Cloudways fits agencies and technical site owners who can size a server, while Kinsta fits businesses that want a hands-off managed WordPress platform.
Cloudways servers start at $11 a month with no site limit. Kinsta starts at $35 a month (or $350 a year) for one site and 35,000 visits.
That pricing difference decides most of this comparison. In our examples, Cloudways costs less at 1, 5, and 20 sites, and the gap grows as you add sites.
The Cloudways review and the Kinsta review cover each host in full. This page focuses on how the two pricing models play out.
Cloudways vs Kinsta: the short verdict
Cloudways wins on cost and flexibility, while Kinsta wins on hands-off management, included CDN, a published uptime SLA, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cloudways: lower cost for most setups, a choice of five cloud providers, and unlimited sites per server. You pick and resize the server.
Kinsta: one managed platform on Google Cloud, a Cloudflare-powered CDN and edge caching included, and plans sized by sites and visits instead of hardware.
Neither is ideal for a beginner with one small blog. Cheaper shared hosting covers that well.
Cloudways vs Kinsta at a glance
| Decision point | Cloudways | Kinsta |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $11 a month (1 GB DigitalOcean server) | $35 a month, or $350 a year (Single 35k) |
| What you pay for | Server size, unlimited sites | Site count and visits (or bandwidth) |
| Billing | Hourly, invoiced monthly, no contract | Monthly or yearly |
| Traffic overage | $0.02 per GB over the server allowance (DigitalOcean) | $0.50 per 1,000 visits or $0.50 per GB |
| CDN | Cloudflare Enterprise add-on from $4.99 per domain a month | Included |
| Uptime SLA | None listed | Up to 99.99% |
| Trial and refunds | 3-day free trial, no money-back guarantee listed | Free first month on select plans, then 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Support | 24/7 live chat and tickets | 24/7 human support in 8 languages |
| Current plans and prices | See Cloudways plans | See Kinsta plans |
Prices confirmed on September 25, 2026.
How Cloudways and Kinsta pricing models work
Cloudways sells server capacity with no site limit, while Kinsta sells plans with a fixed number of WordPress sites and monthly visits.
On Cloudways, you choose a cloud provider, such as DigitalOcean, and a server size. Then you install as many WordPress sites as that server can run.
On Kinsta, each plan lists how many WordPress installs you get and how many monthly visits it covers.
Since October 1, 2025, Kinsta lets you pick a bandwidth-based version of some plans instead, as its changelog explains.
Think of it like renting a whole apartment versus paying per room. With Cloudways, you rent the apartment and decide how many people live there.
With Kinsta, you pay for each room, and the building manager handles the rest.
For your sites, this means Cloudways gets cheaper per site as you add more, until the server runs out of room.
Kinsta’s cost per site stays more predictable, but each site adds to the bill.
Cloudways and Kinsta prices by server and plan
Cloudways’ DigitalOcean servers cost $11 to $88 a month for 1 GB to 8 GB, while Kinsta’s plans cost $35 a month for one site up to $299 for 20.
| Cloudways DigitalOcean server | RAM | CPU | Storage | Bandwidth | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DO1GB | 1 GB | 1 core | 25 GB | 1 TB | $11 |
| DO2GB | 2 GB | 1 core | 50 GB | 2 TB | $24 |
| DO4GB | 4 GB | 2 cores | 80 GB | 4 TB | $46 |
| DO8GB | 8 GB | 4 cores | 160 GB | 5 TB | $88 |
These rates come from the Cloudways pricing table. Cloudways bills by the hour, invoiced monthly, with no long-term contract and no yearly discount listed.
| Kinsta plan | Sites | Monthly visits | Storage | Billed monthly | Billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single 35k | 1 | 35,000 | 10 GB | $35 | $350 |
| Expand | 5 | 350,000 | 40 GB | $99 | $990 |
| Lead | 20 | 1,500,000 | 60 GB | $299 | $2,990 |
Kinsta’s plans come from its pricing page. Yearly billing works out to about two months free. Kinsta shows no separate intro or renewal rates for these plans.
Prices confirmed on September 25, 2026.
Prices change often, so check Cloudways’ current prices and Kinsta’s current prices before you buy.
Cloudways vs Kinsta yearly cost at 1, 5, and 20 sites
Cloudways costs $288 a year for one site against $350 for Kinsta billed yearly, and $1,056 against $2,990 for 20 sites in our example.
