Cloudways Wins
Winner
VS
Score Comparison
Criteria
Cloudways
A2 Hosting
Overall Score
8.6
8.3
Performance
9.5
9.0
Features
8.5
8.2
Ease of Use
7.8
7.8
Pricing/Value
8.2
8.0
Support
8.5
8.0
Pricing & Features
Specification
Cloudways
A2 Hosting
Starting Price
$14/mo
$2.99/mo
Pricing Model
Usage-based
Subscription
Making Your Decision
When to Choose Cloudways
Growing businesses and developers who need cloud performance without server management
Cloudways bridges the gap between shared hosting simplicity and cloud performance, offering managed infrastructure on top-tier cloud providers for users who've outgrown traditional hosting.
Strengths
- Managed cloud hosting with major providers (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean)
- Excellent performance with built-in caching and CDN
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no long-term contracts
- Free staging environments and easy cloning
Limitations
- Higher starting price than shared hosting
- Email hosting not included (requires third-party)
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
When to Choose A2 Hosting
Developers and speed-focused users who need high-performance hosting
A2 Hosting stands out for its Turbo servers and developer-friendly features, offering exceptional speed for those willing to pay for higher-tier plans, with a unique anytime money-back guarantee.
Strengths
- Turbo servers deliver up to 20x faster page loads
- Anytime money-back guarantee (prorated refunds)
- Free site migration on all plans
- Developer-friendly with SSH, Git, and multiple PHP versions
Limitations
- Turbo speeds only on higher-tier plans
- Interface can feel dated compared to competitors
- Phone support not available 24/7
