Best Cloudways Alternatives to Consider in 2026

Cloudways is undoubtedly one of the most prevalent cloud hosting services. However, many find themselves looking for the best Cloudways alternatives. The reason stems from higher prices, complexity, and specific technological solutions (Apache servers, for instance), which some users don’t like.

Whatever the case, we understand that you don’t want to use Cloudways or don’t like it. You can keep the reason to yourself. Because of this, we tested over thirty alternatives and ultimately settled for the five best options, which we listed here and explained why they’re better than Cloudways.

What We Emphasized in the Best Cloudways Alternatives

So, what’s wrong with Cloudways? Not much. Our Cloudways review praised its flexible prices and plans that allow users to get precisely what they need without overpaying. Simultaneously, the provider isn’t for everyone because of:

• Complexity, which is typical for more advanced cloud hosting.
• A lack of comprehensive WordPress support (unless you pay $100 monthly on top).
• Use of an Apache/Nginx server hybrid (we prefer Nginx or LiteSpeed servers).
• Higher prices for even remotely more powerful servers.
• Not the fastest hosting speeds for cloud hosting, which should be a tad faster.

With this in mind, we set out to find the best Cloudways alternatives that:

• Offer a more beginner-friendly, streamlined experience.
• Have managed WordPress features for those who use this CMS.
• Rely on either LiteSpeed or Nginx servers for optimized performance.
• Offer reasonably priced plans; our alternatives start at $2.99 monthly!
• Focus on fast loading speeds and offer unrestricted or high bandwidth limits.

Best Alternatives to Cloudway: Our Detailed List

Now that we have that sorted out, here’s our closer look at the five best Cloudways competitors:

1. Hostinger

Starting price	$2.99 monthly
Free domain	Yes, with WHOIS privacy
Hosting types	Shared, VPS, cloud
Control panel	hPanel or cPanel
Web server type	LiteSpeed
Managed WordPress hosting	Yes, in all shared and cloud hosting plans

We chose Hostinger because it ticks all of the above boxes.

First, it’s a managed WordPress hosting service, making the onboarding process extremely simple. Moreover, it includes a free domain for a year, which Cloudways lacks, and relies on fast LiteSpeed servers. Compared to its alternatives, Hostinger is among the fastest options.

A huge plus goes to Hostinger’s features. Each plan contains an AI website builder, daily and on-demand backups, staging, and a CDN. Moreover, its NVMe storage and unlimited bandwidth ensure maximum website stability. Better yet, it offers cheaper cloud hosting plans.

Our favorite, the Cloud Startup plan, costs only $7.99 monthly and includes 100 GB NVMe storage, 100 websites, a unique IP, and priority support. Its simple onboarding includes free website backups. As for managed WordPress, Hostinger handles optimization and security.

Thus, it includes features like object caching and LiteSpeed acceleration, DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and a malware scanner. Depending on the plan, you’ll get a variety of AI tools for content creation, troubleshooting, and website building, which is helpful.

Despite being the #1 alternative to Cloudways, Hostinger offers some of the most wallet-friendly prices. If you want traditional shared hosting, the Business plan, at $3.99 monthly, is best. Conversely, Cloud Startup is Hostinger’s most valuable cloud hosting plan.

Users can opt for its VPS plans, which start at a meager $4.99 monthly. These plans also support n8n and are fully refundable for 30 days, like all other Hostinger plans.

Try Hostinger Today

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2. SiteGround

Starting price	$3.99 monthly
Free domain	No
Hosting types	Shared, cloud
Control panel	Site Tools
Web server type	Nginx
Managed WordPress hosting	Yes, in all plans

SiteGround is likely the best managed WordPress hosting; far better than Cloudways!

GrowBig is our favorite plan, which costs $6.69 monthly. It allows you to host unlimited websites on 20 GB of web space and unmetered traffic. SiteGround offers everything you need to get started quickly. However, managed WordPress hosting is the star of the show.

You get full WooCommerce support for selling online and the Speed and Security WP Optimizer plugins. Hosting is chock-full of freebies like daily backups, a free SSL, free email hosting, access to unlimited databases, and world-class Nginx servers and caching.

SiteGround’s Site Tools interface makes it user-friendly. With a simple onboarding process, it becomes one of the best options for starters. Meanwhile, Nginx servers ensure faster, more reliable performance than Apache. SiteGround’s CDN also plays a pivotal role in this aspect.

You’ll find SiteGround’s on-demand backup copies helpful, while staging allows for risk-free experiments on your site. We have to mention cloud hosting, which also makes it one of the best Cloudways alternatives. At as “little” as $100 monthly, SiteGround isn’t the cheapest.

However, it’s still an option if you’re dead set on this hosting type. In our experience, its Nginx-based web hosting is even faster than Cloudways’ cloud, Apache/Nginx hybrid hosting. Besides, the GrowBig plan is way less expensive than any Cloudways plan in 2026.

Try SiteGround Today

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3. Bluehost

Starting price	$3.95 monthly
Free domain	Yes
Hosting types	Shared, dedicated, VPS, cloud
Control panel	cPanel
Web server type	LiteSpeed
Managed WordPress hosting	Yes, in all shared hosting plans

Bluehost offers excellent managed WordPress hosting that you won’t find in Cloudways.

However, it’s hardly exclusively about that. We tested Bluehost and realized that, thanks to cPanel, it’s pretty fast, convenient, and easy to manage. Moreover, budget-friendly plans, like the Business one at $6.45 monthly, offer all essentials like NVMe storage, CDN, SSL, and robust security features.

Is Bluehost better than Cloudways?

