Cloudways Review | The Good & Bad (Honest Thoughts)

In the world of web hosting, finding the right provider can make or break your online success. Cloudways, a managed cloud hosting platform, aims to make cloud hosting accessible and hassle-free for developers, businesses, and agencies. But with so many hosting options available, how does Cloudways stack up? 

What is Cloudways?

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform designed to provide a balance between performance, simplicity, and flexibility. It allows users to deploy web applications on cloud servers from some of the world’s leading providers, including DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode.

Unlike traditional shared or dedicated hosting, Cloudways offers cloud hosting, which means you get dedicated resources without the need to worry about hardware maintenance or server management. Its focus is on simplifying the cloud experience, making it accessible to developers, agencies, and businesses that need high-performance hosting without technical overhead.

The Good: What We Liked About Cloudways

Performance and Speed

One of the standout features of Cloudways is its impressive performance. Cloud hosting, by its very nature, offers better speed and uptime compared to traditional shared hosting. The platform takes this a step further with built-in performance optimization tools like Varnish, Memcached, and Redis for caching, ensuring your website runs smoothly even during high-traffic periods. Additionally, Cloudways includes a free content delivery network (CDN), which further boosts website speed by distributing content across multiple servers worldwide.

Scalability

As your website or application grows, Cloudways makes it incredibly easy to scale your server resources. Whether you need more RAM, storage, or bandwidth, you can upgrade your cloud infrastructure with just a few clicks. Moreover, since Cloudways works with multiple cloud providers, you have flexibility in selecting the provider and plan that meets your performance needs and budget.

Ease of Use

Despite being a cloud hosting platform, Cloudways offers a surprisingly user-friendly interface. The intuitive dashboard allows even non-technical users to manage their servers and applications with ease. Tasks such as deploying a WordPress site, creating backups, or setting up SSL certificates can all be done with a few clicks. For those with more technical knowledge, Cloudways offers SSH and Git integrations for better workflow management.

Customer Support

One of the most critical factors in choosing a hosting provider is the quality of customer support, and Cloudways delivers in this area. It offers 24/7 live chat and ticket support, ensuring that any issues you encounter are promptly addressed. The support team is knowledgeable and quick to respond, making troubleshooting a breeze. Additionally, Cloudways has a comprehensive knowledge base and a growing community forum for self-help and learning.

Security Features

Cloudways takes security seriously. Every plan comes with free SSL certificates, ensuring your site’s data is encrypted and secure. It also includes features like dedicated firewalls, automated backups, and two-factor authentication (2FA). If something goes wrong, Cloudways offers staging environments and 1-click restore options, giving you peace of mind knowing that your data is safe and recoverable.

Flexible Pricing

Cloudways’ pricing model is refreshingly transparent and flexible. Instead of locking you into long-term contracts, Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go pricing structure, meaning you only pay for the resources you use. Pricing varies depending on the cloud provider you choose, but with options ranging from DigitalOcean’s budget-friendly plans to AWS and Google Cloud’s high-performance offerings, Cloudways can cater to a wide range of needs and budgets.

The Bad: What We Didn’t Like About Cloudways

No Domain Registration

One area where Cloudways falls short is domain registration. Unlike traditional web hosts, Cloudways does not offer domain management services. This means you’ll need to purchase and manage your domain through a third-party service like GoDaddy or Namecheap. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it can be an inconvenience if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution.

No Email Hosting

Another downside is the lack of built-in email hosting. Cloudways does not provide email services, meaning if you want custom email addresses for your domain, you’ll need to use an external provider like G Suite or Zoho Mail. While Cloudways does offer Rackspace email integration for an additional fee, it’s not included in the standard package, which may be a hassle for users looking for a simple, cost-effective solution.

Learning Curve for Beginners

While Cloudways offers a user-friendly interface, the platform can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, especially those new to cloud hosting. Unlike traditional shared hosting platforms where everything is managed for you, Cloudways requires some technical knowledge to take full advantage of its features. Beginners may find themselves needing to invest time in learning how to navigate the control panel and configure server settings, which could be a steep learning curve.

Limited Control Compared to Traditional Hosting

As a managed hosting platform, Cloudways takes care of server management for you. While this is great for users who don’t want to deal with the technical side of things, it also means you have limited control over certain server settings. Advanced users who want full root access to their servers may find Cloudways restrictive compared to unmanaged VPS or dedicated server hosting.

Who Should Use Cloudways?

Cloudways is an excellent choice for businesses, developers, and agencies who need high-performance hosting without the hassle of managing their own servers. Its flexibility, scalability, and wide range of cloud providers make it suitable for eCommerce websites, high-traffic blogs, and dynamic web applications.

However, if you’re a complete beginner with limited technical knowledge or need a hosting provider that includes domain registration and email hosting, Cloudways may not be the best fit. In such cases, a more traditional shared hosting provider may be a better option.

Final Thought

All in all, Cloudways stands out as a powerful and flexible managed cloud hosting platform. It offers excellent performance, scalability, and a user-friendly interface that makes managing cloud servers accessible to a wide range of users. While it lacks domain registration and email hosting, its strong performance, security features, and flexible pricing more than make up for these shortcomings.

If you’re looking for a hosting solution that gives you the power and reliability of cloud hosting without the technical headaches, Cloud ways is definitely worth considering. However, if you’re new to web hosting or need an all-in-one solution, you may want to weigh the pros and cons carefully before committing.