Cloudways vs Kinsta
The Kinsta Alternative That Bills Servers, Not Visitors
You shouldn’t have to watch your traffic like it’s a meter running. Kinsta charges $0.50 per 1,000 visits over your plan. With Cloudways, you ONLY pay for your server, not for who shows up.
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Rated #1 Managed Cloud Host
Cloudways Empowers 102,000+ Businesses & Counting
Not Just Billing. Here’s Why People Choose a Kinsta Alternative.
One cloud provider. Rigid plan tiers. Per-site pricing. That changes the moment you switch to Cloudways.
DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode, you choose.
No per-site pricing tiers. Host as many sites as your server resources allow.
Resize RAM and CPU in one click instead of jumping to the next plan tier.
Test changes safely before pushing live. It’s already part of your plan.
Is Cloudways Really The Best Kinsta Alternative?
Here’s an honest, side-by-side look at what you get with each host across the things that matter most.
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| Billing, the Thing That Actually Worries You | ||
| Visit-Based Overages | Yes, $0.50 per 1,000 visits over plan | Never, visits aren’t billed at all |
| Starting Price | $35/mo for one site | $11/mo, host as many sites as resources allow |
| Per-Site Plan Tiers | Yes, more sites means a higher tier | No, one server hosts unlimited sites |
| PHP Worker Upgrades | $10/mo per 500MB to expand | Configure freely, included in your plan |
| Redis Caching | $100/mo per site | Free on 4GB+ servers |
| Billing Model | Visit or bandwidth-based, fixed tiers | Pay-as-you-go, based on server resources |
| Infrastructure and Flexibility | ||
| Cloud Provider | Google Cloud only | DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Vultr, or Linode |
| App Support | WordPress only | All PHP applications |
| Staging Environment | Free (premium tier costs $20/mo) | Free, unlimited |
| SSH and SFTP Access | Yes | Full SSH and SFTP |
| Scaling | Plan upgrade required | Resize RAM and CPU in one click |
| Free Migration Coverage | Unlimited, but WordPress only | Unlimited for WordPress/WooCommerce, first free for other apps |
| Support and Security | ||
| 24/7 Support | Live chat, 10 languages | Live chat and ticket, all plans |
| Phone Support | Not available on any tier | Premium add-on |
| Automated Backups | 14 days standard, up to 30 on higher tiers | Scheduled and on-demand |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Where Kinsta Genuinely Holds Up | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.8/5 from 1,466 reviews | 4.7/5 from 1,124 reviews |
| Uptime SLA | Up to 99.99% on custom plans | 99.99% |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days, payment details required upfront | Not applicable, 3-day free trial instead |
The Kinsta Alternative that has 5x Data Centers
Kinsta runs exclusively on Google Cloud. Cloudways gives you five providers and over 150 data center locations to choose from, so your server can sit right next to your audience, wherever they are.
150+
Data Centers
50+
Locations
5
Cloud Providers
Cloudways Support is
Your Extended Team
Cloudways Support exceeds expectations to resolve any issue instantly – unlike Kinsta, where support can sometimes feel secondary.
An Agency That Wants Control
Full SSH and SFTP access, Git deployment, and the freedom to switch between PHP 7.4 through 8.4 whenever your projects need it.
A Store With Unpredictable Traffic
Your server automatically adjusts CPU, RAM, and PHP workers the moment traffic spikes, then scales back down once it settles.
Running More Than One Kind of Project
WordPress, Magento, Laravel, or a custom PHP build, all of it runs on the same server without needing separate hosting accounts.
Comfortable Making Server Decisions
You configure caching, PHP settings, and resource allocation directly, exactly the way your project actually needs it.
Looking for Predictable Server Costs
One flat fee covers every site and app on that server. If you need more power later, you scale the server, not your bill per visitor.
Wanting a Fully Managed Setup Instead
Scaling and WordPress updates run automatically in the background, with nothing for you to configure or monitor.
Real Success Stories. Powered By Cloudways.
Read real-life case studies of companies that used our managed cloud server hosting to take their online businesses to the next level!
Improved site speed by 40% and increased course bookings across AU.
