If you have opened your Cloudways billing page and thought “this is getting expensive,” you are not alone. Thousands of WordPress professionals, agencies, and developers have spent the last two years migrating away from Cloudways, and the pace has picked up in 2026. The reasons come down to math. Cloudways charges roughly 133% more than DigitalOcean for the same droplet and around 150% more than Vultr for equivalent High Frequency servers. That math works when you run one small site. It stops working the moment you scale.

The cost story is one piece. Cloudways does not give you root access. It does not let you install OpenLiteSpeed or run custom Nginx configurations. Since DigitalOcean acquired the company in 2022 for $350 million, users have noticed a slower drip of new features and a steady push toward DigitalOcean’s own infrastructure, rather than the neutral multi-cloud promise that originally made Cloudways appealing.

The managed hosting market has responded. In 2026, you have more Cloudways alternatives than ever before, ranging from budget cloud hosts like Hostinger to enterprise WordPress specialists like Kinsta and WP Engine, to bring-your-own-server panels like xCloud and RunCloud that strip out the managed markup entirely. Each solves a different version of the Cloudways problem, and the right pick depends on whether your priority is cost, control, performance, or agency-scale management.

This guide is built on real testing, verified pricing, and independent benchmark data pulled from sources like G2, Cybernews, and W3Techs. We compared 14 of the strongest Cloudways alternatives on four weighted criteria: price-to-value ratio, performance, resources and flexibility, and ease of use. You get honest pros and cons for each, a side-by-side comparison table, a decision framework that matches each alternative to your specific use case, and answers to the most common questions migrators ask before switching.

By the end of this guide, you will know which Cloudways alternative fits your workflow, your budget, and your technical comfort level, with the links and trial information to start testing within the hour.

TL;DR

Cloudways remains a capable managed cloud host, but rising prices after its DigitalOcean acquisition, markups up to 150% over base infrastructure rates, and the absence of root access are pushing WordPress professionals, agencies, and developers toward alternatives. In 2026, the best Cloudways alternatives fall into four groups:

• Best overall value: Hostinger Cloud starts at around $6.29/month with 4 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe storage, a dedicated IP, and free domain registration.
• Best for WordPress performance: Kinsta delivers response times as low as 5.36 ms on Google Cloud C2 machines with Cloudflare Enterprise included.
• Best for developers who want full control: xCloud, RunCloud, and SpinupWP with DigitalOcean let you bring your own server, keep root access, and cut out the middleman markup.
• Best for agencies and resellers: GridPane, ScalaHosting, and SiteGround offer white-label tools, multi-tenant management, and enterprise-grade Google Cloud performance.

A quick recommendation: pick Hostinger for affordability, Kinsta for premium WordPress, xCloud for maximum savings with full control, and GridPane for agency operations.

Why People Are Searching for Cloudways Alternatives in 2026

Cloudways was built on a smart premise: take raw cloud infrastructure from DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode, then wrap it in a friendly dashboard so non-sysadmins can deploy applications without writing server configurations. That formula worked. The managed cloud hosting market is projected to reach $527.07 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights, and WordPress still powers around 43% of all websites, according to W3Techs.

The platform that once felt like a shortcut now feels like a toll booth. After DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in 2022, three structural issues have eroded user trust.

1. The Markup Problem

Cloudways adds a substantial premium on top of base infrastructure pricing. Independent 2026 analyses show:

• A DigitalOcean droplet that costs $6/month directly runs $14/month on Cloudways (a roughly 133% markup).
• A Vultr High Frequency server priced at $24/month costs $60/month on Cloudways (a 150% markup).
• AWS and Google Cloud servers carry even higher percentage-based markups.

For a solo blogger running one site, that gap is tolerable. For an agency managing twenty client sites across multiple regions, it compounds into thousands of dollars per year in avoidable spending.

2. No Root Access

Cloudways does not grant root access on its servers. If you want to install OpenLiteSpeed, tweak Nginx worker counts, deploy a custom Redis configuration, or run a systemd service for a background job, you cannot. Developers who have outgrown beginner tooling hit this wall, and it is not a ceiling they can negotiate around.

3. Slower Innovation Since Acquisition

Users in forums like r/WordPress and r/Hosting have noted that Cloudways’ feature velocity has slowed post-acquisition. The product increasingly optimizes for DigitalOcean’s infrastructure rather than preserving the neutral multi-cloud ethos that originally differentiated it.

