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Contents
- 1 Cloudways vs. Liquid Web 2025: Which Host is the Best?
Cloudways vs. Liquid Web 2025: Which Host is the Best?
Disclosure: We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see our Disclosure page. Thanks.
When choosing a hosting provider for your website, two names that often come up are Cloudways and Liquid Web. Both are well-regarded in the web hosting space, but they cater to different needs and target audiences. Cloudways is known for its managed cloud hosting services, while Liquid Web focuses on premium managed hosting for small businesses and enterprises. But when it comes down to choosing between them, which one should you pick? Let’s dive deep into this comparison to help you make an informed decision.
Overview of Cloudways
Cloudways is a cloud hosting platform that allows users to host websites on top of cloud infrastructures like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode. Cloudways focuses on providing a platform that handles the management and optimization of cloud infrastructure for users, making it a good choice for those who want the power of cloud hosting without dealing with the complexities.
The main selling points of Cloudways are its managed cloud hosting services, ease of use, scalability, and flexibility. It’s a good fit for businesses, developers, and individuals who want to use powerful cloud providers without the need to manage infrastructure themselves.
Overview of Liquid Web
Liquid Web is a premium hosting provider that offers a range of hosting solutions, from managed WordPress hosting to VPS hosting, dedicated servers, and cloud hosting. Known for its premium customer support and high-performance solutions, Liquid Web is often the go-to option for businesses that require reliable hosting with excellent performance.
Unlike Cloudways, which is built on top of third-party cloud infrastructures, Liquid Web operates its own data centers and offers more traditional hosting services alongside cloud-based solutions. They are known for offering a white-glove managed service, meaning customers get a high level of hands-on support and attention to ensure their sites perform optimally.
Hosting Solutions Comparison
Cloudways Hosting Solutions
Cloudways offers several cloud hosting solutions, allowing users to choose from five different cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode). The platform acts as a management layer on top of these cloud providers, offering features like automated backups, server monitoring, application updates, and optimization.
Key features of Cloudways include:
- Cloud Hosting with Multiple Providers: You can select your cloud provider based on your needs and budget. Each cloud provider offers different performance characteristics and pricing models.
- Managed Platform: Cloudways handles server management, security, backups, and updates, leaving users free to focus on their business or projects.
- Customizable Plans: Unlike traditional hosts, Cloudways allows for pay-as-you-go billing models, which means you can adjust resources as needed without overpaying.
- Optimized for Popular Apps: Cloudways comes with pre-configured application stacks for popular platforms like WordPress, Magento, WooCommerce, and Laravel.
Liquid Web Hosting Solutions
Liquid Web offers a broader range of managed hosting services. The company is best known for its managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, and cloud hosting. Liquid Web is ideal for businesses that need a fully managed solution with support from experts at every step.
Key features of Liquid Web include:
- Fully Managed Hosting: Whether you choose a VPS, dedicated server, or managed WordPress hosting, Liquid Web offers full management of your hosting environment, including server configuration, monitoring, and security.
- High Availability: Liquid Web’s hosting solutions are built for high availability, ensuring that your website stays up and running with minimal downtime.
- Premium Support: Known for providing exceptional customer service, Liquid Web offers 24/7/365 live support through multiple channels (phone, live chat, and email). Their support team is highly skilled and capable of solving complex problems quickly.
- Custom Solutions: Liquid Web also provides custom server configurations tailored to the unique needs of businesses, making it suitable for larger enterprises with specialized needs.
Performance Comparison
When comparing the performance of Cloudways and Liquid Web, it’s important to consider the infrastructure they rely on and the level of optimization provided.
Cloudways Performance
Cloudways uses a combination of high-performing cloud providers, which means your website’s performance will depend largely on the cloud infrastructure you select. For instance:
- DigitalOcean offers lower-cost, entry-level cloud options with good performance for smaller sites.
- Vultr and Linode offer scalable solutions with great speed and reliability.
- AWS and Google Cloud are suited for large-scale businesses that need superior performance and global distribution.
