Quick Pick For a seamless, user-friendly, and cost-effective cloud hosting experience – we highly recommend Hostinger Cloud ($9.99/mo) for beginners and small business owners. For those needing more advanced customization and control, Cloudways ($14/mo), known for its robust features and flexible scalability, stands out as our second-top choice.
More Hosting Choices: Best Overall / VPS Hosting / Cheap Hosting / Website Builders
1. Hostinger
- Huge discount during signup, the cheapest plan "Startup" starts at $9.99 per month
- Host up to 300 websites per account
- Dedicated server resources for all cloud plans
- 24/7 customer support via online chat / ticketing system
- Overall Hostinger ratings:
Website: https://www.hostinger.com/cloud-hosting
Our Thoughts on Hostinger Cloud Hosting
Hostinger has been in the business for over a decade now. Their cheap shared hosting plans have been, and still are, a strong part of its very comprehensive product suite.
Today, Hostinger has long outgrown itself and expanded to advanced cloud server hosting. With the capacity to host up to 300 websites per account, built-in website builder, a custom hosting control dashboard (hPanel), server locations in eight countries (USA, United Kingdom, France, India, Singapore, Brazil, Lithuania, and the Netherlands), and very competitive pricing - Hostinger offers a great cloud hosting option for beginners and small business owners.
Read our full Hostinger review.
Hostinger Cloud Hosting Plans
Features | Startup | Professional | Enterprise |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 2 | 4 | |
Memory | 3 GB | 6 GB | 12 GB |
Storage | 200 GB | 250 GB | 300 GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Signup Price | $9.99/mo | $14.99/mo | $29.99/mo |
Introductory Offers: All Hostinger Cloud Hosting Plans support up to 300 websites, unlimited free SSL, HTTP/3, WP-CLI, daily backup, built-in website builder, and come with a huge introductory discount. If you signup now, you'll get a 60% discount and free 3 months subscription.
2. Cloudways
- Instant access to different cloud platforms including Digital Ocean, Google Cloud, and AWS
- User-friendly, integrated dashboard
- Regular security patching and built-in firewalls
- Topnotch 24/7/365 Support
- Overall Cloudways ratings:
Website: https://www.cloudways.com/
What I Think About Cloudways
Established in 2011, Cloudways is a systems integrator that helps people deploy their solutions on a variety of Cloud platforms. As a โManaged Cloud Hosting Providerโ - the company offers users a fair choice of various Cloud infrastructure platforms ranging from the very affordable Digital Ocean to pricey as heck Amazon Web Services (AWS).
While being the middle man in between the users and infrastructure does drive the cost up - Cloudways comes with various benefits and brings Managed Cloud to a much broader audience.
The highlight of Cloudways naturally lies in its integrated dashboard, which significantly simplifies the Cloud hosting experience. It provides a neat, graphic user interface (GUI)-driven management panel for everything you need to handle.
Even better is the fact you donโt need to worry about security. Managed security comes with its hosting plans, further justifying the bump in prices. From easy SSL to advanced options like Multi-factor authentication (MFA), Cloudways covers it all.
This website you are reading right now is hosted on the Cloudways platform (with Digital Ocean infrastructure). Learn more in our Cloudways review.
Cloudways Pricing Plans
Features | DO Plan 1 | DO Plan 2 | Google Cloud |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Memory | 2 GB | 4 GB | 15 GB |
Storage | 50 GB | 80 GB | 20 GB |
Bandwidth | 2 TB | 4 TB | 2 GB |
Starting Price | $28.00/mo | $54.00/mo | $241.62/mo |
Cloudways packages come at varying price points, with those utilizing Digital Ocean infra starting at $14/mo. More robust solutions are available in the form of Google Cloud and AWS.
3. ScalaHosting
- Instant account activation and cloud setup
- User-friendly, integrated dashboard (sPanel)
- Full NVMe storage in all cloud plans
- Flexibility to add more CPU core and memory
- Overall ScalaHosting ratings:
Website: https://www.scalahosting.com/
My Thoughts on ScalaHosting Cloud Hosting Packages
ScalaHosting has over a decade of experience in web hosting. Their unique rise to fame actually came about from their desire to make VPS hosting more accessible to the masses. This meant having tools that were more usable and affordable.
In a way, ScalaHosting is actually an innovator of sorts. Even before cPanel raised their licensing prices, ScalaHosting worked towards offering customers alternative solutions like their sPanel and SShield Security Guard.
