In this Cloudways hosting review, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about this high-performance managed hosting platform. From its blazing fast speeds to scalable cloud infrastructure and user-friendly dashboard, Cloudways is built for website owners who want power without the complexity. Whether you’re running WordPress, WooCommerce, or a custom PHP app, this review will help you decide if Cloudways is the right fit for your 2025 hosting needs.
Cloudways offers managed cloud hosting services, letting you pick from five major providers. It’s known for impressive performance, support for PHP 8.2, and no lock-in contracts. Be aware, though, post-acquisition changes led to costlier plans, limited provider options, and some support quirks. Ideal for managing multiple sites, it might not suit beginners due to its user-friendly yet technical approach. With decent results in the 2023 WordPress Hosting Benchmarks, your best experience depends on the right configurations. But that’s just the basics – go beyond the surface, and you’ll find much more to explore about Cloudways Hosting.
What is Cloudways Hosting?
When considering Cloudways Hosting, keep in mind that it is a managed cloud hosting platform that allows you to choose from five major cloud providers, including DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, Google Cloud, and Linode, while also offering features such as PHP 8.2 support and monthly pricing without yearly contracts. This flexibility allows you to tailor your hosting environment to your specific needs, making it a versatile option for many businesses and developers.
However, it’s crucial to mention that Cloudways has several limitations. The quality of their support has been questioned, with users reporting issues with the service. The Breeze plugin, which is a proprietary WordPress caching plugin developed by Cloudways, has also had its fair share of problems. You’ll find that scaling can be expensive, and there were previous gaps with Cloudflare Enterprise, a globally distributed network of proxy servers that guarantees high availability and high performance.
The post-acquisition changes have led to increased prices and the removal of non-DigitalOcean providers, which can limit your choices. Additionally, they’ve added full page caching to Cloudflare Enterprise, which impacts how your website loads content. Unfortunately, these changes have negatively affected the user experience, leading to complaints and issues with support and billing.
Despite these drawbacks, Cloudways still holds its ground when it comes to performance. It may not have performed well in the 2023 WordPress Hosting Benchmarks, but with the right configuration and optimization, you can get decent performance out of it. It’s a platform that requires a bit of technical know-how, but if you’re up for the challenge, it can be a viable hosting solution.
Who is Cloudways best for?
If you’re looking beyond the beginner stage in website development, Cloudways can emerge as an excellent hosting choice, particularly if you’re keen on managing multiple websites and staging sites with ease. However, if you’re setting up your first-ever blog, Cloudways might be a bit too complex for your needs. It’s not really designed for complete beginners; you might find a dedicated WordPress host more straightforward for a single blog.
Now, if you’re past the beginner stage, Cloudways becomes a powerful ally. It’s user-friendly, with a great knowledge base and tech support. If you’re like me, wanting to manage a small network of sites, including a couple of custom PHP apps for analytics and mailing lists, then Cloudways might be your ticket. Its capabilities extend beyond basic shared hosting or WordPress-only hosting, which can be a game-changer if you’re running multiple sites.
Sure, you might be reasonably technical, but perhaps you don’t care for the complexities of server management. You don’t want to navigate a command line interface or the AWS dashboard, and configuring a whole server from scratch isn’t your idea of fun. But, you know how to change DNS servers, tweak .htaccess settings, and poke around in an SQL database. You like having a moderate level of control and access over your sites, right?
In that case, Cloudways could be a perfect fit. It allows for that kind of control, without the need for extensive server management knowledge. In short, it ticks all the boxes and more for those seeking a balance between power and usability.
Cloudways Key Features
Diving into the key features of Cloudways, you’ll notice a suite that competes favorably with traditional hosting providers, despite its unique cloud hosting approach. Cloudways configures your server with a hybrid ‘Apache + Nginx’ stack, offering multiple caching layers to enhance performance. These include Nginx, Varnish, and Memcached, with an easy installation option for Redis.
The hosting environment is designed to be robust and reliable. When setting up your server, Cloudways automatically implements these features, secures your server, and guarantees everything is updated.
There’s more, too. Cloudways offers automatic server-level backups, and you have the option of requesting on-demand single-site backups. You’ll appreciate the addition of staging sites, which allow you to test and refine your site before it goes live. They even offer a free WordPress performance plugin called Breeze, which can greatly improve your site’s speed and responsiveness.
