Cloud computing has been rising for years, and 2023 is no exception. Cloud hosting is now more accessible than ever, offering users a ton of flexibility and scalability that conventional hosting solutions can’t match.
This blog post rounds up the best cloud hosting services to help you decide which solution works best for your business needs!
Cloud hosting has become the gold standard of web hosting in recent years, with cloud providers offering reliable and cost-effective solutions. But with so many options, deciding which is best for you can take time.
Fear not! My name is AJ Silber, and I have spent the last decade as a web design/SEO agency owner. Over that period, I tested and experienced each cloud hosting provider below.
However, I took it a step further for this roundup post.
How did we choose? We set up a staging website on tybtestsite.com and tested the following cloud hosting platforms.
We looked at:
- Speed
- Price
- 3rd Party Reviews
- Our Lab Testing
- Key Features
- Pros
- Cons
Let’s take a look at the top cloud hosting services of 2023!
Hostinger Cloud Hosting
Hostinger is one of the best cloud hosting options for beginners, as the company makes it easy for newcomers to build their first website with various useful web features.
Why Did We Pick Hostinger?
Every plan at Hostinger comes with several useful features, like a free domain name, a unique IP address, unlimited site hosting, managed WordPress tools, and unlimited SSL certificates.
if you want to learn more information, check out our Hostinger review.
Hostinger Key Features
- Cloudflare CDN caches your site worldwide, so it will load quickly no matter where visitors are located
- Daily backups
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited databases
- Managed WordPress, meaning Hostinger takes care of all the technical details of running a WordPress site
Hostinger Pricing Plans
Hostinger’s cloud hosting packages range from $9.99 a month to $29.99 a month.
The main difference between Hostinger’s Startup and Enterprise packages is the amount of storage you receive.
Otherwise, all plans at Hostinger come with unlimited free SSL, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Hostinger Pros and Cons
Hostinger Pros
- Affordable pricing plans
- High-quality services
- Exceptional uptime
- Optional Minecraft servers
- Plans include Hostinger's Zyro website builder
- Larger businesses can create multiple FTP accounts, so people have access to different parts of a website
- The user interface is intuitive
- You can choose the server of the desired country
Hostinger Cons
- Lacks dedicated hosting
- Lack of phone customer support
- Not every plan has a Windows options
- The Base shared hosting plan only comes with one email account
DreamHost Cloud Hosting
DreamHost is one of the best cloud hosting providers for small to medium-sized businesses.
This cloud web hosting company has several cloud server options that are powerful and scalable.
Why Did We Pick DreamHost?
The cloud hosting solutions at DreamHost are affordable and flexible, so you can always find a plan and customize it to fit your needs.
Also, DreamHost is one of a few cloud hosts that allow you to use BSD, Linux, or Windows OS platforms (most cloud hosting servers only focus on Linux).
DreamHost Key Features
- 100% uptime guarantee
- All sites come pre-installed with a free SSL certificate and WordPress firewall
- Most plans come with virtual private servers (VPS) to increase speed, scalability, and performance
- Multiple caching layers
- Auto-scaled memory
- Static IP address
DreamHost Pricing Plans
DreamHost gives customers the option to pay for a plan monthly or annually.
If you want to save the most money while using this cloud hosting service, signing up for an annual plan is the smart thing to do.
For the VPS plan, annual plans at DreamHost start at $2.95 a month and can get as high as $13.75 a month.
DreamHost Pros and Cons
DreamHost Pros
- Strong security features
- Several domain management tools
- Multiple cloud hosting solutions
- Unlimited data transfers each month
- Shared hosting money-back guarantee
- Helpful WordPress staging feature
- 97-day money-back guarantee
DreamHost Cons
- No email account feature with the Starter plan
- Lacks Windows-based servers
- No phone customer support
Ionos Cloud Hosting
Ionos offers cloud hosting plans that are best suited for larger businesses looking for additional server muscle.
This cloud hosting service offers on-demand recourse scales and exceptional plans, making Ionos one of the best cloud hosting providers.
Why Did We Pick Ionos Hosting?
Ionos meets all the demands for enterprise-focused cloud server needs, offering custom packages to suit your needs.
The cloud hosting plans are scalable, come in Linux and Windows OS options, and have data centers in the United States and Europe.
Also, the pricing at Ionos is very competitive compared to other cloud hosting providers.
Ionos Hosting Key Features
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain name for one year
- Mirrored data in two data centers so your hosting stays uninterrupted
- Several plug-ins are available
- Managed WordPress
- DDoS protection
- Regular backups and recovery
- Free professional email
Ionos Hosting Pricing Plans
Ionos offers discounted rates for the company’s cloud hosting plans for the first year, making this provider more enticing.