The Cloudways server sizes are our assumption for small, low-traffic WordPress sites.
| Sites | Cloudways server (our pick) | Cloudways per year | Kinsta plan | Kinsta per year (billed yearly) | Kinsta per year (billed monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DO2GB | $288 | Single 35k | $350 | $420 |
| 5 | DO4GB | $552 | Expand | $990 | $1,188 |
| 20 | DO8GB | $1,056 | Lead | $2,990 | $3,588 |
Cloudways figures are 12 months of pay-as-you-go billing. Kinsta’s yearly figures need a year paid upfront, so compare them with care.
We chose DO2GB over DO1GB for one site because Cloudways includes Object Cache Pro free on 2 GB servers and up.
Object caching keeps frequent database results in memory, which helps busy stores.
Your real server size depends on traffic, plugins, and WooCommerce use. A heavy store might need twice the RAM shown here, which roughly doubles the Cloudways figure.
Cloudways add-ons vs what Kinsta includes
Cloudways charges extra for a CDN, offsite backup storage, and Advanced Support, while Kinsta includes a CDN but charges $100 per site a month for Redis.
On Cloudways, the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on starts at $4.99 per domain a month, dropping to $1.99 per domain above 25 domains.
Adding it to all 20 sites at $4.99 costs $1,197.60 a year. That brings the 20-site Cloudways total to about $2,254, still below Kinsta Lead’s $2,990.
Cloudways also charges $0.033 per GB for offsite backup storage on each server. Advanced Support is currently listed at $25 a month, down from $100, on its pricing page.
Kinsta’s Redis add-on costs $100 per site a month, while Cloudways includes Object Cache Pro on 2 GB servers and up.
Each extra Kinsta site beyond your plan costs $30 a month.
Who handles server sizing at Cloudways and Kinsta
Kinsta handles resource planning for you, while Cloudways manages the server software but leaves the choice of server size to you.
On Kinsta, you pick a plan by sites and visits, and Kinsta runs the platform.
On Cloudways, the platform installs and maintains the web server stack, but you decide when a full server needs resizing.
This mirrors the difference between managed and unmanaged VPS hosting, just less extreme. Cloudways sits in between: managed software, self-managed sizing.
For your site, this means Cloudways asks you to watch RAM and CPU graphs now and then. Kinsta asks you to watch your visit count against your plan.
Cloudways and Kinsta cloud providers and data centers
Cloudways offers five cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud), while Kinsta runs only on Google Cloud, with 30 data centers.
Kinsta says it runs its infrastructure only on Google Cloud Platform, in a 2024 changelog post. Its data center documentation lists 30 locations.
Kinsta’s CDN, powered by Cloudflare, reaches 300+ cities, according to its CDN documentation. Cloudways locations depend on the cloud provider you pick.
DigitalOcean servers are Cloudways’ default option, and the Cloudways vs DigitalOcean comparison explains when to skip the middle layer.
Winner: Cloudways, for more provider and location choice.
Cloudways and Kinsta traffic limits and overages
Cloudways doesn’t count visits and bills only bandwidth over the server allowance, while Kinsta charges $0.50 per 1,000 visits over your plan.
Each Cloudways server includes a bandwidth allowance, from 1 TB a month on DO1GB. Above it, Cloudways bills $0.02 per GB on DigitalOcean servers, per its bandwidth charges article.
Kinsta counts a visit as a unique IP address within 24 hours. Its overage documentation lists $0.50 per 1,000 extra visits, or $0.50 per GB on bandwidth-based plans.
Kinsta keeps your site online when you go over and sends alerts at 80% and 100% of your limit.
For your site, this means a traffic spike on Cloudways uses up server capacity, and the site may slow down. On Kinsta, the same spike adds an overage charge.
Winner: Cloudways, for no visit-based billing.
Cloudways vs Kinsta uptime, backups, staging, and migration
Kinsta publishes an uptime SLA of up to 99.99% and includes unlimited free migrations, while Cloudways lists no uptime SLA and offers a free migration for your first site.
Uptime: Kinsta’s pricing page lists an uptime SLA of up to 99.99%. We found no uptime SLA percentage on Cloudways’ pricing or terms pages.
Backups: Kinsta keeps daily backups for 14 days on Single and multi-site business plans. Cloudways includes automated backups and charges $0.033 per GB for offsite storage.
Staging: Kinsta includes one-click staging on all plans. Cloudways lists unlimited staging areas on its DigitalOcean hosting page.
Migration: Kinsta lists unlimited free migrations. Cloudways offers to migrate your first website free.
Winner: Kinsta, for a published uptime SLA and unlimited free migrations.
Cloudways vs Kinsta support, trials, and refunds
Both hosts offer 24/7 support, but Kinsta adds a 30-day money-back guarantee, while Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial and lists no refund policy.
