Cloudways Managed Wordpress: Reviews, Benefits, And Plans

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Cloudways Managed WordPress: Reviews, Features, Benefits, And Plans- Considering Cloudways for hosting your WordPress site?

Well, buckle up and dive into our hands-on Cloudways review to see if this service is a match made in heaven for your needs.

Now, let’s talk about the perks of cloud hosting. It’s like magic, really. It’s scalable as heck, gives you tons of control over server choices, and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

But here’s the thing, my friend—most cloud hosting platforms, like Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services (AWS), can be a real pain in the neck for non-developers like you and me.

But hold your horses! Cloudways is here to save the day. They’ve got a mission, and that’s to make cloud-based hosting a piece of cake, even for us non-developer folks.

It’s a managed cloud service that’s got your back when it comes to WordPress and other platforms.

With Cloudways, you can effortlessly deploy a website on a high-performance cloud server, all through a user-friendly interface. How cool is that?

Alrighty then! In this Cloudways review, we’re gonna dig deep into how this service actually works and check out all the nifty features it brings to the table.

We’ll also chat about its performance, support, and pricing, so you can make a wise decision.

About Cloudways Managed WordPress

Cloudways, founded back in 2011, hooks you up with five cloud servers to handle your managed WordPress website.

These folks are all about assisting small businesses across various industries with their websites—whether you’re a freelancer, own an e-commerce store, or run an agency.

Their plans come packed with unlimited WordPress websites, round-the-clock live chat support, hassle-free website migration, an in-house cache plugin (to speed things up), and even team collaboration features.

Now, let’s talk prices. The cost depends on whether you opt for the standard or premium tier, as well as the cloud server you choose.

The more you’re willing to fork over, the more storage, RAM, and bandwidth you’ll get. Take, for example, the $11 per month plan.

With that, Cloudways will take care of your website on DigitalOcean servers, giving you a generous 25 GB of storage and a whopping 1 TB of bandwidth.

On the other hand, if you’re willing to splurge $37.45 per month, your website will be hosted on Google Cloud servers, offering you 20 GB of storage and 2 GB of bandwidth.

Just a heads up, Cloudways doesn’t include email hosting as part of their website hosting package. However, they’ve got you covered with an add-on feature.

You can choose between a Gmail SMTP server or a fully managed email service.

Oh, and one more thing—they don’t handle domain name registration. You’ll have to find that service elsewhere.

Cloudways Managed WordPress Key Features

Let’s delve into Cloudways impressive array of features that not only align with its unique cloud hosting approach but also surpasses those offered by more traditional hosting providers.

To begin with, let’s explore the hosting environment itself. Cloudways sets up your server with a hybrid stack consisting of Apache + Nginx.

Furthermore, it enhances performance through multiple caching layers, including Nginx, Varnish, and Memcached. Additionally, you have the convenient option to effortlessly install Redis.

When Cloudways configures your server, it takes care of implementing all these features automatically while ensuring server security and regular updates.

But that’s not all—Cloudways offers a range of other valuable features as well:

Automatic server-level backups along with the flexibility of on-demand single-site backups.
Staging sites to easily test and refine your website before making it live.
A free WordPress performance plugin called Breeze to optimize your website’s speed.
Site cloning functionality, enabling you to duplicate your website effortlessly.
Free SSL certificates to secure your website and ensure encrypted data transfer.
A built-in content delivery network (CDN) to enhance the global availability and performance of your website.
SMTP at the server level, empowering you with seamless transactional email communication.
Comprehensive bot protection to safeguard your website from malicious activities.
Efficient cron job management to automate repetitive tasks.
Basic server monitoring to keep track of your server’s performance.
The option to add team members for seamless collaboration and efficient workflow.

Cloudways’ feature set not only encompasses cutting-edge functionality but is also designed to accommodate collaboration seamlessly.

Performance and Scalability

Cloudways hooks you up with a kickass server infrastructure that’s optimized to the max for unbeatable performance.

This badass managed cloud server platform takes care of all the nitty-gritty server management tasks with dedicated teams on the case.

When traffic goes through the roof, their auto-scaling feature kicks in like a boss, ensuring seamless scalability.

