Cloudways Review 2024 – Is It the Best Managed Cloud Hosting?

Are you looking for the best cloud-based hosting provider?

If your answer is yes, then you are at the right page.

Many well-known hosting companies in the industry offer shared hosting services (i.e., physical servers) and only a few of them offer cloud-based hosting.

Cloudways is one of those that offers a cloud-based hosting platform for your website, but it does not work like other cloud hosting companies you have come across.

In this article, we will review one of the most popular Managed WordPress Cloud Hosting Providers, i.e., Cloudways Hosting.

You should note that Cloudways is not a cloud hosting company, but instead it acts as a middle-man between you and cloud infrastructure providers.

You might have experienced that shared hosting has a major issue of speed and page load time as multiple websites are hosted on a single server.

If you don’t want to compromise on page load and speed, then you should think of cloud-based platforms.

And that’s where Cloudways comes into existence. Before moving your blog or website host to Cloudways, you must know all the features, cons, pros, and pricing and then decide whether you want to buy it or not.

Here is the complete, unbiased, and detailed Cloudways Review. Read thoroughly and decide before making a purchase.

In this detailed Cloudways review, you will learn a lot of things about this cloud-based platform.

So, let’s start without wasting your time.

Also Read: How to Start a Blog in just 15 Minutes [ Complete Guide]

Overview of Cloudways

Cloudways was founded in 2011 by Uzair Gadit, Aaqib Gadit and Pere Hospital and is headquartered in Malta, Europe. Their offices are located in Dubai and Spain, with 60+ data centre locations.

It is a well-known hosting company that offers managed WordPress cloud hosting services and helps their customers move their applications and websites to the cloud servers supported by big cloud players like Google, DigitalOcean, and Amazon.

Their 100+ staff has helped to launch 12,000+ servers and 250,000+ web apps for 80,000 users from 60+ countries across the world.

The company is basically targeting e-commerce businesses, bloggers, web developers, web designers, or anyone who needs help to migrate their applications or websites to cloud-based hosting.

This Malta-based company enables you to use the servers of top cloud providers—Linode, Amazon Web Services (AWS), DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Google Cloud.

But you don’t need to directly setup your account with these cloud providers. Cloudways comes into existence here and will setup a server for you and help you to deploy any application within a few minutes.

From WordPress to any other open-source tool, you can easily use Cloudways to move your application to the cloud.

Before going into details, let’s discuss the basic differences between Managed Cloud Hosting and Unmanaged Cloud Hosting.

Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting

Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting is one of the most popular hosting platforms where you will get your server on major cloud providers like AWS, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, etc. with pre-installed apps like WordPress, Drupal, PHP, Apache, etc.

This type of hosting is simple, hassle-free, and doesn’t require any technical knowledge to manage and configure the server.

Cloudways Unmanaged Cloud Hosting

This is just the reverse of Managed Cloud Hosting. Unmanaged cloud hosting is a type of hosting in which you are given a server and must configure everything. No pre-installed CMS or any software like Apache, PHP, etc. is available.

You need to install everything by yourself means you are the boss of your cloud server. This type of Cloud hosting is cheaper than managed cloud hosting and requires a technical person to configure the server.

Also Read: GreenGeeks Hosting Review: Eco-Friendly but Worth It?

How is Cloudways Hosting different from traditional Hosting?

Cloudways WordPress Hosting

Your site is located on multiple servers, which can be migrated easily if any incidents happen.

As your site is stored on multiple servers, there is an improvement in the uptime, speed, and if anything happens to one server, the other will handle it without any issues.

Cloudways WordPress Cloud Hosting uses SSD (Solid-state drives) on their servers to improve performance, and you can easily scale up your server when required.

Cloudways cloud hosting is faster than traditional hosting as it fetches data from the nearest datacenter and gives you an instant result.

Cloud servers are more secure, and Cloudways uses various security tools to secure your website.

Traditional WordPress Hosting

Traditional hosting is the basic form of hosting where hundreds or thousands of websites are hosted on a single server.

Their speed and performance are slow and you have to compromise with them Multiple sites are using the same resources.

Traditional WordPress hosting is insanely cheaper than cloud hosting. At such a low price, you can’t expect much from them.

If anything goes wrong with the other websites, your website will also be affected.

Traditional hosting is located at a single physical location, and if you try to fetch data from another part of the world, you will face issues with speed, page load etc.

Cloud Providers Available on Cloudways

First of all, It is important to know that Cloudways is not a Cloud Hosting company instead it uses Cloud hosts of most popular cloud providers to enable you to setup your application on the cloud server.

Below is the list of Cloud giants that Cloudways uses:

Cloudways is #1 when it comes to ease of use. You can select any of the above cloud infrastructure providers to setup your application. You might also be allowed to choose your server locations.

Which Cloud Server in Cloudways Should You Select? 

