Cloudways vs DigitalOcean 2026: Which Cloud Hosting Platform Is Right for You?

Choosing between Cloudways and DigitalOcean is one of the most common dilemmas for developers, agencies, and growing businesses shopping for cloud hosting. Both platforms run on top-tier infrastructure, both are competitively priced, and both have loyal communities — but they serve very different types of users. Get it wrong, and you'll either end up paying for complexity you don't need or spending hours doing server admin work you didn't sign up for.

This Cloudways vs DigitalOcean 2026 comparison breaks down everything that actually matters: real pricing, hands-on usability, features, support quality, and honest trade-offs. Whether you're migrating an agency's WordPress portfolio or spinning up a containerized app, you'll know exactly which platform fits your workflow by the end of this article.

Quick Comparison Table

Cloudways Overview

Try Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that sits between you and the raw cloud infrastructure. Instead of configuring Nginx, setting up SSL manually, or patching server software yourself, Cloudways handles all of that through a clean dashboard. Under the hood, you can choose from five cloud providers — DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode/Akamai — but you never have to touch a terminal unless you want to.

Key Features

• One-click app installations for WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and PHP apps
• Automated backups (on-demand and scheduled, stored off-server)
• Free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt, renewed automatically
• Built-in caching with Breeze (Cloudways' own WordPress cache plugin) + Redis/Memcached support
• Team collaboration with role-based access controls
• Staging environments for safe pre-deployment testing
• Cloudflare Enterprise CDN add-on (significantly cheaper than buying it directly)
• Bot protection and basic WAF via Cloudflare integration
• 24/7 live chat support across all plans
• PHP version management and server-level settings from the UI

Cloudways Pricing (2026)

Cloudways' pricing is based on the underlying server you choose. Here's what DigitalOcean-backed plans look like on Cloudways:

Note: These prices include Cloudways' management fee layered on top of DigitalOcean's base cost. AWS and GCP options are pricier. There's no limit on how many applications you can host on a single server — great for agencies running multiple client sites.

Best For

Cloudways is the clear choice for WordPress and WooCommerce agencies, freelancers managing multiple client sites, and any team that wants cloud-level performance without hiring a DevOps engineer. It's also excellent for Magento stores that need a managed environment without the Magento Cloud price tag.

DigitalOcean Overview

Digitalocean

DigitalOcean is a cloud infrastructure provider — think of it as a developer-friendly alternative to AWS or Google Cloud, without the overwhelming complexity. It offers raw virtual machines (called Droplets), managed Kubernetes (DOKS), managed databases, object storage (Spaces), and an App Platform for more hands-off deployments.

The key distinction: DigitalOcean gives you the building blocks. You decide what to build and how. That's enormously powerful for developers, but it means a steeper learning curve for anyone who just wants a website to run reliably.

Key Features

• Droplets — Linux VMs with full root access, scalable from $6/mo
• App Platform — PaaS layer for deploying code directly from GitHub/GitLab without managing servers
• Managed Kubernetes (DOKS) — production-grade K8s with automated upgrades
• Managed Databases — PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Kafka, OpenSearch
• Spaces — S3-compatible object storage with built-in CDN
• DigitalOcean Functions — serverless functions for event-driven workloads
• Load Balancers and VPC Networking for scalable architectures
• Marketplace — 1-click installs for WordPress, Ghost, LAMP stacks, etc.
• Monitoring & Alerts built into the control panel
• $200 free credit for new accounts (valid 60 days)

DigitalOcean Pricing (2026)

DigitalOcean's pricing is transparent and billed hourly, which makes it great for variable workloads or testing environments.

Best For

DigitalOcean is built for developers and technical teams who want full control over their infrastructure. It's particularly popular for SaaS startups, containerized applications, backend APIs, and teams already comfortable with Linux server administration.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

User Interface & Ease of Use

This is where the two platforms diverge most sharply.

Cloudways has a polished, purpose-built dashboard that non-technical users can navigate without reading documentation. Spinning up a WordPress site takes about 5–10 minutes including server provisioning. SSL, caching, backups — all accessible from the same interface with toggle switches.