Together, these issues explain why “Cloudways alternatives” searches on Google have climbed throughout 2025 and into 2026. The rest of this guide walks through the 14 strongest options, grouped by use case, with honest pros and cons for each. If you are deciding between managed hosts more broadly, our best web hosting services guide for 2026 covers the broader category.

How We Evaluated Each Alternative

Every provider in this guide was scored on four weighted dimensions:

• Price-to-value ratio (30%): What you get per dollar compared to Cloudways on equivalent hardware.
• Performance (25%): Server response time, Time to First Byte (TTFB), and load behavior under traffic spikes, using public benchmark data from independent tester reports.
• Resources and flexibility (25%): RAM, CPU, NVMe storage, number of sites, root access, supported stacks (Nginx, Apache, OpenLiteSpeed).
• Ease of use and support (20%): Control panel quality, migration tools, response time of support, and availability of live chat or phone.

We verified pricing, data center counts, and uptime claims directly from each provider’s documentation as of April 2026. Prices listed are introductory unless noted.

1. Hostinger Cloud: Best Overall Cloudways Alternative for Value

Pricing: Starts at $6.29/month (Cloud Startup) Best for: Small businesses, bloggers, and agencies migrating from Cloudways DigitalOcean plans

Hostinger has grown into one of the largest hosting companies in the world, and its Cloud plans now compete with Cloudways entry-level configurations at half the price.

The cheapest Hostinger Cloud plan delivers 4 GB of RAM, 100 GB of NVMe storage, two CPU cores, a dedicated IP, and free domain registration. Cloudways’ starting plan provides 1 GB RAM and 25 GB of SSD storage with neither a dedicated IP nor a domain. Internal Hostinger testing puts server response time at roughly 246 ms, more than twice as fast as Cloudways’ reported 514.78 ms average.

The hPanel control panel is one of the most beginner-friendly in the industry, and Hostinger has invested in built-in AI tools for caching, SEO suggestions, and troubleshooting. A 30-day money-back guarantee removes the risk of a failed migration.

Pros

• Strong value: 4 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe, dedicated IP, and free domain for under $7/month
• Faster response times than Cloudways in third-party tests
• hPanel is friendly for beginners and fast for experienced users
• 24/7 live chat support with fast ticket turnaround

Cons

• Renewal prices are higher than introductory rates
• Fewer data centers than Cloudways (11 vs. 25), which may matter for global audiences
• No root access on managed Cloud plans; pick Hostinger VPS if you need it

Also read: our best Hostinger alternatives in 2026 guide for a fuller comparison of Hostinger’s closest competitors.

2. Kinsta: Best Premium WordPress Alternative to Cloudways

Pricing: Starts at $35/month (Starter plan) Best for: High-traffic WordPress sites, agencies, and businesses that prioritize performance and support

Kinsta is a pure-play managed WordPress host built on Google Cloud Platform. It runs every site on Google’s compute-optimized C2 virtual machines, includes Cloudflare Enterprise for CDN and DDoS protection, and reports average support response times under two minutes.

According to Cybernews testing, Kinsta’s server response time is 5.36 ms, the fastest of any provider in this guide. G2’s 2026 Best Software Awards ranked Kinsta #1 for premium WordPress hosting with a 4.8/5 rating across more than 930 verified reviews.

The MyKinsta dashboard is one of the best-designed control panels in managed WordPress. Free unlimited basic migrations, daily automated backups, and staging environments are included on every plan.

Pros

• Industry-leading performance thanks to Google Cloud C2 and Cloudflare Enterprise
• Managed WAF, free malware removal, and enterprise DDoS protection
• 24/7 expert WordPress support staffed by developers
• 37 global data centers, broader coverage than most competitors

Cons

• More expensive than Cloudways; the entry plan supports only one site and 25,000 monthly visits
• No root access; advanced server customization is unavailable
• Overkill for small personal blogs

Also read: our best Kinsta alternatives guide if you want a deeper comparison against Kinsta.

3. SiteGround: Best for Enterprise-Grade Performance

Pricing: Starts at $100/month for Cloud plans Best for: Agencies, ecommerce stores, and SaaS apps needing dedicated resources

SiteGround runs its Cloud plans on Google Cloud and pairs them with a tuned Nginx stack. Independent tests show response times around 96 ms, faster than Cloudways and backed by a 100% uptime record across recent monitoring windows.

