It’s a tough call comparing Cloudways with ScalaHosting. Cloudways slightly edges out ScalaHosting with its AWS- / Google- / Digital Ocean-powered cloud solutions. Though Scala remains a strong contender its flexibility and innovations.
Key Diffentials You Need to Know
ScalaHosting: Innovative for Users Seeking Control
Key Differentiators:
- Proprietary Technology: ScalaHosting brings unique value with its own sPanel and SShield security solutions, offering users an innovative alternative to traditional control panels and enhanced security features.
- Performance and Reliability: Known for its strong uptime and speed performance, ScalaHosting ensures that websites operate smoothly with minimal downtime.
- Cost-Effectiveness: With competitive pricing and generous server resources like unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails, even on lower-tier plans, ScalaHosting offers a great balance between cost and features.
- User-Friendly Features: The host provides automated backups with multiple restore points and an anytime money-back guarantee, which enhances the hosting experience by providing peace of mind and flexibility.
Drawbacks:
- Renewal Price Increase: Users should be aware of the price hikes upon plan renewals, which might affect long-term budgeting.
- Limited Global Reach: Compared to Cloudways, ScalaHosting may not have the same level of global data center presence, which can impact site performance for international audiences.
Cloudways: Highly Scalable Cloud for Advanced Users
Key Differentiators:
- Cloud Flexibility: Cloudways stands out with its managed hosting solutions that leverage top cloud providers like Google Cloud, AWS, and Digital Ocean.
- Ease of Management: The platform simplifies complex server management tasks with an integrated dashboard, making it accessible for users without deep technical knowledge of cloud infrastructures.
- Performance: With a focus on topnotch uptime and speed, Cloudways ensures that websites hosted on their platform perform optimally at all times.
- Unlimited Application Hosting: Users can host multiple applications on a single account, which is ideal for developers and businesses managing multiple projects.
Drawbacks:
- Pricing: While Cloudways provides a high degree of scalability and performance, it can become costly, especially as server resources and usage scale up.
- Limited Trial: The platform offers a very limited trial period, which might not be sufficient for all users to fully test and evaluate the service.
Service Offering
| Feature | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting Services | Cloud, and Reseller Hosting | Shared, Cloud, and Reseller Hosting |
| Specialized Services | Managed WordPress Hosting | Managed WordPress, Email, and Minecraft Hosting |
| Server Locations | Canada, USA, Brazil, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, India, Australia | USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia |
| Control Panel | In-House | Custom |
| Uptime Guarantee | 100% | 99.9% |
| Money Back (Days) | 14 | Anytime |
| Free Migration | Yes | Yes |
| Support Channels | Live chat and email | Live chat and email |
Key Takeaways
- Cloudways specializes in managed cloud hosting services. ScalaHosting offers a wider variety of hosting types, including shared, cloud, and reseller hosting – with unique solutions like SPanel for management.
Plans & Pricing
| Hosting Type | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Hosting | $ - /mo | $2.95 - 14.95/mo |
| VPS Hosting | $ - /mo | $29.95 - 169.95/mo |
| Dedicated Hosting | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| Cloud Hosting | $11.00 - 1056.00/mo | $20.00 - 179.00/mo |
| WordPress Hosting | $14.00 - 487.00/mo | $2.95 - 14.95/mo |
| Windows Hosting | $ - /mo | $40.00 - 485.00/mo |
| Coupon | HOSTSCORE | - |
| Coupon Details | 25% discount for 2 months | - |
Key Takeaways
- While ScalaHosting comes with competitive signup pricing across its plans, recent hikes on renewal pricing has made them a least favorable choice when comparing with Cloudways.
- Cloudways follows a flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing model. There is no need to pay in advance for your hosting subscription, and you can scale up or down your server capacity freely as you like.
Development Features & Others
| Feature | Cloudways | ScalaHosting |
|---|---|---|
| Language Support | PHP, Java, Python, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails | PHP, Java, Python, Node.js, Django, Perl, Ruby on Rails, and ASP.NET |
| Dev Features | GIT access, WP-CLI, cron jobs, Multiple PHP versions, and SSH access | GIT access, WP-CLI, cron jobs, Multiple PHP versions, and SSH access |
| Staging Tool | Built-in | Built-in |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Cache | Yes | Yes |
| Global CDN | Yes | Yes |
| Free Malware Scan | Yes | Higher plans |
| DDoS Protection | Yes | Higher plans |
| Web Application Firewall (WAF) | Yes | Higher plans |
Key Takeaways
- Both Cloudways and ScalaHosting offer powerful web development features, including support for multiple programming languages and GIT access.
- ScalaHosting distinguishes itself with proprietary technologies like SShield for security, while Cloudways excels in providing a managed cloud platform with extensive support for various applications.
Our Recommendation
The choice between ScalaHosting and Cloudways should be guided by your specific hosting needs and technical requirements. If you prioritize innovative features like a proprietary control panel and enhanced security in a cost-effective package, ScalaHosting is an excellent choice. It offers a solid base for small to medium-sized businesses and those who prefer a managed hosting environment with powerful in-built tools.
For those who need scalable solutions and manage high-traffic websites or applications – Cloudways offers a compelling service. Its ability to integrate with multiple top-tier cloud providers and manage complex environments makes it ideal for tech-savvy users with dynamic scaling needs.
Ultimately, aligning your hosting choice with your operational demands and growth projections will ensure that you select the most suitable provider to support your online presence effectively.
About Cloudways
Established in 2011 by co-founders Aaqib Gadit, Pere Hospital, and Uzair Gadit, Cloudways is a managed hosting platform that initially focused on leveraging partnerships with AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Digital Ocean to serve its customers better. The acquisition by DigitalOcean in August 2022 further solidified this partnership, enhancing Cloudways' ability to provide superior managed hosting solutions.
Cloudways Pros
- Topnotch server uptime and speed performance
- Good abstration over complex cloud server setups with integrated dashboard
- Outstanding customer support
- High scalability
- Easy server cloning, site staging, and website transfer
- Host unlimited applications in one account
- 25% discount for first two months with coupon "HOSTSCORE"
Cloudways Cons
- Getting expensive - Prices increased steadily for the past few years
- Limited trial period
About ScalaHosting
Founded in 2007 by Hristo Rusev and Vladislav Georgiev, ScalaHosting has its headquarters in the Dallas, Texas. The company provides various hosting services like shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, and email hosting. Renowned for its innovation, ScalaHosting sets itself apart with proprietary creations like sPanel and SShield, both designed in-house, providing users with intuitive server management and enhanced security.
ScalaHosting Pros
- Outstanding hosting uptime and speed performance
- Affordable pricing
- Anytime unconditional Money-back Guarantee
- Automated backup with 7 restore points
- Generous offer in server resources - Even the lowest shared plan gets unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails
- NVMe SSD storage for all shared hosting plans
- Innovative technology – SPanel, SShield, SWordPress
ScalaHosting Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