DigitalOcean also has a clean UI that's much better than AWS's famously dense console. However, actually running a production WordPress site on a Droplet still requires SSH access, configuring a web server, managing databases, and setting up cron jobs. The App Platform simplifies this significantly, but it doesn't support traditional WordPress in the same flexible way.

Winner: Cloudways — no contest for non-developers.

Core Features

Cloudways wins on managed hosting features (automated patching, one-click staging, integrated caching). DigitalOcean wins on infrastructure breadth — Kubernetes, serverless functions, VPC networking, and managed databases are all things Cloudways simply doesn't offer.

If you're running web apps: DigitalOcean's App Platform is surprisingly capable for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, and static sites deployed via Git. Cloudways doesn't really serve this use case.

Winner: Depends on your stack. Cloudways for CMS/PHP apps; DigitalOcean for full-stack applications.

Integrations

Cloudways integrates with Cloudflare Enterprise (big value), New Relic, Datadog, SendGrid, and several DNS/domain tools. Its ecosystem is narrower but well-curated for the WordPress/agency use case.

DigitalOcean integrates with a much broader ecosystem — GitHub, GitLab, Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes tooling, and virtually any DevOps tool via APIs. The API is robust and well-documented.

Winner: DigitalOcean for technical integration depth; Cloudways for ease of connecting common marketing/hosting tools.

Pricing & Value

This one's nuanced. A 2GB DigitalOcean Droplet costs $18/mo. The equivalent server through Cloudways costs $28/mo. You're paying a ~$10/mo management premium per server on Cloudways.

That premium buys you: automated server updates, managed backups, one-click staging, integrated caching, free SSL automation, and 24/7 live support. For many teams, that's a bargain compared to the alternative (hiring a sysadmin or losing hours to server issues).

DigitalOcean's App Platform blurs this a bit — for simple apps, it's genuinely cheaper than Cloudways and nearly as hands-off. But for WordPress specifically, App Platform support is limited and not production-ready in the same way.

Winner: DigitalOcean on raw price; Cloudways on value for managed hosting.

Customer Support

Cloudways offers 24/7 live chat on all plans, plus ticket-based support. Response times are generally fast (under 5 minutes for chat during business hours). Phone support is not available, but they do offer add-on "Advanced Support" plans with faster SLAs and dedicated support engineers.

DigitalOcean provides 24/7 ticket support. Live chat is gated behind higher-tier support plans. Their community forums and documentation are genuinely excellent — one of the best knowledge bases in the hosting industry. For self-sufficient developers, this is often sufficient. For agencies troubleshooting a client's crashed site at midnight, it may feel inadequate.

Winner: Cloudways for responsive managed support; DigitalOcean for self-service documentation.

Mobile App

Neither platform has a standout mobile app. Cloudways has a basic mobile app for server monitoring and management — useful for checking server status and restarting services on the go, but not full-featured. DigitalOcean's mobile app lets you manage Droplets, view metrics, and handle basic tasks but similarly isn't built for deep configuration work.

Winner: Tie — both are passable but neither is a selling point.

Security & Compliance

Cloudways handles OS-level security patches automatically, includes free SSL, provides IP whitelisting, two-factor authentication, and the optional Cloudflare Enterprise add-on (which includes DDoS protection and a WAF). They're SOC 2 Type II compliant. However, you don't get root access, which can be limiting for custom security configurations.

DigitalOcean gives you full control — which means full responsibility. You'll need to configure firewalls (their Cloud Firewall tool is free and solid), manage SSH keys, keep packages updated, and handle intrusion detection yourself. DigitalOcean is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, and they offer Private Networking and VPC isolation.

Winner: Cloudways for hands-off security; DigitalOcean for compliance-heavy custom environments.

Pros and Cons

Cloudways

DigitalOcean

Who Should Choose Cloudways?

• WordPress/WooCommerce agencies managing multiple client websites who need reliable performance without a dedicated sysadmin
• Freelancers who want premium infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Vultr) without learning to manage it
• E-commerce stores on Magento that need managed cloud hosting at a fraction of Magento Cloud pricing
• Non-technical founders who want to self-host but can't justify hiring DevOps help
• Teams that prioritize support — knowing you can reach someone on live chat at any hour is genuinely valuable
• Businesses that want Cloudflare Enterprise features (WAF, DDoS protection, Argo smart routing) at an accessible price point

Start with Try Cloudways if your priority is getting a fast, secure site live without getting into server administration.

