What is Cloudways and what is it used for?

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that enables users to deploy, manage, and scale websites and applications on top of cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode. It focuses on performance, security, and ease of use.

How does Cloudways simplify website hosting?

Cloudways simplifies hosting by providing managed server infrastructure, automated backups, server-level caching, SSL management, monitoring tools, and one-click application deployment. Users can manage their websites without dealing with complex server configurations.

What features does Cloudways offer?

Cloudways offers managed hosting on multiple cloud providers, automated backups, staging environments, server-level caching (Varnish, Redis), SSL support, monitoring, team collaboration, and 24/7 support. These features ensure optimal website performance and security.

Is Cloudways suitable for beginners?

Yes, Cloudways is beginner-friendly due to its intuitive dashboard, guided setup, and automated server management. While basic technical understanding helps, even newcomers can launch and manage websites efficiently.

Who should use Cloudways and what benefits can they expect?

Cloudways is ideal for developers, agencies, freelancers, and businesses that need flexible, high-performance cloud hosting. Users can expect fast website speed, secure infrastructure, scalability, simplified server management, and reliable support, making it a convenient choice for managed cloud hosting.

Reviewed · Updated 2026-06-19

Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that simplifies cloud server management, offering flexibility and scalability for developers, agencies, and businesses.

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team · 2026-06-19

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Pricing

Freemium

Best for

Cloudways is suitable for developers, agencies, and businesses that require scalable, managed cloud hosting solutions without the need for extensive server management

Community ratings

4.6/ 5 aggregate · across 3 sources

4.71,100+ reviews

Capterra

4.290+ reviews

Trustpilot

4.63,600+ reviews

Third-party ratings shown verbatim; aggregate weighted by review volume.

What it really is

Cloudways — managed cloud hosting platform abstracting DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Vultr, and Linode for developers and agencies.

Our take

Cloudways sits between raw cloud VPS and traditional shared hosting: you pick the underlying cloud provider, Cloudways handles server management, stack, caching, and backups. The DB labels it 'freemium' and '$12/mo' — both are incorrect. There is no permanent free tier, only a 3-day trial (no credit card required); entry pricing starts at $11/mo on a DigitalOcean Micro plan. The 2025 launch of Cloudways Autonomous adds a Kubernetes-based WordPress tier (from $99/mo) with true autoscaling and bundled Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.

Why we rate it

Cloudways nails the managed-cloud middle ground: real cloud infrastructure (choose your provider and region) with a polished control panel, one-click staging, free SSL, Object Cache Pro, and 24/7 support. The 2025 Autonomous tier makes it a credible option even for high-traffic WordPress at scale.

The catch

No root server access limits advanced customisation; add-ons (email, malware, CDN, backups) accumulate fast; Autonomous bandwidth/disk overage charges can surprise growth-stage teams.

Best for

Agencies managing multiple client WordPress or PHP sites

Developers who want cloud-provider choice without manual server ops

eCommerce or LMS teams needing autoscaling WordPress (Autonomous tier)

Not good for

Teams needing full root/SSH server control or custom OS config

Static sites or ultra-low-traffic projects (cheaper alternatives exist)

Enterprises with strict compliance requirements needing dedicated infra SLAs

Friction report

Time to value

Fast: 3-day no-credit-card trial; first server and app deployable in under 10 minutes via the control panel.

Scale breakpoint

Autonomous bandwidth ($0.04/GB) and disk ($1/GB) overages bite at high-traffic scale; per-app add-on costs multiply across large agency portfolios.

Walled garden

Moderate: workloads run on standard cloud infra (DigitalOcean, AWS, etc.) so data is portable, but management workflows, staging, and caching are Cloudways-specific — migrating away requires re-establishing all ops tooling.

A look inside

Frequently Asked Questions

Alternatives

Step up

Cloudways Autonomous Enterprise (custom) or Kinsta for fully-managed WordPress with stricter SLAs.

Lighter alternative

Vultr or DigitalOcean directly (raw VPS) for teams comfortable with server management, or Hostinger for budget shared hosting.

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