 

DO48GB - $388 per month

• 48 GB Ram 
• 12 Core Processor
• 960 GB Storage 
• 8 TB Bandwidth 

DO64GB - $487 per month

• 64 GB Ram 
• 16 Core Processor
• 1280 GB Storage 
• 9 TB Bandwidth

AWS Plans

AWS CO 12XL - $1721 per month

• 96 GB Ram 
• 48 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

AWS 12XL - $1911.10 per month

• 192 GB Ram 
• 49 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

AWS CO 18XL - $2455.42 per month

• 144 GB Ram 
• 72 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

AWS 16XL - $2464.06 per month

• 256 GB Ram 
• 64 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

AWS CO 24XL - $3189.82 per month

• 192 GB Ram 
• 96 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

AWS 24XL - $3569.98 per month

• 384 GB Ram 
• 96 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

Google Cloud Plans

GCE Small - $37.45 per month

• 1.75 GB Ram 
• 1 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE Medium - $84.12 per month

• 3.75 GB Ram 
• 1 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE Large - $152.14 per month

• 7.5 GB Ram 
• 2 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE XL - $241.62 per month

• 15 GB Ram 
• 4 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE 2XL - $412.82 per month

• 30 GB Ram 
• 8 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE 4XL - $772.06 per month

• 72 GB Ram 
• 16 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE 6XL - $1290.42 per month

• 120 GB Ram 
• 32 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE CO XL - $255.49 per month

• 16 GB Ram 
• 4 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE CO 2XL - $397.84 per month

• 32 GB Ram 
• 8 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE CO 4XL - $741.67 per month

• 64 GB Ram 
• 16 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE CO 7XL - $1218.36 per month

• 120 GB Ram 
• 30 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE CO 14XL - $2133.05 per month

• 240 GB Ram 
• 48 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC Large - $89.49 per month

• 2 GB Ram 
• 2 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC XL - $202.32 per month

• 4 GB Ram 
• 4 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC 2XL - $366.45 per month

• 8 GB Ram 
• 8 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC 4XL - $563.55 per month

• 19 GB Ram 
• 96 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC 8XL - $923.44 per month

• 32 GB Ram 
• 32 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

GCE HC 16XL - $1593.58 per month

• 64 GB Ram 
• 64 Core Processor
• 20 GB Storage 
• 2 GB Bandwidth

For Cloudways Autonomous, there are seven different plans available. Interested Cloudways users can take advantage of a 3-day free trial without needing a credit card. Cloudways pricing is billed monthly. Users should also take note of additional usage costs including $1 per 10 GB of extra bandwidth, $1 per 1000 additional visits, and $2 per 1 GB of additional disk space. 

Plan 1 - $35 per month

• 1 WordPress Applications
• 15 GB Disk Space
• 30K Unique Visits
• 100 GB Bandwidth

Plan 2 - $90 per month

• 3 WordPress Applications
• 25 GB Disk Space
• 70K Unique Visits
• 200 GB Bandwidth

Plan 3 - $145 per month

• 6 WordPress Applications
• 40 GB Disk Space
• 125K Unique Visits
• 300 GB Bandwidth

Plan 4 - $240 per month

• 10 WordPress Applications
• 60 GB Disk Space
• 200K Unique Visits
• 400 GB Bandwidth

Plan 5 - $555 per month

• 30 WordPress Applications
• 90 GB Disk Space
• 500K Unique Visits
• 900 GB Bandwidth

Plan 6 - $955 per month

• 50 WordPress Applications
• 120 GB Disk Space
• 1000K Unique Visits
• 1200 GB Bandwidth

Plan 7 - $1640 per month

• 90 WordPress Applications
• 200 GB Disk Space
• 1500K Unique Visits
• 3000 GB Bandwidth

What sets Cloudways apart?

As other Cloudways reviews share, this platform is described as both straightforward and robust. However, in this portion of our Cloudways review, we will discuss Cloudways pros and cons to provide users with a comprehensive understanding of its offerings.

• Industry-Best Performance. Cloudways optimizes website performance with caching mechanisms and up-to-date PHP versions. With this, users can expect lightning-fast load times and responsiveness.
• Automated Backups. Cloudways offers automated backups so website data is consistently protected. With the option for on-demand or automated backups, users can easily restore their website with just a single click to ensure minimal downtime in case of unexpected events.
• 24/7 Expert Support. Upon doing this Cloudways review, we experienced that Cloudways users benefit from round-the-clock expert support via live chat and online ticketing. With reliable assistance, users get quick problem resolution and peace of mind.
• Streamlined Collaboration. With Cloudways integrations with Git, teams can collaborate efficiently through project organization and server cloning. This enables seamless workflow management and enhanced productivity for users.
• Transparent Pricing. Cloudways users have access to transparent pricing where all extra charges are clearly outlined. This enables them to adjust resources according to their requirements without encountering unexpected expenses.

