# 7 Best Cloudways Alternatives in 2026 (With Real Pricing) > We compared 7 best alternatives of cloudways with actual pricing, root access, WordPress performance, and honest trade-offs. Check out the clear winner. - **Author**: charan-achari - **Published**: 2025-09-25 - **Modified**: 2026-03-31 - **Category**: Alternatives - **URL**: https://kuberns.com/blogs/top-cloudways-alternatives/ --- If you're searching for a Cloudways alternative, the reason is almost always one of three things: the markup on top of your cloud provider has started to feel hard to justify, you've hit a wall with something Cloudways doesn't support, or the platform has quietly changed since DigitalOcean acquired it in 2022 and it no longer feels like the same product you signed up for. Cloudways built its reputation as the managed layer that made cloud hosting accessible. You got the performance of DigitalOcean, Vultr, or AWS without having to manage the server yourself. That trade-off made sense.  But the price of that managed layer has grown, and in 2026, [agentic AI cloud platforms](https://kuberns.com/) have emerged that automate the same infrastructure work Cloudways charges you a management premium for, without the markup. Independent analyses show that Cloudways adds 133-150% markups on top of its partner providers: a DigitalOcean server that costs $6/month directly costs $14/month on Cloudways.  A Vultr server that costs $24/month [costs $60/month on Cloudways](https://hamsterstack.com/pricing/cloudways/). Some analyses put the total markup at approximately 220% above direct cloud provider costs, when all add-ons and overheads are factored in. That is the context for this guide. We compare 7 Cloudways alternatives across who they actually serve, WordPress agencies, independent developers, SaaS teams, and growing businesses with real starting prices, documented limitations, and an honest view of when staying on Cloudways still makes sense. We also cover the most significant shift happening in managed hosting right now: platforms where an AI manages your deployments, scaling, and infrastructure autonomously, removing the "management layer" cost model entirely, not just reducing it. ### TL;DR: Why Should You Leave Cloudways? * Tired of touching hosting every week? Cloudways simplifies server management, but you still manage it. Switch to[ Kuberns Agentic AI](https://kuberns.com/) * Paying too much? Switch to ScalaHosting (20–30% cheaper, managed VPS) or Hostinger (budget WordPress from $2.99/mo) * Sites running slow? Cloudways uses an older web server stack that newer alternatives consistently outperform. Switch to Kinsta * Need root access and full server control? Switch to GridPane or ScalaHosting (both give full root SSH access) * Managing enterprise WordPress or WooCommerce? Cloudways' stack wasn't built for high-traffic stores. Switch to WP Engine (built for enterprise WordPress, dedicated WooCommerce plans) Building SaaS, APIs, or modern apps beyond WordPress? Cloudways is PHP-first and won't fit. Switch to [Kuberns](https://kuberns.com/) (fully managed end-to-end cloud, any modern stack) ## Why Developers and Agencies Are Leaving Cloudways in 2026 Understanding what actually drives people off Cloudways helps identify which alternative actually solves the problem rather than trading one set of limitations for another. ### 1. The Markup Math No Longer Works at Scale Cloudways' value proposition is: pay a management premium to avoid server administration. That's a fair trade at a low scale. But the markup is fixed regardless of how much management you actually need. Independent analyses show that a DigitalOcean server costing $6/month directly is priced at $14/month on Cloudways, a 133% premium. A Vultr High Frequency server costing $24/month costs $60/month on Cloudways, a 150% markup. AWS and Google Cloud servers carry even higher percentage markups. For a single site, $14/month vs $6/month is a reasonable trade for the management layer. For an agency managing 15–20 client sites, that same math produces an avoidable overhead of hundreds of dollars per month, every month, indefinitely. ### 2. DigitalOcean Acquired Cloudways in 2022 and the Platform Changed Since [DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in September 2022](https://investors.digitalocean.com/news/news-details/2022/DigitalOcean-to-Acquire-Cloudways/default.aspx), Capterra reviewers have noted concerns about price increases, support quality shifts, and slower product innovation. What was an independent managed hosting platform is now a product line within a larger company and the experience has shifted noticeably for long-term users. [Verified Capterra reviews from 2025](https://www.capterra.com/p/151414/Cloudways/pricing/) describe billing issues including charges continuing after cancellation, support that "used to feel more personal," and a sense that the platform has stagnated since the acquisition. ### 3. No Root SSH Access (Developers Are Locked Out of Their Own Servers) Cloudways does not provide root SSH access to servers. Based on developer forums and Reddit