The entry Cloud plan includes 4 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM, and 5 GB of SSD storage. That storage number looks small, but SiteGround is positioned for performance-per-visit workloads, not static file dumping. Enterprise features include private DNS, a dedicated IP, white-label tools for client access, and collaborator accounts.

Pros

• Google Cloud C2 infrastructure with tuned Nginx for sub-100 ms response times
• Dedicated CPU and RAM on every Cloud plan
• Mature agency features: white-label, collaborators, private DNS
• Strong 100% uptime SLA performance

Cons

• More expensive than Cloudways for comparable base hardware
• 5 GB starter storage requires an upgrade for media-heavy sites
• No root access on managed Cloud plans

For broader context on managed WordPress options, our best WordPress hosting services guide covers the full field.

4. xCloud: Best for Developers Who Want Cloudways Simplicity Without the Markup

Pricing: Free tier available; managed plans from around $5/server/month Best for: Developers, agencies, and power users comfortable choosing their own cloud provider

xCloud has emerged as the most-discussed newcomer in the managed hosting panel category. Unlike Cloudways, xCloud does not resell infrastructure. Instead, it uses a bring-your-own-provider model: you connect a VPS from Vultr, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, or any Ubuntu server, and xCloud handles the software layer on top.

This eliminates the Cloudways markup entirely. You pay retail prices direct to your cloud provider plus a small panel fee. Independent reviewers have documented approximately 40% cost savings for users migrating from Cloudways to xCloud on equivalent hardware. xCloud also provides full SSH root access, supports both Nginx and OpenLiteSpeed stacks, and allows unlimited sites per server.

Migration from Cloudways is automated. Provision a new server, enter the source IP, pick which sites to move, and xCloud handles the rest. For deeper analysis of the platform, our xCloud hosting review covers the broader feature set.

Pros

• Around 40% lower cost than Cloudways on equivalent hardware
• Free tier supports one server and up to ten sites, useful for testing
• Full SSH root access and your choice of Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed
• Unlimited sites per server with no per-site penalty
• Automated Cloudways migration tool

Cons

• Launched in 2024, so the track record is shorter than Kinsta or SiteGround
• You choose and provision your own cloud provider, which adds a small learning curve
• Primary support is documentation and community, not white-glove phone

5. Kamatera: Best for Custom Cloud VPS Configurations

Pricing: Starts at $4/month Best for: Developers who want to build a server to exact specifications

Kamatera is a pure cloud VPS provider, not a managed WordPress host, which is its strength for anyone frustrated by Cloudways’ fixed plans. You design the server: select CPU cores, RAM, storage type, operating system, and data center from 13 global locations spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Billing is hourly or monthly, and you pay only for the resources you use.

Kamatera’s hardware is modern: Intel Ice Lake processors and NVMe SSDs deliver consistent performance. Managed add-ons are available if you want handholding on security, updates, and backups. Unmanaged plans are cheaper but require you to handle firewall rules, patches, and control panel licensing yourself.

Pros

• Custom server specs rather than a tier pricing model
• Low entry price of $4/month
• Flexible hourly or monthly billing
• 13 data centers across four continents

Cons

• Unmanaged plans require real sysadmin skill
• Control panel licenses cost extra
• Response times can trail dedicated WordPress hosts (around 736 ms in some tests, depending on configuration)

6. WP Engine: Best for Enterprise-Grade Managed WordPress

Pricing: Starts at $20/month (annual) Best for: Agencies and enterprises building WordPress-only workflows

WP Engine is Kinsta’s most direct competitor and one of the most feature-rich managed WordPress platforms for larger teams. Every plan includes EverCache technology, a built-in CDN, Genesis Framework access, three environments per site (production, staging, and development), SSH, and Git push deployments.

WP Engine is built for organizations that treat WordPress as production software. Phone support is available on higher tiers, uptime has held strong, and the platform supports dozens of data centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The trade-off: WP Engine charges separately for application performance monitoring (APM), and pricing is tied to monthly visit volume, which can penalize high-traffic sites.

