CircleCI vs Cloudways
Compare CircleCI and Cloudways on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
CircleCI
CI/CD platform — not a git host. Free (6k build minutes / 30k credits framing); Performance from $15/mo; Scale contact. Peer of GitHub Actions / GitLab CI.
Best for
- • Teams that want specialist CI/CD against an existing GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket remote
- • Buyers comparing CircleCI Performance $15 to GitHub Actions minutes
- • Orgs that do not want to move source control in order to buy CI
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
CircleCI is better for
- ✓ Free plan
Cloudways is better for
- ✓ Starting pricing
Tie
- • Integrations
- • Security & admin
Choose CircleCI if: Teams that want specialist CI/CD against an existing GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket remote
Choose Cloudways if: Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting — Flexible from $11/mo DigitalOcean Standard; Autonomous WordPress autoscaling separate line.
Best for
- • Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
- • Agencies running WordPress plus other apps on one Cloudways account
- • Buyers who will actually use hourly Flexible billing and the $11 DigitalOcean Standard floor
Starting from $11.00/user/mo
No free plan
CircleCI vs Cloudways pricing
CircleCI researched starting price from $15/mo; a free plan is researched. Cloudways researched starting price from $11/mo. Affiliate economics excluded.
CircleCI
From $15.00/user/mo
Cloudways
From $11.00/user/mo
CircleCI
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
No free trial evidenced
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Free CI/CD with published minute/credit caps — not a git hosting plan.
- 0: Build minutes / credits as published (6k minutes / 30k credits framing)
- PerformancePopular$15.00/mo
- $15/mo Performance floor — additional credits/minutes versus Free. Confirm live packaging.
- ScaleCustom
- Scale / enterprise CI — contact sales.
Cloudways
Starting from $11.00/user/mo
Free trial available
- Flexible (DigitalOcean Standard)Popular$11.00/mo
- $11/mo published Flexible floor on DigitalOcean Standard — billed hourly. Free trial without a card per first-party page.
- Autonomous WordPressCustom
- Separate WordPress autoscaling line — not the Flexible $11 DigitalOcean Standard floor. Confirm live packaging on cloudways.com/pricing.php.
Estimate your team cost
Monthly estimate from verified per-seat list pricing. Confirm on the vendor site before purchasing.
CircleCI
$225.00/mo
Cloudways
$165.00/mo
+$60.00/mo — CircleCI costs more
Verified monthly unit prices · Aug 18, 2026
Prices in USD
Shown per user / month from verified list pricing.
Plans can change
Confirm live vendor rates before purchasing.
Add-ons may apply
Calling, SMS, or usage fees can add cost.
Independence
Affiliate status never changes pricing outcomes.
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