discussions, this affects users who need to install custom software, configure specific PHP settings, or manage the server environment beyond what Cloudways exposes in its dashboard. For developers running custom applications, non-standard stacks, or specific server-level optimizations, this is a hard blocker. Alternatives like GridPane, RunCloud, and ScalaHosting provide full root access, giving you the control Cloudways deliberately withholds. ### 4. Add-Ons Stack Up Fast Cloudways' headline price is the server cost. The real monthly bill includes: * Cloudflare Enterprise CDN: $4.99/domain/month * Premium support: $100–500/month * Malware protection: $3/month * Extra bandwidth: $0.12/GB over limit * Offsite backup storage: $0.033/GB * Additional storage: $0.17/GB Kinsta notes that while Cloudways starts at $11/month, actual costs quickly escalate with add-ons, whereas competing platforms include CDN, monitoring, security, and support features in the base plan. ### 5. WordPress-First Stack Has Performance Limitations [Cloudways is a solid choice for teams](https://saaspirate.com/cloudways-review/) uses a hybrid Apache/Nginx stack that some experienced users describe as not as fast as possible and the platform has scored below expectations in independent WordPress hosting benchmarks. Newer alternatives built on LiteSpeed or containerized architectures consistently outperform Cloudways on raw WordPress page load benchmarks. ## Cloudways vs Alternatives: Comparison Table When evaluating Cloudways alternatives, it helps to see how they compare side by side. Below is an overview of pricing, ease of use, global reach, and the type of business each platform best serves. | Platform | Starting Price | Best Suited For | Management Model | | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | [Kuberns](https://kuberns.com/) | $7 (2× credits) | SaaS teams, APIs, modern apps, agencies scaling beyond WordPress | Agentic AI cloud (autonomous end-to-end) | | Cloudways | $11/mo (+ markup on infra) | WordPress, WooCommerce, PHP | Manual management layer on top of DO/Vultr/AWS | | Kinsta | $35/mo | Premium WordPress, agencies, high-traffic sites | Fully managed WordPress on GCP | | WP Engine | $30/mo | Enterprise WordPress, agencies, large WooCommerce | Fully managed WordPress on GCP/AWS | | GridPane | $50/mo (panel) + server cost | WordPress developers, agencies wanting full control | Self-managed with powerful control panel | | ScalaHosting | $14.95/mo | SMBs, freelancers, agencies needing managed VPS | Managed VPS with SPanel | | SiteGround | $2.99/mo (shared); $100/mo (cloud) | Beginners, SMBs, budget WordPress | Managed shared/cloud WordPress | | Hostinger | $2.99/mo | Budget sites, beginners, India/APAC users | Managed shared + cloud | ## These Are The Top Cloudways Alternatives in 2026 If you’re considering moving away from Cloudways, you’ll find no shortage of providers in the market. But not all of them are suitable replacements, especially if your business is looking for a balance between cost, performance, and ease of use. Below are the top Cloudways alternatives every business should evaluate in 2026. ### 1. Kuberns: Best for Modern Apps, SaaS Teams, and Agencies Scaling Beyond WordPress ![Kuberns](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/kuberns-new-page.png) Starting price: [$7 (unlocks $14 in credits, \~30 days free)](https://kuberns.com/pricing/) Every other alternative on this list is a different kind of managed host. Kuberns is a different category entirely. Cloudways' business model is: take AWS, DigitalOcean, or Vultr infrastructure and add a management layer on top, charging a markup for doing so. Kinsta, WP Engine, and GridPane follow similar logic: someone manages the server, and you pay for that management. The management work is the product. Kuberns removes the management work from the equation. Entirely. Using agentic AI, not task automation, not assisted management, but autonomous infrastructure decision-making. The platform deploys, scales, monitors, secures, and cost-optimises your applications without any ongoing input from your team. The AI is the management layer. It doesn't charge a markup. It optimises costs continuously. What this means practically for a team leaving Cloudways: On Cloudways, someone on your team touches the dashboard regularly. Adds a new server. Scales an existing one. Checks the billing. Debugs a caching issue. Responds when a client's site goes slow. The managed layer simplifies these tasks, but it doesn't eliminate them; your team still makes the decisions, Cloudways just makes them easier to execute. On [Kuberns](https://kuberns.com/), your team makes none of those decisions. You connect your GitHub repository. The AI detects your stack, builds a deployment pipeline, ships the application, monitors it in real time, scales it when traffic changes, and actively reduces your AWS compute costs as it learns your workload patterns. Your team's infrastructure involvement: zero. Where Kuberns specifically solves the problems driving Cloudways departures: | Cloudways problem | What Kuberns does instead | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 133–150% markup on cloud infrastructure | Runs on AWS infrastructure with AI optimisation, up to 40% lower than running AWS directly | | No root access, developer blocker | The AI manages infrastructure: no server to access because there's no exposed server layer | | Add-ons (CDN, monitoring, malware, backups) are billed separately | CI/CD, monitoring, logs, backups, and auto-scaling are included in the compute cost | | WordPress-only/PHP-first stack limiting modern apps | Built for modern full-stack apps: Node.js, Python, React, APIs, microservices | | DigitalOcean's acquisition changed the product | Independent, developer-first platform | | Weekly ops work maintaining server environments | \~0 hours/week, up to 95% faster setup than manual cloud configuration | Kuberns is not a WordPress host. Kuberns is the right choice when: * You are building a SaaS product, API, or full-stack application that doesn't fit WordPress * Your agency has started building custom applications for clients beyond WordPress sites * Your team is spending meaningful time every week on deployment, scaling, or infrastructure management * You want the cost of managed hosting eliminated, not just reduced Pricing compared to Cloudways: * Cloudways: $11/month base + 133–150% cloud markup + CDN + monitoring + backups billed separately * Kuberns: $7 to start (2× credits included) → pay only for compute used, all tooling included [Try the Agentic AI Cloud](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) > Read More:[ What is Kuberns?](https://kuberns.com/blogs/what-is-kuberns-the-simplest-way-to-build-deploy-and-scale-full-stack-apps/) |[ How Kuberns cuts AWS bills by 40%](https://kuberns.com/blogs/how-to-reduce-aws-cost/) ### 2. Kinsta: Best Premium WordPress Alternative for Agencies ![Kinsta](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/kinsta.png) Starting price: $35/month | Infrastructure: Google Cloud Platform (C2 instances) | Sites: 1 on entry, scales by plan  [According to G2's 2026 Best Software Awards](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/kinsta-awarded-1-hosting-provider-140000774.html), Kinsta ranks #1 for premium WordPress hosting with a 4.8/5 rating from 930+ verified reviews, earning "Easiest to Use" and "Best Support" badges. [Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/) is the premium answer to Cloudways. Where Cloudways charges you a management markup on top of commodity cloud infrastructure, Kinsta builds everything on Google Cloud's C2 compute-optimised VMs and handles WordPress management at a deeper level, automatic PHP tuning, server-level caching, proactive security monitoring, and expert WordPress engineers in 24/7 live chat who respond in under two minutes on average. The meaningful differences over Cloudways are performance and support depth. Kinsta sites deliver performance up to 200% faster on benchmarks, and their free migration is handled entirely by expert engineers. Cloudways' migration plugin frequently fails on complex sites, requiring manual database, SSL, and configuration fixes. Where it beats Cloudways: * Google Cloud C2 VMs, significantly faster than Cloudways' default DigitalOcean infrastructure * 24/7 WordPress expert support (not general server support) in 10 languages * Free expert-handled migrations (Cloudways' plugin frequently fails on complex sites) * Included CDN, security monitoring, and uptime checks, no add-on billing * DevKinsta local development tool that mirrors production (Cloudways has no equivalent) * 27 data centers globally, no dependency on a single cloud provider relationship Honest cons: * More expensive than Cloudways, entry plan at $35/month for 1 site vs Cloudways' $11/month * No root SSH access, you are locked into Kinsta's managed environment * No email hosting, requires a separate email provider * Per-site pricing model gets expensive for high-volume agency work Best for: Performance-focused agencies and businesses where site speed and expert WordPress support matter more than price-per-server. > Thinking about moving from other providers too? See[ Linode alternatives](https://kuberns.com/blogs/linode-alternatives/) (Linode is one of Kinsta's underlying infrastructure options when using Cloudways.) ### 3. WP Engine: Best for Enterprise WordPress and WooCommerce ![WP Engine](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wpengine.png) Starting price: $30/month | Infrastructure: GCP + AWS | Root access: No | WooCommerce: Dedicated plans [WP Engine](https://wpengine.com/) serves a specific profile: larger businesses, enterprises, and agencies with demanding WordPress and WooCommerce requirements that Cloudways' generic managed stack can't meet. Its proprietary EverCache caching technology and Cloudflare CDN integration are optimized specifically for high-traffic WordPress, not general PHP hosting. Where it beats Cloudways: * EverCache and global CDN included, faster page loads for high-traffic sites without add-on purchases * Dedicated WooCommerce plans with specific