You’ll also find site cloning, free SSL certificates, and a built-in content delivery network (CDN). These features enhance security and performance, essential for any successful website. For your transactional emails, Cloudways provides SMTP at the server level.
Additionally, Cloudways offers bot protection, Cron job management, and basic server monitoring. You can add team members for collaboration, making it easier to manage larger projects.
Cloudways Pros and Cons
Now, let’s examine the pros and cons of Cloudways hosting. Understanding these aspects will help you make an informed decision on whether their service aligns with your hosting needs. We’ll look at the high points and pitfalls, from performance to pricing.
Cloudways Pros
Moreover, let’s shift your attention to the pros of using Cloudways Hosting. You’ll appreciate their exceptional speed, unbeatable uptime, and impressive load handling, which are essential for efficient online operations. Additionally, the freedom to host unlimited websites and a choice of 75 server locations globally puts you in control of your digital presence.
Exceptional Speed
Harnessing the power of its 65+ server locations and a blend of Apache and Nginx servers, Cloudways offers you unbeatable speed across all locations. Leveraging advanced caching mechanisms and optimized stack, it guarantees lightning-fast load times. This exceptional speed is a major pro, making it a reliable choice for businesses of all sizes seeking to provide seamless user experiences.
Unbeatable Uptime
In the world of web hosting, Cloudways stands out for its unbeatable uptime performance, with even the most budget-friendly Digital Ocean server boasting a 99.99% uptime. This means your site is virtually always online, maximizing your visibility and ensuring a seamless user experience. This level of reliability, even at the most economical tier, sets Cloudways apart in an increasingly competitive hosting market.
Impressive Load Handling
When it comes to handling heavy traffic, Cloudways truly shines, effortlessly passing our load tests with a stable response time and zero HTTP failures, even under a deluge of requests. This shows their robust infrastructure’s ability to handle significant web traffic without diminishing site performance or user experience. This load handling capability is a massive plus for high-traffic websites.
Unlimited Websites
Regardless of your chosen Cloudways plan, you’ll enjoy the flexibility to create and manage unlimited websites right from your dashboard. This feature guarantees scalability, as it allows you to grow without restrictions. It’s especially beneficial for enterprises with multiple online platforms or digital agencies managing numerous client sites. With Cloudways, you’re not boxed in by a limit on website creation or management.
75 Server Locations
With a vast network of partners, Cloudways provides you with access to 75+ data center locations worldwide through its collaboration with five unmanaged web hosts: AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Linode, and Vultr. This guarantees optimal server response times globally, giving you the flexibility to choose the location that best suits your target audience’s geography, enhancing their web experience, and improving site performance.
Customizable Backups
One of the key advantages of Cloudways hosting is the level of control you gain, especially with customizable backups – you’re free to initiate on-demand backups whenever required or establish automated backups according to your preferred schedule. With such flexibility, you can guarantee your server and apps are always safeguarded against data loss, providing peace of mind in your hosting experience.
All-Round Security
When it comes to securing your website, Cloudways doesn’t skimp on features, providing a robust line-up of tools and services to combat malicious software, unauthorized users, and malware. Included in their security arsenal is the WordPress Vulnerability Scanner, a powerful tool that proactively detects any vulnerabilities in your website themes and plugins, fortifying your site against potential threats.
Good Customer Support Quality
You’ll appreciate Cloudways’ customer support, as they truly step up the game with their well-trained representatives who are equipped to handle all your technical queries and promptly resolve any issues you may encounter. Their live chat support, in particular, stands out for its technical competence and swift problem resolution, providing you a seamless hosting experience. It’s a great pro for Cloudways.
Managed Cloud Service
With Cloudways as your Managed Hosting Provider, all the complex tasks, such as backups, server management, app installation, and resource monitoring, are just a click away! This streamlined process allows you to focus on your business without getting bogged down by technical complexities. Plus, with Cloudways, you’ll receive automated updates for your apps, and responsive support for any issues that may arise.
Scalable
One of the major advantages of using Cloudways is its extreme flexibility, allowing you to scale your servers up or down in response to fluctuations in your website traffic. Take advantage of their recently introduced premium Cloudways Autonomous service. This intelligent feature autonomously upscales or downscales your server, matching it perfectly with your traffic needs. This assures peak performance at all times.
