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Side-by-Side Comparison

Cloudways vs HostPapa — Detailed Comparison

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A hands-on look at Cloudways and HostPapa across the things that actually matter: price, speed, support, and features.

Mohamed Abdelaal By Mohamed Abdelaal, Founder & Lead Hosting Analyst Our pick: Cloudways 100% independent Updated June 2026
Top Pick
4.8
From $11.00 /mo
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4.6
From $2.01 /mo
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Quick Verdict: Cloudways wins

Cloudways wins overall for developers and scaling-focused users who need managed cloud infrastructure with 99.99% uptime and zero server admin. HostPapa wins for budget-conscious beginners seeking the lowest entry price ($2.01/mo) and traditional shared hosting with 30-day money back.

Mohamed Abdelaal Reviewed by Mohamed Abdelaal Founder & Lead Hosting Analyst

At a Glance

Cloudways and HostPapa serve different hosting tiers: Cloudways is a managed cloud platform (starting $11/mo), while HostPapa spans shared hosting, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated (starting $2.01/mo).

Winner Visit Cloudways
Visit HostPapa
Overall Rating
4.8
4.6
Starting Price
$11.00/mo
$2.01/mo
Money-Back
N/A
30 days
Uptime
99.99%
99.9%
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
N/A
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
N/A
Free SSL
N/A
Free Migration
Yes (1st migration free)
N/A
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
N/A
24/7 Support
N/A

Provider Profiles

2011 Malta

Cloudways (founded 2011, Malta) is a managed cloud-hosting platform built on DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud. It targets developers, agencies, and high-traffic sites that need zero server management, auto-scaling, and premium performance tools.

User Friendly 4.8
Support 4.8
Features 4.8
Reliability 4.8
Pricing 4.8
  • 3-Day Free Trial — No Credit Card Required
  • 3 Cloud Providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud
  • Lightning Stack (Nginx + Varnish + Redis + PHP-FPM)
  • Object Cache Pro Included Free (4GB+ servers, $95/mo value)
  • Cloudways Autonomous (auto-scaling)
2006 Canada

HostPapa (founded 2006, Canada) is a broad-spectrum host owned by Newfold Digital, offering shared hosting, WordPress, VPS, reseller, and dedicated servers. It suits budget buyers, small businesses, and beginners who want low upfront cost and 30-day risk reversal.

User Friendly 4.6
Support 4.9
Features 4.7
Reliability 4.8
Pricing 4.7
  • Free domain + free website migration
  • Fast NVMe SSD · 99.9% uptime
  • 24/7 award-winning support ·
  • 30-day money-back
  • 100% green energy hosting

1 Features

Cloudways bundles advanced performance and migration tools; HostPapa offers variety across hosting types and includes free domains on select plans.

Winner
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
N/A
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
N/A
Free SSL
N/A
Free Domain
N/A
Free CDN
N/A
Free Migration
Yes (1st migration free)
N/A
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
N/A

Cloudways Round winner

Cloudways includes free SSL, free CDN, free first migration (by engineers), Object Cache Pro ($95 value) on 4GB+ servers, and vertical scaling. Email requires paid Rackspace add-on ($1/mailbox). No domain registration or money-back guarantee.

HostPapa

HostPapa offers free domain registration on Shared and WordPress plans, free website migration, 30-day money back, NVMe SSD across all tiers, and unmetered bandwidth on entry plans. Free SSL and backup support vary by plan tier.

And the features winner is Cloudways Cloudways' included Object Cache Pro, managed migration, and Lightning Stack performance stack outweigh HostPapa's breadth for high-traffic and agency use cases.
Visit Cloudways

2 Pricing & Plans

HostPapa's entry price is $2.01/mo (on 3-year term); Cloudways starts at $11/mo with monthly billing and no long-term lock-in.

