Cloudways vs Fly.io
- ✦ Managed Hosting
- ✦ 1-Click Install
- ✦ Free SSL
- ✦ Edge Deployment
- ✦ Docker Containers
- ✦ Fly Machines
Cloudways and Fly.io are both Cloud Hosting tools. Cloudways starts at $11/mo, Fly.io at $5/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Cloudways vs Fly.io
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Cloudways' 1-Click Install provisions WordPress with Free SSL pre-enabled and a Staging Environment ready for review - all in under 2 minutes.
Fly Machines start in under 3 seconds, enabling zero-downtime rolling deploys without load balancer warm-up delays or deployment scheduling windows.
Cloudways' Automated Backups run daily, letting hosting resellers roll back corrupted updates in under 5 minutes with a single restore action.
Anycast Networking directs players to the nearest Global Region, cutting latency from 120ms to 30ms. Auto-scaling Fly Machines absorb sudden player count spikes seamlessly.
Edge Deployment runs identical app instances across 30+ regions from one Docker image. Private Networking isolates databases per region - no separate cloud accounts required.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified May 30, 2026
Cloudways Plans
Paid plans only
DigitalOcean Standard 1GB
$11/moBest for: This entry-level plan is ideal for small websites or testing environments, offering a cost-effective start on DigitalOcean.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Vultr Standard 1GB
$14/moBest for: An affordable Vultr option for basic hosting needs, offering a balance of performance and cost for smaller projects.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Linode 1GB
$14/moBest for: A solid choice for those preferring Linode, providing reliable hosting for small to medium-sized websites at a competitive price.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Vultr High-Frequency 1GB
$16/moBest for: Recommended for users prioritizing CPU performance, this Vultr plan offers better speed for slightly higher cost than standard.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
AWS Small
$21/moBest for: This plan offers entry into AWS managed hosting, suitable for users who need the AWS ecosystem for their smaller applications.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Enterprise-grade infrastructure
- ✓Higher reliability and uptime
- ✓Advanced security features
- ✓Amazon's global infrastructure network
DigitalOcean Premium 2GB
$22/moBest for: A good mid-range option for growing websites needing more resources and improved performance compared to the standard tier.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Google Cloud Small
$37/moBest for: Ideal for users seeking Google Cloud's robust infrastructure and global network for their applications, even at a smaller scale.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Enterprise-grade infrastructure
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
DigitalOcean Premium 4GB
$50/moBest for: Suitable for demanding applications or high-traffic sites, providing substantial resources for robust performance on DigitalOcean.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Fly.io Plans
Free tier available
Hobby
$5/moBest for: This plan is perfect for individuals or small projects needing basic cloud hosting resources
- ✓Up to 3 shared-cpu-1 x 256 MB VMs
- ✓3 GB persistent volume storage
- ✓160 GB outbound data transfer
- ✓Full access to Fly Machines, regions, and CLI
- ✓Unlimited apps, orgs, and team members
Standard Support
$29/moBest for: Choose this plan for enhanced support beyond the free tier, suitable for growing applications
- ✓Email support with 36-hour response SLA
- ✓Technical guidance on architecture
- ✓Full access to Fly.io infrastructure and features
- ✓Access to our dedicated team of engineers
HIPAA Compliance
$99/moBest for: Essential for businesses handling protected health information, ensuring your applications meet strict regulatory requirements
- ✓Everything needed for HIPAA-compliant workloads
- ✓Business Associate Agreements (BAAs)
- ✓SOC2s
Premium Support
$199/moBest for: This plan is designed for businesses requiring high-priority support and faster resolution for complex deployments
- ✓Access to our dedicated team of engineers
- ✓Enhanced support compared to Standard
Enterprise Support
Contact SalesBest for: Contact sales for custom pricing tailored to large organizations with specific infrastructure and support needs
- ✓Dedicated contact
- ✓Real-time support
- ✓Access to our dedicated team of engineers
- ✓Customizable support options
Capability Breakdown
4 differences found across 18 standardized features
- •Managed Hosting
- •1-Click Install
- •Free SSL
- •Free Migration
- •Staging Environment
- •CDN
- •Automated Backups
- •Server Monitoring
- •PHP Apps Support
- •WordPress Optimization
- •Team Collaboration
- •SFTP/SSH Access
- •24/7 Support
- •Git Deployment
- •CloudwaysBot
- •Edge Deployment
- •Docker Containers
- •Fly Machines
- •Anycast Networking
- •Persistent Storage
- •Private Networking
- •Auto-scaling
- •Global Regions
- •PostgreSQL
- •Redis
- •CLI Tools
- •API
- •Custom Domains
- •SSL
- •Monitoring
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Choice of 3 top IaaS providers (DO, AWS, GCE)
- +Pay-as-you-go pricing with no long-term contracts
- +Built-in advanced caching (Varnish, Memcached, Redis)
- +Free SSL, migrations, and staging for all applications
- +Vertical scaling allows resizing servers with one click
- −No root access, limiting advanced server configurations
- −Email hosting is not included; requires a separate add-on
- −No domain registration service; must use a third-party registrar
- −Support can be slow unless you purchase a premium support plan
- −No cPanel; uses a proprietary, less familiar control panel
- +Runs full-stack apps, not just static sites, on the edge
- +Uses lightweight Firecracker MicroVMs for better isolation
- +Built-in global request routing and private networking
- +Postgres clusters deploy globally alongside your application
- +Generous free tier includes compute, storage, and databases
- −Steeper learning curve than PaaS like Heroku or Render
- −Limited region availability compared to major cloud providers
- −Documentation can be sparse for advanced or niche use cases
- −No built-in serverless functions; requires running a server
- −Monitoring and observability tools are less mature than AWS/GCP
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Cloudways added a new "DigitalOcean Premium 4GB" plan at $50/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Cloudways lowered "Google Cloud Small" from $37.45/mo to $37.33/mo (0%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways lowered "AWS Small" from $38.56/mo to $20.56/mo (-47%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 4GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 1GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Fly.io removed the "Enterprise" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Fly.io removed the "Scale" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Fly.io removed the "Launch" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Fly.io added a new "HIPAA Compliance" plan at $99/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Fly.io added a new "Enterprise Support" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
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Sources & Data Trail · Fly.io
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- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.3/5 · 5 reviews