Cloudways vs ScalaHosting
We give Cloudways a 2.0 GPA and ScalaHosting a 2.2, out of 4.0. Cloudways grades higher on the free plan and platforms. ScalaHosting grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting on DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS or Google
ScalaHosting
Shared and cloud VPS hosting with its own SPanel control panel
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACloudwaysFair | 2.2GPAScalaHostingFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price on record: Cloudways' pages answered our readers with a bot check, so no two-year figure can be worked out. With nothing to compare, it sits at C, the grade for no stated price. Email, the CDN and malware protection are extra on top. | AMini is $106.20 upfront for 36 months, so two years cost $106.20, about $4.43 a month, under the $5.97 an A needs, with a third year thrown in. A 12-month term plus a year at $11.95 would be $178.80. Monthly is $11.95. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 3-day free trial with no credit card, which is nice. But three days is less than a week, too short to judge a host properly, so it lands at D. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. Monthly billing has no intro price either, so the cheapest way in still means paying. |
| Features | CManaged servers on DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS or Google Cloud, with SSL, backups, staging, Object Cache Pro, Copilot and free migration. The gaps the listing names: email, the CDN and the malware protection service are paid add-ons. | BDaily offsite backups, SShield real-time protection, a malware scanner, WordPress Manager with staging, an AI site builder and unlimited mailboxes with blacklist monitoring. Mini has no free domain, but the core job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. You choose and size the server yourself, which is more decisions than a shared hosting plan asks of you. | CNo app store rating to go on. SPanel or cPanel with one-click restores, but there's still a site, email and maybe a domain to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web console with no app on record, plus a published API and a choice of five cloud providers, with WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento and Laravel apps on top. | CA web panel only. Cloudflare, Google Lighthouse, Softaculous and the apps it installs are named, but no API is on record. |
| Best for | managed cloud servers without running them yourself | small business sites with hosting and email |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cloudways and ScalaHosting. How we grade
Where they differ
- ScalaHosting also covers managed WordPress.
At a glance
| Cloudways | ScalaHosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $11.95 per month (Mini), or $2.95 a month for a first term of 12 or 36 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 3-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cloudways, LLC | ScalaHosting |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | scalahosting.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Cloudways
- Sites that have outgrown shared hosting but do not want to run a server
- Agencies hosting many client apps on servers they control
- Developers running Laravel or other PHP apps alongside WordPress
ScalaHosting
- Small business sites that want hosting and email on one plan
- Sites expected to move from shared hosting to a cloud VPS later
- Buyers who would rather not pay for cPanel licenses
Worth knowing
Cloudways
- Cloudways' pages answered our readers with a bot check, so its server prices could not be read and are not listed here.
- Email hosting, the Cloudflare CDN and the malware protection service are paid add-ons rather than part of the server price.
- You choose and size the server yourself, which takes more decisions than a shared hosting plan.
ScalaHosting
- The $2.95 a month needs a 12- or 36-month term paid upfront; Mini renews at $11.95, Start at $14.95 and Advanced at $19.95 a month.
- Mini hosts one website and has no free domain; a domain comes with Start and higher plans.
- Several tools, including SShield, the AI site builder and the WordPress malware scan, work only with SPanel, not cPanel.
- Managed cloud plans start at $29.95 a month, and reseller hosting and larger VPS plans are sold separately.
Key features
Cloudways
- Choice of cloud provider
- Servers run on DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud, and you pick the provider, size and location, then scale up later.
- Managed server essentials
- Cloudways sets up and maintains the server with free SSL, backups, one-click staging and Object Cache Pro, and moves an existing site over for free.
- Copilot AI monitoring
- Cloudways Copilot watches the server's critical components and uses AI to diagnose issues and suggest fixes.
- Security and malware scanning
- Servers get malware scanning and vulnerability alerts, with a fuller malware protection service and a Cloudflare CDN sold as add-ons.
- Cloudways API
- Cloudways publishes an API, linked from every page, for working with the platform from your own scripts and tools.
ScalaHosting
- SPanel or cPanel
- Accounts can run on ScalaHosting's own SPanel, offered free, or on cPanel. Some tools, such as SShield and the AI site builder, come only with SPanel.
- SShield and malware scanning
- SShield watches for attacks in real time, and every shared plan lists real-time malware protection, brute-force protection and a WordPress malware scan tool.
- WordPress Manager
- Automatic WordPress updates, staging and cloning, a security lock for files, admin role controls and Google Lighthouse reports, managed from the panel.
- AI WordPress site builder
- An AI site builder for WordPress is included on every shared plan when it runs on SPanel.
- Daily offsite backups
- Backups run every day and are stored offsite, and archives can also be made by hand and restored in one click from the control panel.
- Email with reputation tools
- Unlimited mailboxes, forwarders and autoresponders, with blacklist monitoring and delivery tracking to help mail reach inboxes.
Plans
Cloudways
Pricing could not be confirmed. See cloudways.com.
ScalaHosting
Mini, 1 month$11.95
per month, billed monthly
1 website, 10 GB NVMe storage and no bandwidth limit, with SPanel or cPanel. Monthly billing has no introductory price.
Mini, 12 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first year at $2.95 a month
The same Mini plan. The first 12 months cost $35.40 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Mini, 36 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
The same Mini plan. The first 36 months cost $106.20 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Start, 36 months$14.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites, 50 GB and a free domain. $5.95 a month for the first 36 months ($214.20), then $14.95; the same $5.95 on 12 months.
Advanced, 36 months$19.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites and 100 GB. $9.95 a month for the first 36 months ($358.20), then $19.95 a month.
Entry Cloud, 36 months$39.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Cloud VPS with 2 dedicated CPUs, 2 GB RAM and 50 GB NVMe. $24.95 a month for 36 months; a 12-month term starts at $14.95 a month.
Ways to pay less
Cloudways
No public discounts listed.
ScalaHosting
- Other savings
Mini at $2.95 a month for the first term
On a 12- or 36-month term Mini costs $2.95 a month, Start $5.95 and Advanced $9.95, paid upfront. They renew at $11.95, $14.95 and $19.95 a month.