Who Should Choose DigitalOcean?

• Developers and engineering teams comfortable with Linux who want full control over their stack
• SaaS startups building applications that need Kubernetes, managed databases, object storage, and scalable compute
• Startups on a budget who want to maximize value — a well-configured $12/mo Droplet can outperform many managed hosts at a fraction of the cost
• DevOps engineers managing infrastructure as code via Terraform, Ansible, or similar tools
• Teams with variable workloads who benefit from hourly billing and easy snapshot/scaling capabilities
• Projects with non-PHP stacks — Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby apps fit naturally into the App Platform or custom Droplet setups

Sign up for Digitalocean if you want powerful, flexible cloud infrastructure and have the technical chops (or the team) to manage it.

Verdict

Cloudways and DigitalOcean aren't really competing for the same customer — which is actually the most useful thing to say in this Cloudways vs DigitalOcean 2026 comparison.

Choose Cloudways if you're running WordPress, WooCommerce, or Magento sites and you want them to be fast, secure, and managed without hiring a server admin. The premium over raw DigitalOcean pricing is absolutely justified for most agencies and non-technical users. The 24/7 live chat support alone can save hours of panicked Googling.

Choose DigitalOcean if you're a developer or technical team building something beyond a CMS — containerized apps, APIs, data pipelines, or SaaS products. The infrastructure breadth, Kubernetes support, managed databases, and developer-friendly tooling make it one of the best cloud platforms for this audience. The $200 free trial credit makes it easy to evaluate at zero cost.

If you're running a small agency and debating the $10/month difference between a raw DigitalOcean Droplet and a Cloudways-managed server: pay for Cloudways. Your time is worth more than $10/month. If you're a developer who knows their way around a server and wants maximum control for minimum cost: go with DigitalOcean directly.

There's no wrong answer here — just different tools for different jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cloudways built on DigitalOcean?

Cloudways can run on DigitalOcean infrastructure — it's one of five cloud providers you can select when creating a server in Cloudways. So yes, you can get a Cloudways-managed server backed by DigitalOcean's Droplets. You can also choose AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode instead.

Is Cloudways worth the extra cost over DigitalOcean?

For most non-developers, yes. Cloudways charges a management premium (roughly $10–15/month per server depending on the plan), but in exchange, you get automated security patches, backups, free SSL, caching setup, staging environments, and 24/7 live support. If you'd otherwise spend hours setting those things up yourself — or paying someone else to — Cloudways is a bargain.

Can I host WordPress on DigitalOcean?

Yes, but it requires technical setup. You can use DigitalOcean's Marketplace to deploy a 1-click WordPress Droplet, but you'll still need to configure SSL, caching, backups, and ongoing server maintenance yourself. DigitalOcean's App Platform does not fully support WordPress in a production capacity. For managed WordPress on DigitalOcean infrastructure, Cloudways is the more practical option.

Does Cloudways offer root access?

No. Cloudways is a managed platform, so they deliberately restrict root access to maintain the integrity of their management layer. You do get SSH access to the application user, which is sufficient for most tasks. If you need full root access, DigitalOcean Droplets or a VPS provider is a better fit.

Which platform is better for beginners?

Cloudways, definitively. The interface is designed for people who understand websites but not server administration. DigitalOcean's documentation is excellent, but the platform still assumes a baseline level of technical comfort with Linux and command-line tools.

What are good alternatives to both Cloudways and DigitalOcean?

If you're looking at alternatives:

• Kinsta — premium managed WordPress hosting (more expensive than Cloudways, excellent performance)
• WP Engine — enterprise-focused managed WordPress Wpengine
• Linode/Akamai Cloud — similar to DigitalOcean, developer-focused IaaS
• Vultr — competitive raw cloud infrastructure, also available as a Cloudways provider
• Hetzner — exceptional price-to-performance ratio for European workloads