Cloudways Alternatives: Recommended WordPress Hosting Options (2024)
The Cloudways Vultr server service, which was widely used by Korean WordPress users, was discontinued in November 2023. Some tutorial videos insist that Cloudways hosting is a must, but it’s worth reconsidering before blindly following such advice.
Cloudways Vultr Server Service Discontinuation
You signed up for Cloudways (hereafter CW) and tried to select Vultr as your server, only to find that “Cloudways Vultr not available” appeared on the selection screen. This is because, as of November 2023, CW no longer provides Vultr server services for new users.
If you started your WordPress blog by following YouTube tutorials, searched Google due to this Cloudways Vultr unavailability issue, and landed on this article—congratulations! You narrowly avoided falling into a costly trap.
Now, ask yourself: “Do I really need to use Cloudways hosting?” It’s worth reconsidering.
For WordPress beginners, Cloudways can be a dangerous choice
Personally, I think it’s fortunate that the Vultr server service was discontinued. The reason is that too many YouTube tutorials have insisted that beginners must use Cloudways Vultr, while affiliate marketing commissions were frequently collected in the process.
Affiliate marketing, in a nutshell, is when someone recommends a product to you, and when you buy it, you get paid for the referral.
Affiliate marketing itself is not a bad thing. Every hosting service you can think of offers affiliate marketing, and recommending good hosting options while earning revenue benefits everyone. For reference, WPlaybook
However, the issue arises when hosting recommendations are not tailored to individual needs but are instead blindly pushed to beginners simply because they offer high commissions. This kind of reckless recommendation often leads WordPress blog beginners to fall into a trap, eventually causing them to give up on blogging through the following process.
How a WPlaybook Beginner Quits Blogging
The Cloudways Vultr High Frequency server costs $28 per month, which is approximately ₩30,000. Over a year, this amounts to ₩360,000. Even if a WordPress blog is created and left idle, ₩30,000 is spent every month
The issue is that new blogs with only a few posts receive almost no visitors. Many people stress over low initial visitor counts, but it is completely natural—blogs need time to accumulate content and build credibility.
One of the many reasons for stress is the expensive upkeep of WPlaybook.
To make money with WordPress, many people say you need Google AdSense, and that requires writing at least 20 posts. You put in the effort, write posts, and apply for AdSense—only to get rejected. Time passes, nearly two months, and your hosting costs exceed ₩60,000.
Finally, you pass the AdSense approval, thinking you’ll start earning. But reality hits—your daily revenue is just $0.03. Your visitor count remains low, barely reaching a few dozen per day. At this point, you realize that monthly earnings are only $5 to $6, leading to frustration.
For more insights into the WordPress AdSense earnings process, you can check this guide.
You've been tricked! Make money blogging? You scammers! Get off me!
There are two major factors that significantly impact the process of WordPress beginners giving up on blogging. First, cost. Second, traffic (visitor count).
Cloudways Alternative WordPress Hosting Recommendations
Then, let’s discuss alternative hosting options that can be used instead of Cloudways hosting. The choice of hosting depends on your specific situation, which generally falls into two categories.
- WordPress blogging beginners (just starting out)
- You already have a stable blog with a lot of visitors, or you need a fast server due to high keyword competition.
If you belong to the first category—WordPress blog beginners, then Cloudways hosting is not necessary.
WordPress hosting for blogging beginners
To summarize what has already been discussed in “Essential Knowledge Before Starting WordPress“, beginners starting a blog should use ChemiCloud as their first hosting option.
In the early stages of a blog, you must endure the critical four months with the lowest possible costs until visitor numbers start to grow.
Currently, ChemiCloud is one of the few hosting providers that use LiteSpeed Server, a cutting-edge technology. Additionally, by utilizing this server, users can access the LiteSpeed Cache optimization plugin for free, making it incredibly easy to achieve a perfect Google PageSpeed score.