performance tuning for e-commerce * Headless WordPress support for teams building decoupled architectures * Agency-specific features: client billing, white-label options, team management across accounts * Stronger enterprise compliance and security certifications than Cloudways Honest cons: * More expensive than Cloudways at scale, agency plans can reach $290–$500+/month * Strict WordPress-only platform, no PHP frameworks or custom applications outside WordPress * No root access, even less flexibility than Cloudways for server-level configuration * Transfer limits on lower plans can produce overage charges for traffic-heavy sites Best for: Agencies managing enterprise WordPress clients, large WooCommerce stores, and businesses where Cloudways' performance has been a recurring complaint. ### 4. GridPane: Best for Developers Wanting Full Root Access and Control ![GridPane](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/gridpane.png) Starting price: $50/month (panel only) + your own server cost | Servers: Bring your own (DO, Vultr, Hetzner, Linode, AWS)  [GridPane](https://gridpane.com/) flips Cloudways' model. Instead of adding a management layer on top of a cloud provider you pay GridPane to choose, GridPane gives you a powerful control panel you connect to any VPS you already pay for directly. You get root access. You get OpenLiteSpeed or Nginx. You get advanced caching, Git-based deployments, security hardening without Cloudways' markup on the underlying server. GridPane is specifically designed for hosting agencies and professional WordPress developers who need panel-based control, white-label capabilities, team management, and client billing features that Cloudways doesn't provide. Where it beats Cloudways: * Full root SSH access,Cloudways' most requested missing feature, GridPane delivers it * Bring your own server, pay DigitalOcean, Vultr, or Hetzner directly at their real prices, not Cloudways' markup * OpenLiteSpeed support, faster for WordPress than Cloudways' Apache/Nginx hybrid stack * White-label capabilities for agencies reselling hosting to clients * Unlimited sites on any server you connect, no per-site pricing Honest cons: * $50/month panel cost plus separate server costs, requires understanding both billing streams * Steeper learning curve than Cloudways, requires genuine server management knowledge * Not suitable for beginners or teams without technical WordPress/server experience Best for: Technical WordPress developers and agencies who want Cloudways-level convenience but with root access, real server costs, and full control over their stack. ### 5. ScalaHosting: Best Managed VPS at Cloudways-Comparable Pricing ![ScalaHosting](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/scalahosting.png) Starting price: $14.95/month | Panel: SPanel (free cPanel alternative) | Migration: Free, zero downtime ScalaHosting is the most direct functional replacement for Cloudways in the managed VPS category. ScalaHosting's managed cloud VPS is 20–30% cheaper than Cloudways long-term, with dedicated resources, NVMe storage, LiteSpeed server support, and KVM resource isolation that prevents noisy neighbor impacts, a documented issue in Cloudways' shared-tenancy environments. The key differentiator over Cloudways: full root SSH access. Where Cloudways locks you out of your own server, ScalaHosting gives you complete control while still handling the management work (updates, patches, security monitoring) that Cloudways charges its premium for. Where it beats Cloudways: * Full root SSH access, the #1 reason developers leave Cloudways * SPanel control panel included free, saves $15–30/month in cPanel licensing that Cloudways passes along separately * SShield AI security monitoring, blocks 99.998% of attacks in real time * Free zero-downtime migration from Cloudways, their team handles the move * LiteSpeed web server, faster for WordPress than Cloudways' Apache/Nginx setup * 20–30% cheaper per month than comparable Cloudways server configurations Honest cons: * US and European data centers only, limited for India/APAC-primary deployments * Smaller ecosystem than Cloudways' multi-provider flexibility * Less name recognition, fewer third-party tutorials specific to ScalaHosting Best for: Cloudways users who want to reduce their monthly bill by 20–30%, gain root access, and keep the same managed-VPS experience level. ### 6. SiteGround: Best Budget Managed WordPress for Freelancers and SMBs ![SiteGround](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/sitegorund.png) Starting price: $2.99/month (shared hosting) | Cloud hosting: $100/month | Staging: Yes [SiteGround](https://world.siteground.com/) occupies the gap between budget shared hosting and Cloudways' cloud tier. For freelancers and small businesses running 1–5 WordPress sites who find Cloudways' $11/month minimum too much for what they're running, SiteGround offers a genuinely managed WordPress experience at a fraction of the price. Where it beats Cloudways: * Entry pricing dramatically lower than Cloudways' minimum server cost * Email hosting included, Cloudways