Cloudways

About Cloudways

Founded in 2012, Cloudways is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, according to its current company listing. DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in 2022, and Cloudways now operates within the DigitalOcean group. Current DigitalOcean terms identify DigitalOcean, LLC as the contracting party for Cloudways services; the exact entity can depend on the customer and applicable terms.

Cloudways is known for putting server and application management tools on top of cloud infrastructure it does not own. Its own web-based platform is designed to simplify deployment and day-to-day management.

Cloudways hosting and products

Cloudways Flexible

Configurable, managed cloud hosting for WordPress and other PHP applications. You choose an underlying infrastructure provider, making this option relevant to sites and applications that need adjustable server resources.

Cloudways Autonomous

Managed WordPress hosting with automatic scaling. It is aimed at WordPress sites that need capacity to adjust as demand changes.

Cloudways Velocity

Managed hosting for Node.js applications, for teams that want a managed hosting layer for this application environment.

Managed AI Agents

Managed infrastructure for deploying AI agents, including OpenClaw and Hermes.

Other tools and add-ons

Cloudways also offers an AI-assisted WordPress website builder, AI Copilot tools for monitoring and troubleshooting, and billing and reporting tools for agencies and freelancers. Optional services include CDN, email hosting and delivery, DNS, malware protection, SafeUpdates, Site Manager and Astra Pro. Its application hosting supports platforms including WooCommerce, Magento and Laravel.

Infrastructure and support

Cloudways lists access to more than 150 data-centre locations in over 50 countries through DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud. These facilities are operated by the infrastructure partners, not Cloudways. Available locations depend on the provider selected and can change.

Standard technical support is available around the clock through live chat and support tickets, alongside a knowledge base. Advanced and Premium support options provide enhanced assistance; Premium includes a private Slack channel and phone support. Both paid support add-ons have a six-month minimum commitment.

Who should consider Cloudways?

Cloudways can suit developers, agencies and site owners who want managed tools for cloud-hosted WordPress or other supported applications, and are comfortable choosing resources and working with a hosting control panel. It may be less suitable for people who expect cPanel, a browser-based file manager, or a conventional fixed-price hosting arrangement. File access is through SFTP or SSH.

Read our full Cloudways review for the trade-offs and customer feedback, or compare WordPress hosting options below.

Cloudways FAQs

Where is Cloudways based?

Cloudways’s current company listing gives Broomfield, Colorado, United States as its headquarters. Older company records have associated it with Malta.

What does Cloudways sell?

It sells managed hosting for WordPress, PHP and Node.js applications, as well as managed infrastructure for AI agents and related website, monitoring and agency tools.

Does Cloudways offer WordPress hosting?

Yes. Its products include configurable managed cloud hosting for WordPress and a managed WordPress option with automatic scaling.

Does Cloudways require a long-term hosting contract?

Cloudways uses usage-based billing rather than a conventional fixed-term hosting contract. Optional Advanced and Premium support add-ons have a six-month minimum commitment.