Cloudways has just rolled out new server options for users hosting on DigitalOcean, introducing General Purpose and CPU-Optimized instances on its Flexible hosting platform. These new additions expand Cloudways’ infrastructure capabilities, giving users more ways to scale performance and fine-tune resources based on their application’s specific needs.
What Are the New Server Options?
The new server types fall into two distinct categories:
- General Purpose Servers – These offer a balanced 1:4 CPU-to-memory ratio, ideal for a broad range of use cases including SaaS platforms, business websites, and content-heavy applications. They provide consistent performance for users looking for reliability without overpaying for compute power.
- CPU-Optimized Servers – These are tailored for compute-heavy workloads and deliver dedicated CPU resources. They’re a strong fit for resource-intensive applications such as video rendering, large eCommerce platforms, and high-traffic APIs.
Before this update, Cloudways users were limited to DigitalOcean’s Standard and Premium Droplets (now labeled “Basic” servers). The addition of these new server types marks a significant step forward for users who need a more tailored infrastructure as their projects scale.Purpose and CPU-Optimized servers offers users a clear upgrade path as their hosting needs grow.
Enhanced Vertical Scaling: What’s New?
One standout feature accompanying this launch is the enhanced Vertical Scaling. Users can now upgrade or downgrade their DigitalOcean servers directly from the Cloudways dashboard—without needing to update DNS records. This change makes scaling far simpler and reduces potential downtime during server transitions.
Whether you’re responding to a sudden surge in traffic or optimizing costs during slower periods, this update makes Cloudways noticeably more user-friendly for growing businesses.
With that in mind, let’s now take a closer look at how the new plans compare in terms of pricing and specifications.
Compare Pricing: Cloudways Basic vs General Purpose vs CPU Optimized
What Does This Mean for Hosting Buyers?
For hosting buyers—whether you’re managing client websites, running a growing WooCommerce store, or launching a new SaaS platform—this update unlocks more control and scalability.
You now have the flexibility to start on a lower-cost Basic server and upgrade only when your site demands it. This helps reduce overhead while ensuring performance doesn’t take a hit when traffic or workloads increase.
More importantly, Cloudways’ introduction of both balanced and compute-intensive server options means you can choose infrastructure that aligns more precisely with how your application runs. Content-focused sites, portfolios, or business blogs can stick with General Purpose servers, while more demanding use cases like machine learning, membership portals, or advanced eCommerce setups will benefit from the power of CPU-Optimized servers.
Finally, the improved Vertical Scaling process smooths over a common friction point — no more DNS changes when resizing your server. This makes growing your infrastructure more seamless and lowers the risk of errors or downtime.
Together, these updates position Cloudways as a more scalable and performance-friendly option for hosting buyers across different growth stages.
Looking Ahead
Cloudways has stated that similar server enhancements are coming to other providers on its platform, including Vultr and Linode. These improvements signal Cloudways’ continued push to give users more flexibility, better performance options, and easier infrastructure management.
To learn more about Cloudways’ hosting experience and performance benchmarks, check out our full Cloudways review.