• Learning Curve. Managing servers and configurations through Cloudways' UI may have a learning curve for beginners unfamiliar with hosting environments.
• Additional Usage Fees. Cloudways allows users to customize their resources as needed, but this flexibility comes with a drawback for some. Users may incur additional charges if they exceed their allotted resources, which could disrupt budget planning for some individuals.

Cloudways provides users with the freedom to focus on their goals while the platform handles the complexities of hosting. In this section of our Cloudways review, we will outline Cloudways features that guarantee users a hassle-free and efficient experience.

• Enterprise-Grade Security. Cloudways offers robust security measures including DDoS mitigation, vulnerability scanning, 1-click SSL installation, and automated protection with Fail2Ban. All of which help ensure websites are shielded against emerging threats.
• Choice of Cloud Providers. While researching for this Cloudways review, we learned that Cloudways users can choose from renowned cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Google Compute Engine, and AWS. This allows them to tailor their hosting environment to specific needs.
• Server Management. Cloudways’ UI empowers users to manage server configurations, backups, cron jobs, and app settings effortlessly. This guarantees smooth operation without complex command-line tasks.
• Real-Time Server Monitoring. Cloudways provides 24/7 real-time server monitoring. This way, users can track over 16 metrics and receive CloudwaysBot notifications for performance optimization and issue resolution.
• Autonomous Hosting Experience. Cloudways Autonomous offers high availability and autoscaling WordPress hosting built on Google Kubernetes. This ensures seamless handling of any traffic without downtime and is backed by expert support engineers.
• Flexible Add-Ons. Cloudways users can customize their hosting experience with flexible add-ons such as Cloudflare Enterprise, SafeUpdates, Elastic Email, and DNS Made Easy. With these options, users can enhance site performance, security, and flexibility.

Cloudways presents unparalleled advantages for different business hosting needs. In this section of our Cloudways review, we will highlight the Cloudways benefits that aid businesses in achieving their digital goals effortlessly.

Performance Boost

Cloudways' optimization features significantly improve website performance resulting in quicker load times and a better overall user experience. With Cloudways, websites can achieve enhanced speed and responsiveness. This ultimately leads to increased user satisfaction and engagement.

Robust Security

Cloudways provides enhanced security features to protect websites from evolving threats. With built-in Let's Encrypt SSL certificates, users can easily meet their HTTPS security needs without additional cost. Moreover, every server is shielded by OS-level firewalls that take care of malicious traffic and bots to be effectively blocked from causing harm to the website.

Flexibility and Control

While writing this Cloudways review, we found out that Cloudways empowers users with unparalleled flexibility and control over their hosting environment. Users can easily access a staging environment where they can create and test website changes before deploying them live with a single click. Users can also choose their preferred cloud provider and customize additional features according to their requirements. 

High Reliability 

Cloudways provides a 99.99% uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA), supported by redundant power, storage systems, and networking. To further enhance uptime and reliability, Cloudways uses various advanced technologies such as MariaDB/MySQL, Varnish, Redis, Apache, PHP-FPM, Nginx, Memcached, and SSD storage. These technologies collaborate to maintain consistent performance levels and minimize downtime for a seamless hosting experience for Cloudways users.

Scalability

Cloudways facilitates effortless scaling of resources so websites can manage fluctuating levels of traffic without downtime or performance issues. Through the Cloudways Click&Go Cloud console, users can easily upgrade or downgrade their server resources using Google Compute Engine (GCE) or Amazon Web Services (AWS). With this, users gain optimal performance and cost-effectiveness for their websites.

Cloudways’ flexibility and scalability make it ideal for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. This platform is also well-suited for a variety of business types. This includes e-commerce, event or booking platforms, learning management system (LMS) portals, influencers, media companies, and bloggers. Some of the notable Cloudways’ customers include the University of Oxford, The Rio Times, Khaleej Times, Amazon Watch, Hepper, and Relevant. 

Defining what types of business Cloudways is made for is just half of the story. In this Cloudways review, we also learned that while Cloudways is a versatile platform, it might not be the best choice for highly regulated industries or businesses requiring specialized hosting solutions not provided by the platform. Furthermore, businesses with extremely high traffic volumes may find the pricing model less cost-effective compared to other hosting options. 

