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Comparison

Cloudways vs AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean

Cloudways lands on Worth it, and AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean lands on Depends.

Cloudways versus AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean
CompareCloudwaysAI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean
VerdictWorth itDepends
Best forAgencies hosting many client WordPress sitesAI startups shipping inference products
Who it's not forSingle low-traffic hobby sites . shared hosting is far cheaperSimple app hosting needs . a basic droplet or PaaS is far simpler
PrivacyOne CVE found in Cloudways' Breeze plugin (authorization bypass); malware scanning sold as a paid add-on.⁹No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support qualityG2 users praise top-notch technical supportFounder testimonials praise support ecosystem; source is DigitalOcean's own page
Public sentimentUsers mostly rate it highly for support and value, with a minority complaining about learning curve and add-on costs.¹Only marketing-page testimonials were found . founders praise credits and support; no independent review scores surfaced.16
Biggest gotchaMalware scanning costs extra; some users call its upsell tactics a 'scare tactic'Credit amounts vary and exclude excessive network, CPU, disk IO . watch usage caps for surprise bills.16

Pick Cloudways when

  • Agencies hosting many client WordPress sites
  • Freelancers wanting managed cloud without sysadmin work
  • Small businesses needing scalable WP/e-commerce hosting
  • Teams wanting cloud provider choice (DO, AWS, Vultr)

When Cloudways is not a fit

  • Single low-traffic hobby sites . shared hosting is far cheaper
  • Devs comfortable managing raw DigitalOcean directly
  • Anyone needing root-level server control or custom stacks
  • Budget hunters unwilling to pay markup over raw cloud prices

Pick AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean when

  • AI startups shipping inference products
  • Developers building production agents
  • Teams scaling from simple cloud into AI workloads
  • Agencies estimating small AI projects

When AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOcean is not a fit

  • Simple app hosting needs . a basic droplet or PaaS is far simpler
  • Enterprises needing hyperscaler-scale compliance, breadth, and mature SLAs
  • Non-technical teams wanting plug-and-play AI without infrastructure work
  • Pure price shoppers chasing the absolute cheapest raw GPU rental

Sources

  1. Cloudways Reviews, Details, Pricing & Features (G2)g2.com
    review
  2. Companies Using Cloudways in 2026technologychecker.io
    review
  3. Cloudways customer reviews on Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  4. Cloudways Review 2026: Managed Cloud Hosting Testedcatswhocode.com
    review
  5. Cloudways Review: Features, Pricing and More (Forbes)forbes.com
    review
  6. Cloudways Review 2026: Caveats You Should Be Aware Ofonlinemediamasters.com
    review
  7. Cloudways Pricing & Planscloudways.com
    official
  8. Ultimate Malware Security Add-oncloudways.com
    official
  9. CVE-2025-69364: Cloudways Breeze Auth Bypass Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  10. Cloudways Alternative . ServerAvatarserveravatar.com
    review
  11. Cloudways . Crunchbase Company Profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  12. AI-Native Cloud | DigitalOceandigitalocean.com
    official
  13. DigitalOcean Productsdigitalocean.com
    official
  14. DigitalOcean AI-Native Cloud Documentationdocs.digitalocean.com
    official
  15. Powering the Inference Era: Inside the DigitalOcean AI-Native Clouddigitalocean.com
    official
  16. DigitalOcean Startupsdigitalocean.com
    official