charges $1/mailbox/month via Rackspace * Staging environments included at all tiers * Email and chat support available to all customers (Cloudways' premium support is a paid add-on) * Strong performance on Google Cloud infrastructure at cloud hosting tier * Popular in India and Australia with good regional support coverage Honest cons: * Shared hosting tier uses shared server resources, performance varies under load * Price increases significantly at renewal (introductory pricing is discounted) * Cloud hosting tier ($100/month) is comparable to Cloudways and loses the budget advantage * Less flexible than Cloudways for hosting multiple different types of applications Best for: Freelancers, bloggers, and small businesses running straightforward WordPress sites who want managed hosting at lower cost than Cloudways with email included. ### 7. Hostinger: Best Budget Alternative for India and APAC Teams ![Hostinger](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/hostinger.png) Starting price: $2.99/month | Cloud hosting: $9.99/month | India servers: Yes [According to G2 reviewer data](https://www.g2.com/products/cloudways/competitors/alternatives), Hostinger is the top-rated Cloudways alternative overall, reflecting its combination of affordability, ease of use, and coverage across markets where Cloudways' pricing feels disproportionate. Hostinger specifically addresses the India market in a way Cloudways doesn't: local server infrastructure (Vilnius, Singapore, and data centers covering the APAC region), pricing in local currency context, and plans that start well below Cloudways' entry tier. For Indian WordPress agencies and freelancers who use Cloudways primarily because it's the managed hosting name they know, Hostinger provides comparable managed WordPress at a significantly lower entry cost. Where it beats Cloudways: * Starting at $2.99/month, Cloudways' minimum is $11/month * Email hosting included in all plans, Cloudways charges separately per mailbox * India-relevant data center coverage and payment methods * hPanel control panel, beginner-friendly, comparable to Cloudways' dashboard * LiteSpeed servers on higher plans, faster than Cloudways' standard stack Honest cons: * Shared hosting infrastructure at entry tier, not cloud infrastructure * Less flexible than Cloudways for running multiple different application types * Cloud VPS tier is less feature-complete than Cloudways for agency use cases * Renewal prices increase after the promotional period Best for: Indian and APAC freelancers, bloggers, and small agencies where Cloudways feels over-priced for the sites being managed and where email hosting being included matters to the budget. ## What to Look For in a Cloudways Alternative? Not every hosting provider can effectively replace Cloudways. The right choice depends on why you are leaving and what your technical requirements actually are. Here are the criteria that matter most for this specific decision: ### 1. Real Pricing vs Cloudways Markup The first question is not "what does it cost?" it is "what does it cost compared to what Cloudways is already charging for the same infrastructure?" A provider that charges $20/month for managed VPS is cheaper than Cloudways charging $14/month for a server that costs $6/month directly, because the effective infrastructure cost is lower when you eliminate the markup. Use the[ Kuberns pricing calculator](https://kuberns.com/pricing/) if you are evaluating non-WordPress alternatives. For WordPress alternatives, Kinsta and WP Engine's pricing pages show everything that Cloudways charges separately already included. ### 2. Root Access: Do You Actually Need It? If you need to customize PHP configuration, install non-standard server software, or configure server-level caching that Cloudways doesn't expose: you need root access. GridPane and ScalaHosting provide it. Kinsta, WP Engine, and Cloudways don't. If you are building modern applications (not WordPress), you need a platform that is not tied to a server model at all, which is where Kuberns addresses the need differently. ### 3. Stack Flexibility for Modern Workloads Cloudways is PHP-first. It supports WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and Drupal, all PHP-based. Teams building Node.js APIs, Python applications, React frontends, or containerized microservices will hit a wall on Cloudways. Alternatives like Kuberns remove this limitation entirely, the AI handles any modern tech stack without configuration. ### 4. Agency-Specific Features For agencies managing multiple client sites, check for: white-label dashboard, team member access control, client billing integration, and whether multi-site pricing is per-site or per-server. GridPane and WP Engine have the strongest agency feature sets. Cloudways' agency tooling has stagnated since the DigitalOcean acquisition. ## Switch From Cloudways to an All-In-One AI Cloud Most teams leaving Cloudways make the same calculation error: they look for another managed host that charges less. They find one, migrate, and six months later they are back in the same