Pros

• Three environments per site (production, staging, development) streamline agency workflow
• EverCache and built-in CDN deliver strong page load times
• 24/7 phone and chat support on higher tiers
• Git push deployments and SSH supported natively

Cons

• Visit-based pricing can escalate quickly for viral or traffic-heavy sites
• APM is a paid add-on
• WordPress only, no Laravel, Node.js, or custom PHP apps

Also read: our best WP Engine alternatives for 2026 guide.

7. DigitalOcean + SpinupWP: Best for Cloudways Users Who Want to Cut the Middleman

Pricing: DigitalOcean from $6/month plus SpinupWP from $12/month Best for: WordPress users who want DigitalOcean infrastructure without the Cloudways surcharge

This is the most direct cut-the-markup move for current Cloudways users. DigitalOcean sells its Droplets at retail: the basic plan is $6/month for 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, and 25 GB NVMe SSD. SpinupWP is a lightweight server control panel from the team at Delicious Brains that installs WordPress on any VPS and automates the annoying parts: Nginx configuration, SSL, server updates, caching, and backups.

The combined monthly cost is often half of what you would pay on Cloudways for equivalent resources, and you get root access, unlimited sites per server, and complete control over your stack. The trade-off is that SpinupWP is not a full managed service. You still own the server.

Pros

• Substantially cheaper than Cloudways for similar resources
• Full root access; install any software you need
• SpinupWP automates the ugliest parts of WordPress hosting without cPanel bloat
• DigitalOcean scales from 1 GB to 192 GB RAM Droplets across 14 regions

Cons

• Requires comfort with reading documentation and using SSH occasionally
• Backups require a subscription or manual setup
• No phone support; community and email only

8. ScalaHosting: Best for SPanel and White-Label Resellers

Pricing: Managed cloud VPS from around $14.95/month Best for: Agencies wanting a cPanel-free managed experience with free migrations

ScalaHosting has built its reputation on SPanel, its proprietary control panel that replaces cPanel and WHM. SPanel includes email hosting, SSL, backups, malware scanning, and a WordPress manager without the licensing fees that make cPanel servers expensive. Entry plans deliver 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe storage, free migration, and a dedicated IP.

ScalaHosting also offers an anytime money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat with roughly 15-minute ticket response times. According to benchmark data, LiteSpeed with LSCache integration reduced WordPress load times by 58% versus comparable Cloudways setups in side-by-side tests.

Pros

• Avoid cPanel license fees without losing control panel convenience
• Free migrations from any host including Cloudways
• NVMe storage and recent-generation Xeon processors
• Anytime money-back guarantee

Cons

• Starting price is higher than entry-level budget VPS providers
• SPanel interface takes adjustment for cPanel veterans
• One-click WordPress tools are thinner than pure managed WordPress hosts

9. DreamHost: Best for Budget WordPress Hosting

Pricing: Shared hosting from around $2.95/month; DreamPress WordPress from around $16.95/month Best for: Bloggers, small businesses, and users who want long trial windows

DreamHost is one of only three hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org. Its shared starter plan allows 25 websites and 25 GB of NVMe storage, plus daily backups, free SSL, and domain privacy. DreamHost’s standout feature is its 97-day money-back guarantee, the longest in the industry.

Performance is solid rather than spectacular: 99.989% uptime and a 164 ms average response time in recent monitoring. DreamHost uses NVMe storage and its DreamPress managed WordPress tier adds built-in caching, staging, and automated backups. CDN and phone support cost extra, and staging is not available on the cheapest shared plans.

Pros

• Generous 25-site limit and 25 GB NVMe storage on the starter plan
• 97-day money-back guarantee is the longest refund window in hosting
• Daily backups and free SSL included
• WordPress.org-endorsed

Cons

• Staging and CDN cost extra
• Phone support is a paid add-on
• Storage tops out quickly for image-heavy sites

Our DreamHost review and best DreamHost alternatives guide cover the broader DreamHost ecosystem.

10. Hosting.com: Best for Speed-Focused Developers

Pricing: Shared from around $3/month; VPS from around $10/month Best for: Developers who want LiteSpeed, NVMe, and root access without managed-host premiums

Hosting.com differentiates itself with Turbo Servers. These use LiteSpeed web server, NVMe storage, and server-side caching to deliver what the company claims is up to 20x faster performance than standard shared hosting. Full root access, SSH, Git, and Composer support are available on managed and unmanaged plans.

