Cloudways Review – At a Glance
Product: Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.2/5 Stars)
Pros:
- Excellent performance with advanced caching layers
- Easy vertical scaling without downtime
- Unlimited apps per server saves costs
- User-friendly interface beats raw cloud complexity
- Strong agency features like client billing and team collaboration
Cons:
- Billing transparency issues post-DigitalOcean acquisition
- Data backup limitations and user reports of data loss
- Price markup of 2x-2.2x over direct cloud providers
Best For: Tech-savvy agency owners managing multiple client WordPress, PHP, or custom applications
Starting Price: $11/month (DigitalOcean 1GB plan)
This Cloudways review examines whether this managed cloud hosting platform delivers on its promises for agency owners. We tested performance, evaluated costs, and analyzed real user experiences to help you make an informed decision.
What Makes Cloudways Different From Other Hosting Providers
Cloudways operates as a managed service layer on top of major cloud providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud. This approach eliminates the complexity of managing raw cloud infrastructure.
Unlike traditional shared hosting, you get dedicated resources without “noisy neighbor” problems. Each website runs in its own isolated environment with guaranteed RAM and CPU allocation.
The platform bridges the gap between expensive managed WordPress hosts and complex unmanaged VPS solutions. You gain cloud power without needing DevOps expertise. Agency owners save countless hours on server administration tasks like security patches, performance optimization, and technical troubleshooting.
Cloudways charges a markup over direct cloud provider costs but includes 24/7 support, automated backups, and a user-friendly control panel. This trade-off makes sense for agencies prioritizing time efficiency over absolute cost savings.
Performance Analysis: Speed and Reliability Testing
Cloudways delivers impressive performance through its optimized technology stack. The platform uses Nginx, Apache, MariaDB, and PHP-FPM in carefully tuned configurations.
Caching Technologies:
- Memcached for database query caching
- Varnish for full-page caching
- Nginx FastCGI caching
- Redis for object caching
- Free Object Cache Pro on 4GB+ servers
Real-world testing shows average server response times of 94ms. Load tests demonstrate the ability to handle 116,000 requests at 195 requests per second without significant slowdowns.
Uptime Performance: Cloudways maintains a 99.99% uptime guarantee backed by auto-healing servers. Independent monitoring confirms this claim with most servers experiencing less than one minute of downtime annually.
The Cloudflare Enterprise CDN add-on ($4.99/month per domain) provides global edge caching and DDoS protection. This significantly improves Time To First Byte (TTFB) for international visitors.
However, some reviews indicate Cloudways may struggle with extremely high CPU loads. Users report accounts going down within 3-5 minutes during intensive processing tasks. This limitation primarily affects resource-heavy applications rather than typical WordPress sites.
Agency-Focused Features and Workflow Integration
Cloudways excels at addressing agency-specific needs through purpose-built features.
Client Management Benefits:
- Unlimited applications per server reduces per-site costs
- Client billing and reporting tools simplify invoicing
- Server transfer capability hands control to clients
- Team collaboration with custom user roles and permissions
The staging environment feature includes dedicated URLs for safe testing. Git integration enables auto-deployment when repository changes occur. These workflow optimizations save significant development time.
One-Click Actions: Backups, restores, and server cloning happen instantly through the dashboard. No command line knowledge required for routine tasks.
Migration Support: Cloudways provides up to 5 free expert migrations plus an automated migration plugin. This removes barriers when transitioning client sites from other hosts.
Developer Tools: SSH and SFTP access comes standard with individual credential creation for team members. WP-CLI is pre-installed for WordPress command-line management. PHP versions from 5.6 to 8.2+ are available with free updates.
The platform lacks a built-in file manager, requiring SFTP clients like FileZilla for file operations. This creates minor workflow friction compared to traditional cPanel hosting but maintains security through proper access controls.
Pricing Structure and Hidden Costs Analysis
Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go model without long-term contracts. Pricing varies significantly based on your chosen cloud provider and server specifications.
Starting Prices by Provider:
- DigitalOcean: $11/month (1GB RAM, 1 CPU core)
- Vultr: $14/month (1GB RAM, 1 CPU core)
- Vultr High Frequency: $16/month (faster NVMe storage)
- Linode: $14/month (1GB RAM, 1 CPU core)
- AWS: $38.56/month (2GB RAM, 2 CPU cores)
- Google Cloud: $37.45/month (1.75GB RAM, 1 CPU core)
The platform marks up cloud provider costs by approximately 2x to 2.2x. This covers managed services, support, and the control panel interface.