Cloudways provides you an option to choose your cloud infryou withructure from five cloud giants. There are many things that can help you to choose the right cloud provider.

As you can see from their pricing, you will find DigitalOcean is the cheapest among the others. So, it is better to start with DigitalOcean and learn new things. Later, you can move to other cloud providers as per your requirements.

How Do You Get Your Server and Application Started in Cloudways? 

Launching any applications directly on cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, etc. requires technical knowledge of server administration, but with the help of Cloudways, you can be setup within a few minutes and make your application live in minutes.

Here I am going to share the quickest way to setup your server and application (WordPress here) in a few minutes:

Step 1: Visit official website of Cloudways and Go to Get Started Free.

Step 2: A new Signup page will open up where you need to fill all your details . You can use our Promo Code (Use Code – ‘BLOGIC20’) to avail 20% discounts on your first Invoice. or Start for Free. Now hit the Start Free button at the bottom.

Step 3: Go to your registered email account and verify and activate the Cloudways account.

Step 4: Now, Login to Cloudways. Now, we need to create a Server and launch a application. Here in this guide, I will install WordPress and its version from the Application & Server Details section.

Step 5: Its time to Name Your Managed App, Name Your Server and Name Your Project. Here I am naming my website name as “BloggersLogic”.

Step 6: Choose the Cloud Providers where you will host your website. There are 5 top cloud providers namely DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS and Google Cloud Platform out there.

Step 7: Select Server Size and Server Location to maximise your website speed.

Step 8: Hit the Launch Now button at the bottom right corner to launch your server and application. It will take only a few minutes.

Step 9: Now, you have successfully launched your WordPress site using Cloudways.

Cloudways offers a free 3-day trial so you can set up your application and test their features. This free 3-day trial is available with DigitalOcean, Linode, and Vultr only.

Also Read: How to Launch Your Website/Blog on WordPress with Bluehost Hosting

Standard Key Features of Cloudways Hosting

Free Site Migration

Cloudways offers free migration of a single site to those users who want to transfer their site from another hosting platform to Cloudways.

The migration of websites from other hosts to Cloudways can take a few minutes and depends on the size of your website.

To migrate your website or application from other host, just go to Grid Icon -> Select Add-ons -> Application Migration.

You will be required to pay an extra fee for migrating more than one application. But on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they offer free multiple migration for new users.

1-Click Installation

With Cloudways, you can install many CMS applications like WordPress with just a single click. It will save your time and effort. Other hosting providers usually offer a 1-click installation feature as well.

24/7/365 Live Chat Support

The Cloudways support team is available 24/7/365 through live chat support, and you can request a call or create a ticket. You can ask for help and support right from your dashboard.

SSD Based Hosting

Their cloud hosting uses SSD-based drives, which are faster than HDD-based drives. It helps to reduce your page load time and increase performance. SSD drives are 3X faster and ideal for web hosting. 

Dedicated Firewalls

All the cloud servers on Cloudways are protected by OS-level firewalls. This helps to keep out intruders and malicious traffic.

Free SSL Certificates

They offer 1-click free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates to all the applications hosted on their platform. So, you can easily secure your website using free https.

High Speed Servers

Cloudways uses the servers of the most popular cloud providers like Google Cloud, AWS, Linode, Vultr, and DigitalOcean to meet your website’s requirements.

Two-Factor Authentication

With Cloudways, you can easily enable Two-Factor Authentication to prevent unwanted logins from intruders and hence help to prevent and keep your site secure.

Vertical Scaling

Cloudways has an option of seamless vertical scaling. Using this, you can scale up your RAM, CPU, and storage requirements with just one click.

Fully Support PHP

Cloudways supports all PHP-based applications and enables you to combine the freedom of dedicated servers with the ease and agility of PHP Paas.

1-Click Backup & Restore

This is the most important thing for your website. Cloudways gives you the option to back up and restore all your files with just a click.

Bot Protection

Cloudways has a partnership with Malcare that helps protect your website from traffic congestion.

Quick Server Setup

With Cloudways cloud hosting platform, you can setup and launch your cloud server within few minutes without any technical requirements.

Built-in Advanced Caches

Cloudways uses various tools like Varnish, Memcache, and Redis Cache to boost your page speed.

Unlimited Application Hosting

With any plan you buy from Cloudways, you can host an unlimited number of websites or applications on a single server. In case you require more resources, they will alert you and you can easily scale.

Staging Area

Staging is one of the most useful tools using which you can test any modification without breaking the live version.

Application and Server Cloning

Application and Server Cloning helps you to clone or copy your entire server and application at any time with a click.

Cloudways Cloud Hosting Plans

Cloudways hosting plans depend on the cloud providers you choose. There are 5 major cloud providers listed on the Cloudways platform. All providers offer multiple features, including 1-click app installation, managed security, free SSL, and many more. If you want to host your WordPress blog, you can choose anyone of them.

