Cloudways vs Render
Compare Cloudways and Render on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
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
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Cloudways is better for
- ✓ Starting pricing
Render 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 Render if: Teams that want a git-push app platform with a published Pro $25 production floor
Render
Cloud PaaS / app platform — Hobby $0 + compute; Pro $25/mo + compute (production floor); Scale $499; Enterprise custom. Starter web $7/mo. Cluster award.
Best for
- • Teams that want a git-push app platform with a published Pro $25 production floor
- • Buyers comparing Render Pro to Fly.io shared-cpu PAYG
- • Orgs that will treat Hobby as evaluation, not production TCO
Starting from $25.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Cloudways vs Render pricing
Cloudways researched starting price from $11/mo. Render researched starting price from $25/mo; a free plan is researched. Affiliate economics excluded.
Cloudways
From $11.00/user/mo
Render
From $25.00/user/mo
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.
Render
Starting from $25.00/user/mo
No free trial evidenced
- Hobby$0.00/user/mo
- Hobby $0 workspace + compute. Evaluation / side projects — not the production research floor.
- Starter web service$7.00/mo
- $7/mo Starter web instance — compute, not the Pro $25 workspace production floor.
- ProPopular$25.00/mo
- $25/mo Pro workspace + compute — production research floor on render.com/pricing.
- Scale$499.00/mo
- $499/mo Scale workspace + compute.
- EnterpriseCustom
- Custom Enterprise Render workspace — contact sales.
Estimate your team cost
Monthly estimate from verified per-seat list pricing. Confirm on the vendor site before purchasing.
Cloudways
$165.00/mo
Render
$375.00/mo
+$210.00/mo — Render 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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