Cloudways vs Hostinger
Compared 2026-10-20 using published specs and documentation.
These two sit on opposite sides of one question: do you want the platform to run the server, or do you want to run it yourself? Cloudways is a managed layer over DigitalOcean, Vultr, Akamai Linode, AWS and Google Cloud; Hostinger sells its own raw KVM VPS with cheaper sticker prices and root access from day one.
Spec-by-spec
| Feature | Cloudways | Hostinger |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price (24-month term) | $11/mo (DigitalOcean 1 GB) | $6.49/mo (KVM 1, 4 GB) ✔ |
| RAM at entry | 1 GB | 4 GB ✔ |
| Renewal price | $11/mo — no increase ✔ | $11.99/mo (KVM 1) |
| Two-year total, entry plan | $263.76 | $119.88 (intro term) ✔ |
| Backups | Automated daily, included ✔ | Automatic weekly, included |
| Data centers | 65+ across 5 providers ✔ | 11 across 9 countries |
| Management model | Managed: patches, firewall, SSL, staging ✔ | Self-managed: full root access |
| Staging environments | One-click, included ✔ | Not included |
| Support | 24/7 chat with hosting engineers; phone on request ✔ | 24/7 chat + AI assistant |
| WordPress optimisation | Object Cache Pro, Breeze caching, one-click installs ✔ | DIY (manual install and config) |
| Bandwidth at entry | 1 TB | 4 TB ✔ |
| Payment flexibility | Cards | Cards + crypto ✔ |
Sources: Cloudways · Hostinger — official pricing pages, verified 2026-10-20.
The renewal trap is small, not fatal
Hostinger's pricing is a classic two-stage deal: $6.49/mo for the first 24 months, then $11.99/mo. That looks like a 1.85x increase — but compare it to Cloudways' flat $11/mo and the two land within 10% of each other after year two. By month 25, $11.99 versus $11.00 is less than a cent an hour of difference. The first two years are where Hostinger's discount actually pays out: save about $144 against Cloudways at the entry tier, before you pay a single dollar for server administration.
What Hostinger's low price actually buys you
4 GB of RAM and a KVM slice of AMD EPYC metal at $6.49/mo. Nobody else sells that ratio at that number. You also get free weekly backups, a malware scanner, firewall management and a 1 Gbps port. If you already know how to run a Linux box and you have a backup strategy you trust, the $6.49 plan is genuinely strong value — more RAM than a $25 managed plan at Cloudways.
What Cloudways' price buys you
Someone else on-call. Cloudways handles provisioning, security patching, firewall rules, free SSL with auto-renewal, automated daily backups with one-click restore, one-click staging and WordPress optimisation (Object Cache Pro, Breeze caching). You also get vertical scaling without migration — add RAM in the dashboard and the change is live. That stack is worth roughly $5–7/mo against a raw VPS, and it is worth much more if your hourly rate is above about $15.
Choosing by workload
- A single low-traffic WordPress site — Hostinger KVM 1 has more than enough headroom at $6.49/mo.
- A WooCommerce store or a site with real traffic — Cloudways: staging before you ship changes, daily backups, and scaling when a marketing campaign spikes.
- Anything production-facing you cannot afford to lose — Cloudways, and consider adding the $3/mo Site Manager or an external backup for defence in depth.
- A developer's personal project or test environment — Hostinger; you can spin it up cheaply and abandon it when you are done.
One caveat neither provider markets
Hostinger's data center map looks wide (9 countries, 11 locations) but the practical choice narrows: KVM VPS availability is often limited to a handful of those locations in practice, and you should verify the specific region you want before paying. Cloudways inherits the full maps of its five underlying providers, which in practice means the broader regional choice — but you pay for it. Neither provider publishes oversubscription ratios, so a cheap KVM box on either platform can feel slow during a bad hour. Size up by RAM, not by headline CPU count.
Our verdict
★★★★½ 4.7/5
★★★★½ 4.5/5
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hostinger VPS cheaper than Cloudways?
Yes — Hostinger's KVM 1 is $6.49/mo (24-month term) for 1 vCPU/4 GB RAM, versus Cloudways' $11/mo for a 1 GB DigitalOcean server. Hostinger gives 4x the RAM at about 40% of the price. Cloudways adds the managed layer on top of its hourly-billed cloud servers.
Is Cloudways faster than Hostinger?
Not categorically — both use KVM virtualisation with NVMe storage and 1 Gbps ports. Cloudways optimises the software layer for WordPress (Object Cache Pro, Breeze caching), which can move real page-load numbers on a WordPress install. For raw Linux workloads, expect comparable CPU-bound performance per vCPU.
Does Hostinger VPS include managed WordPress support?
No. Hostinger's VPS plans are self-managed with root access; you install, patch and back up WordPress yourself. Hostinger sells separate managed WordPress hosting on a different product line if you want that layer.
What is the real cost of Cloudways vs Hostinger over 2 years?
Cloudways: $11/mo flat, $263.76 for two years. Hostinger: $6.49/mo for 24 months ($155.76), then $11.99/mo at renewal. On a longer horizon the two converge near $11–12/mo, so the deciding factor is whether you want the managed platform or the raw server.
Can I switch from Hostinger VPS to Cloudways later?
Yes. Both run standard Linux + PHP + MySQL stacks, so a normal migration (files, database dump, DNS) moves your site. Cloudways also offers a free WordPress migration plugin. Keep your own backups while you transition, since neither provider guarantees support across providers.
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