In our book, it is in many aspects. We mentioned managed WordPress hosting support, but the provider also offers daily site backups, a free domain for a year, and domain privacy. Its malware scanning is highly effective, while multi-site management makes hosting management a breeze.

Bluehost’s staging environment is always helpful, and there’s a free WP migration tool that allows you to migrate your website with a click. Bluehost loses to SiteGround, but is still a competent Cloudways alternative for its cloud hosting plans. Granted, they’re a bit pricey.

The Cloud 10 plan, which costs $75 monthly, includes 125 GB of storage, 20 vCPU cores, and much more. If you can afford it, it’s powerful and diverse. Otherwise, Bluehost’s extensive options include dedicated and VPS hosting plans, all brimming with features and computing power.

If your business revolves around WordPress or selling online through WooCommerce, Bluehost is a superior alternative to Cloudways, though not necessarily less expensive.

Try Bluehost Today

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4. InMotion Hosting

Starting price	$2.99 monthly
Free domain	Yes
Hosting types	Shared, dedicated, VPS
Control panel	cPanel
Web server type	Nginx
Managed WordPress hosting	Yes, paid additionally ($200 monthly)

You can also replace Cloudways with InMotion Hosting. It’s a great all-arounder with ample affordable plans, flexible resources, and top-of-the-line performance. Being one of our recommended Cloudways alternatives, InMotion Hosting offers generous resources.

Our favorite is the Power plan, which costs $4.79 monthly. It offers 200 GB NVMe storage, unmetered bandwidth, and a free domain. InMotion Hosting is famous for its feature-rich plans, so expect freebies like SSL, email hosting, malware protection, a WAF, and more.

InMotion Hosting was phenomenal in our tests, displaying admirable speeds through its fast Nginx web servers. With Ultrastack, its in-house caching technology, load times are drastically shorter. In terms of simplicity, InMotion Hosting reigns supreme over Cloudways.

cPanel makes its return, allowing for swift hosting management even for beginners.

Additionally, InMotion Hosting implements other hosting types, such as VPS and dedicated servers. It also has a one-click installer for WordPress, although its managed hosting is highly expensive. It’s worth noting that it lacks cloud hosting plans, making it not an ideal alternative if you need them.

On the other hand, its VPS plans made it to our list of the best VPS hosting offers in 2026. Thus, if you need excellent performance and need to handle a lot of traffic without fumbling, InMotion Hosting is remarkable.

Try InMotion Hosting Today

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5. GreenGeeks

Starting price	$2.95 monthly
Free domain	Yes
Hosting types	Shared, VPS
Control panel	cPanel
Web server type	LiteSpeed
Managed WordPress hosting	Yes, in all plans

This widely adopted Cloudways alternative offers green hosting at pocket-friendly prices.

It’s impressive what GreenGeeks brought to the table, with a 300% renewable energy match. The Pro plan, at under five quid, offers fully managed WordPress hosting, unlimited websites, and unmetered traffic. Freebies follow through, including a free domain for the first year.

Email hosting, a CDN, daily backups, and multi-user access decorate the package further.

GreenGeeks performs like a champ; however, it can be flimsy in higher-traffic situations. This is where Cloudway is better. On the other hand, we have cPanel for easier hosting management and one-click WordPress setup with regular security and optimization by the company.

Better yet, there’s an AI website builder filled with SEO and AI content creation tools. We love GreenGeeks for its on-demand backups, LiteSpeed caching, staging, and other pretty much essential features for creating and managing a WordPress site. We put it at #5 because it’s not very flexible.

For instance, GreenGeeks offers only shared and VPS plans. Reseller hosting plans exist, but Cloudways alternative seekers likely won’t aim for them. If you need cloud hosting specifically, an alternative like Hostinger offers the best bang for the buck in 2026.

If you’d rather shield our planet from pollution or at least not be part of it, GreenGeeks will scratch your itch. Besides, GreenGeeks plants a tree for each new subscriber, allowing us to breathe fresher oxygen.

Try GreenGeeks Today

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Best Cloudways Alternatives: Final Recommendations

So there you go. Our list of the most impressive alternatives to Cloudways is complete.

We put Hostinger at #1 because of its versatility and overall performance. It can fully replace Cloudways through powerful cloud hosting plans, managed WordPress hosting, simpler hosting management, and even superior performance. No doubt, Hostinger has everything!

SiteGround was a close second, primarily because of its Nginx servers, impressive speed, and ease of use. Bluehost follows next as a decent option for WordPress sites. While InMotion offers plenty of features for the money, GreenGeeks capitalizes on its renewable energy match.

In the end, all five Cloudways competitors are excellent, but you should reassess your needs and expectations before choosing one. If you struggle, perhaps our FAQ section can clear up some doubts.

Try Hostinger Risk-Free

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cloudways bad?

No, Cloudways isn’t bad. It’s a powerful cloud hosting provider used worldwide. Like any other hosting service, Cloudways has its share of advantages and shortcomings. The latter are the reasons why some people explore Cloudways replacements. While it’s not for everyone, we can’t say the service is bad.

Why is Cloudways so expensive?

It’s surely not the most affordable hosting, but it’s far from expensive, at least for Standard DigitalOcean plans. The standard Micro plan starts at $11 monthly for unlimited sites and visits, and 25 GB NVMe storage. Cloudways is very flexible and can be expensive.

Amazon and Google servers are the priciest and can cost hundreds of dollars monthly.

Can I host WordPress sites on Cloudways?

Yes, you can, but it’s generally not the best option. You want managed WordPress hosting for the best experience. This provider generally lacks WordPress customer support unless you spend a hundred quid on top.

With Hostinger or SiteGround, you’ll enjoy 24/7 WordPress support, updates, and optimization at no extra cost.