Best Cloud Hosting Services 2023
Do you need cloud hosting for a website or app? Maybe you are at the beginning stages of your project and don’t know what kind of hosting you need. Perhaps you’ve researched your hosting options and have decided that cloud hosting is for you. Now it’s time to select the best cloud hosting service.
This article explains what cloud hosting is and how it can benefit you. We have also evaluated the best cloud hosting services so that you can choose the one that’s right for your needs—keep reading to learn more.
What Are the Best Cloud Hosting Services?
- A2 Hosting – Best overall for small or large organizations
- Cloudways – Best pay-as-you-go pricing
- Siteground – Fully managed for those without an IT team
- Hostwinds – Some of the highest uptime in the industry
- Hostinger – Ideal for the budget-minded
- Hostgator – Unmetered bandwidth and storage
- DreamHost – Guaranteed 100% uptime
- InMotion – Great for small to large businesses
- Kamatera – Gives you complete control over your cloud hosting
- Scala Hosting – Unlimited bandwidth
Cloud Hosting Services Comparison
| Bandwidth | Root Access | Uptime | Ram/Memory | Disk space/storage | CPU | Cost | |
| A2 Hosting | 2 – 9 TB | yes | 99.95% | 512 – 32 GB | 20-250 GB | 1-12 cores | $5-$371 |
| Cloudways | 1 – 10 TB | No | 99.99% | 1-8 GB | 25 – 3840 GB | 1-4 cores | $10-$1290.04 |
| Siteground | 5 TB | No | 99.98% | 6-12 GB | 40-120 GB | 3-9 cores | $80-$240 |
| Hostwinds | 1-9 TB | Yes | 99.9999% | 512 MB-4GB | 30-750 GB | 1-2 cores | $4.99-$328.99 |
| Hostinger | 100 GB-9 TB | Yes | 99.95% | 512 MB-16 GB | 10-200 GB | 1-8 cores | $0.99-$3.99 |
| Hostgator | Unmetered | No | 99.99% | 2-8 GB | Unmetered | 2-8 cores | $12.95-$19.95 |
| DreamHost | Unmetered | Yes | 99.99% | Up to 16 GB | 100GB | Up to 4 cores | $4.50-$96 |
| InMotion | 4-86 TB | Yes | 99.9% | Up to 32 GB | Up to TB dedicated | Up to 4 cores | $34.99-$114.99 |
| Kamatera | 1-40 GB | Yes | 99.95% | 256 MB to 512 GB | 5 GB to tens of TB | adjustable/customizable | $4-$3700 |
| Scala Hosting | Unlimited | Not on sPanel-based plans | 99.95% | 2-8 GB | 20 GB-80 GB SSD storage | 1-6 cores | $3.95-$41.95 |
Best Cloud Hosting Services – Rated
Now that we've gone over how these hosting services compare, let's take a more in-depth look at each one:
- Storage and Bandwidth – 4 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 5 stars
- Value for Money – 4.5 stars
A2 Hosting may be the best all-around option for cloud hosting services. It’s fast, reliable, full of features like several backups of your site. Plus, it has one of the best customer support options available. If you need plenty of storage and bandwidth or need to host a Windows-based project, this is an ideal company.
A2 Pros
- Offers unmetered bandwidth
- Maintains several backups of your website
- Provides Windows-based hosting
A2 Cons
- It doesn’t have an incredibly high uptime.
- Doesn’t offer a free SSL certificate or domain, but you can purchase them as add-ons.
Storage and Bandwidth 4/5
Some companies meter the bandwidth, limiting the amount of data that can be transferred per month. None of A2's plans meter your bandwidth. The speed is also second to none. The storage space is middle-of-the-road. Still, this category gets 4-stars because of the unmetered bandwidth.
Support 5/5
The account interface page is user-friendly, but if you need help, you can contact support 24/7/365. The website also offers detailed FAQs, resources, and contact information.