And if things get wild during peak demands, Cloudways goes all out with vertical scaling to beef up your resources and keep your performance levels sky high.

They’ve even got advanced caching mechanisms in place to make sure your content gets delivered at lightning speed.

Plus, they’ve partnered up with Cloudflare CDN, known far and wide for its massive global network, giving your site an extra boost in speed and making your users go.

In a nutshell, Cloudways brings you the perfect combo of performance and scalability, setting you up for success in the fast-paced digital world.

With Cloudways, your business gets a custom-made server setup that’s tailor-fit to suit your needs.

They’ve got the whole infrastructure configured to squeeze out every drop of performance juice, resulting in lightning-fast loading times and supercharged efficiency.

And the best part? You don’t have to worry about all the server management mumbo jumbo.

Cloudways takes care of it all, freeing you up to focus on what really matters—growing your business and unleashing your innovative side.

Thanks to their auto-scaling feature, your applications are always on point, ready to adapt to any crazy traffic changes that come your way.

And if you need an instant boost, just go for vertical scaling and watch your resources level up in a flash.

Cloudways review: Performance

Cloudways performance may vary depending on your configuration since it relies on third-party cloud hosting platform servers.

For our test website, we opted for the most basic DigitalOcean setup, which includes 1 GB of RAM and 25 GB of SSD storage. Additionally, each server comes with the following features:

Caching configuration and a pre-installed caching plugin for WordPress
PHP 7 set as the default option
A customized content delivery network (CDN)

Should you require a performance boost, you have the flexibility to scale your server at any time by adding more RAM or storage.

However, downgrading would involve cloning and restoring your server configuration. In any case, Cloudways also provides one-click backup and restore options.

In theory, cloud hosting should deliver near-perfect uptime, but the actual performance can vary depending on the chosen host.

Cloudways maintains detailed records of incidents that you can review at your convenience.

Cloudways, on paper, claims to deliver WordPress performance that’s absolutely top-notch. Naturally, we couldn’t just take their word for it.

Cloudways Managed WordPress Page speed tests with Pingdom

Alright, if you wanna quickly check how well a WordPress website performs, the fastest way is to test its page loading speed.

Remember, we set up a brand new WordPress site on a DigitalOcean server.

We even imported the WordPress Theme Unit Test Data and set it up with one of the default themes to make it feel like a simple website.

Once our website was all set, we ran some page loading tests from different places using Pingdom:

Washington D.C.: Boom! Loaded in just 0.38 seconds.
San Francisco: Took a teeny bit longer, but still impressive at 0.63 seconds.
London: Keeping up the pace with 0.61 seconds.
Sydney: Alright, this one took a little longer at 1.33 seconds.

Overall, these results are fantastic, especially when you consider that our test page is a hefty 6.5 MB.

That kind of performance is what you’d expect from a well-configured cloud server.

Oh, by the way, the slight increase in loading times when we tested the site from an Australian server is totally normal.

Our website’s server is hanging out in New York, so the longer distance explains the higher number.

Setting up a WordPress Website on Cloudways Managed Hosting

Alright, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of setting up your very own WordPress website on Cloudways Managed Hosting.

Follow these steps, and you’ll be up and running in no time!

Step 1: Get Your Cloudways Account Rolling

Head over to the Cloudways website and hit that snazzy Create Account button.

Fill in your company name, email address, and pick a password.

Click that Create Account button, and boom, you’re in!

Step 2: Pick Your Cloud Provider

Once you’ve got your account sorted, you’ll find yourself on the Cloudways dashboard.

Spot that enticing Select Cloud Provider button?

Give it a click! Now, choose the cloud provider that tickles your fancy.

Ready for liftoff? Hit that “Launch Now” button.

Step 3: Launch Your WordPress Server

After you’ve made your cloud provider choice, you’ll land on the Launch Server page.

Time to dish out the deets:

Give your server a snappy name.
Pick a cool location for your server.
Select a server plan that suits your needs. Now, don’t hesitate and click that “Launch Server” button.

Step 4: Set Up WordPress on Cloudways

Once your server has been successfully launched, you’ll find yourself on the WordPress Configuration page.

