Cloudways WordPress Hosting: Managed Cloud with Choice of Provider
Cloudways takes a different approach to managed WordPress hosting. Instead of using its own hosting infrastructure, it lets you run WordPress on cloud servers from providers such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud.
Cloudways handles much of the server management while giving developers control over resources, caching, PHP settings, applications, and scaling. Backups, security, staging, monitoring, SSL, and other hosting tools are managed through the Cloudways dashboard.
There are two main options. Flexible lets you choose the cloud provider and server resources, while Autonomous automatically adjusts resources as traffic changes.
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Cloudways WordPress Hosting at a Glance
| Hosting Detail | Cloudways |
|---|---|
| Hosting Type | Managed cloud hosting |
| Cloud Providers | DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud |
| WordPress Sites | Multiple sites on Flexible servers |
| Staging | Yes |
| Automatic Backups | Yes |
| SSH & SFTP | Yes |
| WP CLI & Git | Yes |
| Support | 24/7 |
| Long Term Contract | No |
Cloudways Flexible vs Autonomous
Flexible is the better fit for users who want control over their hosting. You choose the cloud provider, server size, and location, and several WordPress sites can share the same server. Resources can be increased using vertical scaling.
Autonomous handles more of this work and automatically adjusts resources when traffic changes. This makes it better suited to busy WordPress and WooCommerce sites where traffic can rise quickly.
Cloudways WordPress Hosting Tools
Cloudways provides a good mix of managed hosting and development tools. Most everyday jobs can be handled from its dashboard without giving up access to WordPress development tools.
| Tool | Available | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Server Caching | Yes | Uses server level caching to improve WordPress performance. |
| Redis & Object Cache Pro | Yes | Reduces repeated WordPress database work. |
| Cloudflare | Available | Adds CDN, caching, and security tools. |
| Staging | Yes | Creates a separate site for testing changes. |
| Automated Backups | Yes | Creates scheduled offsite backups with restore controls. |
| Vulnerability Scanner | Yes | Checks WordPress for known security problems. |
| SSH & SFTP | Yes | Provides secure server and file access. |
| WP CLI & Git | Yes | Provides command line management and code deployment. |
| Team Access | Yes | Provides controlled access for other users. |
| Cloudways Copilot | Flexible | Uses AI to help diagnose server and application problems. |
Cloudways Pricing
Cloudways Flexible uses monthly billing without a long term contract. DigitalOcean plans currently start at $11 per month. There is no introductory price followed by a higher renewal rate, although backups, Cloudflare services, Copilot, and other extras can add to the final cost.
AWS and Google Cloud configurations can cost considerably more, so DigitalOcean is usually the more relevant option for blogs and smaller WordPress sites.
What We Like and Don’t Like
What we like: Monthly billing, several cloud providers, scalable server resources, multiple WordPress sites per Flexible server, staging, backups, SSH, SFTP, WP CLI, Git, and strong caching options.
What we don’t like: Cloudways takes longer to learn than simpler managed hosting. Backup storage and some additional services cost extra, while AWS and Google Cloud can become expensive.
Who Is Cloudways Best For?
Cloudways works well for developers, established bloggers, publications, and agencies that want more control over their hosting without maintaining an unmanaged cloud server. Flexible is the better choice when server control matters, while Autonomous makes more sense when automatic scaling is needed.
It is less suitable for someone who wants the simplest possible WordPress hosting setup. There are more settings and server choices to understand than with hosts that manage almost everything for you.