Your dream of having the perfect website cannot be realized without the right web hosting companies. This article compares two leading hosting providers; Hostinger vs Cloudways.
A cloud hosting service is important for improved site performance, high uptime, enhanced security, flawless encryption, unlimited bandwidth, and effective management of data centers. More importantly, it can affect the quality of your product or service delivery.
Should you be thinking of the best cloud hosting solution to choose between Hostinger and Cloudways? I’m here to help you make the perfect choice with this side-by-side comparison!
TL: DR summary: This article compares two top cloud hosting plans, Hostinger and Cloudways hosting. It gives a perfect lowdown of the main features of these hosting providers and points out their upsides and downsides without any bias.
Main Features
| Hostinger | Cloudways |
|---|---|
| One-click installation | Managed WordPress hosting |
| Customized dashboard | Optimized WordPress stack |
| Unlimited bandwidth and storage | Unlimited application |
| High uptime | Free site migration |
| Fast load time | Hourly billing |
| WordPress acceleration | |
| www.hostinger.com | www.cloudways.com |
Hostinger
Hostinger is one of the best companies that provide cloud-based hosting services for both small and medium businesses. Apart from being suitable for small and medium businesses, Hostinger is also sought after by big businesses.
Hostinger aims to boost your site’s performance, speed, and content management, making it the most preferred among users. Here are a few of the top features of Hostinger.
One-click install
Setting up your website with Hostinger is as easy as possible. With just one click, you can integrate your app and features.
Custom dashboard
Hostinger features a customized dashboard that can be modified however you want while staying functional and clutter-free.
Unlimited bandwidth and storage
Hostinger provides unlimited website traffic and visits to your page. You can enjoy storage of up to 200GB with unlimited Hostinger email.
Free domain
You can get a free domain name with Hostinger. It saves you the stress, money, and maintenance that comes with getting a domain name.
Automated and Regular Backup
Backing up your data centers on a regular basis is very important for any organization as it helps prevent data loss and get rid of corrupted files. Customers at Hostinger enjoy regular and automated backup that helps to keep all their files and data safe.
This backup can be weekly or daily based on your chosen plan. Hostinger ensures that your data centers are intact even when there is a case of a broken hard drive or hacking attempt. It also makes custom web server rules to offer protection from any security breaches.
99.99% Uptime
Uptime is one of the most crucial factors to consider when choosing a web host to use, and Hostinger guarantees an Uptime of 99.99%, which is one of the best Uptime rates you’ll ever come across. And in case of anything, which is rare, Hostinger’s support team has your back
Fast load time
Customers often get bored when your site takes forever to load, and with Hostinger, you don’t have to worry about this because it makes your site load within a few seconds. Google recommends a loading speed of 200ms, and Hostinger has an average loading speed of 150ms, which makes it quite commendable.
WordPress acceleration
If you’ve pre-built your site on WordPress, then Hostinger is for you because it is optimized for WordPress. It is designed to deliver one of the fastest loading speeds you can ever come across. That’s because Hostinger comes with LiteSpeed.
LiteSpeed Cache designs Hostinger’s backing for WordPress (LSCWP), and it can be used for cache management and integration. You can use Hostinger to optimize your site with SEO-friendly sitemap, automatic page caching, schedule automatic purges for specific URLs, and private cache for logged-in users.
For more features, you can check my detailed Hostinger Review.
Cloudways
Cloudways offers lots of fascinating features for managing cloud hosting services. It helps businesses maintain, manage, and launch servers and application in every sector. Its main features include;
Managed WordPress hosting
Cloudways manages the entirety of WordPress hosting, and all you have to do is take care of content creation and website management.
Managed hosting for a variety of cloud infrastructures
There are different web application choices on the Cloudways server that customers can choose from. You can choose from WordPress, Joomla, Laraval, Prestashop, and Drupal.
Optimized WordPress stack
Using WordPress on Cloudways gives you a quick WordPress installation with you doing little or nothing while getting WordPress set up within a few minutes.
Unlimited applications
Cloudways allow you to run different applications on your server, even in the cheapest plan. All you have to do is pay for the server resources and you are good to go.
Hourly billing
Since a lot of people don’t like paying for plans that they don’t often use, Cloudways hosting provides users with a pay-as-you-use plan where you only pay for the hours you use.
Free website migration
Cloudways automatically imports your website should you be coming from a different WordPress host.
Cost-effective and easy incremental backups
Backups occur automatically based on your choice. You can decide whether your backups occur hourly or weekly. The backup is also cost-effective and easy.
Choice of provider/ software
Cloudways provides a range of VPS services (including DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, etc.) and allows you chose the one that best suits your audience location and budget. It also allows you to choose your preferred PHP data provider and version. You can also switch a provider and access a server in size within seconds.
For more features, you can check the detailed Cloudways review.
