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A2 Hosting vs Cloudways
A2 Hosting
Cloudways
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and performance to help you choose the right hosting provider.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | A2 Hosting | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | N/A |
| Price | $2.99/mo | N/A |
| Renewal Price | $11.99/mo | N/A |
| Storage | 15 GB NVMe SSD | 25 GB NVMe |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | 1 TB |
| Websites | 1 | Unlimited |
| CPU | 2 vCPU | 1 vCPU |
| RAM | 2 GB | 1 GB |
| Free Domain | ||
| Free SSL | ||
| Server Locations | ||
| Regions | 4 | 9 ★ |
| Locations | US East, Michigan US West, Arizona Western Europe, Amsterdam Southeast Asia, Singapore | US East, New York, Virginia US West, San Francisco, Oregon Western Europe, London, Amsterdam Central Europe, Frankfurt Southeast Asia, Singapore East Asia, Tokyo India, Mumbai, Bangalore Australia & Oceania, Sydney South America, Sao Paulo |
| Plan Details | ||
| Limited plan details available | Limited plan details available | |
| Monthly Visitors | Unlimited | |
| Email Accounts | ||
Features | ||
CMS & Platforms (7) | ||
Languages & Frameworks (9) | ||
Databases (4) | ||
Developer Tools (8) | ||
Performance & CDN (4) | ||
| Caching | ||
| CDN | ||
| LiteSpeed | ||
| SSD Storage | ||
Security (6) | ||
| 2FA | ||
| Backups | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Malware Scan | ||
| SSL | ||
| WAF | ||
Support (4) | ||
Extras & Guarantees (5) | ||
| Slight discrepancies are possible. We recommend verifying details on the provider's website. | ||
| Visit A2 Hosting | Visit Cloudways | |
Pricing & Plans
A2 Hosting Plans
Cloudways Plans
Pros & Cons
A2 Hosting
Pros
- LiteSpeed web server on all plans
- NVMe SSD storage for fast performance
- Free website migration
- 24/7/365 expert support
- Wide range of hosting types (shared, VPS, reseller, WordPress)
Cons
- Recent rebrand from A2 Hosting to hosting.com may cause confusion
- No public dedicated server pricing (contact sales)
- WordPress plans show $1/mo promo but renewal is significantly higher
- VDS plans have no public pricing
Cloudways
Pros
- Choice of 5 cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud)
- Pay-as-you-go monthly billing — no long-term contracts required
- No price increase on renewal
- Free staging environments with 1-click push/pull
- Imunify360 server firewall and vulnerability scanner
- Object Cache Pro included on 4 GB+ servers
- 3-day free trial without credit card
- 24/7/365 support on all plans
Cons
- No annual billing discount on Flexible plans
- Cloudflare Enterprise CDN is a paid add-on ($4.99/domain/mo)
- No free domain included
- No built-in email hosting (Rackspace add-on $1/mailbox/mo)
- Advanced Support is expensive ($100/mo)
- AWS and Google Cloud plans are significantly more expensive
- No cPanel or Plesk — custom control panel only
Frequently Asked Questions
A2 Hosting
What is web hosting?
It’s the service that stores your website's files and makes them available for the world to see on the internet.
Do I need web hosting for my website?
Yes. If you want a website, you need a place for it to live online. A hosting plan provides that secure space on our servers.
What is shared hosting?
It’s the most cost-effective way to get online. Your site shares server resources with others, which keeps the price low. It's perfect for personal sites, blogs, and small businesses.
What's the difference between shared hosting and a managed server?
Shared hosting puts your site in its own isolated container on a managed, shared server — you get dedicated CPU and RAM, and we run everything. A managed server gives you the whole box: all the resources are yours, still fully managed by us. Most sites start on shared and move up when they outgrow it — same platform, same team, no re-platforming.
Can I upgrade my hosting plan later?
Yes — our plans are built to grow with you. You can upgrade easily and without downtime, all the way from shared hosting to a managed server of your own.
Do I get email with my hosting plan?
Yes, all plans come with our integrated cPanel email solution, so you can create professional addresses using your domain name.
Is technical knowledge required to use web hosting?
No. The control panel is intuitive, and Orbi plus our in-house team are on hand 24/7. Developers can still reach advanced tools like SSH, Git integration and custom cron jobs.
Is web hosting secure?
Yes. All our plans include robust security features like SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and automated backups to keep your site safe.
Can I host multiple websites on one plan?
Some of our plans do. Just check the features of each plan to see which one fits your needs. check plan specs for the site limit.
Do I get root access?
These are fully managed servers, which means we take care of all the patching, security updates and server management for you. You'll access everything through cPanel, so you can focus on running your site without worrying about what's happening behind the scenes. And if you ever decide you'd like full root access and direct OS control, our unmanaged dedicated or cloud options would be a perfect fit for that.
What's the difference between this and shared hosting?
On shared hosting, resources are spread across many customers on the same server, so performance can vary depending on what everyone else is doing. With a Managed cPanel Server, all the RAM, CPU and NVMe storage are dedicated entirely to you. You'll still get the same familiar cPanel interface, but with the added benefit of full isolation, predictable performance and resources that are yours alone.