Here are the specs for ChemiCloud
| element | ChemiCloud WP Turbo |
|---|---|
| Cost (per 1 year / per 3 years) | 6.95/month or $4.95/month (for initial purchase) |
| CPU/RAM Specifications | 3 CPU / 3 GB |
| Storage | 40 GB NVMe |
| DB | MariaDB |
| UI usability | Linux-based Adaptation time required (That’s why install WPlaybook video series) |
| Object cache | Redis |
| Data Center/ CDN | 11 / QUIC.cloud (Singapore) |
| Cache plugin | LiteSpeed Cache |
| Customer Service (personal opinion) | Friendly. 4.9 / 5 |
For storage, ChemiCloud uses NVMe, which enables fast data transfer. The capacity is 40 GB, which should be sufficient to run up to three sub-blogs without issues. Additionally, the database is powered by MariaDB, a relatively modern technology, and Redis is used instead of Memcached, offering better performance for object caching.
In my personal opinion, when I first saw ChemiCloud’s server specifications, I strongly felt that although these are small details, they were carefully considered in the server’s configuration.
Additionally, among hosting providers using LiteSpeed Server, ChemiCloud has the largest number of data centers (11 in total). The Singapore server is the closest to Korea, and based on my tests, there were no issues in achieving a perfect Google PageSpeed score
Lastly, in the WPlaybook community, many users have already migrated from Cloudways, and the most satisfying aspect for them is the 24/7 live chat support. ChemiCloud is highly rated in terms of customer service satisfaction.
Objectively speaking, ChemiCloud has the specifications to handle mid-sized blog traffic of around 3,000 visitors per day without any issues. If your blog attracts 3,000 daily visitors, you can expect around $20 in AdSense revenue per day. At that level, hosting costs will no longer be a financial burden.
After that, if you want to scale your blog to handle massive traffic, you can switch to the recommended premium hosting. Alternatively, running multiple sub-blogs would be a better approach in terms of risk management.
In other words, having multiple moderately popular blogs is better in terms of operational risk management than having just one highly famous blog.
Also, switching hosting providers is not difficult. You can simply ask the new hosting company to migrate your site, and the process usually takes around 20 minutes.
Premium WordPress hosting for advanced users
Previously, Cloudways hosting was categorized as premium hosting, with a monthly cost of $28. However, if your blog is already generating significant revenue and you want to increase speed while focusing on Core Web Vitals, I personally recommend Rocket hosting.
Rocket hosting is a premium hosting service that delivers TTFB (Time to First Byte) performance within 30ms worldwide. In the highly competitive WordPress ecosystem, speed is crucial for survival, which is why WPlaybook also uses Rocket hosting.
The image above shows the KeyCDN performance test results for the WPlaybook website. It confirms an average global TTFB of 20ms.
When starting WPlaybook, I debated between Cloudways and Rocket hosting, and I do not regret choosing Rocket.
Here are the advantages of Rocket hosting that I personally appreciate:
- Exceptional value – You can use Cloudflare Enterprise for just $30, which is incredibly attractive. On Cloudways, this would cost even more.
- Transparent pricing – One of my biggest issues with Cloudways was the hidden costs. Even after paying $28 per month, additional features like A and B kept increasing the price.
- Outstanding customer service – Rocket hosting has highly skilled support staff, and their service quality surpasses other hosting providers.
I am extremely satisfied with Rocket hosting and highly recommend it. The first month costs only $1, so if you’re looking for premium hosting, I suggest giving it a try.
Switching from Cloudways to another hosting provider
If you are already using Cloudways hosting, switching to another provider can be both easy and difficult, depending on the circumstances.
- Easy: Just use a hosting migration service (for free)
- Why it’s hard: it takes time to catch bugs
The recommended ChemiCloud also offers a free hosting migration service. The free migration period is available within 60 days of signing up, and the number of sites eligible for free migration is up to 200 sites if using cPanel, or up to 10 sites if not using cPanel.
(In most cases, users operate one to three blogs, so you can simply consider it free for 60 days.)