🏆 Winner is:
From my point of view, Cloudways has several features which are ideal for hosting your WordPress website. However, in terms of value for money, Hostinger wins because it has features that give the premium value for cloud hosting services.
Security & Privacy
| Hostinger | Cloudways |
|---|---|
| Free SSL certificate | Web-application Firewall |
| Hostinger offers Cloudflare CDN | Cloudflare Enterprise add-on |
| Cloudflare Protected Nameservers | Bot Protection |
| Open_basedir and mod_security | SSL Certificates |
| SSH and SFTP protected Login Security | |
| Two-factor Authentication |
Hostinger
Hostinger has put in place appropriate security measures to protect your personal information. They offer free SSL security for every plan, securing the connection between a visitor’s computer and your website.
Top security experts are in charge of the server while your visitor’s data centers are managed with SSL. The servers are equipped with adequate security modules like PHP open_basedir and mod_security.
They also protect your server resources against DDOS attacks with daily or weekly website backups. Hostinger ensures that your website does not get into the wrong hands as you need to provide a second layer of security which is a confirmation code sent to you through an app that you only have access to.
Cloudways
Cloudways guarantee enterprise-grade security by using Cloudflare technology. It runs on specific security protocols which provide sophisticated protection against cyber threats or hackers.
From the research I carried out, I noticed that every Cloudways account features firewalls, log-in security, database protection, Application isolation, SSL Certificates, Two-factor authentication, and GDPR Compliance.
🏆 Winner is:
Cloudways wins this section because of its highly sophisticated security protocols. It shares similar security technology with Hostinger but goes ahead to have additional security features for excellent protection.
Pricing & Plans
| Hostinger | Cloudways | |
| Subscription Periods | Hourly | Hourly/Monthly |
| Special offers | None | None |
| Highest Price Per month | $4.99 | $96 |
| Lowest Price Per month | $1.99 | $10 |
| One-year price | None | None |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | None |
Hostinger
Whether you run a small, medium, or large-scale business, you do not have to bother about paying a huge amount of money for hosting. Hostinger has several pricing plans with different packages, and customers can go for the one they can afford and, at the same time, suit their business well.
The single-shared hosting is set at a minimum price of $1.99/mo and $3.99/mo when you renew.
This package comes with one free website, managed WordPress, one email account, 30BB SSD storage, WordPress acceleration, free SSL (up to $11.95 value), 10000 visits monthly, and 30 days money-back guarantee, and 100GB bandwidth. The single shared hosting plan is perfect for beginners, and you need to sign up for a 48-month contract to unlock this package.
The premium shared hosting plan is an ideal solution for personal websites as it can be gotten at a minimum price of $2.99/mo and $6.99/mo when you renew.
This plan guarantees 100 websites, free email, free domain (worth $9.99 value), free SSL ($11.95 value), WordPress acceleration, Google ads credit, 30-day money-back guarantee, managed WordPress, 100GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and 2500 visits monthly.
The business web hosting plan is optimized for small businesses with an incredible price of $4.99/mo and $8.99/mo when you renew.
This plan features 200GB SSD storage, WordPress acceleration, 100 websites, free emails, Google ads credit, managed WordPress, unlimited bandwidth, 30-day money-back guarantee, unlimited bandwidth, 100000 visits monthly, free SSL certificate ($11.96 value), and free domain ($9.99 value).
Cloudways
Cloudways has two pay-as-you-go pocket-friendly plans – the standard and premium plans. You’re at liberty to select any cost-effective plan that gives the best value for your hosting needs.
The Standard package is a monthly plan which comes with four options:
- $10 per month with 1GB RAM, 1 Core Processor, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth
- $22 per month with 2GB RAM, 1 core processor, 50GB storage, and 2TB bandwidth
- $42 per month with 4GB RAM, 2 core processors, 80GB storage, and 4TB bandwidth
The premium package is a monthly plan which comes with four options:
- $12 per month with 1GB RAM, 1 Core Processor, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth
- $26 per month with 2GB RAM, 1 core processor, 50GB storage, and 2TB bandwidth
- $50 per month with 4GB RAM, 2 core processors, 80GB storage, and 4TB bandwidth
- $96 per month with 8GB RAM, 4 core processors, 160GB storage, and 5TB bandwidth
All plans in the premium package come with Cloudflare Add-on for adequate protection, free object Cache Pro, free Migration, Free SSL certificate, Unlimited Application Installation, SSH and SFTP Access, HTTP/2 Enabled hosting Servers, Regular Security Patching, Auto healing, Optimized with Advanced Caches, Staging site Environment, Automated Backups, 24/7 real-time monitoring and 24/7/365 days support.
For those who don’t like the monthly, you may go for the hourly plans, consisting of an array of affordable plans for maximum value.