Features 5/5
A2 Hosting maintains seven backups of your website and can restore it if you purchase the Drive plan or higher.
Plus, A2 offers Windows-based hosting, unlike many of its competitors. The anytime money-back guarantee is not offered by any other provider.
Value for Money 4.5/5
A2 Hosting is loaded with some of the most features of any cloud hosting service that we reviewed. This company also lets you choose your server location from the east or west coast of the U.S., Asia, or Europe. In addition to the specs above, A2 Hosting has a package that lets you host an unlimited number of sites. That’s difficult to find in a cloud hosting provider.
Customers who have larger projects or high traffic might want to look into a site with better uptime, though. While A2’s uptime isn’t as high as some of the other providers, it’s still competitive, and the higher downtime is offset by the number of features that this service offers.
- Storage and Bandwidth – 5 stars
- Support – 3 stars
- Features – 5 stars
- Value for Money – 3.5 stars
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting service with a lot more features than A2 Hosting, but those extra perks also come with a larger cost too, which is why we've placed this one at number two.
Cloudways Pros
- Free SSL certificate
- No contract
- Feature-rich
Cloudways Cons
- Cloudways doesn’t offer root access.
- Customer support is available around the clock, but only with the higher-tier memberships.
Storage and Bandwidth 5/5
Cloudways has some of the largest storage and bandwidth out of the companies that we reviewed. That makes it ideal for larger businesses and websites with a great deal of traffic.
Support 3/5
You have to register for one of the paid support plans to have access to more than basic customer service. The support plan costs $100 a month and lets you in on assistance with customization and site monitoring. If you want to have access to 24/7 phone support, you must purchase the $500/month premium support plan.
Features 5/5
Whereas A2 only lets you choose between large regions when selecting a server location, Cloudways allows you to choose the city in which your server is located.
Another essential benefit of choosing Cloudways is its uptime. It features a high percentage of uptime and loading speeds of 400 to 600 milliseconds. One of the reasons that it is so reliable is that it partners with some of the industry’s best cloud providers. Plus, the service offers a 3-day free trial, which allows you to check out all the features and experience the speed and reliability for yourself.
Value for the Money 3.5/5
One of Cloudways’ best features is its pay-as-you-go pricing. You won’t pay for resources that you don’t use. Therefore, you don’t have to guess about how much bandwidth, storage, or other features you use. You won’t end up paying for more than what you get. That’s likely one of the reasons that the cost is higher up front.
- Storage and Bandwidth – 3 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 4 stars
- Value for the Money – 4 stars
Siteground is a reliable service with guaranteed 99.98% uptime. The managed cloud is designed for high-performing sites. It automatically scales up as you need more resources so that you don’t have to worry about your website going down with bursts of traffic.
Siteground Pros
- The back end is intuitive and easy to use.
- You can create unlimited domain names, email accounts, and databases.
Siteground Cons
- You don’t get a free domain name with Siteground. That’s surprising, considering the price.
- Although many cloud hosting providers offer site migrations for free, Siteground charges you $30 on top of the price that you’re paying for your plan.
- No windows hosting
Storage and Bandwidth 3/5
The storage ranges from 10 to 40 GB, which isn’t the most, but it's suitable for smaller businesses, and you get unlimited data transfer.
Support 5/5
Customer support is available around the clock via phone, email, or chat for all plans.
Features 4/5
The shared hosting option is loaded with features, and you can customize it to meet your needs. The basic cloud hosting plan offers 6 GB of memory and 3 CPU cores.
It’s also fully managed, which will take a load off your IT team. It features an account management interface, which lets you host your own clients on a sub-account. Each user has access to their own control panel. Free SSL, daily backups, and collaboration tools round out the features of this service.
The client-facing interface is user-friendly. It has a modern look, and you can customize it to show exactly what you want to see.
Value for the Money 4/5
Siteground may be more expensive than the most, with its entry package costing $80, but it comes with lots of desirable features. It offers plenty of value, but it might not be the best starting cloud hosting service for clients with small budgets.
