Cloudways Pricing: Plans, Billing, Backups & Real Cost

Cloudways pricing works differently from traditional shared hosting because there is no single “renewal price” that applies to every customer.

Instead, Cloudways uses pay-as-you-go billing based on the hosting product, server resources, usage and optional services you choose.

Cloudways currently has two main hosting models:

• Cloudways Flexible: managed cloud servers with configurable resources and infrastructure choices.
• Cloudways Autonomous: managed WordPress hosting with autoscaling and usage-based overages.

That means your real monthly cost may include more than the headline plan price.

A useful cost model is:

Cloudways Monthly Cost
=
Hosting Plan
+
Backup Storage
+
Bandwidth / Overage Charges
+
Optional Add-ons
+
Additional Resources

Last verified: September 27, 2026. Pricing, plan labels, overage rates, add-on packaging and promotions can change.

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1. How Cloudways Pricing Works

Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go billing model.

This means you generally pay for active Cloudways resources based on product/provider usage rather than buying a traditional multi-year hosting contract upfront. Flexible and Autonomous use different billing mechanics, so the product and underlying infrastructure still matter.

Cloudways currently generates invoices on:

the first day of each month for the previous month's usage.

This creates an important difference from traditional shared hosting.

With conventional hosting, the flow is often:

Pay for 1–4 Years Upfront
→ Use Hosting
→ Renew at New Rate

Cloudways is closer to:

Launch Resources
→ Use Hosting
→ Usage Is Recorded
→ Receive Monthly Invoice

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2. Does Cloudways Have Renewal Pricing?

Not in the traditional shared-hosting sense.

Cloudways does not normally advertise:

“$3/month today, $15/month when you renew.”

Instead, users pay according to the current rate for the resources and services they consume.

That does not mean Cloudways prices can never change.

It means its billing model is structurally different from introductory-term shared-hosting discounts.

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3. Cloudways Premium vs Standard: What Changes?

The GSC query cloudways premium vs standard refers to DigitalOcean server types inside Cloudways Flexible, not to Flexible versus Autonomous.

Do not assume Premium is automatically faster for every WordPress workload. PHP, database behavior, cache state, application code and region can matter more than the server label.

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4. Cloudways Flexible Pricing

Cloudways Flexible is the product most users associate with traditional Cloudways managed cloud hosting.

At our latest verification, an entry Flexible configuration was:

Cloudways pricing changes as you select larger server resources.

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5. What Is Included With Cloudways Flexible?

Cloudways currently includes several managed-platform features with Flexible hosting.

These include:

• Managed hosting layer.
• Free migration.
• Vertical scaling.
• Built-in firewall with IP blocking.
• Redis caching.
• Advanced staging and cloning.
• WordPress vulnerability scanning.
• Let's Encrypt SSL.
• 24/7 support.

Object Cache Pro is also included on qualifying server sizes.

This matters because raw VPS pricing alone does not represent the same service level.

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6. Unlimited Websites on Flexible

Cloudways Flexible currently allows users to run multiple applications/websites on a server, limited primarily by available server resources rather than a traditional fixed website-count rule.

This can improve cost efficiency when:

• You operate several small websites.
• You manage client WordPress sites.
• The combined workload fits comfortably within one server.

However, putting too many websites on one server can also create shared resource pressure.

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7. Flexible Hourly Billing

For Flexible servers on DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr, Cloudways applies hourly usage calculations with a monthly cap when the server is not active for the full month; a server active for the full month reaches the applicable monthly price.

This means a genuinely short-lived server that is later deleted can cost less than keeping the same resource for the full billing month.

For example:

Temporary Server
→ Launch
→ Use for Testing
→ Delete
→ Pay for Applicable Usage

Always verify the billing model for the infrastructure provider you select.

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8. Monthly vs Hourly Billing

Cloudways' official billing documentation distinguishes between infrastructure providers.

DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr use the monthly-cap model described above. AWS and Google Compute Engine have different billing behavior, including residual storage charges on stopped servers.

The practical lesson is:

do not assume every Cloudways server calculates cost in exactly the same way.

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9. Deleting a Server and Billing

When you delete an eligible pay-as-you-go server, future server charges stop. Stopping a DigitalOcean, Linode or Vultr server does not stop billing because allocated resources such as disk/IP remain assigned; AWS/GCE stopped servers can still incur reduced storage-related charges.

You are still billed for usage already incurred before deletion.

This is useful for:

• Temporary projects.
• Development.
• Migration testing.
• Short-term campaigns.

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10. Be Careful With Cloned Servers

Cloudways currently treats a running cloned server as another billable server.

If you have:

• 1 production server.
• 1 separate cloned server.

both can generate hosting charges while running.

Delete unnecessary temporary clones after testing.

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11. Flexible Bandwidth and Overage Costs

Flexible bandwidth pricing depends on the underlying infrastructure provider and server plan. Cloudways documents provider-specific included transfer and overage rules rather than one universal Flexible bandwidth-overage rate.

Check the selected DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS or Google Cloud plan before estimating total bandwidth cost.

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12. Cloudways Backup Pricing

Backups are one of the most important additional Cloudways costs to understand.

Cloudways Flexible currently lists offsite backup storage at:

$0.033 per GB per server.

This charge is separate from the headline server price. Cloudways currently rounds Flexible backup charges in $0.50 increments. New servers default to automated backups every 24 hours with one week of retention; current settings allow frequency from one hour to every seven days and retention from one to four weeks.

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13. Backup Cost Example

Suppose your offsite backup storage uses:

50 GB.

At $0.033/GB, the raw storage calculation is:

50 × $0.033 = $1.65

Because Flexible backup charges are rounded in $0.50 increments, that raw amount can appear as approximately $2.00 under the current rounding rule.

At 100 GB, the raw calculation is $3.30, which can round to approximately $3.50.

These examples isolate backup storage only; the actual bill depends on measured backup usage and Cloudways' current invoicing rules.

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14. Why Backup Storage Can Grow

Backup usage depends on factors including:

• Website size.
• Database size.
• Number of applications.
• Retention policy.
• Frequency.
• File changes.

A small blog and a large WooCommerce store will not have the same backup footprint.

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15. Cloudways Autonomous Pricing

Cloudways Autonomous is different from Flexible.

It is built around managed WordPress with autoscaling.

For accounts using the current Autonomous pricing model introduced for new signups after November 11, 2025, billing is hourly per application with baseline capacity, autoscaling charges and usage overages.

Cloudways currently advertises:

• Growth: $99/month baseline — 1 site, 20 GB disk, 150 GB bandwidth and 1 baseline autoscale server.
• Scale: $199/month baseline — 1 site, 50 GB disk, 250 GB bandwidth and 2 baseline autoscale servers.
• Plus: $399/month baseline — 1 site, 100 GB disk, 1,000 GB bandwidth and 3 baseline autoscale servers.
• Enterprise: custom pricing.

These rates should be reverified before purchase because Autonomous pricing has changed over time.

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16. What Is Included in Autonomous?

Cloudways Autonomous currently includes features such as:

• Autoscaling.
• Managed WordPress hosting.
• Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.
• Redis caching.
• Object Cache Pro + Relay.
• Managed migration.
• Advanced staging and cloning.
• Malware protection.
• Firewall and DDoS protection.
• 24/7 support.

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17. Autonomous Autoscaling Charges

Autonomous can generate additional autoscaling charges when an application needs resources beyond its baseline capacity.

Cloudways also supports autoscaling budget thresholds. Reaching the configured budget can pause additional autoscaling, while disk and bandwidth overages may still continue.