How many websites can I run?
There's no limit on addon domains or websites within a single cPanel account, so you can host as many sites as you need. If you'd prefer separate cPanel logins for different clients or projects, whether that's for isolation, independent quotas or white labelling, you can easily add extra cPanel accounts through autoscale licensing. These are charged at the transparent cPanel pass through rate, so no markups or surprises.
What exactly does "fully managed" include?
We take care of everything on the server side for you, including initial provisioning and configuration, OS and software patching (cPanel, CloudLinux, Monarx and more), firewall setup and maintenance, 24/7 server level monitoring, daily backup configuration and website migrations. Essentially, we keep the engine running smoothly so you can focus on your sites. Things like application code, CMS plugin updates and content are yours to manage through cPanel, giving you full control over the stuff t
What happens when I need to scale up?
You can upgrade to a larger plan whenever you need to, and we'll handle the entire move for you. No migration headaches on your end.
What Is VPS Hosting?
VPS is an abbreviation for “virtual private server”. A VPS works by dividing a physical server into separate virtual machines. Each of these virtual machines, or virtual private servers, operate completely independently from one another. In other words, each VPS has its own operating system as well as allocation of resources like RAM, CPU and disk space. This provides you with an environment that closely mimics that of a Dedicated Server, without the costs associated with it.
Cloudways
Is there a discount on managed cloud hosting for the first month?
Yes, many managed cloud hosting providers offer discounts for new users during the first month. These offers let you try the platform at a lower cost before fully committing. At Cloudways, we are offering 30% off for the first 5 months on all web hosting plans, along with free migrations handled by experts and making it easier for you to get started with our managed cloud hosting platform.
Which web hosting provider offers the best value for long term plans?
Finding the best long term web hosting provider depends on performance, scalability, and transparent pricing. While many providers attracts users with low starting prices that jump sharply at renewal, Cloudways offers pay-as-you-go pricing to keep costs predictable. With managed cloud servers starting at $11/month, Cloudways provides enterprise-level performance, 24/7 expert support, and full scalability across top cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean. For small to medium bus
How does 24/7/365 support work?
Every cloud hosting plan on Cloudways includes 24/7/365 support via Live Chat and our ticketing system. The Advanced and Premium Support add-ons offer exclusive benefits such as quicker response times and enhanced support access. For assistance, contact Cloudways support at '[email protected]'.
Do you charge any tax on monthly invoices?
Yes, as part of DigitalOcean LLC, Cloudways is required to collect fiscal taxes (such as VAT, GST, or Sales Tax) from customers located in specific countries and U.S. states to comply with local regulations. The tax rate is determined by your billing address and will be listed as a separate line item on your monthly invoice. Registered businesses in most locations can apply for a tax exemption on future invoices by providing a valid Tax ID via the Cloudways Platform. Click to read more about how
What is a free trial?
It is a chance for you to familiarize yourself with Cloudways Platform and test its capabilities. No risk, no obligation, no credit card required and you can cancel anytime.
Can I have servers on separate pricing plans and separate cloud providers?
Yes, you can launch multiple servers of the same or different cloud hosting plans and providers. It is entirely up to you how many servers of which cloud hosting pricing plans and infrastructure provider(s) you launch.
Can I launch separate applications?
Yes. There is no restriction on the number of applications you can launch on a single server.
What if I change my Cloudways pricing plan midway through the month?
Cloudways charges you hourly. This means you are charged only for what you use. As soon as you change your cloud hosting pricing plans, it will be reflected immediately on your invoice.
When will I be charged?
We use post-billing method and charge in arrears. Invoices are issued in the first week of every month for usage of services in the previous month. You will be notified by email of your invoices. For details, click here.
Do you charge differently for servers in different regions?
Yes, pricing varies by region. AWS and GCP have different prices for their infrastructure in each region. We pass those regional pricing differences along to customers. Generally, North America and Europe regions tend to be less expensive than Asia Pacific and South America.
What if I exceed my bandwidth?
Cloudways follows a pay-as-you-go model for bandwidth usage. This means you only pay for the additional bandwidth you consume beyond your plan's limit. On Amazon Web Services (AWS), bandwidth is billed on-demand at $0.12/GB for all regions. On Google Cloud Platform (GCP), bandwidth is billed on pay as you go basis at $0.10 to $0.17 per additional GB, varying by region. On DigitalOcean, additional bandwidth is charged at $0.02/GB.
Is there a way to estimate costs prior to launching your server?
Yes. The exact pricing for whichever configuration you choose will be visible while launching your server. Note that pricing may vary based on location for AWS & GCP servers.
Ready to Choose?
Both providers offer great features. Visit their websites to see the latest deals and pricing.
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US East, Michigan
Western Europe, Amsterdam
Southeast Asia, Singapore
Western Europe, London, Amsterdam
Central Europe, Frankfurt
East Asia, Tokyo
India, Mumbai, Bangalore
Australia & Oceania, Sydney
South America, Sao Paulo