Our verdict · 8.3/10 Excellent
A great step up from shared hosting for agencies and growing sites. Email and some features cost extra.
Key takeaways
- Best for: Agencies hosting many sites.
- Strongest area: Features & fit (8.6/10). Weakest: Integrations & ecosystem (8.0/10).
- Price: From around $11–14 / month — free trial available.
- Watch out for: Email is an add-on.
What is Cloudways?
Cloudways, owned by DigitalOcean, manages cloud servers on several providers for you, handling server setup, security, caching and backups. You pay monthly by server size and can host unlimited applications per server.
Cloudways is made by DigitalOcean and is reviewed here as a web host. It is priced on a usage-based basis, and our editorial score is 8.3 out of 10, calculated from six weighted criteria.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Choose Cloudways if
- Agencies hosting many sites
- Sites outgrowing shared hosting
- Developers wanting managed servers
Not for you if
- Absolute beginners
- Users needing email included
Key features
Server setup and patching handled.
Built-in caching stack.
Staging and cloning.
Automatic offsite backups.
- DigitalOcean
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- Cloudflare
- WordPress
Pros & cons
What we like
- Choice of cloud providers
- Unlimited apps per server
- Pay-as-you-go
- Good performance
Watch out for
- Email is an add-on
- Some features cost extra
- No domain registration
Pricing & true cost
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean 1 GB | ≈ $14 / mo | Monthly |
| DigitalOcean 2 GB | ≈ $28 / mo | Monthly |
| AWS / Google Cloud | Custom quote | Varies by server |
Pricing watch-out: Pay-as-you-go by server size.
Pricing watch-outs
- Quote-only tier. AWS / Google Cloud has no public price. Ask for a written quote that includes onboarding and support fees.
Contract questions to ask before you sign
- Does the plan auto-renew, and how many days’ notice do you need to cancel?
- Is the advertised price for annual billing? What is the month-to-month price?
- Is the first-year price a promotion? What will renewal cost, and is it capped?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, or a charge for inactive users?
- Are onboarding, implementation or premium-support fees extra?
- How do we export all our data if we leave, and in what format?
General questions for any vendor — not findings about this product. Build a full checklist with our requirements builder.
Indicative USD pricing, last checked October 31, 2026. Vendors change prices and promotions often — always confirm on their website. Model your own numbers with our SaaS TCO calculator.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features & fit | 20% | 8.6 | 1.70 | |
| Ease of use | 15% | 8.0 | 1.20 | |
| Value for money | 20% | 8.4 | 1.70 | |
| Support & reliability | 20% | 8.0 | 1.60 | |
| Security & privacy | 15% | 8.6 | 1.30 | |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 10% | 8.0 | 0.80 | |
| Overall | 100% | Weighted for web hosting products | 8.3 | |
Security & compliance facts
| Item | Status | Question to ask DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authenticationStops most account takeovers from reused or phished passwords. | Not verified by us | Can admins enforce MFA for every user, on every plan? |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Lets you remove a leaver’s access everywhere from one place. | Not verified by us | Is SSO included on the plan we are buying, or only on enterprise tiers? |
| SOC 2 Type II reportIndependent audit of the vendor’s security controls — often required by larger customers. | Not verified by us | Can we see your current SOC 2 Type II report (under NDA if needed)? |
| ISO/IEC 27001 certificationInternational standard for running an information-security programme. | Not verified by us | Which legal entity and services does your ISO 27001 certificate cover? |
| GDPR data processing agreementNeeded if you handle personal data of people in the EU/UK. | Not verified by us | Do you offer a signed DPA and list your sub-processors? |
| HIPAA business associate agreementRequired before US healthcare businesses store protected health information. | Not verified by us | Will you sign a BAA, and on which plans? |
We have not yet verified these items for Cloudways against a primary source, so we don’t claim them either way. Check DigitalOcean’s trust or security page and ask for documents in writing.
Before you buy any web host
Check Cloudways against the same list we use for every web host — and confirm each point on the plan you intend to buy, not the top tier.
- Renewal price, not just intro price
- Daily backups and restore
- Free SSL and CDN
- Staging environments
- Support channels and hours
See every ranked option in Web Hosting.
Cloudways alternatives
Pick an alternative by what matters to you
- Cheaper
Namecheap≈ $1/mo vs $14/mo at 10 users (cheapest paid plans, indicative) - Easier to use
KinstaEase-of-use score 9.0 vs 8.0 - Higher overall scoreKinstaOverall 8.6 vs 8.3
Computed from our published scores and indicative pricing for tools in the same category as Cloudways. Scores are editorial; see the methodology.
Editor’s picks
Premium managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud.
Premium managed WordPress hosting for business-critical sites.
Premium shared and WordPress hosting with excellent support and built-in speed tools.
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in: Best Web Hosting for Small Business, Best WordPress Hosting
Review history
- Scored under methodology v2.0 (six weighted criteria, computed overall score).
Cloudways FAQ
Who owns Cloudways?
DigitalOcean.
Can I host multiple sites?
Yes, unlimited applications per server, limited by resources.
Does Cloudways have a free plan?
No, Cloudways does not offer a permanent free plan, but a free trial is available. Pricing starts at From around $11–14 / month (indicative).
Who is Cloudways best for?
Cloudways is best for: agencies hosting many sites; sites outgrowing shared hosting; developers wanting managed servers.
How is the Cloudways score calculated?
The 8.3/10 overall score is a weighted average of six sub-scores — features & fit, ease of use, value, support & reliability, security & privacy, and integrations — using the published weights for hosting products. Affiliate relationships have no input. See our methodology page for the full rubric.
What are the best alternatives to Cloudways?
Popular alternatives include Kinsta, WP Engine, SiteGround. See our comparisons for side-by-side verdicts.