Cloudways optimizes servers for high-performance, using technologies like NGINX, Varnish, PHP-FPM, and Redis caching. However, you are still relying on the performance of the underlying cloud provider. If your site experiences rapid growth, scaling is easy, but the performance bottlenecks will depend on how you manage resources within the Cloudways platform.
Liquid Web Performance
Liquid Web guarantees high performance, especially for mission-critical applications. Their infrastructure is designed to deliver fast load times, with features such as:
- SSD Storage for faster data access
- Content Delivery Network (CDN) for faster global delivery
- Cloudflare integration for additional security and performance
- Caching technologies and load balancing for optimized traffic distribution
Liquid Web also offers high-performance VPS and dedicated servers, ensuring that you can scale up resources quickly when your website demands more CPU, memory, or bandwidth.
Ease of Use
Cloudways Ease of Use
Cloudways is designed with user-friendliness in mind. The platform comes with an easy-to-navigate dashboard that allows users to manage applications, servers, backups, and security with minimal effort. With its one-click application installer and pre-configured server stacks, Cloudways makes setting up websites straightforward. The pay-as-you-go pricing model gives users more flexibility and control.
Liquid Web Ease of Use
While Liquid Web offers a user-friendly dashboard for managing hosting, it’s generally more geared towards users who want a higher level of control over their infrastructure. For advanced users and developers, the tools provided by Liquid Web can be very useful. However, beginners might find the platform more complex compared to Cloudways. With Liquid Web, the main focus is on ensuring that everything is optimized and managed on behalf of the user, meaning there’s less need for manual server management.
Support Comparison
Cloudways Support
Cloudways offers 24/7 live chat support. While their support team is quick to respond and helpful, it’s often described as somewhat less in-depth compared to premium hosting providers like Liquid Web. This can be a disadvantage for users who need a higher level of technical support or troubleshooting.
Liquid Web Support
Liquid Web is widely recognized for its superior customer support. Their expert team provides 24/7 support through phone, live chat, and email, with an emphasis on resolving complex technical issues promptly. This white-glove support ensures that users can focus on their businesses while the Liquid Web team takes care of the technical details. Their support is particularly valuable for businesses that need expert-level assistance or for those who don’t have a dedicated IT team.
Pricing Comparison
Cloudways Pricing
Cloudways offers a pay-as-you-go model, which means you only pay for the resources you use. Prices vary depending on the cloud provider you choose, with DigitalOcean plans starting at $12/month and AWS plans starting at around $36/month. The flexible pricing makes Cloudways an affordable option for small businesses and startups, especially when you can scale up or down as needed.
Liquid Web Pricing
Liquid Web’s pricing is generally higher than Cloudways because of the premium managed services they offer. For example:
- Managed WordPress Hosting plans start around $19/month for the basic package.
- VPS Hosting starts at $59/month.
- Dedicated Servers can start at $199/month, depending on the resources you require.
Liquid Web’s pricing structure reflects its high-quality customer support, high-performance hardware, and overall premium services.
Which Host is the Best for You?
Both Cloudways and Liquid Web have their unique strengths, making them suited for different types of users.
- Cloudways is an excellent choice if you need flexibility and scalability with cloud infrastructure, and you want a managed cloud hosting solution without the complexity. It’s great for developers, businesses, and startups that need powerful cloud hosting with minimal management overhead.
- Liquid Web, on the other hand, is perfect for businesses that need premium managed hosting with expert-level support. If you’re running mission-critical websites and need a reliable hosting solution with top-notch customer service, Liquid Web is a clear winner.
Final Verdict: Cloudways or Liquid Web?
- Cloudways wins on flexibility, scalability, and budget. It’s ideal for developers who need a manageable, customizable cloud hosting solution.
- Liquid Web excels in premium support, performance, and hands-on management. It’s better suited for those willing to pay more for premium support and reliability.
Ultimately, your choice should depend on your specific needs, budget, and the level of management you’re comfortable with.
