Cloudways vs Decodo (Smartproxy)
Compare Cloudways and Decodo (Smartproxy) 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
- ✓ Integrations
- ✓ Security & admin
Choose Cloudways if: Teams that want managed hosting on a chosen cloud VM without buying a panel licence
Choose Decodo (Smartproxy) if: Teams that knew Smartproxy and need the Decodo-branded same network
Decodo (Smartproxy)
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) residential proxies — 3GB $11.25/mo ($3.75/GB); PAYG $4/GB; advertised $2/GB at 1000GB. 3-day trial. Slug remains smartproxy.
Best for
- • Teams that knew Smartproxy and need the Decodo-branded same network
- • Buyers who want a published $11.25 residential starter versus Bright Data commits
- • Projects that will validate a 3-day trial before GB scale
Starting from $11.25/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Cloudways and Decodo (Smartproxy). Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Cloudways researched starting price from $11/mo; Decodo (Smartproxy) researched starting price from $11.25/mo. Better value depends on plan rungs, currency, and add-ons.
CloudwaysDependsDecodo (Smartproxy)Depends - Depends
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Cloudways does not research a free plan; Decodo (Smartproxy) does not research a free plan.
CloudwaysDependsDecodo (Smartproxy)Depends - Depends
User / licence minimum
Seat floors, per-employee minimums, and small-team pricing traps.
Check seat, agent, or licence minimums for Cloudways and Decodo (Smartproxy) on current vendor packaging.
CloudwaysDependsDecodo (Smartproxy)Depends - Cloudways
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Cloudways leads on integrations (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Cloudways8/10Decodo (Smartproxy)7/10 - Cloudways
Security & admin
Admin controls, access, compliance posture, and security packaging.
Cloudways leads on security admin (7/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
CloudwaysStrongerDecodo (Smartproxy)Weaker
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