Cloudways Review 2024 | Plans, Features & Benefits
Cloudways Review 2024 – Best Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting has become an increasingly popular option for businesses and developers looking to deploy websites and web applications. Cloudways stands out as one of the top cloud hosting providers, offering robust infrastructure combined with expert management and optimization.
In this comprehensive Cloudways review, we’ll provide an in-depth look at their hosting plans, key features and benefits, managed services, specialized offerings, integrations, and how they compare to competitors.
Overview of Cloudways Cloud Hosting Plans and Pricing
Cloudways partners with top infrastructure providers to deliver flexible and scalable cloud hosting backed by worldwide data centers. They offer a range of plans to meet different needs and budgets.
DigitalOcean Plans
Cloudways utilizes DigitalOcean’s developer-friendly infrastructure for their most affordable plans starting at just $10/month. This entry level plan includes:
- 1GB RAM
- 1 Core Processor
- 25GB SSD Storage
- 1TB Transfer
The highest DigitalOcean plan from Cloudways scales up to 8GB RAM, 4 Cores, 160GB storage, and 5TB bandwidth for $80/month.
Linode (Akamai) Plans
Linode plans (now Akamai) are also accessible starting at $12/month for 1GB RAM, 1 Core, 25GB storage and 1TB transfer.
The top Linode tier includes 8GB RAM, 4 Cores, 160GB storage and 5TB bandwidth for $90/month.
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Vultr Plans
Cloudways offers Vultr-powered plans beginning at $11/month with 1GB RAM, 1 Core, 25GB storage, and 1TB transfer.
Scaling up to 8GB RAM, 4 Cores, 160GB storage, and 5TB transfer costs $85/month.
AWS Plans
AWS plans with Cloudways start at $36.51/month for 1.75GB RAM, 1 Core, and 20GB storage.
The high end AWS plan provides 16GB RAM, 6.5 Cores, 320GB storage for $274.33/month.
Google Cloud Plans
Google Cloud hosting begins at $33.30/month for 1.70GB RAM, 1 Core, and 20GB storage.
At the top end, you can get 13.75GB RAM, 4 Cores, and 160GB storage for $226.67/month.
Key Features and Benefits of Cloudways Hosting
In addition to flexible infrastructure options, Cloudways delivers optimized performance, security, integrations, and ease of use.
Performance and Scalability
- High performance architecture optimized for WordPress and high traffic sites
- Choice of cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr
- Global infrastructure across 60+ data center regions minimizes latency
- Auto scaling capabilities to manage unexpected traffic spikes
Intuitive Interface and Control
- Simplified UI for streamlined cloud management
- Fine-grained control for server settings, caching, databases, PHP versions etc.
- Multi-server management for efficient multi-site hosting
- WordPress optimization plugins for 1-click installs
Enhanced Security
- Hardened security features like IP whitelisting, auto backups, WAF, and more
- Free SSL certificates included with all plans
- Real-time monitoring and instant alerts for infrastructure status
Application Support and Migrations
- Unlimited application installs supported
- Free website migration services included
- Collaborative hosting features for teams
Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting
In addition to their core infrastructure offerings, Cloudways provides fully managed hosting with professional management, security, optimizations, and dedicated resources.
Some highlights of managed hosting include:
- Guaranteed compute resources (RAM, CPU, SSD storage)
- Infrastructure monitoring and management
- Performance tuning and optimizations
- Enhanced security features like WAF and malware detection
- Automated on-demand and scheduled backups
- Staging sites for testing before deployment
- Free SSL certificates
Managed plans on DigitalOcean start at $99/month for 2GB RAM, 2 Cores, 80GB SSD storage, and 4TB transfer. They scale up to 8GB RAM, 6 Cores, 200GB storage, and 6TB bandwidth for $349/month.
Specialized Cloudways Hosting
Along with standard cloud hosting, Cloudways offers application-specific hosting solutions:
Magento Hosting
Optimized hosting fine-tuned for top Magento performance. Starts at $99/month managed.