Sign up for Chemistry Cloud immigration services
ChemiCloud, which I recommended earlier , also has a free hosting migration service. The free migration service is free if you apply within 60 days of signing up, and the number of sites is free for up to 200 sites using cPannel and 10 sites not using cPannel. (I usually use 1 or 3 blogs, so you can think of it as free for 60 days.
1. Sign up for ChemiCloud
First, move to ChemiCloud and follow the steps shown in the video below. In the domain input section, enter the domain you are currently using and proceed accordingly!
2. Complete the move application
In the middle of the video, there is an explanation of the ChemiCloud dashboard, specifically the Support section. Here, you need to click the “Submit Ticket” button. Then, from the available menu options, select “Migrations” to proceed with the hosting transfer request form.
When you reach the migration request form page, you will need to fill in the following details. Since the hosting provider’s engineers need to access the blog being transferred, make sure to provide accurate administrator information!
Near the bottom, you will find a message input field, which can be left blank. Click the Submit button at the very bottom to complete the migration request form! Now, ChemiCloud engineers will take the time to copy your current website to ChemiCloud.
3. Connect your domain
The migration service requested earlier takes some time, but once the process is complete, the current domain will be connected to the newly created website on ChemiCloud. Follow the domain NameServer change steps shown in the video to complete the process.
How to cancel and get a refund from Cloudways
If you are using a Cloudways server, you will need to cancel your account. Here are the steps to withdraw from Cloudways and request a refund:
- Log in to the Cloudways homepage.
- Disable and delete all homepages and apps on the server. One last remaining app (the WordPress homepage) will not be deleted, so we move on to the next step.
- Shut down and delete the server. Disable any paid add-ons you use.
- Cloudways is non-refundable, and you’ll need to pay the amount billed to date, but if you have funds, send a refund email.
- Finally, request to delete your account.
Let’s take a closer look at the process using screen captures.
For those who have already completed Cloudways account withdrawal and refund, click the button below to move directly to alternative hosting recommendations for Cloudways!
How to Uninstall Cloudways WordPress (App)
WordPress blogs within the server can be deleted by clicking the three dots on the right side of the WordPress homepage, as shown in the image below. Then, select the delete popup option to proceed with the deletion.
When you select the delete option, a final confirmation message will appear. Enter “DELETE” in the input field, then click the red button to delete the app (WordPress blog).
How to shut down and delete a Cloudways server
Next, you need to terminate and delete the server you have on Cloudways. Enter the server search screen, as shown in the image below, then click Stop and Delete.
When you click Stop and Delete for the server, a confirmation message popup will appear. Click the Stop Server button to proceed.
Lastly, when deleting the server, a warning message will appear. Select “No, permanently delete my server” without hesitation.
It seems that Cloudways requires users to complete a final survey before allowing server deletion. Answer the three survey questions, then proceed with the final deletion.
Important note: The more reasons you select on the first screen, the more survey questions will appear later. To minimize the number of questions, choose only one key reason before proceeding!
If you do all of the above, you’ll end up with a very clean, serverless state.
How to get a Cloudways refund
Cloudways operates on a system where charges continue after the initial 3-day free trial. Therefore, any billed fees must be paid before leaving.
Other hosting providers, such as ChemiCloud, offer full refunds within 45 days, making Cloudways’ refund policy less favorable in comparison.
For more details on Cloudways’ refund policy, you can check here.
If your Cloudways account has remaining funds, you must contact customer support via message or send an email to billing@cloudways.com within three months to request a refund.
How to leave Cloudways (delete your account)
Deleting a Cloudways account is simple. First, go to the top-right corner and access your account information.
In the account information section, the account cancellation section is located below the first “Account” menu.
In conclusion
This post introduced alternative WordPress hosting services following the shutdown of Cloudways Vultr servers. Make sure to carefully consider your situation to make a smart and cost-effective decision.
I look forward to sharing more great posts with you in the future!
