Cloudways vs DigitalOcean: which is better value?

By The Web Hosting Depot team · Updated Oct 8, 2026 · How we research

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Quick verdict

DigitalOcean is cheaper over three years ($144 vs $396 on the entry plans). On our overall rating, Cloudways scores higher (4.0 vs 3.6).

Pick Cloudways if

growing sites that want cloud performance without managing a server.

Visit Cloudways

Pick DigitalOcean if

developers who want a clean, cheap Linux server.

Visit DigitalOcean

Side by side

	Cloudways 3 wins	DigitalOcean 4 wins
Cheapest plan	DigitalOcean 2 GB · $11/mo	Basic 512 MiB · $4/mo
Prepay for intro price	monthly	monthly
Renews at	$11/mo	$4/mo
Renewal jump	+0%	+0%
3-year cost	$396	$144
Money-back	3-day free trial, no card required	Billed hourly: stop paying any time
Backups	Automated (configurable)	Paid add-on
Free domain	No	No
Control panel	Cloudways platform	None (unmanaged)
Data centers	DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud locations	Many regions in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia
Performance (our rating)	5/5	4/5
Support (our rating)	4/5	3/5
Ease of use (our rating)	3/5	2/5
Value (our rating)	4/5	5/5

Green = better on that row. Entry plans compared: Cloudways DigitalOcean 2 GB and DigitalOcean Basic 512 MiB (Cloud hosting). Prices checked Oct 8, 2026.

Cloudways: real cost

Intro$11/momonthly

Renews at$11/mono increase

3-year cost$396intro + renewals

DigitalOcean: real cost

Intro$4/momonthly

Renews at$4/mono increase

3-year cost$144intro + renewals

Why Cloudways

Managed cloud servers billed monthly or hourly
Choose your cloud provider and region
No long-term contract

Downsides: No email included; More technical than shared hosting.

Why DigitalOcean

Simple hourly billing, no contracts
Excellent docs and developer tooling
Same price forever: no renewal jump

Downsides: Unmanaged: you run the server yourself; No control panel or email.

The bottom line

Cloudways manages cloud servers from DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud, billed monthly with no contract. A 2 GB DigitalOcean server is $11 a month.

DigitalOcean's Droplets are unmanaged Linux servers from $4 a month, billed hourly with no promotional pricing. Great for developers; not for people who want a control panel.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cloudways cheaper than DigitalOcean?

Over three years, DigitalOcean costs less on the cheapest comparable plans: about $144 versus $396, counting the intro price for its required term and then the renewal price. Month one is misleading: compare the 3-year totals.

Which has the better money-back guarantee?

Cloudways: 3-day free trial, no card required. DigitalOcean: Billed hourly: stop paying any time. Domain fees are usually not refundable.

Can I move from Cloudways to DigitalOcean later?

Yes. Moving a site means copying its files and database, then pointing your domain at the new host. Check whether the new host offers free migration. See our guide to switching hosts.