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Cloudways is our top pick for best cloud web hosting. Get all the details and see the entire list here.
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For new WordPress sites
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Guided onboarding
- Recommended by WordPress
- 24/7 support
Best security and scalability
Starts at $3.75 per month
- All types of hosting
- Enhanced security tools
- Affordable as you grow
The easiest option
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Great for absolute beginners
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- 150+ free templates
Best Cloud Hosting: Our Shortlist
Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting that utilizes a network of remote servers to store, manage, and process data. Cloud hosting provides greater flexibility and scalability than traditional hosting. It works through virtualization, which splits a physical server into cloud servers. This means you can easily scale up or down your resources without worrying about hardware limitations.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall Cloud Hosting
Best Cloud Hosting Support
Best Cloud Hosting For Customization
Best Storage For Cloud Hosting
Best Cloud Hosting at Scale
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review cloud hosting services.
The Top Cloud Hosting Services of 2023
Features
- 1 to 4 CPU/cores
- 1.70 GB to 15 GB RAM/memory
- 20 GB storag
#1 Top Pick for 2023
Why it’s best: Cloudways offers a choice of five cloud providers, including AWS and Google Cloud
Price
$12 per month
Free Migration
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
No
Read More
Reasons to choose Cloudways
- Very stable and fast VPS (virtual private server) hosting
- Easy VPS hosting management
- Relatively low prices starting at $12 a month
- No initial pre-payments or price increases
- Loads of server locations to choose from
Reasons to avoid
- More expensive than the original provider’s prices
- Basic security tool
- Email hosting comes at an extra cost
- No domain registration option
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting solution that delivers around-the-clock monitoring, automated backups, and regular security fixes. Customers can choose from five cloud providers, including AWS and Google Cloud.
Cloudways offers 24/7 live chat and ticketing support as part of its packages, along with alerts for operational aspects, such as performance and security. Businesses needing quicker response times, dedicated support, or deeper technical skills can upgrade to an Advanced or Premium support plan.
Cloudways is a managed cloud services provider offering fast speeds as well as great customer service and pricing. The setup can be a bit hard, and there is no cPanel.
Features
- Unmetered bandwidth
- VMware virtualization
- 24/7 support
Price
$4 per month
Free Migrations
No
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
Read More
Reasons to choose IONOS
- Automatic daily backups
- Windows and Linux hosting
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Reasons to avoid
- Only one free SSL certificate per plan
- No migration services
IONOS promises a 24-hour email, phone, and live chat support system. My overall experience was excellent — I found the IONOS Help Center an excellent starting point for all types of queries. There’s a section devoted to web hosting with a list of frequently asked questions, as well as a search option that helped me quickly discover what I was searching for.
At IONOS, assistance comes in many forms, from live chat and phone support teams to a plethora of information saved in the dedicated help center. Customer service representatives are thoughtful and highly knowledgeable, guaranteeing a smooth website hosting process.
IONOS is a low-cost and simple web host ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It offers a lot of customization options and provides top-notch customer support. Its server speed and uptime also receive good marks.
Features
- 1 CPU/core
- 1 GB RAM/memory
- 20 GB SSD storage
Price
$4 per month
Free Migrations
No
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
No
Read More
Reasons to choose Kamatera
- Affordable
- 99.95% uptime
- 24/7, 365 customer service
Reasons to avoid
- Needs familiarity with the hosting environment
Founded in 1995, Kamatera delivers cloud infrastructure products as well as managed services. All its solutions are backed by 24/7 technical support via phone or a ticketing system.
Kamatera Express offers clients a quick and easy way to spin up servers. Businesses can choose from three packages, each with 1 CPU core, 1 GB of RAM, 20 GB of SSD storage, and 5 TB of bandwidth, differentiated by increasing processor speeds. Clients can also opt for a customized setup. Other available components include load balancers, firewalls, and scalable storage.
“My first month has proven to be a very welcome surprise, both with performance and phone and ticket support. I will be migrating all of my professional work to Kamatera,” one user writes.
Features
- 1 to 4 CPU/cores
- 24/7, email, chat, phone, helpdesk, forum
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free domain and SSL
Price
$4.50 per month
Free Migrations
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
Read More
Reasons to choose DreamHost
- Affordable and feature-rich plans
- Good performance testing results
- Easy website setup process
- Free domain, SSL, domain privacy, and daily backups
Reasons to avoid
- Malware removal tool is paid
- Live chat is not 24/7
DreamHost believes people should have the final say when it comes to how their data is going to be used. Its software is open source, and the company supplies its customers with a control panel that makes managing their websites easy.
The company offers three cloud hosting plans, each of which includes 100 GB of block storage. While online resources are provided, additional support can be accessed 24/7 through the DreamHost help bot or via live chat from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. PST.
A reliable and affordable hosting provider, Dreamhost offers great customer service and a variety of plans. It is easy to use, though there are some complaints that the speed and webmail could be improved.