Now, let’s fill in the gaps:

Enter your desired Domain Name.
Create an Admin Username that’s easy to remember.
Don’t forget to choose a strong Admin Password. Ready to roll? Hit that shiny “Install WordPress” button. Sit back, relax, and let Cloudways work its magic. Your WordPress website is now being installed. To access it, simply type your domain name into any web browser.

Now that you’ve got your website all set up on Cloudways hosting, let’s dive into a thorough review of what you’ve accomplished.

User Interface of Cloudways Managed WordPress

Cloudways Managed Hosting Service is as user-friendly as a walk in the park, with an organized interface that gives you a crystal-clear view of your applications, server resources, and domains.

It’s like having a personal guide that effortlessly navigates you through different sections.

When it comes to managing your servers, Cloudways keeps it simple and hassle-free.

You get real-time monitoring and easy scaling options, making server management a piece of cake.

And if you’re looking to deploy popular applications, the Applications section has got you covered with one-click installs and essential performance metrics at your fingertips.

Managing your applications on Cloudways couldn’t be easier.

You’ll find a handy list of all your installed applications, including WordPress, Magento, WooCommerce, and more.

And if you want to add new applications, it’s just a few clicks away.

The platform makes it a breeze to access application-specific settings, configure SSL certificates, handle domain mapping, set up cron jobs, and even manage application backups and restores.

When it comes to domain management, Cloudways has your back. It guides you through DNS configuration and SSL certificate setup with seamless ease.

And the best part? Its user interface is responsive, so you can access it from your desktop or mobile devices without breaking a sweat.

And just in case you need a little extra help, Cloudways offers comprehensive documentation and tutorials to assist you in making the most of the platform.

Overall, Cloudways’ user interface is a masterclass in simplicity and functionality.

It’s designed to make managing your hosting environment a breeze, whether you’re a tech wizard or a newbie.

So go ahead, dive in and experience hosting made easy with Cloudways.

Security

Keeping WordPress websites safe is a top priority for Cloudways Managed Hosting Service.

They go above and beyond to implement various security practices, ensuring the websites’ safety and integrity.

Cloudways takes proactive measures by regularly applying security patches and updates.

This not only prevents potential exploits but also guarantees that websites run on the latest and most secure versions of WordPress and related components.

Additionally, users have the flexibility to schedule regular backups of their WordPress websites.

This means that in case of any data loss or other issues, your website can be effortlessly restored to its previous state.

The Cloudways hosting platform offers easy access to Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates, enabling you to secure your website with HTTPS encryption and establish a secure connection with visitors.

Moreover, they provide an extra layer of security at the application level, incorporating measures such as account isolation, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), and secure SFTP/SSH access.

These measures work together to safeguard your website effectively.

For WordPress websites, Cloudways introduces a remarkable feature called SafeUpdates.

It is exclusively designed to ensure a seamless experience while making updates.

SafeUpdates creates a temporary clone of your website, allowing you to test any changes or updates before applying them to the live site.

This innovative approach guarantees that any potential issues are identified and resolved beforehand, preventing them from impacting your live website.

In summary, Cloudways Managed Hosting Service goes the extra mile to prioritize the safety of WordPress websites.

With their range of security practices, regular updates, backups, SSL certificates, and unique features like SafeUpdates, you can rest assured that your website is in good hands.

Support & Customer Service

Cloudways got your back 24/7 when it comes to any hosting problems or worries you might have.

Whether it’s a live chat or the ticketing system, they’ve got you covered with lightning-fast help for your WordPress website.

On top of that, you’ll find a treasure trove of knowledge and resources in their documentation and knowledge base.

They’ve got tutorials, guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting steps to make it a breeze for you to understand and resolve those pesky common issues.

But wait, there’s more! The active community forum is where the real magic happens.

You can mingle, ask questions, and get advice from other Cloudways users who know their stuff.

It’s like having your own secret club where you can score insider insights, tips, and best practices for hosting WordPress websites on Cloudways.

Oh, and don’t forget about the managed WordPress migration.

They’ll handle the whole shebang, making sure your website moves seamlessly with minimal downtime.

That way, you can keep your focus on your business while they take care of the nitty-gritty technical details of the migration.