This means:

Autonomous Cost
=
Base Plan
+
Extra Autoscaling Usage
+
Bandwidth Overages
+
Disk Overages
+
Optional Add-ons

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18. Autonomous Bandwidth Overage

For the current Autonomous pricing model, Cloudways lists additional bandwidth at:

$0.04 per GB

beyond the applicable included allocation. Visit overage is currently free under the newer pricing model; disk and bandwidth remain the metered overage dimensions.

This is especially important for:

• Media-heavy websites.
• High-traffic ecommerce.
• Large downloadable files.
• Traffic spikes.

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19. Autonomous Disk Overage

For the current Autonomous pricing model, Cloudways lists additional disk space at:

$1 per GB.

Large media libraries can therefore increase the monthly bill.

Before selecting Autonomous, estimate:

• WordPress files.
• Uploads.
• Database size.
• Growth rate.

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20. Flexible vs Autonomous Pricing

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21. Flexible vs Autonomous: Entry-Cost Difference

Flexible currently has the substantially lower entry price.

That does not make it the lower total cost for every workload. Flexible bills server resources and related services; Autonomous prices each application around baseline capacity, autoscaling and its included/overage model.

Model the actual site count, bandwidth, disk usage and expected scaling events rather than choosing from the entry price alone.

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22. Cloudways Cloudflare Enterprise Pricing

On Cloudways Flexible, Cloudflare Enterprise is currently priced by subscribed domain count:

• 1–4 domains: $4.99/month per domain.
• 5–9 domains: $3.99/month per domain.
• 10–24 domains: $2.99/month per domain.
• 25+ domains: $1.99/month per domain.

Bandwidth beyond the add-on's included allocation is currently $0.02/GB. The subscription is prorated if activated partway through the month. Each eligible domain currently receives a one-time trial that ends after 30 days or 100 GB of bandwidth, whichever comes first.

Autonomous includes Cloudflare Enterprise in its current plan feature set, so do not add the Flexible add-on price to an Autonomous estimate.

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23. Cloudways Site Manager Pricing

Cloudways Site Manager has a Basic plan that is free and a paid Pro plan with SafeUpdates, scheduled auto-updates, visual regression, activity logs/history and performance monitoring.

The current Cloudways integrations/pricing pages list Site Manager Pro as starting at $3 per application per month. Verify the live dashboard before purchase because per-application packaging can change.

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24. Cloudways Copilot Pricing

Cloudways Copilot is a Flexible-only AI troubleshooting/monitoring add-on that uses credits for AI Insights and SmartFix actions.

The current primary pricing page displays 4 free AI Copilot credits on Flexible plans. Separate current Copilot documentation clearly lists Growth at $9.99/month for 12 credits and Scale from $19.99/month for 25 credits, with larger credit packs available.

Cloudways' current Copilot support pages are not fully synchronized on Starter/free eligibility and promotional duration, so do not assume a permanent universal Starter price. Check the account dashboard and current eligibility text before adding Copilot to a long-term cost model.

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25. Malware Protection Pricing

Cloudways Flexible currently prices Malware Protection by application count:

• 1–5 applications: $4/month per application.
• 6–15 applications: $3/month per application.
• 15+ applications: $2/month per application.

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26. Cloudways Email Add-on Pricing: Rackspace and Titan

Cloudways now has two business-mailbox paths in its current documentation.

Rackspace Email: current support/integrations documentation lists $1.50 per mailbox per month with 25 GB storage, prorated daily. Ten active mailboxes for a full month are approximately $15/month. Assisted Rackspace mailbox migration is currently $10 per mailbox.

Titan Email: Cloudways now lists Pro $1.99, Premium $3.99 and Ultra $8.99 per mailbox per month, with 25 GB, 50 GB and 100 GB storage respectively. Migration into Titan is currently documented as free.

Cloudways' main pricing page still exposes an older $1/mailbox Rackspace line in one area, while the newer Rackspace help page and integrations page show $1.50. Use the live add-on/dashboard price when budgeting. Titan availability also depends on having an eligible paid Cloudways service.