Features
- 4 to 16 CPU/cores
- 8 GB to 20 GB RAM/memory
- 40 GB SSD to 160 GB SSD storage
Price
$100 per month
Free Migrations
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
No
Read More
Reasons to choose SiteGround
- Very fast page load times
- Servers on 4 continents
- Innovative speed-boosting tech
- Free daily backups
- Strong in-house security tools
Reasons to avoid
- No mid-tier scalability option
- Complex pricing structure
- Free domain not included
SiteGround has more than 15 years of experience delivering web hosting solutions. It offers web and reseller hosting services and products created for WooCommerce and WordPress.
The company’s managed cloud hosting platform is designed for customers whose sites are no longer well-served by shared hosting. It’s built on Google’s cloud infrastructure and includes daily backups and free SSL certificates for every domain on a cloud plan.
SiteGround is a reliable web hosting company with fast speeds, a user-friendly interface, and solid customer service. Some customers are not thrilled with the price increase and back-end support.
Compare Cloud Hosting Providers
Cloud Host
Best Features
Pricing
Best Overall Cloud Hosting
- 1 to 4 CPU/cores
- 1.70 GB to 15 GB RAM/memory
- 20 GB storage
$12 per month
Best Cloud Hosting Support
- Unmetered bandwidth
- VMware virtualization
- 24/7 support
$5 per month
Best Cloud Hosting For Customization
- 1 CPU/core
- 1 GB RAM/memory
- 20 GB SSD storage
$4 per month
Best Storage For Cloud Hosting
- 1 to 4 CPU/cores
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free domain and SSL
$4.50 per month
Best Cloud Hosting at Scale
- 4 to 16 CPU/cores
- 8 GB to 20 GB RAM/memory
- 40 GB SSD to 160 GB SSD storage
$100 per month
What You Need to Know
What is cloud hosting?
Cloud hosting means that the website is run from multiple separate physical servers, often referred to as clustered servers. These servers may be physically in one data center or spread out across multiple locations.
You can interact with your website using a standard cPanel to update the site, make changes, and much more, all from one interface, just like any other web hosting service.
Is cloud hosting better than shared hosting?
Cloud hosting is generally considered better than shared hosting because it provides greater flexibility and scalability than traditional hosting. It works through virtualization, which splits a physical server into cloud servers. This means you can easily scale up or down your resources without worrying about hardware limitations.
How is cloud hosting different from VPS hosting?
Cloud hosting and VPS hosting both use virtual servers with dedicated resources, but they differ in the infrastructure that delivers the hardware resources. VPS hosting is partitioned on one single physical server, while cloud hosting is partitioned in a cluster of multiple physical servers in multiple physical locations. Cloud hosting is not restricted to a single physical server, so its scalability is practically unlimited. Cloud hosting also offers more flexibility than VPS hosting, but less customization. VPS hosting is better for medium-sized websites, while cloud hosting is better for corporate websites.
Is cloud hosting more expensive than traditional hosting?
The cost of cloud hosting varies depending on the provider and the plan chosen. The average cost for a small server with 1GB of RAM, 25GB SSD storage and 1 CPU core is $4.55 per month. Some providers offer a free trial period of at least 30 days. The price for cloud servers can start at $4 per month, while managed cloud can cost $50 per month per server12.
What is the difference between cloud hosting and cloud server?
Cloud hosting plans offer scalable server resource allocation based on hardware virtualization, in contrast to cloud server plans, which have a fixed amount of RAM, CPU, and SSD/HDD storage. Cloud hosting plans guarantee better security and performance.
How does cloud hosting work?
Applications and websites are accessible through cloud hosting employing cloud resources. Solutions are not placed on a single server, in contrast to traditional hosting. Instead, the application or website is hosted by a network of interconnected virtual and physical cloud servers, providing more flexibility and scalability.
Is cloud hosting more expensive than VPS hosting?
VPS hosting is generally more expensive than cloud hosting. However, it’s important to note that prices can vary widely depending on the provider and the specific plan you choose. The average cost for a small cloud server with 1GB of RAM, 25GB SSD storage, and 1 CPU core is $4.55 monthly. On the other hand, the cost of VPS hosting depends on the provider and the plan chosen. Users can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $100 monthly.
How We Review Cloud Hosting Plans
There are several players in the cloud web hosting space touting a variety of functions and services. We assessed hosts on three essentials: technical resources, features, and support.
Like all types of web hosting, there are various features that you want to look for when shopping for the right service. Many of the features will be the same as you would look for on any other type of web hosting, but there are some unique factors to consider for cloud web hosting:
Keep in mind that every cloud hosting package will be unique based on the features and specs that the hosting company wants to provide. This is why it is so important to look closely at what it is they are offering and the price. Taking the time to find the best cloud web hosting company that serves your region will ensure you get the best experience possible, assuming you want this type of hosting.
Learn more about our review methodology.