Winner
Starting Price
$11.00/mo
$2.01/mo
Number of Plans
Money-Back
N/A
30 days

Cloudways

Cloudways begins at $11/mo on monthly billing with no renewal penalty. Pay-as-you-go model scales with usage. Backups cost extra ($0.033/GB), and additional migrations cost $5 each.

HostPapa Round winner

HostPapa's lowest tier is $2.01/mo on Shared or WordPress plans, but requires a 3-year upfront commitment and renews at a much higher regular rate. Thirty-day money-back guarantee applies.

And the pricing & plans winner is HostPapa HostPapa's $2.01/mo starting price is significantly cheaper than Cloudways' $11/mo, making it the clear winner for lowest entry cost.
Visit HostPapa

3 Performance

Cloudways guarantees 99.99% uptime with enterprise cloud infrastructure; HostPapa guarantees 99.9%.

Winner
Uptime Guarantee
99.99%
99.9%
Data Centers
60
N/A
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
N/A
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
N/A
Uptime score
99.99%
99.9%

Cloudways Round winner

Cloudways delivers 99.99% uptime backed by DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud. Lightning Stack (Nginx, Varnish, Redis, PHP-FPM) and Object Cache Pro provide page-speed optimization. Cloudways Autonomous enables auto-scaling for traffic spikes.

HostPapa

HostPapa offers 99.9% uptime with NVMe SSD storage across all plans. Shared and WordPress plans include unmetered bandwidth. Managed WordPress adds performance features, but base plans lack CDN and staging.

And the performance winner is Cloudways Cloudways' 99.99% uptime (vs. HostPapa's 99.9%), auto-scaling, and Lightning Stack caching deliver superior reliability and speed for high-traffic sites.
Visit Cloudways

4 Customer Support

Cloudways offers 24/7 chat-only support with a 4.8 support rating; HostPapa provides 24/7 phone, email, and chat support.

Winner
24/7 Support
N/A
Phone Support
N/A
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
N/A
Email Send Limit
N/A — Rackspace required ($1/mailbox)
N/A

Cloudways

Cloudways includes 24/7 live chat support (no phone). Sub-rating for support is 4.8 across 746 reviews. Premium escalation tiers are available for additional cost.

HostPapa Round winner

HostPapa offers 24/7 multilingual support via phone, email, and live chat. Sub-rating for support is 4.9 across 512 reviews. Award-winning team with 18+ years of hosting experience.

And the customer support winner is HostPapa HostPapa's phone support availability and slightly higher support sub-rating (4.9 vs. 4.8) give it an edge for users who prefer voice communication.
Visit HostPapa

5 Ease of Use

Cloudways abstracts server management entirely with a proprietary dashboard; HostPapa uses cPanel for shared hosting and standard control panels for VPS/dedicated.

Winner
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
N/A

Cloudways Round winner

Cloudways' proprietary platform eliminates server admin—one-click vertical scaling, auto-updates, and zero CLI required. Designed for non-sysadmins. User-friendly sub-rating is 4.8.

HostPapa

HostPapa uses beginner-friendly cPanel + Softaculous for quick 1-click installs on Shared and WordPress plans. VPS and Dedicated tiers require more technical knowledge if self-managed. User-friendly sub-rating is 4.6.

And the ease of use winner is Cloudways Cloudways' fully managed platform and one-click scaling eliminate server-administration friction, making it easier for non-technical users than HostPapa's mixed control-panel approach.
Visit Cloudways

6 Privacy & Security

Both providers include free SSL, but Cloudways offers advanced caching and Cloudflare integration; HostPapa emphasizes green-energy hosting and multi-region redundancy.

Winner
Free SSL
N/A
Free CDN
N/A
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
N/A

Cloudways Round winner

Cloudways includes free SSL, CDN (Cloudflare Enterprise add-on available), and Object Cache Pro for reduced server load. Backups available but cost extra ($0.033/GB).