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27. DNS Made Easy Pricing

Cloudways currently lists DNS Made Easy at $0.50 per domain per month, including 500,000 DNS queries per domain each month.

Queries beyond the included quota are currently billed at $0.10 per 100,000 additional queries.

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28. Advanced Support Pricing

Cloudways sells enhanced support beyond the standard support included with hosting.

The primary pricing page currently shows the regular Advanced Support reference price at $100/month while also advertising a temporary discounted offer. This guide does not use the temporary promotional figure as a permanent cost assumption; verify the live checkout and support scope before budgeting.

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29. Standard Support Is Already Included

Every Cloudways hosting plan currently includes standard 24/7 support.

You therefore do not need to purchase premium support simply to access normal Cloudways assistance.

Enhanced support is for users who require a broader or faster support scope.

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30. Free SSL

Cloudways includes free SSL options.

For most normal websites, this means there is no need to add a paid DV SSL certificate to the Cloudways hosting cost.

Read our Best SSL Certificates guide.

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31. Domain Registration Is Separate

Cloudways is primarily a hosting platform rather than a conventional domain registrar.

Your domain registration cost should therefore be calculated separately.

A realistic annual website cost is closer to:

Website Cost
=
Cloudways Hosting
+
Domain Renewal
+
Email (Rackspace / Titan / External)
+
Backup Storage
+
Optional CDN / Add-ons

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32. Example: Small WordPress Site

A small WordPress site might use:

• Entry Cloudways Flexible server.
• Free SSL.
• Small backup footprint.
• External or no paid email.

In that case, hosting can remain reasonably close to the base server price plus backup usage.

This is one of the simplest Cloudways cost profiles.

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33. Example: Multiple WordPress Sites

An agency could place several compatible WordPress sites on one adequately sized Flexible server.

The economics may become:

One Larger Server
÷
Several Client Sites
=
Lower Infrastructure Cost Per Site

This works only while the combined workload remains appropriate for the server.

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34. Example: WooCommerce Store

A WooCommerce store may require:

• More RAM.
• More CPU.
• Object caching.
• More frequent backups.
• Additional bandwidth.

Therefore, its realistic cost can be considerably higher than the $11 entry server.

Read our Best Hosting for WooCommerce.

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35. Example: High-Traffic WooCommerce

Autonomous can make more sense when a store experiences highly variable traffic.

Examples include:

• Flash sales.
• Seasonal campaigns.
• Product launches.
• Viral traffic.

The higher baseline price buys a different operating model rather than simply “more hosting.”

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36. Cloudways vs Shared Hosting Pricing

Cloudways often costs more at the entry level than heavily discounted shared hosting.

However, the comparison should include:

• Renewal rates.
• Server resources.
• Staging.
• Caching.
• Backups.
• Scaling.
• Number of websites.

A $2 promotional shared-hosting plan and an $11 managed cloud server are not equivalent products.

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37. Cloudways vs Hostinger Pricing

Hostinger and Cloudways use different pricing/hosting models, so the relevant comparison is the required Hostinger product against the Cloudways configuration—not a universal brand-level price claim.

Cloudways pricing should be evaluated when the requirement is specifically managed cloud infrastructure rather than only the lowest introductory hosting number.

If you are deciding whether the lower-cost packaged hosting model or Cloudways' managed-cloud approach provides better value for your workload, read our Cloudways vs Hostinger comparison.

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38. Cloudways vs Hostinger VPS Pricing

Hostinger VPS packages root-controlled KVM resources, while Cloudways prices a managed platform layer around supported cloud infrastructure.

The products therefore allocate cost differently even when headline CPU, RAM or storage numbers overlap.

Therefore compare:

managed service value

rather than only:

RAM per dollar.

If the real decision is whether to pay for managed cloud infrastructure or administer a root-level VPS yourself, read our Cloudways vs Hostinger VPS comparison.

