Cloudways vs SiteGround
The SiteGround Alternative Without the Renewal Shock
SiteGround’s $2.99 plan renews at $17.99. GrowBig jumps from $4.99 to $29.99. Cloudways doesn’t have a renewal price hike built in; you pay the same rate structure you signed up for.
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Cloudways Empowers 102,000+ Businesses & Counting
Here’s Why Cloudways Is the Better SiteGround Alternative
SiteGround’s cheapest plan skips staging entirely, and faster PHP performance is locked behind a pricier tier. That changes the moment you switch to Cloudways.
On SiteGround, that’s locked behind a pricier tier. On Cloudways, it’s already there.
On SiteGround, these sit behind GrowBig. On Cloudways, they’re just part of all plans.
SiteGround’s entry plan allows exactly one site. Cloudways doesn’t put a number on it.
SiteGround runs on Google Cloud only. Pick based on price, location, or performance instead.
Is Cloudways Really The Best SiteGround 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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| Renewal, the Thing That Actually Worries You | ||
| Entry Plan Pricing | $2.99/mo intro, $17.99/mo at renewal | $11/mo, no renewal increase |
| Mid-Tier Pricing | $4.99/mo intro, $29.99/mo at renewal | Same server, same rate, every month |
| Top-Tier Pricing | $7.99/mo intro, $44.99/mo at renewal | No separate “top tier,” scale the server instead |
| Pricing Model | Promotional rate, then a fixed jump (5-6x) | Pay-as-you-go, based on server resources |
| Feature Access | ||
| Staging Environment | Not available on entry plan | Free, on every plan, every app |
| Performance PHP | Locked behind mid-tier plan | Configure PHP directly, no tier required |
| Sites Per Plan | 1 site on entry plan | Unlimited per server |
| Automated Backups | Manual or paid add-on on entry plan; daily included on higher tiers | Scheduled and on-demand, included on every plan |
| Infrastructure and Flexibility | ||
| Hosting Architecture | Shared hosting, resources split across other accounts on the same server | Your own isolated server, resources are yours alone |
| Resource Limits | CPU-second caps by plan (1,000-4,000/hour); exceeding them triggers throttling, then 503 errors | Scale RAM and CPU directly, no usage-based throttling |
| Cloud Provider | Google Cloud only | DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Vultr, or Linode |
| Data Center Locations | 11 | 150+ |
| App Support | Primarily WordPress-focused | All PHP applications |
| Where SiteGround Genuinely Holds Up | ||
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.8/5 from 22,000+ reviews | 4.6/5 from 3,600+ reviews |
| Support Reputation | Consistently praised for fast, knowledgeable human support | Live chat and ticket support, solid but less reviewed at this volume |
| Email Hosting | Included free on every plan | Requires a paid Rackspace add-on |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% guaranteed | 99.99% |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days on shared hosting | Not applicable, 3-day free trial instead |
150+ Locations vs 11. That’s Not a Typo.
Your audience isn’t all in one place, so your server shouldn’t be either. SiteGround only gives you Google Cloud. Cloudways gives you five providers and 150+ locations to actually choose from.
150+
Data Centers
50+
Locations
5
Cloud Providers
Who Cloudways Actually Works Best For
Not every host fits every workflow. Here’s where Cloudways is the clear upgrade, and where SiteGround still makes sense.
Tired of Budgeting Around a Renewal Date
No price jump waiting for you next year. The rate you sign up at is the rate you keep.
Running More Than One Website
No per-site plan tiers. Host as many sites as your server can handle, on one flat fee.
Wanted Staging Without Upgrading First
Every app gets one-click staging, included from day one, no pricier tier required.
Building With More Than WordPress
Magento, Laravel, or a custom PHP app, all supported, all on the same server.
Done Sharing a Server With Strangers
Your own isolated resources, with no other account’s traffic spike or security issue touching your site.
Wanting Infrastructure Choice
Five cloud providers, 150+ data center locations. Pick based on price, location, or performance.
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
Switch Before Your Renewal Hits, Not After
Once your renewal charge processes, you’ve already paid for another year on SiteGround. Migrate to Cloudways and let our engineers handle the entire migration for free, unlimited for WordPress and WooCommerce, first migration free for other PHP apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SiteGround good for a single small website?
Yes, genuinely. If you're certain you'll only ever run one small site and don't mind the renewal price increase, SiteGround's first-year value is hard to beat. Cloudways makes more sense once you're running multiple sites, need staging without upgrading, or want predictable long-term pricing.
Does Cloudways include email hosting like SiteGround does?
No, this is one area where SiteGround has an edge. SiteGround includes free email hosting on every plan. Cloudways requires a separate Rackspace add-on.
Which web hosting company gives the most value for money for long term plans?
The best long term web hosting value depends on balancing performance, scalability, and predictable pricing. While many hosts attract users with cheap introductory rates that increase sharply upon renewal, Cloudways offers transparent pay-as-you-go pricing that eliminates renewal surprises altogether.
With managed cloud servers starting at $11/month, Cloudways delivers enterprise grade performance, 24/7 expert support, and full scalability across top cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean. For small to medium businesses planning long term growth, this model often proves more cost effective and sustainable than traditional multi year shared hosting contracts.
Tip: When evaluating long term hosting value, compare the true renewal cost, resource scalability, and support quality, not just the first term discount. Cloudways flexible billing ensures you only pay for what you use, with no hidden renewal hikes.
Tip: When evaluating long term hosting value, compare the true renewal cost, resource scalability, and support quality, not just the first term discount. Cloudways flexible billing ensures you only pay for what you use, with no hidden renewal hikes.
What is the ideal web hosting pricing for small businesses?
Web hosting for small and medium size businesses generally vary from $2 to $10/month (shared), $10 to $100/month (VPS/cloud) and up to $500/month (dedicated), WordPress specific plans often vary around $3 to $25/month. Consider intro vs renewal, plan length, included features (SSL, domain, backups) and extra costs. Cloudways comes as a managed cloud hosting provider starting from $11/month, offering pay-as-you-go billing, managed services, and predictable costs which is helpful for growing SMBs avoiding renewal surprises.
Why does SiteGround’s price increase so much after the first year?
SiteGround's promotional rates apply only to your first term. StartUp jumps from $2.99 to $17.99/mo, GrowBig from $4.99 to $29.99/mo, and GoGeek from $7.99 to $44.99/mo, increases of 350% to 500%+. Cloudways doesn't use this pricing model. The rate you sign up at doesn't change at renewal.
Is SiteGround shared hosting or cloud hosting?
SiteGround's StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek plans are shared hosting, your CPU and RAM are split with other accounts on the same server. Cloudways gives every customer their own isolated server.
Does SiteGround’s StartUp plan include staging?
No. Staging is only available starting on the GrowBig plan, which renews at $29.99/mo. On Cloudways, every app on every plan gets one-click staging at no extra cost.
How does migration from SiteGround 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.
What happens if I exceed SiteGround’s CPU limits?
SiteGround throttles your site after repeated warnings, and exceeding the limit can result in 503 errors during peak traffic. The standard fix offered is a plan upgrade. Cloudways doesn't impose CPU-second limits the same way, you scale your server directly when you need more.
Can I host more than one website on SiteGround’s cheapest plan?
No. StartUp allows exactly one website. GrowBig and GoGeek allow unlimited sites, but require the higher renewal price. On Cloudways, one server hosts unlimited sites regardless of plan.