Cloud hosting is available in ScalaHosting either via an extensive knowledge base or a support ticket system. ScalaHosting offers either Managed or Unmanaged Cloud VPS Hosting (that's how they named their plans). The first starts at $29.95/mo and the latter from $20.00/mo.
Learn more about ScalaHosting in our review.
ScalaHosting Cloud Hosting Plans
Features | Unmanaged Cloud | Managed Cloud |
---|---|---|
CPU | 4 | 12 |
Memory | 8 GB | 30 GB |
Auto Offsite Backups | No | Yes |
Storage | 50 GB NVMe | 360 GB |
Bandwidth | 3 TB | 3 TB |
Price | $20.00/mo | $29.95/mo |
4. Digital Ocean
Website: https://www.digitalocean.com/
About Digital Ocean
Digital Ocean is a US-headquartered cloud hosting company. It was an early proponent of Cloud technology and is today one of the largest hosting companies in the world. The company offers Virtual Servers based on KVM.
Advanced users can opt to select individual Cloud resources by themselves, ranging from Droplets to Kubernetes and Spaces. However, based on an aim to simplify the Cloud for the masses, it also offers a wide range of easy-to-adopt packages.
Digital Ocean operates from 12 data centers around the world. They are also highly reliable and offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee in their Service Level Agreement. Support is provided via a standard ticketing system.
Digital Ocean Plans & Pricing
Because of the modular system that Digital Ocean uses, pricing is also variable depending on your needs. Generally, though, Droplets start at $6/mo and Managed Databases at $15/mo.
Features | Low-End | Mid-Tier | High-End |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 | 6 | 32 |
Memory | 1 GB | 16 GB | 192 GB |
Storage | 25 GB | 320 GB | 3.75 TB |
Bandwidth | 1 TB | 6 TB | 12 TB |
Price | $6/mo | $80/mo | $960/mo |
5. Kamatera
Website: https://www.kamatera.com/
About Kamatera
Kamatera offers powerful Cloud computing solutions to its customers in very flexible ways. Users are free to configure the exact amounts of resources they want in a similar fashion to Google Cloud.
They do not offer pre-packaged solutions like some other providers do but focus on the true essence of Cloud - agility. This results in them being a desirable option for a variety of very cost-effective deployments.
Kamatera Plans & Pricing
Features | Low-End | Mid-Tier | High-End |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 | 28 | 104 |
Memory | 1 GB | 32 GB | 524 GB |
Storage | 20 GB | 500 GB | 4 TB |
Bandwidth | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
Price | $9/mo | $548/mo | $4,240/mo |
6. Linode
Website: https://www.linode.com/
About Linode
Linode touts itself as offering a better user experience and claims to be one of the pioneers in Cloud services. Starting back in 2003 the company today has stated it is the โlargest independent open cloud provider in the worldโ.
Compared to Vultr and Digital Ocean, Linode offers an additional dimension to potential customers. They can select a product range built with specific deployments in mind, such as websites, gaming, mobile applications, and more.
Linode Cloud Plans & Pricing
Features | Low-End | Mid-Tier | High-End |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 2 | 32 | 64 |
Memory | 4 GB | 64 GB | 512 GB |
Storage | 80 GB | 1280 GB | 7.2 TB |
Bandwidth | 4 TB | 8 TB | 12 TB |
Price | $30/mo | $480/mo | $3,840/mo |
7. Kinsta
Website: https://kinsta.com/
About Kinsta
Kinsta is one of the more unusual choices for our best cloud hosting list. Founded in 2013, they specialize in Cloud hosting only for the WordPress market. This makes them a highly focused service provider catering to an extremely popular slice of the web hosting space.
Like most other Cloud Hosting providers - Kinsta stresses performance and they offer access to 23 data centers around the world. Unusually though, they only state a 99.9% uptime. This is relatively lower than most providersโ Cloud/VPS plans.
The key selling point that revolves around Kinstaโs offering is its highly optimized speed and other server performance for WordPress. This includes extra PHP workers, tech stack tuning, instant cloning, and staging, plus support from expert WordPress developers.
More about Kinsta in our review.
Kinsta Plans & Pricing
Kinsta standard plans start from $35/mo for single WordPress sites. Prices then range all the way to Enterprise plans at $1,650 per month. Each plan is individually customizable as well. Tailor-made plans are also available upon request.