- Storage and bandwidth – 4.5 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 5 stars
- Value for the money – 5 stars
Hostwinds is the ideal cloud hosting solution for those on a budget. It has one of the fastest uptimes of any cloud hosting service, and the prices are affordable and competitive. It offers plenty of value, but it might not be the best starting cloud hosting service for clients with small budgets.
Hostwinds Pros
- You can choose between fully managed or unmanaged plans.
- Your website is backed up nightly.
- There are multiple server locations.
Hostwinds Cons
- Some of Hostwinds’ plans have Windows server options. However, not all of them do. If that’s a deal-breaker, you might want to go with a different service provider.
- While this cloud hosting service has plenty of features, it’s not perfect. It doesn’t offer free domains, free backups, or server customization.
Storage and bandwidth 4.5/5
Hostwind offers sufficient bandwidth and storage for the cost. Up to 16 CPUs, 750 GB of storage, and 9 TB of bandwidth mean that your website will always run smoothly.
Support 4/5
You can access customer support 24/7. Moreover, there is a 60-day money-back guarantee, which indicates that the service is confident about its value and quality. Also, you can access the extensive knowledge base on the company’s website. Still, the customer support isn’t much different than that of other hosting service providers.
Features 5/5
You almost can’t get better uptime than what Hostwinds offers. In fact, the company guarantees it.
The back end of this hosting service is simple to use. Most applications feature a one-click install, making it easy for you to get started. You also get custom templates, SSH key management, and SSD drives for reduced loading times.
Value for the money 5/5
Hostwinds has excellent prices, especially for what you get. Every plan seems to give you more value than the competitors’ packages. You can also choose a billing method that you prefer, including a custom billing cycle. You can pay hourly, weekly, or monthly.
- Storage and bandwidth – 2.5 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 4 stars
- Value for the money – 5 stars
Are you just getting started or want to save a bunch of money? Hostinger is one of the most affordable cloud hosting services. In fact, it’s so cheap that you might wonder what the catch is. Can the performance really be stellar at that price?
Hostinger Pros
- It’s one of the most affordable cloud hosting services.
- The unlimited features of the advanced plans, combined with the low price, make them extremely desirable.
Hostinger Cons
- The basic plan has limitations
- Low bandwidth
- This isn’t the easiest server solution to manage. Although you have access to the root directory, the cPanel is set up differently than most. There’s a bit of a learning curve when you’re starting out with this company.
Storage and bandwidth 2.5/5
The basic plan is cheap and enough to get you started. However, it comes with extremely limited bandwidth. Whereas many other cloud hosting providers start with 1 TB of bandwidth, this one only begins with 100 GB. Still, it’s fast and has a high uptime guarantee.
Support 5/5
Hostinger has a dedicated and fun support staff. The chat feature uses emojis and gifs to make you smile, and every member of the team is trained to help you find solutions.
Features 4/5
The basic plan has some limitations, as we discuss in the next section. However, the two advanced plans have many unlimited features. They offer unlimited bandwidth, websites, and email accounts. Hostinger also includes a free SSL for life with all of its plans.
Value for the Money 5/5
Hostwinds is inexpensive, but the cheapest plans do come with a catch; you have to commit to several years with the company to get the best prices.
- Storage and bandwidth – 5 stars
- Support – 3 stars
- Features – 4 stars
- Value for the money – 3.5 stars
Many people are familiar with Hostgator’s brand. The company has been evolving with the decades. Clients who need to host websites without added data can get excellent benefits from using this service.
Hostgator Pros
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- 45-day guarantee
- Easily scale your traffic
Hostgator Cons
- Confusing pricing that goes up over time
- Customer service isn’t great
Storage and bandwidth 5/5
Hostgator’s standout feature may be its unmetered bandwidth and storage. The company doesn’t keep track of how much you use. You can scale your traffic at any time. However, because of this, traffic increases for multiple websites can slow down the servers. Still, you can upgrade your RAM and CPUs at the click of a button.
