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Cloudways vs Kinsta
Cloudways
Kinsta
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and performance to help you choose the right hosting provider.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cloudways | Kinsta |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | N/A |
| Price | N/A | $29.17/mo |
| Storage | 25 GB NVMe | 10 GB |
| Bandwidth | 1 TB | 35,000 visits/mo |
| Websites | Unlimited | 1 |
| CPU | 1 vCPU | N/A |
| RAM | 1 GB | N/A |
| Free Domain | ||
| Free SSL | ||
| Server Locations | ||
| Regions | 9 | 10 ★ |
| Locations | 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 | US East, Virginia, South Carolina US West, Los Angeles, Oregon Western Europe, London, Netherlands Central Europe, Frankfurt, Zurich, Warsaw Northern Europe, Helsinki Southeast Asia, Singapore, Jakarta East Asia, Tokyo, Hong Kong India, Mumbai Australia & Oceania, Sydney South America, Sao Paulo |
| Plan Details | ||
| Limited plan details available | ||
| Backups | 14 days | |
| Support | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| CDN | 125 GB | |
| Uptime Guarantee | ||
| Monthly Visitors | Unlimited | 35,000 |
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 Cloudways | Visit Kinsta | |
Pricing & Plans
Cloudways Plans
Kinsta Plans
Pros & Cons
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
Kinsta
Pros
- Google Cloud Platform infrastructure with 37 global data centers
- Cloudflare Enterprise integration with free CDN (260+ PoPs)
- No price increase on renewal — what you see is what you pay
- Free malware removal and hack-fix guarantee
- Free staging environments and built-in APM tool on all plans
- 24/7/365 expert-only support in 5 languages
- Kinsta API for programmatic site management
- Free SSL with wildcard support
Cons
- Premium pricing — starts at $29.17/mo (annual billing)
- WordPress-only hosting — no general-purpose or shared hosting
- No free domain included
- No phone support — chat and tickets only
- No email hosting included
- Limited storage on most plans (10–15 GB)
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Kinsta
Is there a free trial or money-back guarantee?
Yes. You can try Kinsta risk-free with a first month free on select plans for new customers. After any free period, all plans are covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan later if my needs change?
Absolutely. You can change plans at any time via the dashboard, and billing is automatically prorated. This provides you with the flexibility to scale up or down as your needs evolve.
What happens if I exceed my plan’s limits? Are there any overage fees?
If your site exceeds its visit, storage, or CDN limits, it will remain online. We’ll notify you at 80% and 100% of usage and apply overage fees based on your actual overage. You can view the complete breakdown of overage fees, and we also offer a disk space add-on if you need more storage without upgrading your plan.
How does Kinsta define a “visit”?
Each unique IP address that visits your site within a 24-hour period counts as one visit. The total number of visits across your sites in a month determines your plan usage. See the full details here.
Can I host multiple websites on one plan, or do I need a separate plan for each site?
Each plan includes a set number of WordPress installs. For example, the Single 35k plan supports 1 site, while the WP2 plan supports 2 sites. To host more sites, you can upgrade to a higher-tier plan that includes additional installs.
Are site migrations to Kinsta free?
Yes. All plans include free unlimited WordPress site migrations handled by our expert team. We’ll move your site/s with no downtime or hidden fees.
Do I get a discount if I pay annually?
Yes. Annual billing gives you two months free compared to paying monthly.
Does Kinsta have an agency program?
Yes. Kinsta’s Agency Partner Program is built to help WordPress agencies grow faster. Partners get all the benefits of our premium hosting plus exclusive perks like training on performance and security, co-marketing opportunities for added visibility, and even client referrals when businesses look for trusted experts.
Do you offer hosting for a single high-resource site?
Absolutely. Our single-site plans are geared toward those who need hosting for a single WordPress installation that requires more resources than the average site.
How does white labeling work?
By default, there are two spots on the WP admin screen that mention Kinsta.
Should I become a Kinsta Affiliate or use a Kinsta Agency Plan for all my client sites?
You can do either one or both!
Do you provide special agency offers?
Our agency offer includes unlimited free migrations, free hosting for your agency site on a WP 2 plan, and a white-labeled Clear Cache plugin. Plus, for a limited time, sign up and get the equivalent of your first month of client site hosting on us. (If you select annual billing, that’s 3 free months!)
Is Kinsta agency hosting for WordPress designed for WooCommerce shops?
Absolutely! The top WooCommerce shops choose Kinsta and reap the benefits of hosting their shops on top-performing and highly secure infrastructure. Learn about our WooCommerce hosting.
Do you provide custom plans?
Can’t find a standard plan that fits your needs? Reach out to the Sales team here at Kinsta to have a custom plan created to fit your needs. Contact sales to find the right plan for you.
Can I try Kinsta’s Agency hosting for free?
We offer the first month free on our Single 35k and WP 2 plans. This allows you to try Kinsta at no cost and explore all our features without paying upfront.
Ready to Choose?
Both providers offer great features. Visit their websites to see the latest deals and pricing.
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US East, New York, Virginia
Western Europe, London, Amsterdam
Central Europe, Frankfurt
Southeast Asia, Singapore
East Asia, Tokyo
India, Mumbai, Bangalore
Australia & Oceania, Sydney
South America, Sao Paulo
Northern Europe, Helsinki