The Perpetual Security suite bundles HackScan, DDoS protection, and virus scanning at no extra charge, and 24/7 Guru Crew support is available through chat, phone, and email. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pros

• LiteSpeed and NVMe deliver measurable performance gains over Apache hosts
• Full root access, SSH, Git, and Composer for real developer workflows
• HackScan, firewall, and virus scanning included
• Range of hosting types: shared, managed WordPress, VPS, reseller, and dedicated

Cons

• Turbo performance is only on higher tiers
• Interface is less polished than Cloudways’ dashboard
• Renewal rates step up from promotional pricing

Also read: our Hosting.com review and best Hosting.com alternatives in 2026 guide.

11. Convesio: Best for WooCommerce and High-Traffic Ecommerce

Pricing: Starts around $50/month Best for: WooCommerce stores and high-traffic WordPress sites that need horizontal scaling

Convesio takes a different architectural path. Instead of one VM per site, it runs every WordPress site inside its own Docker container, backed by load-balanced clusters with auto-scaling. When traffic spikes, Convesio adds containers automatically. When it subsides, they retire. That model reduces the noisy-neighbor problem that can plague shared managed hosts.

Convesio includes an integrated payment ecosystem tailored for WooCommerce, real-time revenue dashboards, automated backups, free SSL, and high availability by default. Pricing scales with concurrent visitors and PHP workers.

Pros

• True container isolation per site, no shared performance degradation
• WooCommerce-specific tools and revenue visibility
• Auto-scaling handles traffic surges transparently
• High availability with load-balanced clusters

Cons

• More expensive than Cloudways for small projects
• WordPress only
• Fewer data centers than legacy competitors

12. RunCloud: Best Developer-Centric Control Panel

Pricing: From around $8/month per server Best for: Developers who want a single panel across multiple cloud providers

RunCloud is a server management panel, not a host. You bring a VPS from DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, Linode, or any cloud provider, and RunCloud provisions a hybrid Nginx + Apache stack, handles SSL, automates deployments, and provides a file manager and database UI.

The platform supports Git-powered atomic deployments, which means you can push code from a repository and roll back cleanly when a release breaks. RunCloud is not limited to WordPress: Laravel, Node.js, and custom PHP apps are all first-class citizens. You retain full root access.

Pros

• Git-based atomic deployments with rollback
• Hybrid Nginx + Apache supports .htaccess rules without sacrificing Nginx performance
• Full root access and customizable configurations
• Unlimited sites per server, no per-site pricing

Cons

• No free tier; you pay per server from day one
• No OpenLiteSpeed support
• Lacks WordPress-specific migration and optimization tools
• Interface is more technical than Cloudways

13. GridPane: Best for WordPress Agencies Managing Dozens of Sites

Pricing: Agency plans start around $30/month for single-developer use; multi-tenant plans scale up Best for: Agencies and freelancers managing twenty or more WordPress sites

GridPane is purpose-built for WordPress agencies. It installs a hardened Nginx + Redis stack on your cloud VPS and integrates server-level security: brute-force protection, malware scanning, and a proactive monitoring layer. Multi-tenancy, client billing, and white-label dashboards let you segment client accounts and produce branded invoices.

Built-in staging environments, automated backups, and a developer-friendly CLI make updates and restorations routine. The investment pays off at scale: one GridPane subscription can replace dozens of individual Cloudways servers worth of management overhead.

Pros

• Hardened enterprise security out of the box
• Multi-tenant agency features and white-label dashboards
• Staging, backups, and monitoring included
• Manage unlimited servers under one interface

Cons

• Pricing is higher than Cloudways for small users
• Steep learning curve, designed for professionals
• WordPress only
• Premium support is reserved for higher-tier plans

14. ServerAvatar: Best Budget Multi-Stack Server Panel

Pricing: Free tier available; paid plans from around $5/month per server Best for: Developers running a mix of WordPress, Laravel, and Node.js apps on a tight budget

ServerAvatar is the quiet, affordable entry in the BYO-server category. It supports Apache, Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, and Node.js stacks, which means you can pick the right web server for each application rather than bending every project to a single default.

The free plan covers one server, three domains, automatic SSL, server monitoring, and a remote file manager. Paid plans unlock unlimited domains, advanced monitoring, scheduled backups, and application installers for WordPress, Laravel, and custom PHP frameworks. A white-label panel is available for resellers.

