Nexcess vs Cloudways: Which Managed Hosting is Right for You?
Choosing the right hosting provider can be overwhelming, especially when both options are popular and well-regarded. Nexcess and Cloudways are two names you’ll often come across if you’re looking for managed hosting, but they cater to very different needs.
Cloudways and Nexcess are two popular managed hosting providers, but they serve different needs. While Nexcess, a Liquid Web brand, provides a wide range of specialized hosting solutions, Cloudways is a platform that simplifies the management of cloud infrastructure from multiple providers. The choice between them depends on your specific technical requirements, budget, and desired level of control.
In this article, we’ll break down Nexcess vs Cloudways to help you figure out which managed wordpress hosting option is the best fit for your website or business.
✻ This page may contains external affiliate links that we might receive a commission if you choose to purchase mentioned product or service, without any extra cost to you. We only recommend products or services we believe will add value to the readers.
Key Differences: Nexcess vs. Cloudways
Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
Hosting Model | Traditional managed hosting with a focus on specific platforms (e.g., Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce). | Managed cloud platform that allows you to deploy applications on different cloud providers (e.g., DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud). |
Pricing | Can be more expensive, with plans often tailored to specific applications. However, in recent years Nexcess has introduced entry-level hosting starting at around $6/month, making it more accessible for budget-conscious users. | Pay-as-you-go model. Pricing is a combination of the Cloudways platform fee and the cost of the cloud server. This can be more cost-effective for smaller projects. |
Free Features | Free Website Migration | Free Migration |
Target Audience | E-commerce businesses, large enterprises, and users who need highly specialized, high-performance hosting for specific applications. | Freelancers, developers, and small to medium-sized businesses looking for an easy way to manage cloud infrastructure without the technical hassle. |
Control | Offers strong control over the application environment with deep integrations and optimizations for specific platforms. | Provides a control panel to manage servers and applications, but the underlying infrastructure is managed by the chosen cloud provider. |
Support | Offers specialized, hands-on support for their specific managed platforms. | Provides expert support for the Cloudways platform, but more in-depth issues related to the cloud provider’s infrastructure may require additional communication. |
Pricing and Plan
Nexcess offers a budget-friendly entry point for WordPress users while providing more application-specific options like WooCommerce and Magento at higher price tiers.
- WordPress hosting begins at $5.00 per month, which applies when you commit to a longer-term plan, typically annual billing.
- WooCommerce hosting starts at $17.60 per month.
- Magento hosting starts around $37.74 per month.
Cloudways gives you flexibility with multiple cloud provider choices, with pricing scaling based on the provider and resource allocation—perfect for projects of different sizes or performance needs:
- Plans start at $11 per month for DigitalOcean-based servers using the pay-as-you-go model.
- Other options include $14/month for Vultr or Linode-based, $20.56/month for AWS, and $37.33/month for Google Cloud.
Money-Back Guarantee
Nexcess provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on most of its managed hosting plans, which gives users peace of mind when trying their services. However, some specialized solutions or monthly billing cycles may have different refund policies, so it’s always worth checking the fine print.
Cloudways, on the other hand, does not offer a traditional money-back guarantee because of its pay-as-you-go model. You can stop using the service at any time without a long-term commitment, but they do offer a 3-day free trial to help new users test the platform risk-free.
⚡ Performance Comparison: Nexcess vs Cloudways
Performance is a pivotal aspect of web hosting, directly influencing user experience, SEO rankings, and overall site success. Let’s delve into how Nexcess and Cloudways perform in this domain.
🔧 Nexcess
- Page Load Speed: In static tests, Nexcess improved its average response time from 297ms last year to 15ms, showing outstanding performance.
- PHP Performance: In PHP benchmarks, Nexcess ranks just below Servebolt, placing it among the top hosts in the industry.
- Peak Performance: In load tests, Nexcess can handle traffic from 10 to 1,000 users while remaining stable under high load.
- Global Response Time: Nexcess shows stable response times across 40 global locations, making it suitable for international websites.
- CDN & Caching: Built-in Cloudflare CDN and Object Cache Pro effectively boost website loading speed.
☁️ Cloudways
- Response Time: In static tests, Cloudways achieved an impressive average response time of 4ms.
- PHP Performance: Cloudways ranks among the top hosts in PHP benchmarks.
- Load Handling: Cloudways can manage high-concurrency traffic, making it ideal for high-traffic websites.
- Global Response Time: Cloudways maintains stable response times across multiple global locations, suitable for international audiences.
- Optimization Technologies: Uses Cloudways’ proprietary ThunderStack technology, including Nginx, Varnish, and Redis, to enhance website performance.
📊 Performance Comparison Table
| Performance Metric | Nexcess | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Page Load Speed | Average 15ms | Average 4ms |
| PHP Performance | Industry-leading | Industry-leading |
| Peak Performance | Handles up to 1,000 users | Handles high-concurrency traffic |
| Global Response Time | Stable (tested across 40 locations) | Stable (tested across multiple locations) |
| Optimization Technology | Built-in Cloudflare CDN, Object Cache Pro | ThunderStack (Nginx, Varnish, Redis) |
- Nexcess provides a high-performance, optimized environment, ideal for specialized applications like WooCommerce.
- Cloudways offers flexibility with strong performance across various cloud providers, suitable for developers and agencies seeking scalability.
Ease of Use
When choosing a hosting provider, ease of use can make a big difference—not just in saving time, but in reducing stress. A platform that’s easy to navigate allows you to get your website up and running quickly, manage updates and backups without hassle, and focus on growing your business instead of wrestling with technical details. For e-commerce store owners, developers, or anyone managing multiple sites, a user-friendly host can mean less downtime, fewer mistakes, and a much smoother overall experience.