So, if you’re in a pinch, Cloudways has your back.

They’ve got the support, the community, and the migration mojo to make your hosting experience a breeze.

Don’t sweat the small stuff—let Cloudways be your WordPress hosting superhero!

Pricing

Let’s talk about pricing when it comes to choosing a platform for your website.

Now, if we take into account factors like user interface, storage, performance, scalability, and security, the Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting service stands out as one of the most affordable options available.

Speaking of pricing and affordability, Cloudways offers a pay-as-you-go model.

This means you get to pick from a range of cloud providers such as DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud, and customize your hosting plan based on your specific requirements.

Instead of being stuck with fixed plans, Cloudways gives you the freedom to pay only for the resources you actually use.

This not only ensures cost efficiency but also provides great flexibility.

Now, let’s talk about the hosting plans themselves. Cloudways offers a variety of options, both standard and premium, with prices ranging from $11 to $99.

These plans come with different RAM sizes, processors, storage, bandwidth, and more.

What’s even better is that you get a risk-free trial period of 3 days, so you can try out the service without any worries.

And here’s the cherry on top: there’s no lock-in, which means you can cancel your plan anytime you want.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable hosting solution with top-notch features, Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting is the way to go.

It gives you the flexibility to choose your cloud provider, customize your plan, and pay only for what you use.

With a range of hosting plans to suit different needs, a risk-free trial period, and the freedom to cancel anytime, Cloudways has got you covered.

Pros & Cons of Cloudways Managed WordPress Hosting

Alright, as we approach the end of our Cloudways review, let’s delve into the upsides and downsides of using Cloudways for hosting.

Pros

Bang for your buck in terms of performance.

Even with the most affordable Cloudways plan, you can expect stellar performance, even when dealing with larger scale operations.

No arbitrary restrictions here.

Cloudways doesn’t impose any random website limits. As long as your server has the necessary resources, you can host as many sites as your heart desires.

Handy WordPress tools at your disposal.

You gain access to useful features like staging sites, backups, a WordPress optimization plugin, and more. SMTP at the server level.

This nifty tool ensures reliable email functionality, unlike other cloud server panels that require you to set up SMTP services individually for each WordPress site.

Cons

Slightly more complex than traditional hosting.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you don’t need to be a developer, but complete beginners might prefer to steer clear.

Pricing isn’t as favorable for high-resource servers.

Since Cloudways charges based on multiples of the underlying hosting cost, it can become pricey for servers that require substantial resources.

No email hosting included.

If you want to create a personalized email address like you@yoursite.com, you’ll need a separate email hosting service.

Their package has got you covered with a user-friendly interface, super flexible infrastructure, mind-blowing performance, rock-solid security measures, and top-notch storage.

Whether you’re a startup, small biz, or big-shot corporation, Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting is just what the doctor ordered!

When it comes to making your WordPress website scale like a champ while keeping everything secure, fast, and supported, Cloudways is the name of the game.

They’ve got it all: performance that’ll knock your socks off, security that’s tighter than a drum, support that’s got your back, an interface that’s as smooth as silk, and storage that’s more spacious than a penthouse suite.

Get on board with Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting and take your website to new heights.

It’s the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, the whole enchilada! Don’t miss out on this game-changer.

Conclusion

Cloudways has got you covered with their top-notch server infrastructure that guarantees stellar performance and lightning-fast load times.

Say goodbye to the hassle of managing servers because Cloudways’ managed cloud servers have got your back, allowing you to focus on what really matters for your business.

And let me tell you, their auto-scaling and vertical scaling features are real pros at handling sudden traffic spikes and resource requirements, making sure everything runs smoothly and reliably.

Plus, they’ve teamed up with Cloudflare CDN to supercharge website speed using some advanced caching wizardry.

Cloudways is the real deal when it comes to optimizing performance and scalability.

They cater to businesses of all shapes and sizes, delivering powerful, dependable, and blazing-fast digital services.

Their server management skills, traffic handling capabilities, and lightning-fast content delivery are what sets them apart from the rest.

So, if you’re on the lookout for a dynamic, reliable, and high-performing cloud hosting solution, Cloudways is where it’s at.