Additional Costs to Consider:
- Email hosting: $1 per address per month
- Offsite backups: $0.033 per GB per server
- Cloudflare Enterprise CDN: $4.99 per domain monthly
- Advanced support tiers: Significant additional fees
Multiple users report billing transparency problems since the DigitalOcean acquisition. Complaints include wrongful charges, delayed affiliate payments, and threats of server shutoffs over billing disputes.
The 3-day free trial requires no credit card, allowing thorough testing before commitment. Hourly billing means you pay only for actual usage time.
Security Features and Data Protection Measures
Cloudways implements comprehensive security through multiple protection layers.
Built-in Security Features:
- Layer 3 and 4 DDoS protection from cloud providers
- Imunify360 server-level firewalls
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates with auto-renewal
- IP whitelisting for SSH and SFTP access
- Regular OS patches and security updates
- Fail2Ban protection against brute force attacks
- Web honeypot and bot protection systems
Application isolation ensures client websites cannot affect each other on shared servers. This prevents cross-site contamination and maintains data integrity across your hosting portfolio.
Daily automated backups include both applications and full server snapshots. The one-click restoration process works at server and application levels. However, Cloudways retains only 8 days of backup history for daily frequency settings.
Critical Backup Limitations: Several users report severe data loss incidents and backup restoration failures. Only the latest local backup is readily available, and offsite backups cost extra. Some complaints detail complete website deletions with unsuccessful recovery attempts.
These data loss reports create serious concerns for agency operations. Implementing independent backup solutions through third-party plugins or external services becomes essential for mission-critical client sites.
Customer Support Quality and Response Times
Cloudways provides 24/7 support through live chat and ticketing systems. The knowledge base includes tutorials, case studies, and troubleshooting guides for self-service help.
Support Tier Options:
- Standard: Default level with general response times
- Advanced: Faster responses and priority handling
- Premium: Dedicated account managers and private Slack channels
Technical support receives generally positive reviews for server and application issues. Agents demonstrate good knowledge of the platform and provide helpful solutions for hosting-related problems.
However, support quality has reportedly declined since the DigitalOcean acquisition. Users describe increased reliance on AI for initial responses and longer resolution times for complex issues.
Billing Support Problems: Multiple complaints highlight poor responsiveness for billing and affiliate payment issues. Users report months-long delays in resolving wrongful charges and account disputes. Some describe servers being shut off during payment conflicts.
This billing support weakness creates operational risks for agencies. Financial disputes can disrupt client services and damage professional relationships. Consider upgrading to higher support tiers if billing reliability is crucial for your operations.
Cloudways vs Competitors: How It Stacks Up
Cloudways occupies a unique position between basic shared hosting and specialized managed WordPress hosts.
Vs. Shared Hosting: Cloudways provides superior performance, dedicated resources, and elimination of “noisy neighbor” effects. Vertical scaling happens instantly without migration headaches. The trade-off is higher cost but significantly better reliability.
Vs. Unmanaged VPS: You gain managed services, 24/7 support, and user-friendly interfaces without DevOps expertise requirements. Unmanaged VPS offers lower base costs but demands technical skills for setup, security, and maintenance. Hidden costs of self-management often exceed Cloudways markup.
Vs. WP Engine/Rocket.net: Specialized WordPress hosts offer deeper optimization for dynamic sites and WooCommerce. Cloudways provides broader application support and cost advantages for agencies managing diverse client portfolios.
WP Engine typically costs more per site but includes proprietary caching technologies. Cloudways allows unlimited applications per server, making it more economical for agencies hosting multiple client sites.
Vs. Direct Cloud Providers: AWS and Google Cloud offer maximum flexibility and potential cost savings but require significant technical expertise. Cloudways abstracts this complexity while providing access to enterprise-grade infrastructure.
The platform works best for agencies needing managed cloud hosting across varied applications rather than WordPress-only optimization.
Scalability Options and Growth Management
Cloudways excels at handling growth through multiple scaling approaches.
Vertical Scaling: Increase RAM, CPU, and storage on demand without downtime. The process typically completes within 5-10 minutes through the dashboard interface. This flexibility accommodates traffic spikes and growing client demands.
Server Cloning: Duplicate entire server configurations for rapid deployment of similar setups. This feature accelerates new client onboarding and standardizes hosting environments across your portfolio.