Support 3/5
The 45-day guarantee shows that this company stands behind its service. However, it’s not the longest guarantee in the industry. Many customers claim that Hostgator’s customer service is not up to par.
Features 4/5
Hostgator is also intuitive and easy to use. Even beginners should be able to move forward without much of a learning curve. There are a few things missing from Hostgator’s collection of features. It doesn’t offer free root access, backups, or a free domain. Factor these additional costs into the price of the packages.
Value for the money 3.5/5
Hostgator’s pricing is in the middle of the road. It’s competitive and represents its wide range of features.
The pricing can also be confusing. Costs seem too good to be true initially. When it comes time to renew, the cost goes up. Make sure you ask about current and future value before making a decision. You can purchase a variety of add-ons, but many of them are unnecessary. Still, this offers you flexibility.
- Storage and bandwidth – 3 stars
- Support – 3 stars
- Features – 4 stars
- Value for the money – 4 stars
DreamHost is another option for people with a low budget for cloud hosting solutions. It’s perfect for people with WordPress sites. However, its features and reliability reflect the pricing. It does have unmetered bandwidth, which makes it flow quickly. However, it only offers 100 GB of storage.
DreamHost Pros
- Unmetered bandwidth allows for increased traffic and smooth sailing
- 97-day guarantee
- Guaranteed 100% uptime
DreamHost Cons
- Only offers up to 100 GB of storage
- The storage that this company offers is geared toward single websites. There is not enough space to host large projects or enormous amounts of data.
Storage and Bandwidth 3/5
Unlimited bandwidth and storage let you create a project that’s as large as you’d like. However, the uptime isn’t incredibly high. That might be due to the fact that so many clients are taking advantage of the unlimited storage and bandwidth.
Support 3/5
One of the biggest downsides to using DreamHost is that it doesn’t have live phone support. If you have a problem, you have to submit a ticket and wait for someone to get back to you. That could be a problem if you’re dealing with an urgent matter. But the live chat is worthwhile, and you can’t beat the 97-day guarantee.
Features 4/5
DreamHost may be one of the only cloud hosting providers that guarantees 100% uptime. That doesn’t mean that your site won’t go down. But if it does, DreamHost will credit the client with the amount that they would have paid for their plan for the day.
This service boasts strong security features, unlimited data transfer, pre-installed WordPress and a user-friendly interface. Although it doesn’t offer a cPanel, it has its own admin area.
Value for the money 4/5
DreamHost is competitively priced. There’s not much that we don’t like about it, and it offers excellent value for the money.
- Storage and bandwidth – 4 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 5 stars
- Value for the money – 4 stars
InMotion might be the best cloud hosting solution for small businesses. It’s one of the lesser-known names in the cloud hosting industry, but it’s versatile and reliable. This is an ideal company to work with if you are an agency or enterprise. It also offers small business and application cloud hosting.
Inmotion Pros
- Best customer service in the industry
- Free SSL
- Unlimited disk space
Inmotion Cons
- RAM and bandwidth could be higher
- No Windows servers
Storage and bandwidth 4/5
Get unlimited disk space to support a project with a great deal of data. Even the basic package sets you up with all of this storage. However, what you get in storage you lose in RAM. The bandwidth could also be higher.
Support 5/5
You can find assistance through 24/7 live chat and phone support. Customers can also open help tickets or turn to the knowledge center for answers. The support team receives more than 160 hours of training. They are prepared to offer you skillful direction.
Features 5/5
InMotion offers free SSL and unlimited disk space. A free domain, unlimited email accounts, included cPanel, and Corero DDS attack protection round out the ample features.
Value for the money 4/5
The fixed monthly pricing is easy to understand. The setup is easy. You get a lot of features. This competitively priced service is worthwhile. It’s ideal for small businesses that don’t have their own tech department.