HostPapa

HostPapa provides free standard SSL on most plans (Premium/Wildcard SSL paid), NVMe SSD storage, 100% renewable green-energy hosting (carbon-neutral certified), and automated backups on select tiers.

And the privacy & security winner is Cloudways Cloudways' free CDN, Object Cache Pro, and managed updates provide stronger DDoS/performance defense and data protection than HostPapa's traditional SSL + backup model.
Visit Cloudways

7 Server Locations

Cloudways operates 60+ data centers globally across three cloud providers; HostPapa's data-center count and regions are not disclosed.

Winner
Data Centers
60
N/A
Headquarters
Malta
Canada

Cloudways Round winner

Cloudways spans 60+ data centers across DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud, covering North America, Europe, Asia, and more. Users can select location per deployment.

HostPapa

HostPapa data-center details are not provided in the dataset. General reference mentions Canada, US, and European infrastructure, with a global team across ~37 countries.

And the server locations winner is Cloudways Cloudways' disclosed 60+ data centers and multi-cloud choice give users transparent geographic redundancy and latency control that HostPapa does not specify.
Visit Cloudways

Final Verdict: Cloudways vs HostPapa

And the overall winner is Cloudways
Visit Cloudways

Why choose Cloudways

  • Managed cloud with zero server admin — vertical scaling and auto-updates included
  • 99.99% uptime + Lightning Stack caching for high-traffic and agency sites
  • Choice of DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud without vendor lock-in
  • Object Cache Pro free on 4GB+ servers (saves $95/mo)
  • Free migration and CDN — lower total cost of ownership for scaling teams
Visit Cloudways

When to consider HostPapa

  • Starting a blog, small business site, or testing an idea with minimal spend
  • Prefer phone support and traditional cPanel / Softaculous workflows
  • Need a free domain and want 30-day money back before committing
  • Plan to grow from shared hosting into VPS or Dedicated under one account
Visit HostPapa

Alternatives to Consider

5.0

30-Day Money-back Guarantee

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4.8

45-Day Money Back Guarantee (Shared) / 7-Day (VPS)

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4.7

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

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4.7

60-Day Money Back Guarantee (Industry-Leading)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Cloudways charge for email hosting?

Yes. Cloudways does not include email hosting; you must use a third-party provider like Rackspace at $1/mailbox/month. HostPapa includes email on most Shared and WordPress plans (terms vary by tier).

What's the catch with HostPapa's $2.01/mo pricing?

The $2.01/mo rate applies only on a 3-year upfront commitment. Upon renewal, the price increases to the regular rate (not disclosed in the data). Cloudways charges $11/mo with month-to-month billing and no renewal surprise.

Which provider is better for scaling a growing site?

Cloudways excels: one-click vertical scaling, auto-scaling for traffic spikes, and 99.99% uptime. HostPapa requires migration to higher-tier plans (VPS, Dedicated) as you grow, with no auto-scaling on shared hosting.

Does Cloudways offer a money-back guarantee?

No. Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial (no credit card required) instead of a money-back guarantee. HostPapa provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on most plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Cloudways charge for email hosting?
Yes. Cloudways does not include email hosting; you must use a third-party provider like Rackspace at $1/mailbox/month. HostPapa includes email on most Shared and WordPress plans (terms vary by tier).
What's the catch with HostPapa's $2.01/mo pricing?
The $2.01/mo rate applies only on a 3-year upfront commitment. Upon renewal, the price increases to the regular rate (not disclosed in the data). Cloudways charges $11/mo with month-to-month billing and no renewal surprise.
Which provider is better for scaling a growing site?
Cloudways excels: one-click vertical scaling, auto-scaling for traffic spikes, and 99.99% uptime. HostPapa requires migration to higher-tier plans (VPS, Dedicated) as you grow, with no auto-scaling on shared hosting.
Does Cloudways offer a money-back guarantee?
No. Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial (no credit card required) instead of a money-back guarantee. HostPapa provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on most plans.

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