Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team
Cloudways vs ScalaHosting
Cloudways
ScalaHosting
Higher score in this comparison
What sets them apart
| Compare | CloudwaysReviewVisitVisit | ScalaHostingReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $11 | $2.95Lower |
| Renewal price | $11Lower | $11.95 |
| Hosting types | Managed cloud hosting, Managed WordPress hosting, Magento hosting, Laravel hosting, PHP application hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Node.js application hosting, Managed AI agent hosting | Shared web hosting, Managed cloud hosting, Unmanaged cloud VPS hosting, Cluster hosting, Reseller hosting, Business email hosting, WordPress hosting |
| Websites allowed | Unlimited websites per server | 1 on Mini, unlimited on Start, Advanced and Entry Cloud |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.99%Higher | 99.9% |
| Data centres | New York, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto | Dallas, USA, New York, USA, Seattle, USA, Ohio, USA, Virginia, USA, Oregon, USA, Montreal, Canada, Sofia, Bulgaria, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Helsinki, Finland, Madrid, Spain, Stockholm, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark, Stavanger, Norway, Warsaw, Poland, Dublin, Ireland, Paris, France, London, UK, Frankfurt, Germany, Tokyo, Japan, Seoul, South Korea, Mumbai, India, Singapore, Sydney, Australia |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Intro price term (months) | 3 months | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Features (Free SSL, Backups, Staging, CDN, Email).
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
- ScalaHosting scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.1.
- Intro price is lower at ScalaHosting: $2.95 vs $11.
- Renewal price is lower at Cloudways: $11 vs $11.95.
- Hosting types: only Cloudways offers Managed WordPress hosting, Magento hosting, Laravel hosting.
- Hosting types: only ScalaHosting offers Shared web hosting, Unmanaged cloud VPS hosting, Cluster hosting.
- Data centres: only Cloudways offers New York, Amsterdam, Bangalore.
- Data centres: only ScalaHosting offers Dallas, USA, New York, USA, Seattle, USA.
- Support channels: only Cloudways offers Community.
- Uptime guarantee is higher at Cloudways: 99.99% vs 99.9%.
- Founded is lower at ScalaHosting: 2007 vs 2012.
Our verdict on each
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.
ScalaHosting
ScalaHosting suits small businesses and beginners who want one provider for sites and stores, and the range runs from shared web hosting to managed and unmanaged cloud VPS. Entry pricing is $2.95 and renewal is $11.95, so the second bill is the one to plan for.
Score breakdown
| Area | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.4Entry of $11 and renewal of $11 are identical, but the entry figure exceeds the web hosting median €2.95. | 8.8HigherEntry pricing of $2.95 is low next to €2.99, though e-commerce hosting costs $14.95 and renewals rise. |
| Offer | 9.8Higher | 9.6 |
| Trust | 9.1Higher | 8.9An uptime guarantee of 99.9%, support over email, chat and phone, and a provider founded in 2007. |
Intro price vs renewal
| Fact | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $11, then $11 (+0%) | $2.95, then $11.95 (+305%) |
Sources behind this comparison
Cloudways
- cloudways.com: 12 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- en.wikipedia.org: 2 facts, checked September 26, 2026
ScalaHosting
- scalahosting.com: 13 facts, checked September 26, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Web hosting | 9 of 530 | 2 of 530 |
| Business email hosting | 9 of 425 | 1 of 425 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Beginners, Small business, Enterprise | Beginners, Small business, Enterprise |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Not confirmed |
| Legal entity | Cloudways LLC | Scala Hosting LLC |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Founded | 2012 | 2007Lower |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Website builders
| Fact | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Not confirmed | $2.95 |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | No |
| E-commerce plan price | Not confirmed | $14.95 |
| Builder type | Not confirmed | Site, Store |
Domain registrars
| Fact | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Domain endings | Not confirmed | 17 |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Cloudways | ScalaHosting | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $11highest quarter | $2.95below the median | $3.72 |
| Renewal price | $11above the median | $11.95above the median | $7.67 |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.99%above the median | 99.9%at the median | 99.9% |
| Intro price term (months) | 3 monthslowest quarter | Not confirmed | 12 months |
Median across 380 listed software products.
Pros and cons
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
ScalaHosting
Pros
- The shared web hosting, managed cloud hosting and unmanaged cloud VPS hosting range covers shared web hosting, managed and unmanaged cloud, cluster, reseller, WordPress and business email hosting.
- Included features list free SSL, backups, staging, a CDN and email under free ssl, backups and staging, and the builder covers sites and stores.
- A 30 day money-back period leaves room to change direction.
Cons
- Renewal of $11.95 is several times the $2.95 entry price and above the site median of €5.99.
- There is no free plan, so a first test runs on a paid plan starting at $2.95.
- Website counts differ by plan: 1 on Mini, unlimited on Start, Advanced and Entry Cloud, so a single site on Mini can be a tight fit.
Who each suits
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
ScalaHosting
Who it suits
- Small business owners and first site builders, since beginners, small business and enterprise names beginners, small business and enterprise buyers.
- Teams that want hosting and a business mailbox on one account, since shared web hosting, managed cloud hosting and unmanaged cloud VPS hosting includes business email hosting.
- Buyers who want a broad server network, with data centres across Dallas, USA, New York, USA and Seattle, USA.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants a free first site: Render lists a free entry tier at $0.
- Visitors comparing prices in Chilean pesos: Hosting.cl quotes CLP 159,900.
- Buyers shopping in rand: Afrihost lists ZAR 84.
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
ScalaHosting
Current offer
First period offer
Mini shared hosting intro offer: $2.95/mo for the first term instead of $11.95/mo (save 75%)
Introductory rate; renewal billed at $11.95/mo
Source, checked September 26, 2026
First period offer
Start and Advanced plan intro offers: Start $5.95/mo (save 60%), Advanced $9.95/mo (save 50%)
Introductory rate; renews at $14.95/mo and $19.95/mo respectively
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
Free domain name for the first year: Free .com, .net, .org or .eu domain for one year
Included with Start, Advanced, Entry Cloud and Managed Cloud packages; minimum initial service period of 1 year; using the 30-day money-back guarantee makes the domain chargeable at its normal price
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
$100 Speed Guarantee on Managed VPS: Full refund of the VPS purchase plus $100 compensation
Managed VPS bought after September 1st 2025 with a minimum 12-month term, deployed in Dallas, Seattle, New York or Sofia, for clients migrating an existing website; claim within 7 days of migration
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Questions about each
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.
ScalaHosting
What does ScalaHosting cost for the first term and at renewal?+
Entry pricing is $2.95 and the same range renews at $11.95, so the second bill is the one to plan for. Renewal sits against a site median of €5.99, which is worth checking against cheaper entry offers.
Is there a free plan to try ScalaHosting on?+
The answer is no, so every account begins on a paid plan and the cheapest way in is $2.95. Support is reachable over email, chat and phone, so a trial means paying first and leaning on chat, phone, email or the help centre.
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