Constant Updates
Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving digital landscape, Cloudways continually rolls out updates and new features on their platform, ensuring they remain a top contender in the hosting market. This consistent improvement provides you with the latest tools and capabilities, enhancing your website’s performance and security. It’s their commitment to progress that sets them apart, making Cloudways a reliable choice for your hosting needs.
No Extra Renewal Fee
In addition to their commitment to providing the latest updates and features, Cloudways also stands out in the market by not charging any extra renewal fees. You pay a fixed fee for new hosting and its renewal. There’s no hidden cost. Their unique ‘pay as you go’ pricing model guarantees that you only pay for what you use. This is a significant advantage for users on a budget.
Cloudways Cons
In addition to its strengths, Cloudways hosting also has some significant drawbacks. You’ll find that it does not offer email hosting or a free CDN, and it was recently acquired by Digital Ocean. Moreover, it might take some time to get used to their platform due to a slight learning curve, and it doesn’t offer a free domain.
No Email Hosting
One notable downside to Cloudways hosting is that they don’t offer free email hosting; instead, you have to opt for their Rackspace add-on at a cost of $1/month per email account. That’s an additional expense you need to take into account, especially if you require multiple email accounts for your business. Hence, if email hosting is a critical part of your operations, this could be a significant drawback.
No Free CDN
Moving onto another notable drawback of Cloudways hosting, you won’t find a free CDN included in any of their plans. This means:
- Extra costs to integrate a CDN.
- More setup time.
- Potential for slower site speeds.
Unlike most hosting services, Cloudways doesn’t offer this value-added service for free, adding a technical and financial challenge to your website setup process.
Acquired by Digital Ocean
Surprisingly, since Cloudways’ acquisition by Digital Ocean, you’ll notice that there haven’t been any significant performance alterations, but the Vultr and Linode servers are no longer available. This could limit your choice in server providers, potentially affecting your site’s speed and reliability. It’s important to take into account this change when evaluating Cloudways’ hosting service, especially if these providers were your preferred options.
Slight Learning Curve
While tech-savvy users might sail through the Cloudways console with ease, rookies could encounter a slight learning curve due to the multitude of options and settings. Here’s why:
- The platform’s layout is dense with features.
- It requires some knowledge of server management.
- The technical jargon can be overwhelming for beginners.
No Free Domain
One downside to take into account is that Cloudways doesn’t offer a free domain registration service; you’ll have to register your domain through a separate registrar like GoDaddy or Dynadot before hosting it with Cloudways. This additional step might be inconvenient for some, especially if you’re looking for a seamless setup process. Remember, though, that a good host is more than a free domain provider.
More Charges on Larger Server
As you scale up your server size with Cloudways, be prepared to face increased hosting costs. The pricing structure is as follows:
- $10/month for the Starter plan with 25 GB space
- $11/month for the upgraded plan
- A significant jump to $88/month for the 160 GB servers.
Although the services are excellent, the cost increment with server size can be a deterrent for budget-conscious users.
Cloudways Pricing
Wondering what you’ll shell out for Cloudways? It ultimately hinges on your chosen cloud hosting provider and your server’s resources. Generally, the most cost-effective option is the $10 entry-level DigitalOcean server. But, if you use a Cloudways coupon, the price drops even further. Remember, you don’t have to pay separately for the cloud hosting. The price you see at Cloudways is all-inclusive of the underlying hosting charges and the Cloudways fees.
However, the overall cost is usually a multiple of the underlying hosting price. Let’s break down the DigitalOcean plans for clarity:
The total price includes both the underlying and Cloudways’ fee, which is what you’ll pay per month. Next, the DigitalOcean price is what you’d pay for the unmanaged VPS if you purchased it directly from DigitalOcean. The Implied Cloudways Fee is what you’re essentially paying for the Cloudways service alone.
For instance, the 1 GB plan costs $10, with the underlying hosting costing $5, and the implied Cloudways fee is $5. But as you upgrade, the Cloudways fee increases, going up to $40 for the 8 GB plan.
Conclusion
To sum up, Cloudways is a robust, flexible hosting solution perfect for businesses of all sizes. With key features like 24/7 support, easy scalability, and impressive performance, it’s a solid choice. While the pricing might seem slightly steep, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth. Like everything, it has its pros and cons, but the advantages definitely outweigh the negatives. Overall, Cloudways offers reliable, high-performance hosting that’s worth considering for your business.
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