Updated 2026-08-18

Cloudways alternatives

Approved substitutes for Cloudways from existing SoftwareGlimpse catalogue peers and editorial assessments. This is a job-fit list, not a ranked best-of.

5 alternatives listed
Affiliate-independent analysis
Methodology v1.0.0
Last updated 2026-08-18

Looking beyond

Cloudways

7.6/10

Managed cloud hosting — Flexible from $11/mo DigitalOcean Standard; Autonomous WordPress autoscaling separate line.

Read our full Cloudways review →

Best overall alternative

WP Engine

7.7/10

WP Engine is a catalogue substitute when Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

View WP Engine

See how we compare →

Best Cloudways alternatives

1
WP Engine
Best overall
WP Engine is a catalogue substitute when Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
2
Plesk
Plesk is a catalogue substitute when Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
3
cPanel
cPanel is a catalogue substitute when Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
4
Kinsta
Kinsta is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website
5
SiteGround
SiteGround is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.
Best for
Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor
Starting price
See pricing
View review
Visit website

Software	Best for	Starting price	Overall score	Actions
1 WP Engine Best overall WP Engine is a catalogue substitute when Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress	See pricing	7.7/10	View review Visit website
2 Plesk Plesk is a catalogue substitute when Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers	See pricing	7.4/10	View review Visit website
3 cPanel cPanel is a catalogue substitute when Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS	See pricing	7.3/10	View review Visit website
4 Kinsta Kinsta is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence	See pricing	7.6/10	View review Visit website
5 SiteGround SiteGround is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.	Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor	See pricing	7.3/10	View review Visit website

Compare alternatives side by side

Some links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Affiliate disclosure

Alternative details

WP Engine

Better when

Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress
Buyers who will pay for WP Engine specialist support and WP workflow

Worse when

Multi-app / multi-cloud VM hosting (Cloudways)
Admins who need a Plesk or cPanel licence on owned servers

Key tradeoff: WP Engine fits Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress; Cloudways fits Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence.

Plesk

Plesk is a catalogue substitute when Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers
Admins wanting GUI panel versus manual LAMP/stack configuration

Worse when

Developer teams buying source control (GitHub)
SRE observability purchases (Datadog)

Key tradeoff: Plesk fits Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers; Cloudways fits Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence.

cPanel

cPanel is a catalogue substitute when Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS
Operators who need the cPanel ecosystem (installers, WHM)

Worse when

Teams that only need GitHub/GitLab
ITSM buyers

Key tradeoff: cPanel fits Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS; Cloudways fits Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence.

Kinsta

Kinsta is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence
Buyers comparing Kinsta $35 Single to WP Engine Essential and Cloudways Flexible

Worse when

Admins buying Plesk or DirectAdmin licences for servers they already own
Multi-cloud VM hosting as the primary shape (Cloudways)

Key tradeoff: Kinsta fits Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence; Cloudways fits Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence.

SiteGround

SiteGround is a catalogue substitute when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor. Stay with Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor
Buyers comparing SiteGround StartUp to WP Engine Essential and Kinsta Single

Worse when

Admins buying Plesk or DirectAdmin licences for servers they already own
Teams that need WP Engine specialist depth or Kinsta GCP isolation as the award path

Key tradeoff: SiteGround fits Teams that want managed WordPress hosting with a published $17.99 ongoing floor; Cloudways fits Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence.

Editorial note

Stay on Cloudways when Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence. Move to WP Engine when Teams whose only hosting job is managed WordPress. Move to Plesk when Web agencies and hosts administering sites on VPS/dedicated servers. Move to cPanel when Web hosts and agencies administering many accounts on a VPS. Move to Kinsta when Teams that want managed WordPress hosting without a panel licence. Not a ranked best-of list — affiliate relationships never set the order.

How to choose a Cloudways alternative

Define your priorities
List must-have workflows, team size, and budget before you fall for a feature checklist.
Compare your options
Use the same criteria across products — and ignore affiliate status when you weigh fit.
Test before you decide
Trial the shortlist with a real workflow. We only claim hands-on testing when it happened.

Editorial methodology · Affiliate disclosure

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