Kinsta lists 24/7 human support in eight languages on all plans. Cloudways includes 24/7 live chat and tickets, with Advanced Support as a paid upgrade.
Cloudways’ 3-day free trial needs no credit card, though it isn’t available for AWS or Google Cloud servers. Its pricing page doesn’t list a money-back guarantee.
Kinsta gives new customers a free first month on select entry plans, such as Single 35k, then a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Winner: Kinsta, for support included at one level and a money-back guarantee.
Cloudways and Kinsta comparison pages, checked
Cloudways and Kinsta each publish a page about the other, and several claims on both pages don’t match the rival’s current pricing page.
| Claim | Made by | What the official pages show now |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudways plans start at $10 a month | Kinsta | Cloudways lists $11 a month, and Kinsta’s page also says $11 elsewhere |
| Kinsta charges $100 a month per site for Redis | Cloudways | Matches Kinsta’s pricing page |
| Kinsta support covers 10 languages | Cloudways | Kinsta’s pricing page says eight |
| Kinsta has no phone support on any tier | Cloudways | Kinsta’s pricing page doesn’t list phone support |
| Kinsta has a 30-day trial with payment details upfront | Cloudways | Kinsta offers a free first month on select plans |
The Kinsta comparison and the Cloudways comparison both highlight their own strengths, so read them as sales pages.
Cloudways vs Kinsta winners by category
Cloudways wins five of nine categories, mostly on cost, while Kinsta wins on hands-off management, included CDN, uptime terms, and refunds.
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for 1 site | Cloudways | $288 vs $350 a year (Kinsta billed yearly) in our example |
| Cost for 20 sites | Cloudways | About $1,056 to $2,254 vs $2,990 a year |
| Hands-off resource planning | Kinsta | No server sizing to manage |
| CDN and edge caching included | Kinsta | Cloudflare Enterprise is a Cloudways add-on |
| Object caching | Cloudways | Free on 2 GB+ servers vs $100 per site at Kinsta |
| Provider choice | Cloudways | Five cloud providers |
| Traffic billing | Cloudways | No visit counting |
| Uptime SLA | Kinsta | Up to 99.99% published; none listed by Cloudways |
| Refund terms | Kinsta | 30-day money-back guarantee |
Our pick: Cloudways for agencies, developers, and store owners who can watch server resources. Kinsta for businesses that want a fully hands-off managed WordPress platform.
Should you choose Cloudways or Kinsta?
Choose Cloudways if you host several sites and can watch server resources, and Kinsta if you want a fixed plan with no server decisions.
If you manage 10 or more client sites, Cloudways usually costs far less, even after adding Cloudflare Enterprise to every domain.
A business owner with no technical help will find Kinsta easier, since the plan choice is about visits, not hardware.
Running a WooCommerce store? Cloudways, for free Object Cache Pro on 2 GB servers, or Kinsta if you’d rather pay more to skip server sizing.
Need a server in a specific region that Kinsta doesn’t cover? Cloudways’ five providers give you more options.
For more on cloud setups, the best cloud hosting picks compare other options, and wider questions sit in the cloud hosting section.
Ready to check prices? Visit Cloudways or visit Kinsta to see today’s plans before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cloudways cheaper than Kinsta?
Yes, in most setups. One site on a Cloudways 2 GB server runs $288 a year, while Kinsta Single 35k is $350 billed yearly.
Which lets you host more sites, Cloudways or Kinsta?
Cloudways, with no site cap per server beyond its RAM, CPU, and storage. Kinsta plans set a fixed site count, such as 5 on Expand or 20 on Lead.
Is Kinsta or Cloudways easier for beginners?
Kinsta is easier. Choosing a plan means estimating visits, not hardware, whereas Cloudways asks you to pick and resize a server.
Does Cloudways or Kinsta offer a free trial?
Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial with no credit card. Kinsta has no trial, but new customers get a free first month on select plans plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Does Kinsta or Cloudways have an uptime guarantee?
Kinsta does, listing an uptime SLA of up to 99.99%. We found no uptime SLA percentage published by Cloudways.
Do Cloudways and Kinsta include a CDN?
Kinsta includes a Cloudflare-powered CDN on its plans. Cloudways sells Cloudflare Enterprise as an add-on from $4.99 per domain a month.
How we compared Cloudways and Kinsta
This comparison is built from official sources only.
For Cloudways, we used its pricing page and pricing table, DigitalOcean hosting page, bandwidth charges article, and Kinsta comparison page.
For Kinsta, we used its pricing page, overage, CDN and data center documentation, changelog posts, and Cloudways comparison page. All details were checked on September 25, 2026.
Our Methodology and Editorial Guidelines explain how we research hosts and correct errors.