- Storage and bandwidth – 2 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 5 stars
- Value for the money – 4 stars
Do you need to have total control over your cloud hosting? Kamatera is built for performance, customization, and optimization. It allows for plenty of flexibility, but you likely need more experience in this arena than someone who is just starting out.
Kamatera Pros
- Full customization possible
- State-of-the-art data centers are spread throughout the globe
Kamatera Cons
- Uptime could be higher
- You don’t get free backups or a free domain name.
- RAM could be higher
Storage and Bandwidth 2/5
The most advanced plan only offers 512 GB of RAM. This may not be enough for a large website.
Support 5/5
Get live tech support around the clock. The company claims to have an unrivaled response time when it comes to helping you.
Features 5/5
Everything is customizable with Kamatera. RAM, storage space, CPUS, and server capacity can be adjusted almost instantaneously, letting you stay on top of traffic surges. All of the resources can be adjusted as you need them, which makes it easy to create a plan that works for your business. Build your server the way you want it.
Value for the Money 4/5
Because you only pay for what you use, you can choose the resources that you need. You won’t overpay or waste money on features that you don’t need. Pay by the minute, ensuring that you’re not overpaying. The pricing is competitive, and it’s not necessarily expensive. However, the more you add, the more you’ll end up paying.
- Storage and bandwidth – 4 stars
- Support – 5 stars
- Features – 4 stars
- Value for the money – 5 stars
You may not be familiar with Scala Hosting. However, this service has a large number of features that make it desirable. It comes with managed and unmanaged plans that include all of the essentials, like free SSL, unlimited websites, backups, and auto-installers.
Scala Pros
- User-friendly
- Good for beginners
Scala Cons
- No root access
- Limited data centers
- Managed plans only feature Centos8 OS
Storage and bandwidth 4/5
The company claims to have unrivaled performance and load speed. Unlimited bandwidth helps your website operate smoothly. The amount of storage is also plentiful.
Support 5/5
Scala hosting has excellent customer service. The tech and sales support team provide knowledgeable guidance. Plus, they’re available around the clock and respond to your questions quickly.
Features 4/5
The company also prides itself on its user-friendly sales process and operation. Even if you’re a beginner, you can make this cloud hosting service work for you. Some of the features of the basic plans include daily remote backups, free snapshots, a dedicated IP address and better google rankings.
Value for the money 5/5
For all-in-one hosting and a fully managed account, you get great value with this company.
Do You Need Cloud Hosting?
A website needs to be hosted somewhere. Traditionally, websites were hosted on one server. Sometimes, that server was devoted to a single website. However, it’s more common to have a shared hosting package.
Cloud hosting is different. When you host your website on a cloud server, your website is not hosted on a single machine. The data is distributed across multiple machines. These servers are in different locations, but they’re all connected. If one server goes down, another one picks it up.
You manage your information virtually. When you work on your site, you access the various servers through the cloud.
What to Look For in a Cloud Hosting Service
There is a lot of technological lingo involved when you’re learning about cloud hosting services. We have explained some of the jargon that you’ll read about in our reviews so that you have a better understanding of what you need.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of data that gets transferred between servers, the internet, and your audience. It influences the amount and rate of the transfer of information. Higher bandwidth lets your website handle high traffic without slowing down.
Root Access
With root access, you can tailor your server’s environment to your needs. Having root access lets you fully control your server, using it to host more than one website, add third party software and apps, or run a game server, to name a few benefits.
Uptime
You might be surprised to see that no provider promises 100% uptime, which is the amount of time that your website is accessible online. According to Quick Sprout, uptime is the most important aspect of hosting your website. But all servers go down from time to time. With cloud hosting, another server can take over. Still, 100% uptime is rare.
A provider that has a higher uptime percentage is more likely to be run well, besides the fact that it is likely a better managed company than some others. A provider that offers 90% availability is down 36.5 days per year and 16.8 hours per week. That doesn’t seem very desirable.