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39. Cloudways vs Kamatera Pricing

Kamatera provides more granular raw-cloud infrastructure configuration.

Cloudways provides a managed layer for supported web applications.

If you need:

• Root access.
• Custom operating-system control.
• Docker.
• CyberPanel.

Kamatera becomes the relevant comparison when configurable root-controlled infrastructure is part of the requirement.

For the full cost and architecture trade-off between configurable root-level infrastructure and managed cloud hosting, read our Kamatera vs Cloudways comparison.

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40. Is There a Cloudways Free Plan?

No permanent free hosting plan.

Cloudways currently documents separate 3-day trials with no credit card required for Flexible and Autonomous.

Flexible can be upgraded to Full Access with a payment method. For Autonomous, current documentation warns that an account with a payment method already added can automatically upgrade to a paid plan when the trial ends unless the application/trial is canceled.

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41. Do You Need a Credit Card for the Flexible Trial?

Cloudways currently documents a 3-day Flexible trial without a credit card. Upgrading to Full Access requires a valid payment method, and a temporary card authorization can appear during verification and then reverse.

Trial eligibility and verification requirements can still vary, so check the current signup flow.

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42. How to Avoid Unexpected Cloudways Charges

• Check month-to-date billing regularly.
• Delete servers you no longer need; simply stopping DigitalOcean/Linode/Vultr servers does not stop billing.
• Delete temporary cloned servers.
• Monitor backup storage.
• Watch Autonomous bandwidth and disk usage.
• Review optional add-ons.
• Scale only when workload requires it.

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43. Cloudways Cost Checklist

Before buying, calculate the items below. Cloudways pricing pages may display prices excluding applicable taxes, so include taxes/VAT where relevant to your billing location.

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44. When Flexible's Pricing Model Fits

Flexible aligns with requirements such as:

• Run WordPress.
• Run WooCommerce.
• Manage several sites.
• Want managed infrastructure.
• Want a lower Cloudways entry cost.
• Do not need unrestricted root access.

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45. When Autonomous Pricing Becomes Relevant

Autonomous aligns with pricing/operating requirements such as:

• Traffic changes dramatically.
• Availability during spikes is important.
• You operate high-traffic WooCommerce.
• You need managed autoscaling.
• You can justify the higher baseline cost.

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46. When Another Hosting Model May Fit Better

Evaluate another hosting model when you:

• Need unrestricted root access.
• Need CyberPanel.
• Need a general Docker server.
• Need the cheapest possible shared hosting.
• Want domain registration bundled into hosting.

If the question has shifted from “what will Cloudways cost?” to “is Cloudways actually the right product for me?”, continue with the dedicated Cloudways Review.

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47. How Cloudways Cost Compares With Other Hosting Models

The answer depends on the comparison baseline.

Cloudways' $11 managed-cloud entry point is higher than some introductory shared-hosting offers, but those products can differ substantially in billing term, resources and management scope.

It can be competitively priced compared with other managed cloud or managed WordPress environments when you account for included:

• Server management.
• Caching.
• Staging.
• Security tooling.
• Migration.
• Support.

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48. When the Managed-Platform Premium Can Make Sense

The Cloudways management layer becomes economically relevant when reduced server-administration work, staging/caching tooling and platform support have value to the workload or team.

A raw VPS may cost less while requiring you to manage:

• Linux.
• Web server.
• PHP.
• Database.
• Security.
• Backups.

Cloudways monetizes the management layer between you and that infrastructure.

For the broader question of features, limitations, support scope and whether the platform is worth using—not just what it costs—the dedicated Cloudways Review covers that product-level decision.