Nexcess is very easy to use. The platform comes pre-configured and optimized for specific applications like WordPress and WooCommerce, so even users without a technical background can get started quickly. Everything—from performance tweaks to updates—is handled behind the scenes, letting you focus on running your store or website instead of server setup.
Cloudways is highly user-friendly for developers and agencies. Its intuitive control panel simplifies the management of complex cloud servers, letting you launch, monitor, and scale applications without touching the command line. This makes it easy to handle multiple projects while still enjoying flexibility and control over your infrastructure.
Security, Stability, and Uptime
In web hosting, security and uptime aren’t just features, they’re the foundation of a reliable online presence. For businesses, especially e-commerce stores, a stable and secure host protects customer data, builds trust, and keeps your site online. Nexcess and Cloudways tackle these needs with different but equally strong approaches.
🔸 Nexcess
As part of Liquid Web, Nexcess operates its own data centers, giving it end-to-end control of the hosting environment. This allows them to offer enterprise-grade security, advanced firewalls, malware monitoring, and automatic updates on every plan. With this control comes stability: Nexcess backs its service with a 100% network and power uptime guarantee, covered under its SLA.
◾ If downtime occurs, customers can request service credits based on the outage duration.
🔸 Cloudways
Cloudways takes a different route by building on the reliability of top-tier public cloud providers like Digital Ocean, AWS and Google Cloud. Rather than managing hardware directly, it adds its own security layer, dedicated firewalls, regular OS patching, and real-time monitoring. Uptime is determined by the SLA of the provider you choose, with guarantees typically at 99.9% or higher. This way, Cloudways users benefit from the scale and resilience of global cloud infrastructure, without the operational complexity.
Pros and Cons
Nexcess
Pros:
- Exceptional Performance, handles high-traffic sites smoothly, Optimized for Magento, WooCommerce, and WordPress;
- Entry-level hosting starting around $6/month
- Uses Liquid Web’s own infrastructure; 100% network and power uptime guarantee.
- Pre-configured hosting environment, minimal setup needed
- Free email accounts with custom domain
- Expert team familiar with specific platforms
Cons:
- Premium solutions can be expensive
- Less Flexible – You are tied to Nexcess’s infrastructure
Get started with Nexcess for up to 17% OFF(1-Year Plan)
30-day money-back guarantee
No overage fees, traffic caps, or metered pageviews
Migrations your way: self-serve or with our help
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Cloudways
Pros:
- Pay-As-You-Go Pricing – Only pay for the resources you use; no long-term commitment.
- 3-day free trial available
- 1 Free dedicated IP
- Developer-Friendly – Intuitive control panel, easy to manage multiple projects.
- Handles high-concurrency traffic; uptime depends on top-tier cloud providers
- ThunderStack with Nginx, Varnish, Redis enhances performance
Cons:
- Deeper infrastructure issues may require additional support
- No custom email provided
Start 3 Days Trial with Cloudways
Choose Flexible for total control or go hands-free with Autonomous. Either way, you get optimized performance and pay only for what you need.
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Choosing Nexcess: When is it the right fit?
Nexcess is an excellent choice if you run a mission-critical e-commerce site, such as a Magento or WooCommerce store, that requires peak performance and reliability. Their plans are specifically optimized for these platforms, offering features like automatic scaling and robust security tailored to e-commerce.
For example, Nexcess’s Managed WooCommerce Hosting includes powerful tools like built-in image compression, a dedicated staging environment, and performance-enhancing plugins. You’re not just getting a server; you’re getting a fully managed solution designed to make your online store fast and secure, with a support team that understands the nuances of your specific platform.
Choosing Cloudways: When is it the right fit?
Cloudways is ideal for those who need the power and flexibility of cloud hosting without the complexity. It acts as an abstraction layer, making providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud accessible to a wider audience. This is particularly beneficial for developers who manage multiple projects, as it allows them to launch new applications quickly on different cloud servers using a single, intuitive control panel.
If you have a diverse portfolio of websites, from simple WordPress blogs to custom applications, Cloudways gives you the flexibility to choose the best underlying infrastructure for each project. The pay-as-you-go pricing model also makes it a great choice for projects with varying resource needs.
Summary
Nexcess: The E-commerce Specialist
Think of Nexcess as your personal, all-in-one managed hosting butler, specially trained for e-commerce. If you’re running a WooCommerce, Magento, or WordPress site and need top-notch performance and rock-solid reliability, Nexcess is the full package.
It takes care of everything for you: optimized servers, automated updates, staging environments for testing, advanced caching, and a team of experts who really get the needs of online stores. Basically, you’re paying for total peace of mind—everything is already set up and maintained for you, so you never have to worry about downtime or slow speeds costing you sales.
Cloudways: The Flexible Toolbox
On the other hand, Cloudways is more of a developer’s and agency’s playground. Instead of being tied to one hosting environment, it gives you the freedom to choose where your site lives, whether that’s on AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, or another provider.
Cloudways handles all the tricky server stuff—like updates, security, and performance tuning—while still giving you the control to customize and scale as you please. It’s the perfect choice if you want flexibility, pay-as-you-go pricing, and access to different cloud providers without having to deal with all the technical headaches.
Ultimately, Nexcess vs Cloudways: Which Managed Hosting is Right for You? it comes down to what you need. If you want a ready-to-go, e-commerce-focused solution with hands-off management, Nexcess is the safer bet. But if you value control, flexibility, and the ability to choose from a wide range of infrastructure options, Cloudways is probably the better fit for you.