Cloudways Flexible and Transparent Pricing

Cloudways offers flexible and transparent pricing, which is much cheaper than its competitors. Cloudways’s starting cloud hosting starts from $10 per month which is quite low.

Cloudways offers various plans to fit your needs, whether you want to host a simple WordPress blog or big applications.

Their prices entirely depend on how many resources you need. That is why it is one of the best cloud hosting platforms and has good reviews from users.

As most of the popular hosting companies accepts Paypal and Credit cards only but Cloudways have multiple payment options. It accepts Paypal, Credit Cards, and even debit cards as well.

As I already discussed, Cloudways offers five giant cloud providers, and you have the flexibility to choose anyone among them.

Here is the starting monthly pricing of each of the cloud providers:

DigitalOcean offers the lowest price range and is good to start with, and later you can scale and configure based on your needs. With Cloudways Vertical Scaling options, you can easily scale as your application’s traffic grows. 

All the above plans include common features like unlimited app installation, free SSL, 24/7 technical support, free migration, etc.

For pricing range between $10 to $20, you will get a basic cloud server with

Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform’s pricing are very high and similar to other cloud hosts like Kinsta and WP Engine. Both are good for heavy users.

Note: You might be thinking here that AWS and Google Cloud are offering cloud hosting at cheap prices. Then why can’t I directly buy a plan from them and host our websites? Yes, you can get it at a cheap price from them if you buy directly from them, but setting up your server and application on their platform directly requires technical knowledge and you will be left to do all that configuration by yourself.

So, this is a burden. That is why we always recommend hosting your website through Cloudways.

Other CMS and e-commerce Platforms Supported by Cloudways WordPress Hosting 

Cloudways Control panel

You might be familiar with cPanel, which is offered by popular hosting companies in the industry. But with Cloudways, you will get a customised control panel or custom console where you can manage everything easily from a single window.

Application Management

Access Details, Monitoring, Domain Management, Cron Job Management, SSL Certificate, Backup and Restore, Deployment via Git, Application Setting, Migration Tool, CloudwaysCDN.

Server management

Monitoring, Managing Services, Settings and Packages, Security, Vertical Scaling, Backups, SMTP.

Team Management

Cloudways Customer Support

Cloudways offers top-notch customer support to its customers. They have options of 24/7 live chat for instant assistance or a ticket system.

Alternatively, you can request a call, send email, post to the Cloudways Community, post feedback, read their blogs, and read their knowledge base to get help with your issues you might encounter.

They also offer premium support for those who need additional assistance. With our premium support team, you will get a quick response to any issues you may face. Apart from that, you will have access to a private Slack channel and phone support with engineers.

They have social media accounts where you can seek any helps and support. Their team is active on popular social media and a better way to get in touch with them easily.

Cloudways Performance and Speed

Like other hosting companies, they have up-to-date information on the system status page but don’t promise any specific level of uptime or compensation.

Their average uptime for the year is greater than 99.9999%, with not a single downtime this year. That’s really appreciated and it makes Cloudways the most popular cloud hosting platform among users.

If we talk about their page load time, they are continuously improving day by day and it drops below one second. That’s amazing and super fast!

They use optimised server configuration to reduce their page load time. With their most basic Cloudways plan, your website is able to handle high amount of traffic without much stress on their server. You can test your page load using tools like Pingdom.

Cloudways Pros and Cons

Cloudways Pros

Cloudways Cons

Cloudways Alternatives

If you are not okay with Cloudways and are looking out for a Cloudways alternative and you are a WordPress user, then below is the list that can be the match for Cloudways.

Cloud Host Providers

VPS Providers

Cloudways Customer Reviews

Based on customer reviews on TrustPilot, Cloudways has got 4.7 stars from 551 customers.

Conclusion: Cloudways Review

Cloudways is a fully managed, scalable platform for your cloud hosting needs. It offers a flexible and transparent pricing model. At first, you might get confused with their pricing, but overall, you will love their flexibility.

They offer a “pay-as-you-go” pricing model that is really awesome for all types of businesses with limited budgets.

Hosting directly on popular cloud providers is quit difficult and needs advance server knowledge but with custom control panel of Cloudways, you can launch your server and apps within Minutes.

Cloudways Review: Wrapping Up

Cloudways is the modern and new player in the cloud hosting industry and an excellent platform where multiple popular cloud giants are there.

With the help of the Custom Cloudways console, you can manage everything from a single window.

If you are hosting your website or application on traditional hosting and are planning to move to cloud hosting, then I would suggest you go with Cloudways. You will get a 3-day free trial where you can easily check out its features.

Cloudways Discount Coupon Code

Get 20% instant discounts on your first Invoice using our exclusive Promo Code. Here is the Promo Code – ‘BLOGIC20‘

This promo code is specially for our trusted and loyal readers. Use and get your site started on Cloudways today.

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