Multi-Server Management: The unified dashboard manages multiple servers across different cloud providers. You can optimize costs by placing different clients on the most suitable infrastructure for their specific needs.
Cloudways Autonomous provides auto-scaling through Google Kubernetes for high-traffic WordPress sites. This managed solution handles thousands of concurrent users but receives mixed user reviews regarding reliability and performance consistency.
The pay-as-you-go model supports organic growth without long-term commitments. However, costs can escalate quickly due to the markup structure as resource requirements increase.
Global Reach: Access to 50+ data center locations through underlying cloud providers enables worldwide content delivery optimization.
Real User Experiences and Case Studies
Agency owners consistently praise Cloudways for simplifying complex hosting management while maintaining developer-level control.
Positive User Feedback:
- “Support is awesome especially for the cost”
- “I manage several websites…Cloudways checked all those boxes and more”
- “Definitely beginner-friendly compared to managing raw cloud hosting”
- Performance improvements after migrating from shared hosting
Case studies show agencies successfully scaling from managing 5-10 client sites to 50+ applications on Cloudways infrastructure. The unlimited apps per server model enables profitable hosting resale services.
Common Complaints:
- “They are not good for high loading on CPU…account is down in 3-5 minutes”
- “They deleted all of my data…’backup’ doesn’t restore correctly”
- Billing transparency issues and delayed support responses
- Price increases following the DigitalOcean acquisition
The pattern shows excellent satisfaction for standard WordPress and PHP applications but potential struggles with resource-intensive or highly dynamic sites. Billing and account management represent the primary friction points.
Agency owners appreciate the time savings but emphasize the importance of implementing independent backup strategies due to reported data loss incidents.
Final Verdict and Recommendations
Cloudways delivers substantial value for tech-savvy agency owners seeking managed cloud hosting without DevOps complexity. The platform successfully bridges the gap between shared hosting limitations and raw cloud infrastructure demands.
Strongest Advantages:
- Significant performance improvements over shared hosting
- Time-saving agency features like client billing and unlimited apps per server
- Easy vertical scaling without technical expertise requirements
- Support for diverse applications beyond WordPress
- Flexible pay-as-you-go pricing without long-term contracts
Critical Considerations:
- Implement independent backup solutions due to data loss reports
- Monitor billing carefully given transparency complaints
- Expect higher costs compared to direct cloud provider pricing
- Consider specialized hosts for extremely high-performance WordPress/WooCommerce needs
Best Fit Scenarios: Cloudways works excellently for agencies managing 10-50+ standard WordPress, PHP, or custom application sites. The time efficiency gains and simplified management justify the cost premium for most professional use cases.
Poor Fit Scenarios: Avoid if you need maximum cost optimization, handle extremely resource-intensive applications, or require guaranteed data integrity without independent backup systems.
The 3-day free trial provides adequate testing time to evaluate performance with your specific applications. Start with lower-tier plans and scale up based on actual usage patterns.
For agencies prioritizing time efficiency over absolute cost savings, Cloudways represents a compelling hosting solution despite noted limitations in billing and backup reliability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Cloudways suitable for WordPress beginners?
A: Yes, Cloudways is more beginner-friendly than managing raw cloud hosting but requires more technical knowledge than traditional shared hosting. The user interface simplifies complex tasks while maintaining professional-level control.
Q: Can I migrate existing websites to Cloudways?
A: Cloudways provides up to 5 free expert migrations plus an automated migration plugin. The process typically completes within 24-48 hours with minimal downtime.
Q: What happens if I exceed my server resources?
A: You can instantly scale server resources through the dashboard without downtime. The pay-as-you-go model means you pay only for increased usage time.
Q: Does Cloudways include email hosting?
A: Email hosting costs $1 per address per month as an add-on service. Many agencies use external email providers like Google Workspace for enhanced features and reliability.
Q: How reliable are Cloudways backups?
A: While Cloudways provides daily automated backups, user reports of data loss incidents make independent backup solutions essential for critical sites.
Q: Can I use Cloudways for e-commerce sites?
A: Yes, but extremely high-traffic WooCommerce sites might benefit from specialized WordPress hosts with deeper e-commerce optimizations.
Q: What level of technical knowledge is required?
A: Cloudways requires moderate technical comfort. You should understand basic concepts like FTP, databases, and domain management but don’t need server administration skills.
This Cloudways review demonstrates the platform’s strengths in performance and agency workflow optimization while highlighting important considerations around billing transparency and data backup reliability for informed decision-making.