Pros

• Multi-stack support including OpenLiteSpeed
• White-label panel for resellers
• Free tier for testing
• Affordable pricing across paid tiers

Cons

• Interface feels less polished than RunCloud or Cloudways
• Smaller community and fewer tutorials
• Advanced team collaboration features are still maturing
• No phone support

Quick Comparison Table: Cloudways Alternatives 2026

Alternative	Starting Price	Best For	Root Access	Key Strength
Hostinger Cloud	$6.29/mo	Budget-conscious agencies	No (on managed)	Most resources per dollar
Kinsta	$35/mo	Premium WordPress	No	Fastest response times
SiteGround	$100/mo	Enterprise WordPress	No	Google Cloud C2 plus Nginx
xCloud	Free to $5/mo	Developers, cost savings	Yes	BYO server, no markup
Kamatera	$4/mo	Custom configurations	Yes	Fully configurable VPS
WP Engine	$20/mo	Enterprise agencies	No	Three environments per site
DO + SpinupWP	$18/mo combined	DIY WordPress	Yes	No managed markup
ScalaHosting	$14.95/mo	White-label resellers	Yes	SPanel, free migrations
DreamHost	$2.95/mo	Bloggers	Limited	97-day guarantee
Hosting.com	$3/mo	Speed-focused devs	Yes	LiteSpeed plus NVMe
Convesio	$50/mo	WooCommerce scaling	No	Container auto-scaling
RunCloud	$8/mo	Multi-framework devs	Yes	Git atomic deployments
GridPane	$30/mo	Agencies at scale	Yes	Multi-tenant plus security
ServerAvatar	Free to $5/mo	Multi-stack on budget	Yes	OpenLiteSpeed support

How to Choose the Right Cloudways Alternative for You

Match the alternative to your situation rather than picking on headlines alone.

If you are a single blogger or small business owner, start with Hostinger Cloud or DreamHost. You will spend less and get better resources than Cloudways’ entry plan.

If you run a traffic-heavy WordPress site, pick Kinsta or WP Engine. The premium is justified by performance, support quality, and developer tooling.

If you are a developer who wants control and savings, go with xCloud, RunCloud, or DigitalOcean + SpinupWP. All three let you bring your own server and keep root access.

If you are an agency managing many client sites, GridPane and ScalaHosting offer the multi-tenant and white-label tools that Cloudways lacks.

If your project is WooCommerce-heavy, Convesio’s container scaling is worth the premium during Black Friday and holiday traffic spikes.

If you want to build a custom VPS to your own spec, Kamatera is the most flexible option on this list.

Before committing, run a test migration. Almost every host on this list offers free migrations or a multi-day money-back guarantee. Use those trial windows to benchmark real performance on your own content rather than on marketing pages.

For broader context, our best VPS hosting services guide, best cloud hosting services guide, and Kinsta vs SiteGround comparison cover adjacent categories Cloudways users commonly explore.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Cloudways alternative in 2026?

For most users, Hostinger Cloud is the best overall Cloudways alternative in 2026 because it delivers more RAM, storage, and features at a lower price point than Cloudways’ entry tier. For WordPress-focused power users, Kinsta is the premium choice, and for developers who want full server control without paying the managed markup, xCloud or DigitalOcean paired with SpinupWP are the strongest picks.

Why are people leaving Cloudways?

Three reasons dominate: price markups of roughly 133% to 150% over base DigitalOcean and Vultr pricing, the absence of root access, and a perceived slowdown in feature innovation since DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in 2022. For agencies running many sites, those markups add up fast.

Is Cloudways still worth it in 2026?

Cloudways is a legitimate choice for solo operators running one or two sites who value its dashboard simplicity and do not need root access. It remains popular and has an active user base. Most technical users, high-traffic operators, and agencies can save 30 to 40 percent by moving to alternatives like xCloud, RunCloud, or DigitalOcean plus SpinupWP without sacrificing performance.

Which Cloudways alternative is cheapest?

Measured on entry price, Kamatera starts at $4/month and ServerAvatar has a free tier. Measured on equivalent hardware to a Cloudways DigitalOcean plan, xCloud and the DigitalOcean + SpinupWP combination typically cost 30 to 40 percent less because you pay cloud providers at retail rather than through a managed markup.

Which Cloudways alternative is best for WordPress?

