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Cloudways review · updated November 1, 2026
Cloudways review: who it's for, what it really costs
Managed cloud servers on DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud and others.
Our verdict: A good fit for developers and technical owners who want server-level control without sysadmin work. Skip it if you want a host that makes every technical decision for you, or you need bundled email.
Pricing
| Entry price | From $11/mo (DigitalOcean 1 GB "Micro" server, billed hourly) |
|---|---|
| Renewal / ongoing | Pay-as-you-go, billed hourly; no long prepay required |
Strengths
- Hourly, pay-as-you-go billing with no long-term lock-in.
- Choose your cloud provider and server size; scale up or down.
- Unlimited apps per server (subject to server resources).
Drawbacks
- More technical than one-click managed hosts: you choose and size servers.
- Email hosting is not included; it's a paid add-on.
- Extra charges apply for offsite backup storage ($0.033/GB) per Cloudways' pricing page.
Performance and uptime: what public data says
In Review Signal's 2023 benchmarks, Cloudways did not earn Top Tier in the $25–50/month or WooCommerce tiers (reported by WP Tavern). Results are plan- and year-specific.
For live and historical incidents, check Cloudways's public status page. Independent benchmarks: WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmarks (Review Signal).
We haven't run our own speed or support tests on Cloudways yet. When we do, we'll publish the raw results and the date.
Alternatives
Compare all six on our shortlist.
Sources
- Cloudways pricing, checked November 1, 2026
- WP Tavern on Review Signal 2023, checked November 1, 2026
- Status page, checked November 1, 2026