With the rise of VPS hosting, itâÂÂs that much easier to enjoy outstanding website performance without having to pay for an expensive dedicated cloud server plan. That said, the VPS market is a crowded one, filled with big players that seemingly do the same thing. One of the most popular providers out there would have to be
**Cloudways so far having serviced around 10,000 users in over 43 countries within the span of 9 years. While that is a pretty impressive feat, can you really trust the hype? To help you answer that question, hereâÂÂs an in-depth review of Cloudways, taking their ease of use, performance, security, and pricing into consideration
== Cloudways VPS Comparison Chart ==
Name Cloudways Bluehost SiteGround
Price Check Price at Cloudways Check Price at Bluehost Check Price at SiteGround
Control Panel |Custom application called Click&Go||cPanel||cPanel|
CDN |CloudwaysCDN||Cloudflare||Cloudflare|
Free SSL Certificate |Yes||Yes||Yes|
Automated Data Backups |Yes||Yes||Yes|
Dedicated Firewalls |Yes||Yes||Yes|
Free Trial / Money Back Guarantee |Yes||Yes||Yes|
== Ease of Use ==
*Cloudways uses a custom control panel that even beginners will find intuitive to use. *
*You can control various server parameters from Cloudwaysâ custom control panel.*
The first thing youâÂÂll probably notice about Cloudways is that theyâÂÂve ditched the usual cPanel or Plesk for a custom application called Click&Go. While Click&Go is quite different from the more familiar control panels and might seem intimidating, itâÂÂs actually quite intuitive to use
Even those who are new to the hosting world wonâÂÂt have that much trouble navigating the user interface because the controls are very straightforward. From the control panel, you have easy access to tools that let you change server settings, track resource consumption, troubleshoot, and deploy web platforms
The set-up process shouldnâÂÂt take all that long either. The first thing you should do is to choose a cloud provider as Cloudways offers five, namely Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linode, Vultr, and DigitalOcean. After that, you can configure your server parameters based on your preferences. This includes bandwidth, RAM, server storage space, and number of core processors
As for the more experienced developers out there, youâÂÂd be glad to know that there are aof other things you can do via the control panel. You can add multiple team members for easier collaboration, migrate existing websites, clone servers, schedule cron jobs, and many more
== Performance ==
*Cloudways leverages on the networks of the worldâÂÂs top cloud infrastructures and provides their own optimization tools. *
*Cloudways boasts of 400 to 600-millisecond*page loading times
Because Cloudways is a cloud hosting provider, you get your own virtual server that comes with its own resource allocations. Yup, no sharing involved. So when it comes to performance, you can expect your Cloudways experience to be superb. If you want to talk numbers, Cloudways boasts of impressive page loading times of 400 to 600 milliseconds as well as a 99.9% uptime guarantee. These commendable figures mean that your website is not only fast but will be up and running around the clock without any obvious downtime
So how does Cloudways do it? For starters, they leverage on the networks of the worldâÂÂs most powerful cloud infrastructures. WeâÂÂve named them before but weâÂÂll do it again: GCP, AWS, Linode, Vultr, and DigitalOcean. Each one of these cloud providers has a massive network of data centers under their belt, all of which are strategically placed around the globe. This gives Cloudways over 60 server locations to work with which is way more than what others can brag about. To boot, these five cloud providers are constantly upping their game to improve performance. As an example, they all use SSD disks instead of traditional mechanical drives to further boost data retrieval times
Cloudways doesnâÂÂt just sit there and do nothing though. They supplement the provisions of these five cloud providers with their own performance optimization tools. For starters, they have their own CDN so that your visitors donâÂÂt have to wait to connect to a server thatâÂÂs across the globe and can instead use a CDN node near them. In addition, Cloudways makes use of an advanced caching system which involves Redis, Memcached, and Varnish as well as their own WordPress caching plugin
== Security ==
*Cloudways employs multiple layers of protection to safeguard against possible threats.*
*Cloudways protects your site from all possible angles.*
Even though the five mentioned cloud providers safeguard their own networks, Cloudways takes it a step further by having their own security measures in place to keep threats out. Right off the bat, Cloudways will provide you with a free LetâÂÂs Encrypt SSL certificate. This makes sure that the connection between server and visitor is always encrypted, automatically boosting your siteâÂÂs trustworthiness. Cloudways is also equipped with dedicated firewalls and performs routine operating system patches so that malware and hackers donâÂÂt stand a chance
Even if attackers try to penetrate the system via your account, Cloudways has already solved that by implementing a two-factor authentication login system. To further protect your site from unauthorized access, Cloudways lets you whitelist the IPs of authorized team members so that they have unlimited access to your system. In the event of a calamity, not all is lost because Cloudways performs automated data backups so that they can easily restore your site. If, for some reason, youâÂÂre still concerned about security despite all of these protective layers, hereâÂÂs a fun fact for you: Cloudways has never been hacked in all the years theyâÂÂve been in operation
== Pricing ==
*Cloudways has a pay-as-you-go billing scheme and offers a free trial period.*
*Cloudwaysâ rates vary depending on which cloud provider you choose.*
While most cloud hosting providers stick to a more traditional pricing model, thereâÂÂs more room for savings with Cloudways. Thanks to their cost-effective pay-as-you-go billing scheme, you will only be charged for the resources youâÂÂve used up and no more than that. As for rates, they vary depending on which cloud provider youâÂÂve chosen. DigitalOcean, for example, is the most affordable of theat $10 per month while GCP is the most expensive at $80 per month. ItâÂÂs good to know though that you get more or less the same inclusions with all five cloud providers
If youâÂÂre not quite ready toto Cloudways just yet, thatâÂÂs not a problem because they offer a free three-day trial period so you can test the waters. You get an allocation of 512MB of storage plus 1GB of RAM and the best part is that you donâÂÂt even have to divulge your credit card details
== Verdict ==
*Cloudways lives up to the hype by creating great value for their users. *
SiteGround
*Best for small to medium sites*
ItâÂÂs safe to say that
**Cloudways** lives up to all the hype surrounding them and that they truly are a force to be reckoned with in the managed hosting space. Not only do they harness the power of five top-tier cloud infrastructures including GPS and AWS but they also add value to that by further optimizing performance and security. To boot, they make all of these features approachable by managing all the technical details for you. This makes Cloudways a great option for individuals and businesses who need a simplified yet powerful cloud hosting experience. The best part is that Cloudways offers great flexibility and transparency when it comes to pricing so that you never have to pay more than what youâÂÂve consumed
== FAQs ==
How long is Cloudwaysâ free trial **Cloudways** offers a free three-day trial period, giving you an allocation of 512MB of storage plus 1GB of RAM. No credit card details are required.How much is Cloudways
Thanks to their cost-effective pay-as-you-go billing scheme, you will only be charged for the resources youâÂÂve used up and no more than that. As for rates, they vary depending on which cloud provider youâÂÂve chosen
Does Cloudways have cPanel
Instead of the usual cPanel or Plesk, Cloudways uses a custom application called Click&Go. While Click&Go is quite different from the more familiar control panels and might seem intimidating, itâÂÂs actually quite intuitive to use
Is Cloudways safe
Cloudways employs multiple layers of protection to safeguard against possible threats. They provide free SSL certificates, perform routine security patches, have dedicated firewalls in place, and store backups.