A server with 99.9 percent uptime is down only 8.76 hours per year and 10.1 minutes per week. Better yet, a provider that boasts 99.9999 percent uptime is only down for 31.5 seconds per year and 604.8 milliseconds per week.
RAM
You’re probably familiar with this term, but you might not know how it relates to cloud hosting providers. RAM stands for random-access memory. It refers to the data storage that the server uses to perform tasks.
It’s not the static storage that saves content such as photos. RAM is the working memory. The more ram you have, the more smoothly your website will run.
For one static webpage, you might be able to get away with only 512 MB of RAM. But you might want to get more than you think you need. One way to lose potential customers quickly is to frustrate them with a slow site that doesn’t operate seamlessly.
RAM might be the most important factor that you consider when choosing a cloud hosting service. Most websites should pay for at least 1 to 2 GB of RAM.
CPU
CPUs are the processing units that your server has. They work as the mastermind behind all of your website’s content and functions.
When you use a shared hosting service, the clients are sharing the provider’s resources. RAM and CPU are divided between all of the clients.
A Note About CPU and RAM
Sometimes, RAM is referred to as memory, and CPU is referred to as storage. The disk space is the amount of data that the server can hold for you. The number of CPUs indicates how well your site will operate and store your information.
You might think that it’s preferable to pay for a lot of RAM and CPUs so that your site operates well. However, that’s not always what happens with shared servers. If more clients have access to higher RAM and CPU offered by the hosting provider and maximize their available resources, the server could become overloaded.
Therefore, although CPU and RAM are important, they shouldn’t be the primary factors on which you base your decision. You should also take the rest of these elements into consideration.
- Management options
- What security measures each provider offers
- Whether the platform will help you meet security compliance measures, such as HIPAA
- How you can incorporate the architecture into your workflows
- The level of support
- Cost
Management
You have to consider how well the server provider manages its servers and clients. You should also think about how easy it is to manage the account on your end.
With a managed cloud hosting solution, you get access to a team of IT experts, such as engineers and system administrators, to run your account. You’ll have more resources and support than you would on a non-managed cloud server. Managed cloud hosting is perfect for people who aren’t adept at web development.
Another disadvantage of an unmanaged hosting solution is that you may get bogged down by maintenance. Wouldn’t you rather be able to focus on the business?
Support
Whether or not you’re using a managed server, you’ll probably have questions from time to time. If you have a dedicated in-house IT team, you might not need to rely on the hosting provider’s support. But no one likes to be kept waiting when they have a question.
What kind of customer service does the provider offer? Having access to assistance 24/7 may be vital for your business. Many providers have chat services and around-the-clock call centers. But you should ask about the level of service before you decide on a provider.
Costs
Cost may or may not play a primary role in your decision. You shouldn’t make your choice solely on cost. Instead, ask yourself what the value of the service is.
The lower costs are typically for shared hosting, whereas the higher fees are for dedicated servers. You should also make sure that you’re paying for the number of websites that you need. The levels that you choose from the above features influence the costs of your package.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Cloud Hosting Services
Do you have questions about changing providers? It’s easier than you think. The new provider will often arrange to migrate the site. However, you should ask if they charge a migration fee. While it’s possible to host a website yourself, it’s not a good idea. It likely won’t be as reliable as those that are available through these providers.
Are cloud hosting services reliable?
Your site will remain online even if one server goes down because your information is stored across all of the servers.
Are cloud hosting services scalable?
Cloud hosting offers plenty of processing power; your site can be responsive to increased demand when you expect additional traffic, such as during the holidays.
How adaptable is a cloud hosting option?
Instead of being offered in one-size-fits-all packages, cloud hosting services offer versatility, allowing you to set up the architecture, space, OS, processing power, and security that you need.
Will my website load quickly?
Cloud servers are ready quickly, making it easy for you to deploy your domain fast. Less strain is going on the server’s resources, which means that your website loads faster.
