Cloudways Review 2026
Managed Cloud Hosting for Agencies
Last tested: May 7, 2026
After running client sites on Cloudways for two years, it's our default recommendation for any agency managing more than three WordPress projects. The staging-to-live workflow alone saves hours per sprint. The $14/month entry price is a bit misleading — real agency setups land around $40–80/month once you factor in the cloud provider and storage — but the ability to resize a server without migrating your files is something none of the shared hosts can match. One honest note: their live chat support got slower in late 2024 and hasn't fully recovered, so plan to use their documentation rather than relying on chat for quick answers.
Cloudways
Managed Cloud Hosting for Agencies
Pros
- ✓ Managed cloud VPS (AWS, GCP, Vultr, Linode)
- ✓ Built-in staging environment
- ✓ Pay-per-use scaling — resize without migrating
- ✓ Team collaboration and client access controls
Cons
- ✗ No cPanel (custom panel only)
- ✗ No email hosting — need a separate provider
Speed & Uptime Benchmarks
Benchmarked on identical WordPress + WooCommerce installs. Tests run from US East, EU West, and Singapore using GTmetrix + WebPageTest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cloudways worth it in 2026?+
After running client sites on Cloudways for two years, it's our default recommendation for any agency managing more than three WordPress projects. The staging-to-live workflow alone saves hours per sprint. The $14/month entry price is a bit misleading — real agency setups land around $40–80/month once you factor in the cloud provider and storage — but the ability to resize a server without migrating your files is something none of the shared hosts can match. One honest note: their live chat support got slower in late 2024 and hasn't fully recovered, so plan to use their documentation rather than relying on chat for quick answers.
How fast is Cloudways? What is the TTFB?+
Cloudways averaged 387ms TTFB in our 3-location tests (US East, EU West, Singapore) on an identical WordPress + WooCommerce install. That's good for its price tier.
What is Cloudways's uptime?+
Cloudways achieved 99.99% uptime over our 30-day UptimeRobot monitoring period. Their SLA promises 99.9% uptime.
Does Cloudways offer free SSL?+
Yes, Cloudways includes free SSL certificates (Let's Encrypt) on all plans.
Does Cloudways offer free migration?+
Yes, Cloudways offers free website migration for new accounts.
What are the best alternatives to Cloudways?+
The top alternatives to Cloudways are Kinsta, WP Engine, Hetzner. See our full comparison table above.