Cloudways vs Netlify
Cloudways and Netlify are both Cloud Hosting tools. Cloudways starts at $11/mo, Netlify at $9/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Cloudways vs Netlify
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.
Git-based Deployment triggers builds on every push. Atomic deploys guarantee zero downtime, and each pull request spins up a preview environment automatically.
Cloudways' Automated Backups run daily, letting hosting resellers roll back corrupted updates in under 5 minutes with a single restore action.
Netlify Forms capture signups and feedback from static sites, routing submissions to team chat or email - no API endpoints or backend infrastructure required.
Netlify Identity manages authentication with synced sessions across subdomains. Custom Domains and automatic SSL deliver branded logins for multi-tenant products.
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
Netlify Plans
Free tier available
Free
FreeBest for: Ideal for hobby projects, learning, or very small personal sites
- ✓Custom domains
- ✓SSL
- ✓Form submissions
- ✓Unlimited previews
- ✓Git repository integration
Personal
$9/moBest for: individual developers or small businesses needing more resources than the free tier
- ✓Priority email support
- ✓Smart secret detection
- ✓7-day observability
- ✓Custom domains
- ✓SSL
Pro
$20/moBest for: Suitable for professional teams or larger projects requiring higher performance and collaboration features
- ✓Unlimited team members
- ✓3 concurrent builds
- ✓1 Preview Server
- ✓30-day analytics & metrics
- ✓Shared environment variables
Enterprise
Contact SalesBest for: Designed for large organizations needing custom solutions, dedicated support, and advanced security features
- ✓Enterprise-grade features
- ✓SLAs
- ✓Security controls
- ✓Dedicated support
- ✓WAF
Capability Breakdown
6 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
- •Git-based Deployment
- •Serverless Functions
- •Edge Functions
- •CDN
- •Forms
- •Identity (Auth)
- •Custom Domains
- •SSL
- •Split Testing
- •Analytics
- •Deploy Previews
- •Build Plugins
- •Environment Variables
- •Redirects
- •Image CDN
- •Deployment API
- •Functions API
- •REST API
- •CLI
- •Webhooks
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
- +Atomic deploys with instant rollbacks ensure site stability.
- +Integrated Edge Functions for fast, personalized dynamic content.
- +Automated build previews for every pull request simplifies review.
- +Global Edge CDN provides exceptional performance out-of-the-box.
- +Seamless Git-based workflow automates the entire CI/CD pipeline.
- −Serverless function execution limits can be restrictive on lower plans.
- −Build minute and bandwidth overages can lead to unexpected costs.
- −Not ideal for traditional monolithic or server-rendered applications.
- −Limited to Git-based workflows; no alternative deployment methods.
- −Backend configuration is less flexible than traditional cloud providers.
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
Netlify removed the "Business" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Netlify removed the "Starter" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Netlify raised "Pro" from $19/mo to $20/mo (+5%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Netlify added a new "Personal" plan at $9/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Netlify added a new "Free" plan at $0/mo (Free)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Sources & Data Trail · Cloudways
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.5/5 · 1,127 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.7/5
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Sources & Data Trail · Netlify
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.5/5 · 75 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.6/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews
- 7.StackShare·StackShare developer community