Mo Soltany
Business Development Manager
Cut hosting cost 80% while serving 17M+ users across 160+ countries.
Bryan Feinberg
Founder and CEO
Saw 600% growth, and our homepage achieved a perfect 100% score.
Stephan Eijer
Owner
Managed over $1M in sales and a 200% traffic spike seamlessly.
Sol Lee
Co-founder
Doubled site speed, 20% traffic growth & 50% faster load times.
Great Opomu
Chief WordPress Officer
Scaled to 140+ client sites & hit $1M ARR as performance soared.
Andrew Jackson
Founder & CEO
Streamlined operations for 60+ businesses with reliable performance.
Michelle Coe
President and Senior Creative Director
Saved 25–30% on hosting costs with 40% faster server response time.
Roberto M. Filho
Founder and CEO
30% faster, 280+ sites scaled, $10M+ revenue growth, this year.
Tristan Gatellier
CEO
Achieved 99 PageSpeed score, zero downtime and scalable growth.
Joost Rust
Director
Reduced server costs by 50% and homepage load time dropped to 1.2s.
Florence Luo
Owner and CEO
Grew monthly readership 3x from 3M to 9M after moving to Cloudways.
Simon Treulle
CEO
Improved store speed by 30%, which led to a 22% increase in conversions.
Yogita Khasturi
Co-Founder
Managed over $1M in sales and a 200% traffic spike seamlessly.
Sol Lee
Co-founder
Posted 2.6M views and earned $600K in commissions so rewarding.
Adam Connell
Founder
Handled 20x traffic spikes on 18-year-old site with 5,484 articles.
Jonathan Bailey
Founder
Resulted in a perfect 100% PageSpeed score and 600K page views.
Michael Donovan
Co-founder
Boosted monthly pageviews to 200K, leading to a 6-figure valuation.
Daniel Shuttleworth
Founder
Experienced a 3x increase in traffic and revenue, with 100% speed.
Keith Mint
Founder
Have Questions? Consult an Expert For Free.
Get the answers you need, or hop on a demo with an expert to figure out how Cloudways can help you, all without any commitments.
Contact Our Experts Watch Demo
Leaving Kinsta Doesn’t Have to Mean Starting Over
Cloudways engineers move your site for you, free. WordPress and WooCommerce migrations are unlimited. Running something else? Your first move is free too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cloudways good for agencies managing multiple client sites?
Yes. Since Cloudways doesn't charge per site, agencies can host unlimited client sites on a single server, paying only for server resources rather than a separate fee for each site, the way Kinsta's plan tiers work.
Does Cloudways offer a free trial like Kinsta’s money-back guarantee?
Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial with no credit card required. Kinsta requires payment details upfront and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
Is Cloudways really cheaper than Kinsta?
Yes, for most use cases. Cloudways starts at $11/mo with no visit caps, while Kinsta starts at $35/mo and charges $0.50 per 1,000 visits over your plan limit. The gap widens further if you're hosting multiple sites, since Kinsta's plans are priced per site while Cloudways' server fee covers unlimited sites.
Will I lose anything by switching from Kinsta to Cloudways?
You'll trade Kinsta's fully managed, WordPress-only environment for more control and flexibility. If you valued not having to make any server decisions, that's a real tradeoff. If you wanted more freedom over PHP versions, caching, and the ability to run non-WordPress apps, you'll gain that.
How does migration from Kinsta to Cloudways work?
Cloudways engineers handle WordPress and WooCommerce migrations for free, with unlimited migrations included. If you're running another PHP application, your first migration is free, with a fee for additional ones afterward.
Does Cloudways charge extra for PHP workers like Kinsta does?
No. Cloudways lets you configure PHP-FPM settings directly from your dashboard at no extra cost. Kinsta includes 2 workers on entry plans and charges $10/mo per 500MB to expand beyond that.
Can I host more than WordPress on Cloudways?
Yes. Cloudways supports WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and any custom PHP application. Kinsta is WordPress-only.
Which cloud providers can I choose on Cloudways?
DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode, across 150+ data center locations. Kinsta runs exclusively on Google Cloud Platform, with 27 data center locations.