Kinsta holds the top spot for performance and support quality. WP Engine is strong for agencies that want three environments per site and Git deployments. For budget-conscious WordPress users, Hostinger Cloud and DreamHost’s DreamPress tier are both solid. If you want more than WordPress, xCloud, RunCloud, and SiteGround all handle multi-framework applications.

Does Cloudways offer root access?

No. Cloudways does not provide root access on any of its managed cloud plans. This limits developers who need to install custom packages, configure alternative web servers like OpenLiteSpeed, or run systemd services. xCloud, Kamatera, DigitalOcean + SpinupWP, RunCloud, and ServerAvatar all provide full root access.

How much can I save by switching from Cloudways?

Independent tester data documents approximately 40 percent savings when moving to xCloud on equivalent hardware. DigitalOcean + SpinupWP users save 30 to 50 percent. Agencies managing twenty or more sites often save thousands of dollars per year after migration.

How hard is it to migrate from Cloudways?

For managed WordPress hosts like Kinsta, WP Engine, and Hostinger, migration is usually free and takes less than a day. xCloud provides an automated Cloudways-to-xCloud migration tool that requires only the source server IP. ScalaHosting and DreamHost also offer free migrations. If you are moving to a BYO-server setup, plan on a few hours of setup per site, plus DNS propagation time.

What is the fastest Cloudways alternative?

Kinsta tops third-party performance benchmarks with server response times around 5.36 ms on Google Cloud C2 machines. SiteGround follows at approximately 96 ms, and Hostinger Cloud averages 246 ms, both of which outperform Cloudways’ reported 514.78 ms.

Can I host multiple sites on one Cloudways alternative?

Yes. xCloud, RunCloud, GridPane, SpinupWP, and ServerAvatar all allow unlimited sites per server. Hostinger Cloud Startup supports up to 100 websites on one plan. DreamHost shared plans cover 25 sites out of the box. Managed WordPress hosts like Kinsta and WP Engine price per site or per visit instead.

Is xCloud a real Cloudways replacement?

Yes, xCloud is built as a Cloudways replacement. It uses the same managed-panel-on-top-of-cloud-VPS model, supports the same underlying providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, Hetzner), and includes an automated Cloudways migration tool that moves sites using only the source server IP. The differences favor xCloud: full root access, OpenLiteSpeed support, and no per-site markup.

Does Hostinger have root access for advanced users?

Hostinger Cloud plans do not include root access, but Hostinger VPS plans do. If you want Hostinger’s pricing with full root control, the VPS line starts at $5.84/month for 1 vCPU and 4GB RAM. Combine it with a control panel like xCloud or RunCloud for a managed experience on top of unmanaged infrastructure at the lowest possible cost.

What is the best Cloudways alternative for a freelancer?

For freelancers managing three to ten client sites, xCloud’s free tier (one server, ten sites) combined with a DigitalOcean droplet is the strongest entry point. As you grow, paid xCloud plans add unlimited sites per server. For freelancers who prefer set-and-forget managed hosting, Hostinger Cloud Startup at $6.29/month supports up to 100 sites without per-site fees.

Are there any Cloudways alternatives with phone support?

Yes. WP Engine, Hosting.com, and DreamHost (on higher tiers) all offer phone support. Kinsta does not offer phone support by design, relying on 24/7 chat with under-two-minute response times instead. xCloud, RunCloud, GridPane, and the BYO-server panels rely on documentation and community plus email or chat.

Wrapping Up

Cloudways earned its reputation by making multi-cloud WordPress hosting approachable, and it remains a reasonable default for users who value dashboard simplicity above all else. The market in 2026 has moved on. Markups, absent root access, and slower feature innovation have opened real space for alternatives that are better fits for specific needs.

Your best move is to identify what Cloudways does not do for you, then match that gap to the right provider. For enterprise WordPress performance, Kinsta or WP Engine. For eliminating the markup, xCloud or DigitalOcean plus SpinupWP. For agency operations, GridPane or ScalaHosting. For WooCommerce at scale, Convesio.

Test before you commit. Use free tiers, money-back windows, and free migration tools to run real benchmarks on your own content. That is the only way to know which Cloudways alternative makes your life better rather than sounding good in a comparison chart.

For more comparisons, our hosting reviews library has deep-dive breakdowns of every major host mentioned in this guide.