WordPress Hosting
Hosting optimized exclusively for WordPress with speed-boosting features. Starts at $99/month managed.
Cloud VPS
Unmanaged VPS on DigitalOcean infrastructure. Starts at $10/month.
Email Hosting
Scalable email hosting including Webmail, POP3, IMAP, SMTP. Starts at $2/mailbox/month.
Migrating to Cloudways
Cloudways makes it simple to migrate existing sites with their free automated migration service.
Benefits of migrating include:
- Faster performance – Optimizations deliver 50%+ speed gains in many cases
- Higher uptime – Cloudways maintains 99.9% uptime SLA
- Enhanced security – WAF, patching, backups all handled for you
- Cost savings – Reduce dedicated server expenses by 60% or more
- Scalability – Built-in auto-scaling for traffic spikes
The automated migration process transfers your site with minimal downtime. Cloudways manages the end-to-end migration.
Integrations and Developer APIs
Cloudways offers extensive integrations and APIs for developers:
Key Integrations
- Databases: MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, PostgreSQL
- CMS: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento
- Frameworks: Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony, Ruby on Rails
- CDNs: BunnyCDN, Cloudflare, StackPath
- Monitoring: New Relic, Datadog
Developer API and CLI
For automation, Cloudways provides a full API and CLI:
- Server deployment and management
- Container cluster operations
- Database administration
- Domain and SSL controls
- Backups and restores
- Activity logs and monitoring
How Cloudways Compares to Other Hosting Providers
Here’s how Cloudways stacks up to some leading competitors:
Vs. SiteGround: Faster average load times for WordPress and Magento sites. Lower long term hosting costs.
Vs. Kinsta: Better managed WordPress hosting pricing. More infrastructure flexibility.
Vs. WP Engine: Higher site speeds and more transparent pricing. Free migrations.
Vs. Bluehost: Significantly faster performance and better scalability.
Vs. HostGator: Cloudways has higher uptime and faster support response times.
Overall, Cloudways consistently surpasses shared, VPS, and dedicated server hosts in performance, support, and security.
Pros of Cloudways Hosting
- Fast site speeds
- High uptime record
- Top notch support
- Easy scaling
- Robust security features
- Wide platform integrations
- Free SSL certificates
- Free website migration
- Intuitive control panel
- Git integrations
Cons of Cloudways Hosting
- Limited phone support
- Higher minimum costs than some shared hosts
- Less beginner friendly than cPanel shared hosting
Conclusion
Cloudways delivers an impressive and highly optimized cloud hosting solution designed for performance at scale. Their expert managed services provide the versatility and reliability needed for sites with demanding workloads.
With competitive pricing across a range of cloud infrastructure providers, plus unrestricted application installs and free SSL, Cloudways is a compelling option for developers and businesses seeking flexibility and power.
If you prioritize speed, uptime, security, and seamless scalability – Cloudways should be at the top of your cloud hosting shortlist. Their optimized architecture and dedicated 24/7 management provides peace of mind your site will be in good hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Cloudways hosting plan?
The lowest cost Cloudways plan starts at $10/month on DigitalOcean with 1GB RAM, 1 Core, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth.
Does Cloudways offer a free trial?
Yes, Cloudways provides a 7-day free trial to test drive their managed cloud hosting services.
Does Cloudways have cPanel hosting?
No, Cloudways does not provide cPanel with their hosting. They offer an intuitive proprietary control panel optimized for cloud infrastructure.
Can Cloudways handle high traffic sites?
Yes, Cloudways specializes in high performance hosting for sites with substantial monthly visitors and traffic volumes. Their architecture is optimized to handle spikes.
How is Cloudways security?
Cloudways utilizes extensive security protections including auto backups, firewalls, SSL, vulnerability scans, DDoS prevention, and more – making their hosting highly secure.