What support systems should you have in place for hosting?

To ensure a seamless hosting experience, it's crucial to have the right support systems in place. This includes investing in reliable help desk software that can cater to your customer support needs. A good help desk software should be able to handle a high volume of tickets, provide automation and routing capabilities, and offer analytics and reporting features to help you optimize your support processes. By having the right support systems in place, you can provide your customers with prompt and efficient support, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

How to Choose the Right Hosting Solution for Your Business Needs

Selecting a hosting provider is essential to supporting business growth and performance. With managed cloud hosting services like Cloudways, companies need to carefully consider their needs to choose a solution that balances performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Here are a few key factors to consider:

• Traffic Volume and Scalability Needs: For websites anticipating high traffic or needing flexibility, a scalable solution such as Cloudways Autonomous, built on Kubernetes, allows resources to adjust automatically based on demand, ensuring uptime and performance.
• Type of Website: Different business models benefit from specific hosting features. E-commerce sites benefit from speed and uptime guarantees, which Cloudways provides with its caching mechanisms and CDN integration. Similarly, WordPress-based businesses may benefit from Cloudways Autonomous, optimized for WordPress with built-in autoscaling and CDN.
• Technical Control vs. Hands-Off Management: Cloudways Flexible suits businesses needing control over server configurations and customization. Alternatively, Cloudways Autonomous offers a hands-off approach, ideal for businesses focused on content or sales rather than server management.
• Budget Considerations: Cloudways' pricing model offers flexibility, especially with hourly or monthly billing options and transparent add-on fees. Businesses should consider the predictable costs of their plans and evaluate whether extra features (e.g., additional backup storage) are within budget.
• Support and Security Needs: If premium support or enhanced security is a priority, Cloudways provides options to add these services at additional fees. For businesses with strict data protection requirements, Cloudways' compliance with data privacy regulations ensures a secure hosting environment.

The Importance of Reliable Backup Systems in Hosting

Hosting environments like Cloudways offer performance and scalability, but securing your data is equally critical. Backups serve as a safeguard, ensuring operations can continue smoothly in cases of data breaches, accidental deletions, or unexpected server failures. Robust backup strategies combine both on-site and cloud-based solutions to offer comprehensive protection.

Cloudways provides offsite backup storage as part of its features, enabling users to store data safely in remote locations. While this feature is valuable, businesses dealing with sensitive or high-volume data should explore dedicated cloud backup solutions for enhanced security, speed of restoration, and customization options that align with their operational needs. Such tools not only improve recovery capabilities but also ensure compliance with relevant data privacy regulations.

To optimize your backup strategy, consider utilizing market-leading solutions recommended by industry experts. These tools cater to diverse needs, from small businesses to enterprise-level operations, ensuring your digital assets remain secure and accessible. For an in-depth comparison of the best options available, take a look at this resource on cloud backup solutions.

Key Insights

• Flexible Cloud Hosting Options: Cloudways offers two main solutions: Cloudways Flexible, which allows users to choose from top cloud providers and customize server specifications, and Cloudways Autonomous, a managed WordPress solution built on Kubernetes for hands-off management and autoscaling.
• Robust Security Measures: Cloudways implements strong security features, including DDoS mitigation, vulnerability scanning, 1-click SSL installation, and Fail2Ban automated protection.
• Performance Optimization: The platform provides advanced caching mechanisms, up-to-date PHP versions, and features like Edge Page Caching and Argo Smart Routing through Cloudflare Enterprise to ensure fast load times and high responsiveness.
• User-Friendly Enhancements: Recent updates include simplified scheduling for SafeUpdates, enhanced Cache and Security Analytics, improved DNS management, and the introduction of Cloudflare Enterprise Add-On for better performance and security.
• Comprehensive Support: Cloudways offers 24/7 expert support via live chat and online ticketing, ensuring quick problem resolution and continuous assistance for users.
• Transparent Pricing: Cloudways provides clear pricing plans with detailed information on additional charges, allowing users to adjust resources according to their needs without unexpected expenses.
• Scalability and Control: Users can easily scale resources up or down and manage server configurations, backups, and app settings through Cloudways’ intuitive UI, ensuring optimal performance and cost-effectiveness.
• Diverse Business Suitability: Cloudways caters to a variety of business types, including e-commerce, LMS portals, media companies, and more, making it a versatile solution for different industry needs.