In our Cloudways review, we check out one of many best web hosting companies, within the sphere of the best cloud hosting, available on the market.
Cloudways review: Snapshot
Cloudways provides a collection of highly effective, extremely configurable managed cloud hosting choices, and it’s recognized for its wonderful efficiency and nice worth for cash. Its cloud hosting options are among the many finest we’ve seen.
The firm brings a neat mixture of energy, affordability, and additional options, making its hosting a viable choice for every thing from small WordPress websites to worldwide ecommerce shops.
Its costs are barely increased than these you’ll pay for the equal shared hosting, however there aren’t any long-term contracts or misleading introductory value provides. Hourly billing is obtainable, which implies that you’ll solely ever pay for what you want.
In addition, Cloudways companies are backed by a set of neat options, industry-leading efficiency, dependable servers, and a really pleasant customer support group. If you’re searching for a extremely scalable host that lets you improve or downgrade your plan at any time, Cloudways is value contemplating.
Score: 4.5/5
Read on for our full review.
Quick competitor comparability
| Cloudways | Hostwinds | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Pros | – Attractive PAYG pricing mannequin – A collection of totally different cloud hosting networks – Excellent efficiency with even the most affordable plans | – Leading efficiency – Friendly help group and nice self-help assets – Great worth for cash | – Excellent safety instruments – Great choice for these on a price range – Attractive native hPanel management panel |
| Cons | – No area registration companies – Sometimes complicated native management panel | – Confusing SSL set up course of – Prices are fairly unclear | – High-end choices are absent – Budget plans have vital useful resource limitations |
| Verdict | Cloudways provides high-end cloud hosting options and is a pretty, dependable choice for these in search of a mix of energy and affordability. | Hostwinds provides a few of the finest hosting we’ve seen, together with every thing from shared hosting to devoted servers and cloud accounts. | Hostinger provides a collection of entry-level hosting options, together with a few of the least expensive however finest shared hosting we’ve seen. |
| View offers | Visit site | Visit site | Visit site |
Cloudways: Key options
Cloudways is called a high-end cloud hosting firm, and it naturally provides a set of wonderful options to enhance its companies. One factor that stands out instantly is the corporate’s concentrate on safety.
For instance, you’ll be lined by every thing from devoted firewalls and DDoS assault safety. The firm boasts superior bot detection and blocking, two-factor authentication, and automated safety patches to make sure your web site is protected always.
Another standout function is Cloudways’ customized PHP app installer. Automatic set up is obtainable for WordPress, WooCommerce, Laravel, and Magento, however you possibly can add customized apps with the clicking of a button. Simply set up a customized app, launch it, and comply with the prompts so as to add no matter scripts you require. A bit of developer data might be helpful right here.
One of the keys to Cloudways’ wonderful efficiency with WordPress web sites is its proprietary Breeze WordPress plugin. This caching plugin is designed that will help you cut back web page load instances, combine with a CDN, and minify your code recordsdata. It’s mechanically put in if you add the WordPress app to your server, and it’s designed to be straightforward to make use of and newbie pleasant.
Cloudways: Key options and highlights
All Cloudways customers may even have entry to 24/7 real-time monitoring companies. Along with the anticipated safety monitoring, you’ll profit from useful resource utilization, server well being, and varied different kinds of helpful monitoring instruments.
Last, however actually not least, Cloudways provides a collection of add-ons that you should use to handle and add performance to your web site. For instance, there’s various e mail add-ons, a CDN, and a DNS Made Easy app for streamlined DNS administration.
Cloudways: What’s new?
Cloudways options an Updates Tips and Tricks class as a part of its weblog. Expect one to five-plus articles to be posted right here monthly. These are inclined to element minor updates, and the platform doesn’t seem to have modified an incredible deal prior to now 12 months.
The most up-to-date replace, on the finish of September 2021, was the introduction of the Agency Partner Program, which permits companies to entry a variety of additional instruments. A partnership with BrightonSEO was introduced in the beginning of September 2021. The Breeze WordPress plugin, developed by Cloudways, for Cloudways customers, is recurrently up to date.
Cloudways: Pricing
Cloudways’ pricing is slightly on the difficult aspect. This is essentially as a result of variety of hosting choices obtainable.
For starters, you possibly can choose from 5 cloud networks, together with DigitalOcean, Linode, VULTR, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. These all include a collection of totally different subscription choices, and a few networks are additional separated into Standard and Premium plans. Hourly and month-to-month funds can be found, however there aren’t any long-term subscription reductions.
To provide you with an instance of what this appears like, we analyzed the DigitalOcean plans slightly additional. Prices for the Standard plans vary from $10 to $80 a month, with premium choices coming in at $12 to $96 a month. Custom plans are additionally obtainable, enabling you to pick out the precise quantity of storage, RAM, and bandwidth you require.
All plans on all networks include a set of options together with free SSL certificates, devoted firewalls, limitless app installs, and automated backups.
| Plan kind/function | DigitalOcean | Linode | VULTR | AWS | Google Cloud | Hostinger (fundamental plan) | Hostwinds (fundamental plan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost monthly | From $10 | From $12 | From $11 | From $36.51 | From $33.18 | $9.49* | $8.99* |
| Cost per 12 months | From $120 | From $144 | From $132 | From $438.12 | From $398.16 | $71.88* | $83.88* |
| Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free website migrations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic backups | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (weekly) | ✓ |
| Free area | X | X | X | X | X | X | ✓ |
*Significant reductions can be found with longer-term subscriptions, and you might be required to pay extra on renewal.
