Best Cloudways.com Alternatives and Competitors

Looking to Move on From Cloudways?

Here Are My Top Alternatives & Competitors to Keep in Mind for 2026 

Cloudways is a name most IT professionals will know. They are a managed cloud hosting provider that was founded by Aaqib Gadit and Pere Hospital in Malta in 2012 and was later acquired by DigitalOcean in 2022. If you’re looking to move away from Cloudways, whether it is due to their pricing being too expensive, or you maybe need a simpler management interface, or even specific features like domain registration or a built-in website builder, you’re not alone and there are options. The hosting landscape nowadays is packed with so many good alternatives, so I have spent some time putting together a list of the top 3 Cloudways competitors to consider in 2026. In my opinion, the best alternative providers one should consider is Hosting.com, Kamatera, and Name.com, and each one brings something different to the table, serving a different type of user, from seasoned developers to small business owners and absolute newbies alike.

I will start this review by comparing them to one another on some key features before delving deeper into what each one offers.

1. Hosting.com

The All-in-One Affordable Provider with Windows & Linux Options

Best for: Anyone from absolute beginners to developers, small businesses and medium sized companies, as well as users that need Windows-based options.

https://hosting.com

Everyone that is involved in the hosting industry in any way will know Hosting.com. This provider first opened their doors in 2003 under the name A2 hosting, and quickly became the powerhouse they are today, hosting more than 3 million websites. They offer anything from shared hosting, VPS, reseller hosting, domain registrations, and dedicated servers, and offer Windows-based plans too. Unlike Cloudways, which focuses heavily on cloud VPS, Hosting.com offers a more hybrid environment, and a great option for anyone running ASP.NET and MS SQL. Furthermore, they are dirt cheap plans that come with excellent performance and customer support second to none.

Why Would I Choose Hosting.com over Cloudways?

- Affordability: Hosting.com’s cheapest plan starts at a mere $2.99 per month whereas Cloudways’ cheapest plan starts at $14 per month

- Both Linux & Windows: It doesn’t matter if you prefer Linux or Windows, as Hosting.com offers both operating systems.

- Freebies: When you sign up with this hosting provider you get plenty of extras included free of charge as all their plans come standard with free SSL certificates, a free domain for the first year, unlimited email accounts, as well as Imunify360 security.

- Performance: Don’t let their cheap prices fool you. This provider doesn’t skimp when it comes to premium hardware as all their plans run on blazing-fast NVMe SSD storage and LiteSpeed web servers with premium AMD EPYC CPUs.

Pros:

• Users get the choice between Linux as well as Windows hosting plans
• Big product range with shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, domain registrations, and more.
• Great support available 24/7
• Excellent Performance

Cons:

• Their AI website builder is an additional monthly fee
• Renewal rates are significantly higher than their introductory rates

2. Kamatera

The IT Professional’s Cloud Playground

Best for: More advanced users. Great for developers and IT professionals, or users that have outgrown shared hosting plans.

https://kamatera.com

The way I see it is that Kamatera is basically what Cloudways would be if you stripped away the hand‑holding and gave you full control. This provider has been around since 1995, making them one of the oldest names in the industry. They are a full cloud infrastructure provider that has a product range that includes managed cloud servers, VPS servers, load balancers, and disaster recovery to name just a few, thus catering for more experienced users. Their prices are more than reasonable, and they even allow you to pay by the hour.

Why I Would Pick Kamatera over Cloudways

- Hourly Billing: Besides their monthly fees that are super-affordable, they also offer users the option to pay by the hour, which could be a massive cost saver as you then only pay for what you use.

- Excellent Support: Kamatera offers support around the clock via phone, email, live chat, and support tickets. Their agents are friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Cloudways only offer support via live chat and support tickets.

- Global Data Center Presence: They operate data centers in the USA, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, to ensure you are as close to your target audience as possible.

- Fully Managed: Their Network Operation Center (NOC) handles all the support and monitors all the components of their cloud servers, which includes operating systems, databases, web servers, email servers, load balancers, firewalls, and more.

Pros:

• Full root access & IPv6
• 30-day free trial
• Hourly billing, only pay for what you use
• Solid security included

Cons:

• They don’t do domain registrations, so if you need a domain you will need to use another provider for that.
• No free email accounts
• No free website builder

3. Name.com

The Domain Registrar That Does Surprisingly Good Hosting Too

Best for: Absolute beginners, personal and small business websites

https://name.com

Name.com is a hosting provider that hails out of the mountains of Denver, Colorado, and is mostly known as a solid domain registrar, in my opinion one of the best. But most people don’t know that they also offer shared hosting and WordPress‑optimized hosting, as well as an email service. For beginners or users that don’t need all that frills and features that come with high-spec cloud infrastructure, they make an excellent alternative.

Still not sure what I mean? Think of Name.com as the anti‑Cloudways provider. There’s no complexity, no cloud scaling, just affordable and solid website hosting that comes bundled with a user-friendly website builder, as well as straightforward domain management.

Why Do They Make My List of Competitors?

- Simple & Straightforward hosting: The hosting plans they offer are affordable and not complicated at all, in stark contrast to Cloudways which is more suited for advanced users.

- Free Domain Included: If you sign up with Name.com and choose an annual subscription, they will throw in a free domain registration. Cloudways on the other hand doesn’t provide domain registration at all.

- Plenty of Email Accounts Included: Most providers that offer free POP/IMAP email accounts will limit you to 2 or 5 maybe, but Name.com includes an astounding 100 POP/IMAP accounts in their cheapest plan.

- Website Builder: On some of their plans they include the Wix website builder, and anyone that has worked with it before will be able to tell you it is really easy to use.

Pros:

• User-friendly domain management for DNS, forwarding, connecting domains, and more
• Budget-friendly
• Free domain registration, SSL certificate, and POP/IMAP email accounts
• 30-Day money back guarantee

Cons:

• Not much room to scale should you start to outgrow their shared hosting plans
• No VPS plans
• Using the Wix website builder means your domain is with Name.com but your hosting is with Wix.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which of these Cloudways alternatives includes a good website builder?

I would go for Hosting.com. Their builder isn’t the flashiest but works perfectly fine for business or personal websites. It is easy to use and you don’t need any coding knowledge whatsoever.

2. Do any of these alternatives offer users a free domain?

Yes, Hosting.com includes a free domain registration for the first year, and Name.com gives you a free domain when you commit annually.

3. I will need email accounts with my hosting. Which one should I go for?

Again, I would go for either Hosting.com or Name.com. Hosting.com includes 10 POP/IMAP email accounts, while Name.com gives users 100 POP/IMAP email addresses.

4. Which alternative is best for a beginner who also wants to register a domain?

Name.com is the clear winner here. You can search for and register a domain with them in seconds, then sign up for a hosting plan and get your email from them too.

5. Do any of these offer a free trial or money‑back guarantee?

Yes. Hosting.com and Name.com both have a 30‑day money‑back guarantee in place on their shared hosting plans, while Kamatera offers potential clients a 30‑day free trial.