SoftwareGlimpse

Cloudways vs Grafana Cloud

Compare Cloudways and Grafana Cloud on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.

Independently recommendedLast updated Aug 18, 20266 evidence sources5 screenshotsHow we compare
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Cloudways logo

Cloudways

7.6/10

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

Visit Cloudways
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VS

Our verdict

Our verdict

No universal winner

No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.

Cloudways is better for

  • ✓ Starting pricing

Grafana Cloud is better for

  • ✓ Free plan

Tie

  • • Integrations
  • • Security & admin

Choose Cloudways if: Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence

Choose Grafana Cloud if: Teams already fluent in Grafana/Prometheus

See detailed comparison ↓
Grafana Cloud logo

Grafana Cloud

7.5/10

Managed Grafana observability — Free 10k series / 50 GB logs; Pro from $19/mo platform fee + usage ($6.50/1k series, $8/user).

Best for

  • • Teams already fluent in Grafana/Prometheus
  • • Startups that fit in the Free telemetry caps
  • • Platform teams that want Mimir/Loki without operating it

Starting from $19.00/user/mo

Free plan available

Visit Grafana Cloud
Read review

Comparison scorecard

Criterion-by-criterion results for Cloudways and Grafana Cloud. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.

  • Starting pricing

    Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.

    Cloudways

    Cloudways publishes a lower researched starting floor ($11/mo vs $19/mo for Grafana Cloud). Confirm currency, renewals, and add-ons — not a total TCO winner.

    CloudwaysStronger
    Grafana CloudWeaker

  • Free plan

    Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.

    Grafana Cloud

    Cloudways does not research a free plan; Grafana Cloud researches a free plan.

    CloudwaysWeaker
    Grafana CloudStronger

  • User / licence minimum

    Seat floors, per-employee minimums, and small-team pricing traps.

    Depends

    Check seat, agent, or licence minimums for Cloudways and Grafana Cloud on current vendor packaging.

    CloudwaysDepends
    Grafana CloudDepends

  • Integrations

    Important third-party integrations.

    Tie

    Cloudways and Grafana Cloud are close on integrations (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

    Cloudways8/10
    Grafana Cloud8/10

  • Security & admin

    Admin controls, access, compliance posture, and security packaging.

    Tie

    Cloudways and Grafana Cloud are close on security admin (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

    CloudwaysTie
    Grafana CloudTie

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Affiliate disclosure: 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. Full disclosure

Methodology disclosure: scores and recommendations follow SoftwareGlimpse evaluation criteria (version 1.0.0). Affiliate relationships do not determine rankings.

How we recommend: product claims are tied to recorded research where available.

AI-assisted disclosure: drafts may be AI-assisted from approved facts and assessments. Humans approve publishable editorial judgments. AI does not invent live prices or claim hands-on testing.