🏆 Winner is:
Hostinger wins the pricing section because its exquisite pricing plans are cost-effective compared to Cloudways. With as little as $2.99, you can get its premium plans.
Hostinger gives you 200GB of storage space, unlike Cloudways, whose biggest plan gives you 160 storage space. It also has a 30-days money-back policy.
Customer Support
| Hostinger | Cloudways |
|---|---|
| Direct call line | |
| Operates 24/7 | Contact form |
| Knowledge base | Operates 24/7/365 |
| Live chat | Knowledge base |
| Free support | Higher responsiveness |
| Paid support |
Hostinger
The support team at Hostinger is prompt, fast, engaging, approachable, and helpful. Though it has no phone support option, this isn’t much of a disadvantage as they feature a unique live chat option that makes up for the absence of phone support.
Their live chat feature lets you upload any form of attachment that can make attending to your inquiry fast and easy. They also pre-installed emojis and GIFS into their chat feature to make you feel relaxed and comfortable when talking to their representative. You get a speedy response from a knowledgeable and well-trained team at Hostinger.
Their customer support representative walks you through the step of solving your problem carefully, so you don’t get confused. Their customer support works round the clock and is readily available whenever needed. They also have a step-by-step tutorial that answers most customers’ intended questions.
Cloudways
Cloudways is intentional about its support, which comprises a team of professionals who are available at every point in time to respond to your hosting needs.
You can also determine the level of support you desire from any of the three levels of support available at Cloudways; standard support, advance support add-on, and Premium support add-on. The standard support gives you every time access to the support team through live chat to seek guidance or clarification on any grey areas.
Advance support add-on is reserved for users who desire swift responses from the support team. Expert answers are provided for better application, proactive monitoring, and troubleshooting.
The premium support add-on is reserved for users with highly-demanding websites. It comes with exclusive features, including 24/7/365 priority support, customization, a dedicated account manager, and a private slack channel.
You can swiftly reach out to the sales and billing team by calling their hotline. Alternatively, contact the team using the contact form available in the ‘contact us’ section. Fill in the required details and describe what you need in detail in the description box.
Click on submit to get your form processed. You should expect correspondence swiftly by mail confirming the reception of your query as the team is always available to attend to your needs.
🏆 Winner is:
Hostinger cloud hosting service wins the support section because its team is available on a 24/7/365 basis. The team has specific websites for different queries, which helps facilitate swift correspondence between the team and users.
Also, Cloudways expects its users to pay for access to the support team. Although the standard support is free, Advance SLA goes for $100/mo while Premium SLA is $500/mo.
Extras
| Hostinger | Cloudways |
|---|---|
| DNS management | Support add-ons |
| Access manager | No-lock-in features |
| Unlimited FTP | Unlimited applications |
| 100-subdomains | CDN & Caching plugin |
Hostinger
Hostinger has a DNS management system that allows you to change your domain name and monitor other types of files. It also has an Access Manager function which comes in handy for managing several web hosting privileges.
With the 100-subdomain feature, subdomains from aliases may be created. The unlimited FTP accounts let you create and manage numerous FTP accounts with a reserved ability to control specific users.
Also, you can schedule server commands and have them executed at the right time with unlimited cronjobs content.
Cloudways
Apart from its main characteristics, Cloudways comes with support add-ons. It also features no-lock-in features, which allow users to use their accounts without being conditioned by specific terms and conditions.
Its unlimited Application feature lets its users host unlimited applications regardless of their subscribed plan.
🏆 Winner is:
Having taken a look at the extra features of both hosting plans, my verdict places Hostinger above Cloudways. This is because Hostinger features extra perks that are highly beneficial for an exclusive hosting experience.
Questions & Answers
Summary
Hostinger and Cloudways have both been scrutinized and found worthy. Nevertheless, in terms of features, pricing, and extra features, Hostinger is better than Cloudways.
Create stunning websites effortlessly with Hostinger Website Builder. Enjoy a suite of AI tools, easy drag-and-drop editing, and extensive photo libraries. Get started with their all-in-one package for just $1.99/month.
It is the perfect and cost-effective option for small and medium websites. Check out our list of flawless hosting plans to get your hands on high-quality managed hosting services
How We Review Web Hosts: Our Methodology
When we review web hosts, our evaluation is based on these criteria:
- Value for Money: What types of web hosting plans are on offer, and are they good value for money?
- User Friendliness: How user-friendly is the signup process, the onboarding, the dashboard? and so on.
- Customer Support: When we need help, how quickly can we get it, and is the support effective and helpful?
- Hosting Features: What unique features does the web host provide, and how do they stack up against competitors?
- Security: Are essential security measures like SSL certificates, DDoS protection, backup services, and malware/virus scans included?
- Speed and Uptime: Is the hosting service fast and reliable? What types of servers do they use, and how do they perform in tests?
For more details on our review process, click here.