position, paying a different management markup on the same underlying infrastructure, dealing with the same limitations around root access or stack flexibility, and still touching the hosting dashboard more than they expected. The reason is that Cloudways' model, managed layer on top of commodity cloud is shared by almost every traditional alternative. Different price, same architecture. The smarter question is not "which managed host charges less?" It is: "what if the management work cost nothing because an AI was doing it?" That is Kuberns. Not a cheaper managed host. A different model. Why this matters specifically for teams leaving Cloudways: Cloudways charges you a management markup because someone or something has to manage the server. The moment that work is done by an agentic AI running continuously in the background, the markup doesn't make sense anymore.  The AI monitors your deployment, scales your resources, optimizes your AWS compute costs, and handles security configurations autonomously, 24 hours a day, without billing you a management premium for the service. If your agency has started building React frontends, Node.js APIs, or containerized custom applications alongside your WordPress client work, Kuberns handles the modern application layer while your WordPress sites stay on Kinsta, WP Engine, or ScalaHosting.  You don't have to choose one platform for everything. The agentic AI handles what Cloudways' stack never could. [Start using the Agentic AI Cloud](https://kuberns.com/) Deploy with Kuberns CTA ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Cloudways worth it in 2026? Cloudways is worth it if you need managed cloud hosting for WordPress or PHP applications and the $11/month entry price fits your budget without scaling across many servers. For agencies and growing businesses, the alternatives above deliver comparable managed experiences at lower or more predictable total cost. ### Why is Cloudways more expensive than using DigitalOcean directly? Cloudways adds a management premium on top of its partner providers. A DigitalOcean server that costs $6/month directly costs $14/month on Cloudways, a 133% markup. This markup covers the managed dashboard, server management, backups, and staging environment features. Whether that management premium is worth paying depends on how many servers you run and how much of that management work you actually need. ### Does Cloudways offer root SSH access? No. Cloudways does not provide root SSH access to servers. You get SSH access as the application user, but not as root. This means you cannot install custom server software, configure server-level settings beyond what Cloudways exposes in its dashboard, or manage the underlying operating system directly. What happened to Cloudways after DigitalOcean acquired it? DigitalOcean acquired Cloudways in September 2022. Since then, Reviewers have reported price increases, support quality shifts, and slower product innovation compared to the pre-acquisition platform. The platform that was known for independent managed hosting is now a subsidiary and some long-term users describe the experience as less personal and more enterprise-oriented than it was before. ### Which Cloudways alternative is best for WordPress agencies? Kinsta is the strongest choice for agencies where WordPress performance and expert support justify the premium cost, starting at $35/month with Google Cloud C2 infrastructure and 24/7 WordPress engineer support. GridPane is better for agencies that want root access and the ability to connect servers from multiple providers without paying Cloudways' markup. WP Engine is the strongest for enterprise WordPress clients with high traffic and dedicated account management needs. ### Which Cloudways alternative is cheapest? Hostinger starts at $2.99/month for shared hosting. SiteGround's introductory plans start at $2.99/month. Both are dramatically cheaper than Cloudways' $11/month minimum but on shared hosting infrastructure, not cloud. For managed cloud hosting comparable to Cloudways' performance level, ScalaHosting at $14.95/month consistently delivers 20–30% cost savings versus Cloudways at equivalent resource levels. ### Which Cloudways alternative is best for India? For Indian SaaS and modern application teams, Kuberns on AWS (Mumbai availability zone) removes the management markup entirely, the AI handles infrastructure autonomously. For Indian WordPress agencies and freelancers, Hostinger offers the affordable managed WordPress with India-relevant data centers and pricing.  ### Does Kuberns work as a Cloudways alternative for non-WordPress apps? Yes, Kuberns is specifically designed for the workloads that Cloudways' PHP/WordPress-first stack doesn't handle well: Node.js, Python, React, Next.js, APIs, microservices, and containerized full-stack applications If you are using Cloudways for anything other than WordPress, Kuberns is the most capable and cost-efficient alternative --- - [More Alternatives articles](https://kuberns.com/blogs/category/alternatives/1/) - [All articles](https://kuberns.com/blogs/)