Kinsta vs Cloudways
Last updated: 2026-07-10
Kinsta and Cloudways take very different approaches to managed hosting. Kinsta is a premium, fully-managed WordPress host — you pay more, but everything is handled for you with a beautiful dashboard. Cloudways lets you choose your own cloud server (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud) and manages it for you — you get more power per dollar, but you need some technical comfort. This comparison helps you decide which model fits you.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | popular Kinsta | best Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $35/mo | $11/mo |
| Free trial | No free trial (30-day money-back guarantee) | 3-day free trial (no credit card) |
| Best for | Premium WordPress hosting | Developers who want cloud without the management |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| Starting price | $35/mo (Starter, 1 site) | $11/mo (DigitalOcean, 1GB) |
| Infrastructure | Google Cloud Platform | DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, Linode |
| CDN | Cloudflare Enterprise (free) | Cloudflare (free add-on) |
| SSL | Free, auto-renewed | Free, auto-renewed |
| Backups | Daily automated + on-demand | Automated (frequency varies by plan) |
| Staging sites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site migration | Free | Free |
| Support | 24/7 chat (human, not bots) | 24/7 ticket + chat (premium plans) |
| Server locations | 35+ data centres | 60+ data centres (across providers) |
Kinsta Pros & Cons
Pros
- Built on Google Cloud Platform (premium infrastructure)
- Automatic site scaling — handles traffic spikes without downtime
- Free CDN (Cloudflare Enterprise) included on all plans
- Daily automated backups with one-click restore
- Free SSL certificates and site migration
- Custom MyKinsta dashboard — best-in-class management interface
Cons
- Expensive — starting at $35/mo (1 site, 10GB visits)
- No email hosting (must use third-party)
- WordPress only (no other CMS support)
- Overage charges if you exceed plan visit limits
- No phone support (chat only, though it is 24/7)
Cloudways Pros & Cons
Pros
- Choose your own cloud provider (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, Linode)
- Best performance-per-dollar in managed hosting
- Free SSL, dedicated firewalls, and automated backups
- Easy vertical scaling — upgrade server resources with one click
- Git deployment integration for developers
- No long-term contracts — pay monthly, cancel anytime
Cons
- No cPanel — custom dashboard (developer-focused, not beginner-friendly)
- No email hosting (must use third-party)
- No domain registration (must buy domains elsewhere)
- Steeper learning curve for non-technical users
- Support is ticket-based (no phone support on lower plans)
Final Verdict
If you want the easiest, most hands-off WordPress hosting experience and budget isn't a concern, Kinsta wins — its MyKinsta dashboard, automatic scaling, and 24/7 expert support are best-in-class. If you're comfortable with basic server concepts and want the best performance-per-dollar, Cloudways wins — $11/mo gets you a dedicated cloud server that outperforms shared hosting at any price. Developers and technical users should choose Cloudways; non-technical business owners should choose Kinsta.
Our pick: Kinsta (non-technical) / Cloudways (developers)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster: Kinsta or Cloudways?
Cloudways can be faster on a per-dollar basis because you get dedicated cloud resources (not shared). A $14/mo DigitalOcean server on Cloudways can outperform a $35/mo Kinsta plan for raw server response time. However, Kinsta includes Cloudflare Enterprise CDN and automatic scaling, which evens things out for global visitors. For most real-world WordPress sites, both are fast — the difference is in price-per-unit-of-performance.
Which is cheaper: Kinsta or Cloudways?
Cloudways is significantly cheaper — starting at $11/mo (DigitalOcean, 1GB RAM) vs Kinsta at $35/mo (Starter, 1 site). A comparable Cloudways plan ($28/mo, 4GB RAM, 2 cores) handles more traffic than Kinsta's $35/mo plan. Kinsta charges for the convenience of full management; Cloudways charges for raw infrastructure.
Is Cloudways harder to use than Kinsta?
Yes. Cloudways has a custom dashboard that assumes some technical knowledge — you'll deal with server-level settings, PHP versions, and firewall rules. Kinsta's MyKinsta dashboard is designed for non-technical users — everything is simplified and visual. If you've never managed a server before, Kinsta is the easier choice.
Can I host non-WordPress sites on Cloudways?
Yes. Cloudways supports WordPress, Magento, PHP, Laravel, Symfony, and custom PHP applications. Kinsta only supports WordPress. If you need to host other types of applications, Cloudways is the better choice.