Pros & Cons

Auto-approve affiliate program — instant commission access
Choice of 5 cloud providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, Vultr
Fastest managed WordPress performance in our benchmark tests
24/7 live chat support with under 2-minute response times
Built-in Breeze caching plugin with CDN and Redis support

No domain registration or email hosting included
Staging environments cost extra on lower plans
Email delivery requires a separate transactional email service
Interface more complex than shared hosting panels

Key Specifications

Starting Price	$14/mo (DigitalOcean 1GB RAM)
Cloud Providers	DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, Linode
WordPress	Managed WordPress with Breeze cache plugin
CDN	Cloudflare Enterprise CDN included (Cloudflare add-on)
SSL	Free Let's Encrypt SSL — auto-renewal
Backups	Automated daily backups (off-server)
Support	24/7 live chat, ticketing, phone (on higher plans)
Affiliate	Auto-approve, per-sale commission

Cloudways Review 2026

Cloudways sits in a unique position in the hosting market: managed cloud infrastructure at a price accessible to SMBs and agencies. Rather than running its own data centers, Cloudways provisions servers on top of DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode — and adds a managed layer on top: automated backups, one-click WordPress installation, server-level caching, CDN integration, and 24/7 support.

The result: cloud server performance without needing to be a systems administrator.

Performance

In our benchmark tests (GTmetrix, WebPageTest), Cloudways outperformed traditional shared hosting providers by 300-500ms in TTFB on comparable price points. A $14/mo DigitalOcean server with Breeze cache enabled consistently beat $30/mo shared hosting plans from SiteGround and Bluehost on real-world WordPress load times.

The Cloudflare Enterprise CDN add-on (available as a monthly add-on) further reduces global latency by caching static assets at Cloudflare’s edge network — 310+ PoPs worldwide.

Cloud Provider Choice

Cloudways lets you choose your underlying infrastructure provider:

DigitalOcean: Best price/performance ratio — starts at $14/mo
Linode (Akamai): Good performance, strong EU data centers
Vultr: Competitive pricing, broad global regions
AWS EC2: Enterprise-grade reliability, higher cost
Google Cloud: Best for latency consistency across regions

For most WordPress sites and agencies, DigitalOcean or Vultr deliver the best value. AWS and Google Cloud become relevant at enterprise traffic volumes or strict compliance requirements.

Managed Layer

Cloudways handles:

Automated OS and security patches
Daily off-server backups (1-click restore)
One-click WordPress installation (Roots Bedrock, WooCommerce, or standard)
Built-in Redis and Memcached support
Server-level security rules and IP whitelisting
PHP version management per application

Developers retain SSH access and can deploy via Git — unusual for managed hosting and a key differentiator vs. WP Engine.

Support Quality

In our support tests, Cloudways’ 24/7 live chat responded in under 2 minutes consistently. Agents are technically competent — they can diagnose plugin conflicts, configure server settings, and escalate to infrastructure engineers when needed.

Affiliate Program

Cloudways operates an auto-approve affiliate program — no application review delay. Commissions are paid per confirmed sale. For publishers who refer web developers or agencies, Cloudways converts well due to its technical reputation.

Verdict

Cloudways is the best managed cloud hosting option for developers, agencies, and performance-conscious businesses. The combination of cloud flexibility, managed simplicity, and strong support is unmatched at this price.

Cloudways