Should You Ditch Your Host for Cloudways? WordPress Hosting Review

Hey, I’m Dave from Profitable Tools, where I review software to help you grow your business. Today, we’re diving deep into Cloudways, a hosting platform that does things a little differently. If you’re not familiar with my review style, I get very detailed and go through every element of the interface. Feel free to use the table of contents below to skip to the parts that interest you most.

What is Cloudways? [01:03]

Cloudways is a hosting platform that allows you to host WordPress or any PHP application. What makes Cloudways unique is that they’re essentially selling you software to connect to other hosting providers. You don’t need separate accounts with these providers – Cloudways handles everything through their interface.

Cloudways works with popular cloud providers like:

• AWS
• Google Cloud
• DigitalOcean
• Vultr
• Linode

This approach gives you the power of these technical servers without needing to manage them directly through SSH or complex administrative work.

Adding a Server [01:42]

Let’s walk through the process of creating a server on Cloudways:

1. Choose your application (e.g., WordPress, Magento)
2. Name your application and server
3. Select a project folder (useful for organizing multiple clients)
4. Choose your cloud provider (I recommend DigitalOcean or Vultr for best value)
5. Select server specifications (RAM, CPU, storage)
6. Choose server location

Pro tip: Start with lower specifications and scale up as needed. It’s easier to increase resources than to scale down.

Pricing [05:31]

Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go model, which I really appreciate. There are no long-term commitments or hidden renewal fees. For example, a 1GB RAM server on Vultr costs about $13/month or 2 cents per hour.

This pricing model is transparent and flexible, especially compared to shared hosting providers that often have steep renewal rates.

Cloudways Dashboard [07:09]

The Cloudways dashboard is intuitive and well-organized. You can easily switch between:

• Servers
• Applications
• Projects
• Team settings

The interface uses icons that, once familiar, make navigation a breeze.

Server Management

Master Credentials [08:57]

In the server management section, you’ll find:

• Server IP address
• Username
• Password

Cloudways makes it easy to copy this information with a single click.

Monitoring [09:51]

The monitoring tab provides detailed insights into your server’s performance:

• CPU usage
• RAM usage
• Disk space
• Bandwidth

You can view this data in summary form or detailed graphs over various time periods.

Manage Services [11:04]

Control various services running on your server:

• Apache
• Memcache
• MySQL
• Nginx
• PHP-FPM
• Varnish

Easily start, stop, or restart these services as needed.

Settings & Packages [11:40]

Configure server-level settings:

• Memory limits
• Upload sizes
• Time zones
• PHP versions
• MySQL versions
• Elasticsearch
• Redis caching

You also have access to advanced options for PHP, MySQL, and Apache configurations.

Security [14:18]

Basic security features include IP whitelisting. You can block all IP addresses except those on your whitelist.

Vertical Scaling [14:54]

Easily scale your server resources with a few clicks. Note that while you can scale up, scaling down requires cloning to a smaller server.

Backups [15:13]

Cloudways provides built-in backup options:

• Schedule automatic backups
• Choose backup frequency
• Set retention period
• Enable local backups

SMTP [16:26]

Configure email settings for your server:

• Use Cloudways’ Elastic Email service (1000 emails for 10 cents)
• Set up your own SMTP provider (recommended for client work)

Application Management

Access Details [19:21]

When you create a new application, Cloudways provides:

• Temporary URL
• Admin panel link
• Database access details

Domain Management [20:14]

Adding your domain to Cloudways is straightforward:

1. Enter your domain in the Cloudways interface
2. Update DNS settings with your domain registrar
3. Set up SSL certificate

SSL Certificate [23:25]

Cloudways offers free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt:

1. Enter your email and domain
2. Install the certificate
3. Enable HTTPS redirection

Monitoring [26:06]

Application-level monitoring includes:

• Traffic analytics
• PHP processing times
• Disk usage
• Cron job management

Bot Protection [27:42]

Cloudways includes a bot protection feature to secure your site against automated attacks and excessive resource usage.

Backup and Restore [28:58]

In addition to server-level backups, you can manage backups for individual applications.

Deployment via Git [29:27]

For developers, Cloudways offers Git integration for easy deployment.

Migration Tools [31:02]

Cloudways provides migration tools to make moving from another host easier:

• Plugin for WordPress migrations
• Free migration service for new accounts

Cloudways CDN [31:42]

Cloudways offers its own CDN powered by StackPath for an additional cost.

Additional Features

Cloudways Bot [32:13]

Set up notifications through Slack, email, or custom API for important server events.

Add-ons [32:55]

Cloudways offers several add-ons:

• Elastic Email for transactional emails
• DNS Made Easy for premium DNS services
• Rackspace Email for email hosting

Team Management [35:59]

Add team members with granular permission controls, useful for agencies or businesses with multiple stakeholders.

Review & Conclusion [38:13]

After thorough testing, I give Cloudways a solid 9.2 out of 10. It’s an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses and developers who want the power of cloud hosting without the complexity of managing it themselves.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Flexible pricing with pay-as-you-go model
• Easy scaling options
• Solid performance
• Good selection of cloud providers

Cons:

• Support can be slow on the basic plan
• Some advanced features require technical knowledge
• Can be more expensive than basic shared hosting for very small sites

Cloudways is best suited for smaller companies managing fewer servers. For larger operations with dozens or hundreds of servers, the markup on each server might make it less cost-effective compared to going directly to cloud providers.

If you have any questions about Cloudways, feel free to leave a comment below or check out our Facebook group linked in the description.