What is Cloudways?
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that sits on top of infrastructure providers such as DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud. Instead of buying a traditional shared hosting plan or managing a raw cloud server yourself, you get a web-based control panel that handles server setup, caching, security patches, and basic monitoring.
The platform is designed for users who need more control than shared hosting offers but do not want to handle system administration tasks directly. The company was founded in 2011 in Malta and remains privately held. It has grown steadily through a focus on performance-oriented hosting for WordPress, WooCommerce, and PHP-based applications.
Cloudways does not own its own data centres; it resells and manages cloud servers from the providers listed above. This means your site's physical location and underlying hardware depend on which provider and region you choose during setup.
Who is Cloudways best for?
Cloudways targets a specific middle ground: users who have outgrown shared hosting but are not yet ready for unmanaged cloud servers. It is particularly well-suited to agencies managing multiple client sites and developers deploying web applications that need predictable performance. The platform's pay-as-you-go pricing and team collaboration features make it a practical choice for small teams.
- Agencies – Manage multiple client projects from one account, with separate teams, billing, and access controls per project.
- Growing ecommerce stores – WooCommerce stores that need dedicated resources and built-in caching without server admin work.
- Developers deploying PHP apps – Laravel, Symfony, or custom PHP applications benefit from one-click staging and Git integration.
- Freelancers who want white-label hosting – Rebrand the control panel and sell hosting to your own clients.
- Users migrating from shared hosting – If your site has outgrown cPanel or Plesk environments, Cloudways offers a cleaner alternative.
Key features
Managed cloud servers
Cloudways handles server-level tasks such as OS updates, firewall configuration, and failover monitoring. You choose your provider and server size, and Cloudways installs a pre-configured stack (Nginx, Apache, PHP-FPM, MySQL/MariaDB, Redis, Varnish). The platform also offers automated backups on a schedule you define, with the option to restore a single file or an entire server.
Built-in caching stack
Every server comes with Varnish, Redis, and Memcached pre-installed and configured. Varnish acts as a full-page cache for dynamic sites, Redis handles object caching for WordPress and Magento, and Memcached is available for database query caching. You can enable or disable each layer from the control panel without editing configuration files.
One-click staging environment
For WordPress and PHP applications, you can create a staging copy of your site with a single click. The staging environment runs on the same server but under a sub-URL, so tests happen in an isolated environment. You can push changes from staging to live, or pull live data into staging, with a single button. This is not a full version control system, but it is sufficient for content updates and plugin tests.
Team collaboration and project management
You can invite team members to specific servers or applications with granular permissions: billing, admin, or support-only. Each server can be assigned to a project, and you can group servers by client or department. The interface also shows real-time CPU, RAM, and disk usage per server, which helps with capacity planning.
Automated backups and restore
Backups can be scheduled hourly, daily, or weekly, with a configurable retention period. They are stored off-server (on Cloudways' own infrastructure or on Amazon S3 if you prefer). Restoring a backup is a one-click operation, and you can also download a backup archive for manual migration. The restore process is reliable, though restoring large databases can take several minutes.
Cloudways pricing
Cloudways does not have fixed monthly plans. Instead, you pay for the server resources you choose, plus a small management fee. The cheapest entry point is a DigitalOcean 1GB server at $11 per month (including Cloudways' management fee). At the other end, an AWS or Google Cloud server with 32GB RAM can cost several hundred dollars per month.
| Component | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud provider rate | Standard rate (e.g., $10 for DigitalOcean 1GB droplet) | Set by the provider you choose |
| Cloudways management fee | ~$1/month for the 1GB tier | Scales with server size, typically 10-20% of base server cost |
| Contracts | None | Month-to-month; scale up or down anytime |
This pricing model is generally considered good value for users who need managed services. Compared to fully managed WordPress hosts like WP Engine or Kinsta, Cloudways is significantly cheaper for equivalent server resources. However, you do not get the same level of application-level support or curated plugin compatibility testing. For users comfortable with basic server management, the savings are worthwhile.
Bottom line: Cloudways is significantly cheaper than fully managed hosts like WP Engine or Kinsta, but you trade away application-level support and curated plugin testing.
What we like
- Fast setup – Server setup takes under 15 minutes, including the installation of a full web stack and caching layers.
- Clean interface – The control panel is clean and responsive, with no advertisements or upsells cluttering the interface.
- Reliable staging – Staging environments are genuinely one-click and work reliably for WordPress and Laravel applications.
- Provider flexibility – You can choose from five different cloud providers, giving you flexibility in data centre location and pricing.
- Practical team features – Team management features are practical for agencies; you can grant read-only access to clients without exposing billing details.
What could be better
- No built-in CDN – You must set up a third-party CDN (such as Cloudflare) manually, which adds complexity for beginners.
- No email hosting – You need to use a third-party transactional email service or SMTP relay for outgoing mail.
- Variable support speed – Live chat is generally fast during business hours, but ticket-based support can take several hours for non-urgent issues.
- Linux only – The platform does not support Windows-based applications; it is strictly Linux (Ubuntu) with PHP and MySQL/MariaDB.
Cloudways verdict
Cloudways occupies a useful niche in the hosting market. It provides the performance and flexibility of cloud servers without requiring you to become a system administrator. For agencies managing multiple client sites, the team management and staging features are genuinely time-saving. For developers deploying PHP applications, the pre-configured stack and Git integration reduce setup friction.
The pricing model is transparent and fair, especially when compared to managed WordPress hosts that charge a premium for similar infrastructure. That said, Cloudways is not a complete solution for everyone. If you need email hosting included, a built-in CDN, or Windows application support, you will need to look elsewhere.
Beginners who are not comfortable configuring a CDN or setting up SMTP may find the platform more complex than a traditional shared hosting dashboard. And if you require 24/7 phone support or a dedicated account manager, the self-service nature of Cloudways will feel insufficient.
Who it's for: Cloudways is best for users who have outgrown shared hosting and are willing to invest a small amount of time learning the control panel. If you prefer a fully managed experience with email and CDN included, look to SiteGround or Kinsta at a higher cost.
