Hostinger vs Cloudways (2026): Shared, VPS or Managed Cloud?
Short answer: Pick Hostinger for a small site on a budget: about $96 for four years on Premium. Pick Cloudways if you want your own managed cloud server, monthly billing and no contract: from $14 a month, or about $650 over four years. Cloudways suits growing WordPress sites and stores that need steady speed.
See Hostinger's current priceHostinger sells shared hosting (your site shares a server with others), cloud hosting and VPS servers. Cloudways sells managed cloud servers. It sets up a server for you at a cloud company like DigitalOcean, then looks after it. You never touch the server yourself.
Hostinger prices were checked on Hostinger’s site on November 8, 2026. Cloudways prices were checked on Cloudways’ site on November 7, 2026. Check the price at checkout.
Hostinger vs Cloudways at a glance
| Hostinger Premium | Hostinger Cloud Startup | Cloudways Micro (DigitalOcean) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99/mo (48 months) | $7.99/mo (48 months) | $14/mo, billed monthly |
| Renews at | $10.99/mo | $25.99/mo | Same |
| Contract | Paid up front | Paid up front | None, cancel any time |
| Cost over 4 years | $95.52 | $383.52 | About $650 |
| Websites | 3 | Unlimited | As many as the server can handle |
| Server | Shared | Cloud | 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB NVMe |
| Backups | Weekly | Daily and on demand | Automated and on demand |
| 2 inboxes per site, free 1 year | Unlimited, free 1 year | Add-on, $1.50 per inbox a month | |
| Staging site | Not on Premium | Check plan details | Included |
| Free trial | 30-day money-back | 30-day money-back | 3 days, no credit card |
| Support | 24/7 chat | 24/7 chat | 24/7 chat and tickets |
What each one costs over time
Cloudways has no long contract and no big first-term sale, apart from short promotions. You pay the same each month. Hostinger asks you to pay up front, and in return costs much less.
| Plan | First 4 years | Each year after |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium | $95.52 | $131.88 |
| Hostinger Cloud Startup | $383.52 | $311.88 |
| Cloudways Micro | About $650 | $168 |
The Cloudways total includes its current 80% discount on the first 2 months.
Check Hostinger’s current price
Where Cloudways is better
- No contract. Pay monthly and leave whenever you want.
- Your own server. Your site doesn’t share power with strangers, so a busy neighbor can’t slow you down.
- Pick your cloud. Choose a cloud such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS or Google Cloud, and pick a data center near your visitors.
- Grow in a click. Add more memory to your server when traffic grows.
Where Hostinger is better
- Price. Premium costs about a seventh of Cloudways Micro over four years.
- All in one place. Domain, email and hosting in one account. Cloudways doesn’t sell domains, and email is extra.
- Easier for beginners. Buy a plan, click to install WordPress, done.
- Free email for the first year.
Is Hostinger Cloud Startup like Cloudways?
Close. Both give your sites set-aside server power and daily backups. Hostinger Cloud Startup has 100 GB of storage and unlimited sites, includes email and a domain, and costs less over four years. Cloudways gives you more choice of cloud and no contract.
Which is better for an app or AI agent?
Neither of these plans is built for that. For an app or an AI agent that runs all day, you want a VPS. See Hostinger vs DigitalOcean or Best VPS for OpenClaw.
Who should choose Cloudways
- Your site is growing and you want steady speed.
- You hate long contracts.
- You run several client sites and want one managed server for them.
Who should choose Hostinger
- You want the lowest cost.
- You want domain, email and hosting together.
- You’re building your first site.
Also see Bluehost vs Cloudways and Hostinger vs WP Engine.
FAQ
Is Cloudways better than Hostinger? For a busy site that needs its own server, often yes. For a small site, Hostinger gives you more for far less.
Does Cloudways include email? No. Email is an add-on at $1.50 per inbox a month, or you can use Google Workspace.
Can I move from Hostinger to Cloudways later? Yes. Cloudways offers free WordPress migrations.
Sources
- Cloudways pricing, Cloudways, checked Nov 7, 2026
- Hostinger web hosting plans, Hostinger, checked Nov 8, 2026 with our referral link