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Cloudways

ASP: Direct

Managed cloud hosting on DigitalOcean / Vultr / Linode

Managed cloud hosting platform that lets you run WordPress, Laravel, Magento, and generic PHP stacks on top of DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Google Cloud — owned by DigitalOcean since 2022 and priced for builders running multiple sites on a single server.

// quick verdict

Cloudways is managed cloud hosting on top of DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Google Cloud — owned by DigitalOcean since 2022. Pick it for running multiple sites or mixed PHP stacks on a shared server at $11-30/mo. Skip it for a single revenue-critical WordPress site where zero-touch ops and WordPress-specialist support are first-order — Kinsta fits that shape better.

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// best for

Developer-leaning solopreneurs and small agencies running 3+ sites, mixed PHP stacks (WordPress + Laravel/Magento), or anyone who wants managed cloud without per-site pricing.

// not ideal for

Operators running a single revenue-critical WordPress site who want zero-touch ops and premium WordPress-specialist support — that's the Kinsta-shaped problem, not Cloudways.

Pros

  • + Server-based pricing (not per-site) makes it the natural pick for operators running 3+ small sites — one well-sized droplet hosts the whole portfolio
  • + Five underlying cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud) means you choose the price/region/performance trade-off rather than being locked in
  • + Stack flexibility — WordPress, Laravel, Magento, PrestaShop, and generic PHP applications run on the same panel
  • + Non-WordPress PHP stacks (Laravel especially) are first-class — Cloudways positions its Nginx + Redis configuration around TTFB on PHP application servers, an angle most managed-hosting comparisons skip because they default to WordPress-only benchmarks
  • + Built-in caching stack (Varnish + Redis + Memcached) is excellent once configured, and the configuration surface is exposed rather than hidden
  • + Entry pricing on DigitalOcean droplets starts around $11-14/mo, well below premium managed-WordPress hosts
  • + 24/7 chat support is competent for general infrastructure issues across all supported stacks

Cons

  • − Support is a tier below specialized managed-WordPress hosts on deep WordPress-specific debugging — fine for general issues, less ideal for plugin/theme rabbit holes
  • − More of the operational surface is exposed to you (caching tweaks, server sizing, off-server backup config) — flexibility comes at the cost of a small amount of server-level work
  • − CDN is not bundled — Cloudflare Enterprise is a paid add-on, or you self-configure standard Cloudflare separately
  • − Per-site visit limits don't exist (server-based), but you do need to right-size the droplet — under-sizing causes slowdowns rather than overage bills

Pricing

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Price history

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Hands-on notes

last reviewed: May 5, 2026

Cloudways sells a control panel for managed cloud servers rather than a finished hosting product. You pick a cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Google Cloud), pick a droplet size, and Cloudways handles the OS, caching stack, PHP versions, backups, and one-click app installs on top.

The honest framing: Cloudways is the right pick when flexibility or per-site cost matters more than zero-touch ops. A developer running three small WordPress sites, a Laravel side project, and an experimental Magento store can consolidate all of them on a single $24/mo droplet. The same operator on a per-site managed host would be paying $30+/mo per site.

Two structural facts worth flagging:

  • DigitalOcean owns Cloudways (acquired 2022-09). The DigitalOcean droplet options are first-class because of that, and the broader product roadmap leans on DigitalOcean infrastructure. AWS and Google Cloud options remain, but pricing there reflects the underlying provider’s premium.
  • Pricing is server-based, not site-based. This inverts how managed-WordPress hosts price the product. Right-sizing the droplet matters more than counting sites.

For builders willing to spend an hour configuring caching and CDN, Cloudways gets within striking distance of premium managed hosts at a fraction of the price. For builders who want hosting to disappear entirely from their attention, the opinionated managed-WordPress hosts are the shorter path.

One under-discussed angle in managed-hosting comparisons: non-WordPress PHP stacks. Cloudways positions its Nginx + Redis configuration around TTFB on PHP application servers, with Laravel as the canonical case. Most “Cloudways vs $other-host” coverage defaults to WordPress benchmarks, which understates how the product performs once you put a Laravel app, a Magento store, or a generic PHP service on it. For a builder running mixed PHP workloads, the speed positioning matters as much as the per-site cost story.

The affiliate program is in-house with two structures available — a Slab tier (one-time bounty scaling with monthly conversion volume), which Cloudways recommends for content publishers and comparison sites, and a Hybrid tier ($30 one-time + 7% lifetime recurring per qualified signup) aimed at agencies and freelance consultants with recurring client relationships.

Cloudways compared with other tools

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