Plans | Starter | Pro | Business 1 |
---|---|---|---|
Websites | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
Storage | 10 GB | 20 GB | 30 GB |
Databases | 50 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB |
Backup | Daily | Daily | Daily |
Free Domain | No | No | No |
Free Migration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Optimized for WordPress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Email Accounts | No | No | No |
GIT Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Signup Rate | $35/mo | $70/mo | $115/mo |
Regular Rate | $35/mo | $70/mo | $115/mo |
8. Google Cloud
Website: https://cloud.google.com/
When it comes to brand names Google needs no introduction. It is one of the big dogs in the global fight for technological domination and has infiltrated almost every country around the world. However, Google Cloud solutions arenโt necessarily for everyone.
Unlike the others on this list, Google Cloud is extremely specific in the sense that they do not offer pre-packaged solutions. You need to know not only exactly what you need, but also how much of it and from where. It can be an intimidating task.
Google Cloud Pricing
Features | Low-End | Mid-Tier | High-End |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 | 8 | 96 |
Memory | 3.75 GB | 30 GB | 360 GB |
Storage | 20 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB |
Bandwidth | 250 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB |
Price | $48.92/mo | $321.68/mo | $2,591.27/mo |
9. Vultr
Website: https://www.vultr.com/
Vultr is a slightly newer addition to the pool of Cloud providers but it has grown significantly. Today it offers users a strong base of 17 data centers around the world to deploy from. Like Digital Ocean, it too offers a mix of pre-packaged resources as well as allows users to customize their own.
For those who want the power of the Cloud without too much hassle, Vultr integrates a number of user-friendly features such as their click-to-deploy app solution. Despite this, you still retain all the flexibility of the Cloud in many ways, from a choice of Operating System to complete control over your resources.
Vultr Cloud Hosting Pricing
Features | Low-End | Mid-Tier | High-End |
---|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 | 4 | 24 |
Memory | 512 MB | 4 GB | 96 GB |
Storage | 10 GB | 80 GB | 1.6 TB |
Bandwidth | 0.5 TB | 3 TB | 15 TB |
Price | $2.5/mo | $20/mo | $640/mo |
Vultr exemplifies the Cloud concept and doesnโt offer โplansโ per se. Instead, what you get is a truly flexible environment that is billed according to the exact (or as close to it as possible) amount of resources consumed.
What is available are Cloud resource blocks such as SSD storage, CPU time and a solid mix of popular control panels plus operating systems such as Windows and various Linux distributions.
Their SLA states that they strive for 100% uptime but if you look at the numbers the closer reality is 99.99% for refund credits to kick in. All resources are powered by their extensive network of 17 data centers around the world.
A Deep Dive into Today's Cloud Hosting Market
Flexibility: The #1 Benefit of Cloud
Cloud providers host a website with the resources of multiple servers. This infrastructure design offers users many more benefits compared to traditional single server-based hosting plans.
For example, the capability of combining the resources of multiple servers means that individual Cloud hosting accounts have literally no limit to server performance. At the same time, customers are not forced to pay for idle resources and can scale on demand as necessary.
Because of the redundant nature of the infrastructure, reliability is also increased.
The end result is basically Cloud-based sites that are faster and more reliable. This has led to an increased interest in Cloud hosting as compared to traditional web hosting.
Who Should Use Cloud Hosting?
With these general ideas of Cloud hosting in mind, by now youโll be aware that it isnโt right for everybody. However, medium to large-sized websites should typically be based on Cloud hosting, not just for scalability, but also speed performance, security, and access to specialized support.
If youโre already running a site and donโt see much in terms of growth prospects, there isnโt typically the need to move to Cloud hosting. Sites that are seeing more than 30,000 to 50,000 visitors monthly (and growing) should opt for, or at least seriously consider Cloud hosting.
This leads us to the next thing...
Is Cloud Cheaper than Traditional Hosting?
Short Answer: It Depends
Where most traditional web hosting solutions come as packages that include everything you need to run a website, Cloud Hosting is more piecemeal. The reason for this is that users may want to configure their Cloud Server for different purposes.
For example, if you were to run a site that is heavy on the delivery of media files, you may need something with more storage space and bandwidth, rather than computing resources. True Cloud hosting requires that you select the types and quantity of each resource separately.
Not only is each type of resource priced differently, but you also need to take into account the amounts youโll need for each type, including: computing, object storage, block storage, memory, and bandwidth.
That narrows down even further in some cases. Google Cloud Platform, for example, charges different rates for bandwidth pipes heading to and from different locations.
Cloud vs VPS Hosting Cost
Although many hosting providers use the terms Virtual Private Server (VPS) and Cloud interchangeably, they are not the same.
VPS offers the same isolated environment and dedicated resources that are found on the Cloud. However, the distinction is that VPS technology is not always Cloud-based and can refer to some on individual servers as well - thus limiting its scalability.