Testing Cloudways
To take a look at Cloudways, we created a easy WordPress web site and monitored its uptime and server response instances for 2 weeks. The majority of internet sites are constructed on WordPress, so it’s essential to carry out checks to find out how effectively a number is suited to doing this.
How straightforward is it to create a WordPress web site with Cloudways?
Installing WordPress in your new Cloudways server is a really easy course of. To start, head to the “Applications” tab on the high of your essential administration dashboard. Select the “WordPress” choice, hit set up, and wait a few minutes for the platform to do its work.
You might be given a brief area identify, enabling you to begin constructing your web site with no customized area. Your WordPress admin login particulars will be discovered on the Application web page, enabling you to log into your dashboard and start designing.
All issues thought-about, creating a brand new WordPress web site with Cloudways may be very straightforward to do, and also you shouldn’t run into any points.
How effectively does Cloudways carry out?
After a 14-day take a look at interval with Pingdom’s web site monitoring instruments, we are able to comfortably state that Cloudways is without doubt one of the best-performing hosts that we’ve examined.
For starters, we skilled 100% uptime throughout the take a look at interval. While this could possibly be barely misleading as a result of brief testing time-frame, it’s nonetheless an enormous tick within the platform’s favor.
The common server response instances had been additionally wonderful. They various from 261ms to 351ms throughout the take a look at interval, with a mean of simply 288ms. This implies that Cloudways sits on the sooner finish of the 200 to 400ms response time vary that we search for with entry-level hosting. Its efficiency clearly isn’t something to be involved about.
Alternatives to Cloudways
Cloudways is without doubt one of the finest cloud hosting platforms that we’ve used, nevertheless it’s actually not the one choice value contemplating.
For instance, Hostwinds provides comparable cloud hosting options. Its cloud subscriptions begin at $0.006931 an hour (roughly $5 a month), and these embody full administration, a 99.9999% uptime assure, free web site transfers, and extra. In addition, Hostwinds makes use of a cPanel management panel, which is sort of intuitive and simple to familiarize your self with.
It boasts a number of server areas the world over, and you’ll profit from a few of the finest customer support we’ve seen. We’d suggest Hostwinds if you happen to’re searching for a strong hosting resolution for something from a fundamental private weblog to a world ecommerce retailer. Find out extra in our Hostwinds review.
Another fashionable various is Hostinger, particularly amongst these on a good price range. It doesn’t provide comparable cloud hosting merchandise, however its shared hosting plans begin from simply $1.39 a month for the primary three years. What’s extra, all the firm’s hosting options are backed by a few of the finest safety practices we’ve seen, and a pleasant, educated customer support group.
Hostinger makes use of a tidy, native hPanel management panel, which is arguably even higher than the widely-used cPanel. Server assets are slightly restricted with the most affordable shared plans, nevertheless it stays our favourite choice for these beginning a small, fundamental web site on a good price range. Learn extra in our full Hostinger review.
| Cloudways | Hostinger | Hostwinds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control panel | Native management panel | hPanel | cPanel |
| Free area | No | Yes (with improve) | Yes |
| One-click installations | Approximately 10 | Yes, greater than 100 purposes | Yes, a whole lot obtainable by means of Softaculous |
| Support | 24/7 dwell chat and on-line ticketing, precedence cellphone with a premium help plan | 24/7 dwell chat and on-line ticketing | 24/7 dwell chat, e mail, and on-line ticketing |
| Basic plan | $10 a month | $1.39 a month | ~$5 a month |
Cloudways: Final verdict
All issues thought-about, Cloudways clearly provides a few of the most versatile web hosting options available on the market. Its cloud hosting plans can be found with hourly billing and no lock-in contracts, and they are often scaled up or down at any time limit.
In addition, Cloudways costs are very aggressive. Its least expensive $5 a month plan is barely dearer than a few of the least expensive shared hosting plans available on the market, however the worth for cash on provide is extraordinary.
For one, Cloudways’ hosting is backed by a wonderful collection of superior options. You will be capable of make the most of issues like built-in safety, 24/7 server monitoring, customized PHP app set up instruments, a local WordPress caching plugin, and a set of add-ons.
Installing a brand new WordPress web site takes no various moments. It’s a beginner-friendly, easy course of that you simply shouldn’t have any issues with. In addition, Cloudways boasts wonderful efficiency and dependable server infrastructure.
The backside line right here is that Cloudways is a high-quality, dependable cloud hosting supplier, providing a few of the finest hosting options we’ve seen. We’d extremely suggest contemplating it if you happen to’re searching for one thing slightly extra highly effective than normal shared hosting.
Further studying on web hosting
If you want to discover out extra about main alternate options to Cloudways, you’ll want to take a look at our information to the best cloud hosting. More of our favourite web hosts are uncovered in our guides to the best web hosting and the best VPS hosting. You may also wish to learn concerning the benefits of cloud hosting, and why regional cloud hosting matters.
https://www.itproportal.com/opinions/cloudways-web-hosting-review/
