Cloudways Review 2024

Cloudways Pros and Cons

Cloudways is popular due to its ability to keep users online, maintain site security, and offer pay-as-you-go pricing. However, there may be drawbacks if you pick Cloudways as your web host service provider.

Cloudways Plans and Pricing

Cloudways offers powerful cloud hosting plans built on top of three different cloud infrastructures. You can choose which infrastructure you prefer, then enjoy Cloudways’ streamlined control panel and intuitive interface to manage your apps and websites with ease.

You get the same standard features no matter which platform you choose. With each platform, you can choose RAM, cores, storage, and bandwidth limits to match your needs, so it’s super customizable.

There are a few optional add-ons, including Cloudflare Enterprise CDN at $4.99 per month, Cloudways SafeUpdates at $3 per month, and Rackspace Email at $1 per month.

You can also try DigitalOcean or AWS free for three days.

Standard DigitalOcean–starts at $11 per month

• Good for: new or small websites

Premium DigitalOcean–starts at $14 per month

• Good for: small and growing websites that want a performance boost

Google Cloud–starts at $37.45 per month

• Good for: ecommerce, configurable disk space, and pay as you go bandwidth

AWS–starts at $38.56 per month

• Good for: large sites, hosting multiple high-traffic sites

Free site builders

When you are ready to create a new site for your business, Cloudways is a great choice. The site builder was easy to explore, so I’m confident it allows even the most novice web designers to make functional and beautiful websites.

One-click installation: Easily set up a new site on your server

One of the top benefits of Cloudways is the ability to set up a new site on your server. First, you will need to choose one of the preferred providers via the Cloudways console:

• DigitalOcean
• Vultr
• Google Compute Engine
• Amazon Web Services
• Linode

After selecting your preferred cloud provider, you can configure your server via the control panel. Select your anticipated number of page views, and Cloudways can recommend the ideal server size for your business.

You also have the option of customizing your server specifications by setting limitations on RAM, bandwidth, storage, and core processors.

Two-factor authentication

Cloudways offers two-factor authentication (2FA) for primary accounts and all team members for tighter security. Two-factor authentication provides maximum security against phishing, brute-force attacks, or keylogging.

I used my mobile device to download and install an authenticator app and connected it to my Cloudways account.

In case you misplace the 2FA-enabled device, Cloudways allows the use of backup codes for logging in to your account. It’s recommended that you generate backup codes.

Auto-healing feature

When there are issues with your site, Cloudways’ auto-healing feature addresses problems immediately, reducing the time your site is down. This feature helps to ensure your site will be up and running smoothly at all times.

Technology to support faster site speeds

Cloudways automatically configures websites to use their Cloudflare system, which distributes files across multiple data centers so your webpages load more quickly. In my testing, Cloudways had an average load time of approximately 2 seconds and an average response time of approximately 63 milliseconds.

Built-in SSL certificate

One of the top Cloudways benefits is using a built-in, free SSL certificate that secures your site and allows you to communicate safely with your customers. The free SSL certificate is available on all hosting packages and plans and will help ensure your website adheres to Google’s recommended security practices, which can help boost your site rankings.

Dedicated firewalls

Having powerful firewalls in place will help reduce unauthorized traffic to your website and help increase the site’s security overall. With Cloudways’ dedicated firewalls, you can:

• Create email and user filters
• Develop blacklists for IP addresses
• Create password-protected directories

With Cloudways’ pay-as-you-go pricing options, you can select the backup frequency to increase your website’s security.

Optimized WordPress tools

Cloudways also allows you to use WordPress site-building tools to design your website and configure it to ensure fast web page load speeds and functionality.

Compare Cloudways Alternatives

Cloudways is a leader in the cloud-hosting industry. This company is trusted by major global organizations as well as small businesses. While the advanced features offered can seem overwhelming at times, those who need top-tier hosting will see that Cloudflare performs better than most other hosting providers. — Michael Levanduski, Network Technical Engineer

Although Cloudways is a great option when searching for a web host provider, some alternatives could be better options. Check out our full list of the best cloud hosting providers and use the table below to compare it to its closest competitors.

How We Reviewed Cloudways

I test web hosts based on the following factors:

• Plan value: What plans are available, and do they offer a good value?
• Ease of use: Is the dashboard easy to navigate?
• Support: How fast can you get help when needed, and is support genuinely helpful?
• Features: What features does the host offer, and how do they compare to similar competitors?
• Security: Does the host offer SSL certificates, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection, backup services, and scans for viruses and malware?
• Speed and uptime: Does the provider offer a fast, stable environment for your website? How does it perform in tests, and what kind of servers does the hosting company use?
• Recent improvements: What has the host done lately to update its technology and services?

Learn more about our review methodology.