How Much Does VPS Usually Cost?
Based on studies weโve conducted on web hosting prices, VPS Hosting on average start from the lower spectrum at an average of $13 at signup. Mid-range prices increase to around 25 onwards.
However, this shouldnโt be taken at face value as there can be an immense discrepancy in the amount of resources that one provider may offer over the next. As an example of this, SkySilk VPS plans start from as little as $2 per month. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some VPS plans can well exceed $2,000 a month.
More examples of this price discrepancy can be seen in the following examples.
Example - TMD Hosting VPS Plans
Example - BlueHost VPS Plans
Example - InMotion Hosting VPS Plans
Choosing the Right Cloud Host
Literally every single web hosting provider in the market is offering Cloud hosting. Just because they are, doesnโt mean that you can opt for any of them. Although the guidelines of what define Cloud hosting may be the same, not all providers are equal.
In my list of the best cloud hosting providers above, Iโve included a mix specifically for this very reason. Take for example Kinsta, which specializes in Cloud hosting for WordPress sites. The benefit to Kinsta users goes far beyond using the Cloud platform but is all-encompassing. This includes gaining access to a highly optimized platform, the opportunity to interact with WordPress experts on their team and more.
How to Choose a Cloud Hosting?
Generally though, in assessing Cloud providers, aside from hosting performance you should look for a unique proposition that each service offers. Match that unique proposition with your own needs, and youโll have a winner on your hands.
Here are some key factors to consider:
- Performance: Evaluate the server speed, uptime guarantees, and the number of data centers. Your website performance plays a critical role in user experience.
- Security: Look for features such as SSL certificates, DDoS protection, firewalls, and regular backups to protect your site.
- Support: Check whether the hosting provider offers 24/7 customer support and how responsive and knowledgeable their support team is.
- Cost: Compare the pricing of different cloud providers. Do remember that the cheapest option may not always be the best. Look for a balance between cost and features.
- Integration and Compatibility: Ensure the hosting service supports the platforms and software you use, such as WordPress, Drupal, etc.
- Control Panel: A user-friendly control panel can make managing your website much easier.
- Storage and Bandwidth: Depending on your website's needs, make sure the hosting provider can offer enough storage space and bandwidth.
- Reputation and Reviews: Check out the reputation of the hosting provider and read reviews from other users.
- Migration Support: If you're moving from another hosting provider, look for a host that offers migration support.
- Environmental Impact: If sustainability is important to you, consider choosing a hosting provider that uses green technology or invests in renewable energy.
- Service Level Agreement (SLA): Make sure to read the SLA carefully to understand what is guaranteed in terms of uptime, security, and backup policies.
Should You Host Your Sites on Cloud Hosting?
Despite all the information Iโve gathered here this is perhaps the only one I cannot accurately answer for you. To assess the ideal match, you need to know exactly what you need to deploy on the Cloud.
For example, taking into account just a website deployment - there are many different types of websites. Many elements influence the resources you need so you need to match those up to specific Cloud plans.
In concept, itโs less of an issue. If you simply donโt have the technical means to deploy on the Cloud without help, then perhaps you may consider a Managed-Cloud solution. At the end of the day, the matter also boils down to dollars and cents.
Cloud Hosting FAQs
Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting that uses multiple different servers to balance the load and maximize uptime. Instead of using a single server, your website can tap into a network of servers that work together, often spread out across multiple locations. When one server goes down, the others take over, ensuring that your website stays up and running.
Unlike traditional hosting, where your website is housed on a single server, cloud hosting involves spreading your website across multiple connected servers. This interconnected network of servers is known as a cloud. This setup provides more flexibility and scalability, allowing resources to be allocated in real-time according to the needs of your website.
Hosting your website on the cloud offers several advantages. These include increased reliability due to the distributed nature of the cloud, greater scalability allowing you to easily adjust resources as your site grows, and potentially enhanced performance as resources are not tied to a single server. Additionally, some cloud platforms provide easy integration with a wide range of development tools and services.
Cloud hosting providers generally offer robust security measures - including encryption, firewalls, and regular system updates. However, the distributed nature of the cloud can make it more vulnerable to certain types of cyber threats. It's important to choose a reputable cloud hosting provider with strong security measures and good track records.
The cost of cloud hosting can vary widely depending on the provider, the resources you require (such as storage, bandwidth, and processing power), and any additional services you opt for. Some providers offer tiered plans, while others use a pay-as-you-go model where you pay for the exact resources you use. It's important to thoroughly understand the pricing structure before committing to a provider.