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49. Final Pricing Decision Framework

Use this framework:

Small / Medium WordPress Workload
→ Evaluate Flexible

Several Compatible Sites
→ Size One Flexible Server for Combined Load

Variable / Spike-Heavy WordPress
→ Model Autonomous Baseline + Scaling/Overages

Need Root / Docker / CyberPanel
→ Compare Root-Controlled VPS/Cloud

Need Low-Cost Basic Shared Hosting
→ Compare Shared-Hosting Pricing Separately

Flexible is the lower-entry-cost Cloudways model to evaluate when you want managed cloud-server control. Autonomous is the separate autoscaling WordPress model to evaluate when its baseline capacity, scaling behavior and overage structure better match the workload.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Cloudways cost?

Cloudways Flexible currently starts at approximately $11 per month for an entry managed cloud server. Larger servers and Autonomous plans cost more.

Does Cloudways have a renewal price?

Cloudways uses pay-as-you-go billing rather than the typical discounted-first-term and higher-renewal structure used by many shared hosts.

Does Cloudways charge monthly?

Cloudways issues invoices monthly for previous usage, while underlying usage may be calculated using monthly or hourly billing depending on the product and infrastructure.

Does Cloudways charge hourly?

Some Cloudways products and infrastructure configurations use hourly billing calculations, subject to their applicable monthly caps and pricing rules.

How much do Cloudways backups cost?

Cloudways Flexible currently lists off-site backup storage at $0.033/GB per server and rounds backup charges in $0.50 increments. New servers default to 24-hour backups with one-week retention; current retention can be set from one to four weeks.

Does Cloudways include free SSL?

Yes. Cloudways supports free Let's Encrypt SSL, and some products include additional Cloudflare-related SSL functionality.

Does Cloudways include email?

Email hosting is not bundled like a traditional shared-hosting mailbox package. Cloudways currently offers paid mailbox options including Rackspace Email and Titan Email for eligible accounts.

How much is Cloudways email?

Current Cloudways documentation lists Rackspace at $1.50/mailbox/month. Titan currently lists Pro $1.99, Premium $3.99 and Ultra $8.99 per mailbox/month. Verify the live add-on price because one primary pricing-page element still exposes older Rackspace pricing text.

Does Cloudways include a domain?

No. Domain registration is normally purchased separately from a domain registrar.

What is Cloudways Flexible?

Flexible is Cloudways' managed cloud-server platform for WordPress, WooCommerce and supported PHP applications with configurable server resources and vertical scaling.

What is Cloudways Autonomous?

Autonomous is Cloudways' managed autoscaling WordPress platform designed for workloads where traffic can grow or spike substantially.

How do Flexible and Autonomous entry costs differ?

Flexible currently has the substantially lower entry price. Autonomous starts from a higher per-application baseline and adds autoscaling plus disk/bandwidth overage mechanics, so compare the actual workload rather than only the starting number.

How should Cloudways pricing be compared with Hostinger?

Compare the specific Hostinger product with the relevant Cloudways model. Shared/managed WordPress hosting, root-controlled VPS and Cloudways managed cloud use different billing/resource structures, so a brand-level price comparison is not equivalent.

How should Cloudways pricing be compared with a self-managed VPS?

Compare total operating cost: VPS resources, backups/software and administration time versus Cloudways' managed-platform price and add-ons. CPU/RAM per dollar alone does not represent the same service scope.

How does Cloudways compare with Kamatera?

Kamatera is closer to configurable root-level cloud infrastructure, while Cloudways adds a managed layer for supported applications. The dedicated Kamatera vs Cloudways comparison covers the decision when infrastructure control is part of it.

Does Cloudways have a free plan?

No permanent free hosting plan is currently offered. Cloudways provides a short free trial for eligible users.

How long is the Cloudways trial?

Cloudways currently documents 3-day no-credit-card trials for both Flexible and Autonomous, with different upgrade/end-of-trial behavior by product.

What determines whether Cloudways' price fits the workload?

Model the value of managed infrastructure, staging/caching, support and reduced Linux administration against the base hosting price plus backups, bandwidth and add-ons. If the decision is about product suitability rather than pricing, use the dedicated Cloudways Review.