Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team
20i vs Cloudways
20i
Cloudways
Higher score in this comparison
20i vs Cloudways: the differences
| Compare | 20iReviewVisitVisit | CloudwaysReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $1Lower | $11 |
| Renewal price | £9.99 | $11 |
| Hosting types | Shared, Wordpress, VPS, Cloud, Reseller | Managed cloud hosting, Managed WordPress hosting, Magento hosting, Laravel hosting, PHP application hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Node.js application hosting, Managed AI agent hosting |
| Features | CDN | Free SSL, Backups, Staging, CDN, EmailCovers more |
| Intro price term (months) | 1 month | 3 monthsHigher |
| Money-back period | 30 days | Not confirmed |
| Websites allowed | Not confirmed | Unlimited websites per server |
| Data centres | Not confirmed | New York, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto |
Same on both: Uptime guarantee (99.99%).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Cloudways scores higher overall: 9.1 vs 8.6.
- Intro price is lower at 20i: $1 vs $11.
- Hosting types: only 20i offers Shared, Wordpress, VPS.
- Hosting types: only Cloudways offers Managed cloud hosting, Managed WordPress hosting, Magento hosting.
- Features: only Cloudways offers Free SSL, Backups, Staging.
- Intro price term (months) is higher at Cloudways: 3 months vs 1 month.
- Support channels: only Cloudways offers Phone, Help centre, Community.
- Founded is lower at Cloudways: 2012 vs 2016.
- Audience: only Cloudways offers Beginners.
Our verdict on each
20i
20i suits UK small businesses that want one supplier for hosting and a site builder, with entry deals from $1 for a 1 term. Renewals sit far higher at £9.99, so the headline saving is worth checking against your second year.
Cloudways
Cloudways suits developers and small businesses who want managed hosting rather than shared plans, with WordPress, Magento, Laravel and Node.js covered. Entry plans start at $11 a month, and every server allows unlimited websites. Renewal holds at $11, so the entry figure is the working budget.
Score breakdown
| Area | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.8HigherRenewal of £9.99 is under the €10.48 mark, and entry is $1. | 8.4Entry of $11 and renewal of $11 are identical, but the entry figure exceeds the web hosting median €2.95. |
| Offer | 8.3 | 9.8Higher |
| Trust | 9.0Uptime of 99.99% is guaranteed, with a 30 day refund window and a UK entity. | 9.1Higher |
How the counts compare
| Fact | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $1 | $11 |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Intro price term (months) | 1 month | 3 months |
Licences and countries
| Country | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | United States |
How they place
| Ranking | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Web hosting | 1 of 530 | 9 of 530 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Small business, Enterprise | Beginners, Small business, EnterpriseCovers more |
| Pricing model | Not confirmed | Free trial |
| Legal entity | 20i Limited | Cloudways LLC |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | United States |
| Founded | 2016 | 2012Lower |
| Support channels | Chat, Email | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more |
Website builders
| Fact | 20i | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £10 | Not confirmed |
| E-commerce plan price | £10 | Not confirmed |
| Templates | from 80 | Not confirmed |
| Builder type | Site | Not confirmed |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | 20i | Cloudways | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $1lowest quarter | $11highest quarter | $3.72 |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.99%above the median | 99.99%above the median | 99.9% |
| Intro price term (months) | 1 monthlowest quarter | 3 monthslowest quarter | 12 months |
Median across 380 listed software products.
Pros and cons
20i
Pros
- Renewal of £9.99 sits under the €10.48 category mark
- A 30 day money-back period matches the 30 category top
- Hosting spans shared, wordpress and vps so you can move up without changing supplier
Cons
- The $1 deal runs for a 1 term only, so it does not describe your renewal
- Support runs on chat and email only, with no phone line listed
- The 99.99% uptime guarantee is a floor, not always-on service
Cloudways
Pros
- Renewal matches entry, so $11 at sign up becomes $11 on renewal with no jump
- One provider covers the stack: managed cloud hosting, managed WordPress hosting and Magento hosting spans managed cloud, WordPress, Magento, WooCommerce, Laravel, PHP, Node.js and managed AI agent hosting
- Support reaches email, chat and phone, and uptime is guaranteed at 99.99%
Cons
- At $11 a month, entry cost sits above the web hosting median of €2.95
- free trial lists a free trial only, so there is no permanent free plan to test on
- Regions are limited to New York, Amsterdam and Bangalore, so a site needing a location outside that list has to look elsewhere
Who each suits
20i
Who it suits
- UK small businesses running WordPress sites that value a single supplier
- Store owners who need the e-commerce plan priced at £10
- Agencies reselling hosting, since reseller hosting is in the shared, wordpress and vps range
Who should look elsewhere
- Shoppers who want a free plan, as no free tier is listed here
- Buyers who want phone support, since chat and email covers chat and email only
- People who need a long entry term, because $1 covers 1
Cloudways
Who it suits
- Agencies and freelancers running client WordPress, Magento or WooCommerce sites that want backups and staging handled, both listed under free ssl, backups and staging
- Developers shipping Laravel, PHP or Node.js applications who want a managed runtime in New York, Amsterdam and Bangalore
- Small businesses that want free SSL, backups, staging, CDN and email covered in the entry plan rather than bought separately
Who should look elsewhere
- Render, whose entry price is $0, suits readers who only want a free starting point
- Afrihost, listed at ZAR 84, is the pick when the opening number alone settles the shortlist
- Hosting.cl, quoted at CLP 159,900, gives readers a second entry figure to weigh against Cloudways $11
Current offers
Cloudways
Current offer
First period offer
30% OFF for 3 Months on All Plans: 30% off for 3 months
Limited time offer on Cloudways Flexible and Autonomous plans, claimed via the pricing page signup link
Source, checked September 26, 2026
First period offer
30% OFF for 4 Months on Cloudways Autonomous: 30% off for 4 months
Promotional banner for Cloudways Autonomous; scope limited to that product line
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Free trial
3-day free trial: 3 days free
No credit card needed; cancellable anytime
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Questions about each
20i
What does 20i cost to start with?+
The headline entry price is $1, but it applies for a 1 term only. Broader plan pricing starts at £10, and the store plan is priced separately at £10. Check the renewal figure before you commit, because the low entry price does not carry over.
What will I pay when the hosting plan renews?+
Renewal is priced at £9.99, which is the number to plan a second year around. The category median renewal is €6.14 and the upper quartile is €10.48. The gap between the $1 deal and the £9.99 renewal is the most important number here.
Cloudways
How much does Cloudways cost at the start of a plan?+
Cloudways lists an entry price of $11 a month, and that rate applies for an introductory term of 3. After that term the plan moves to the renewal price of $11, which here matches the entry rate rather than rising above it.
Does the price change when a plan renews?+
Renewal sits at $11, the same figure as the $11 entry rate, so budgets do not step up after the first term. That makes the opening number a fair guide to what a managed server costs month to month.