For instance, for the first 12 months of using Ionos, you can expect to pay the following rates:
- Essential package: $4 a month
- Business package: $1 a month
- Expert package: $8 a month
Ionos Hosting Pros and Cons
Ionos Hosting Pros
- Dependable uptime
- Top-of-the-line cloud hosting plans
- Linux and Windows-based servers are available
- Easy-to-use website builder tools
Ionos Hosting Cons
- Lacks reseller hosting options
- Sparse email options compared to other cloud web hosting companies
Liquid Web Cloud Hosting
Liquid Web is one of the best cloud hosting options for small to medium-sized businesses that need managed servers.
Additionally, Liquid Web provides several different web hosting options that all come with industry-leading customer support.
Why Did We Pick Liquid Web?
Liquid Web has cloud servers that combine the power of dedicated servers with the flexibility of the cloud platform.
Although this makes Liquid Web a little more expensive than other cloud hosting providers, the performance makes the cost worth it.
Also, Liquid Web’s cloud hosting services come in various managed tiers and are available for Linux or Windows OS operating systems.
Liquid Web Key Features
- Regular backups
- Plenty of data storage
- SSD storage
- DDoS attack protection
- Cloudflare CDN
- Free data transfers
- Unlimited sites with InterWorx
- cPanel is available
- Dedicated IP address
- 100% uptime guarantee
Liquid Web Pricing Plans
As previously mentioned, Liquid Web offers a lot of hosting options.
In terms of the company’s cloud hosting service, plans range from $149 a month to $219 a month.
Also, if your business demands more storage than Liquid Web’s pre-made plans, the company can create a customized cloud hosting plan for you!
Liquid Web Pros and Cons
Liquid Web Pros
- Excellent customer service (59-second response guarantee)
- Powerful, high-end server specs
- Excellent uptime
- Prorated VPS plans
- Virtual private server (VPS), cloud, and reseller hosting plans
Liquid Web Cons
- Lack of shared hosting plans
- More expensive than other cloud servers
- Very few refund options
Cloudways Cloud Hosting
Cloudways offers reliability and industry-leading performance at an affordable price.
Also, Cloudways is incredibly easy to use and provides flexible managed cloud hosting plans.
Further, this is one of the best cloud hosting providers for web developers who need a scalable platform built for speed.
Why Did We Pick Cloudways?
Our team at Tweak Your Biz conducted a thorough review of Cloudways and discovered that you can choose from five managed cloud servers, including the Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services.
Cloudways is a leading managed cloud hosting company and is best suited for businesses looking to restructure and optimize their server ecosystem.
Cloudways Key Features
- CloudwaysCDN Integration speeds up your site’s load time by caching its content on a content delivery network (CDN)
- Server Monitoring Dashboard watches the performance of all your cloud servers
- Application Monitoring Dashboard provides detailed insights into your applications’ performance
- SSD-based hosting
- IP Whitelist gives you the option to whitelist IP addresses for better security
Cloudways Pricing Plans
Pricing plans at Cloudways vary based on the cloud server you select (Google Cloud, AWS, Linode, Vultr, or DigitalOcean).
For comparison sake, let’s look at the pricing differences for the basic plan on all five cloud servers:
- AWS: $36.51 a month
- Google Cloud: $33.18 a month
- Vultr: $13 a month
- Linode: $12 a month
- DigitalOcean: $12 a month
Cloudways Pros and Cons
Cloudways Pros
- Excellent performance and speed
- Out-of-the-box usability (you don't need to configure anything or create an account)
- Easy to use
- Supports an array of apps
- Flexible hosting plans
- There is a trial period available
- Site cloning
- Pay-as-you-go plans are available
Cloudways Cons
- No domain name registration option
- Emails cost extra
- Limited to Linux
- It can be challenging to host DNS for free
What is a Cloud Hosting Provider?
A cloud hosting provider is a company that offers web hosting services through a cloud platform.
Cloud hosting enables users to access their websites and applications over the internet instead of on physical servers like traditional web hosting providers.
Cloud hosting provides more scalability, flexibility, and security than traditional web hosting because the cloud stores all its data in multiple remote locations.
Cloud hosting is more expensive than traditional web hosting but provides better performance and reliability.
Cloud providers typically offer services such as the following:
- Server monitoring
- Automated backups
- Disaster recovery solutions
- A free domain name
- A data center with all your website’s information
You can use cloud hosting for various applications, such as website hosting, software development, storage, and big data analytics.
Further, cloud hosting is an increasingly popular choice for businesses looking to reduce their IT costs while increasing the reliability and performance of their websites and applications.
Cloud hosting providers offer great customer support, flexible plans, and competitive pricing to help you find a hosting solution that will work best for your needs within your budget.
How to Choose a Cloud Hosting Service
There are several factors that go into choosing a web hosting solution and finding the right cloud host for your needs.
For instance, the following details are vital when comparing cloud server hosting options:
- Data security
- Certifications and data standards
- Reliability and performance
- Customer service
Let’s take a look at the most important factors you should consider before selecting a cloud computing service!
Data Security
Data security is an important factor when choosing a cloud hosting provider.
Cloud hosts are responsible for keeping your data safe and secure, so it’s essential to select a provider with the necessary measures to protect your data.
The best cloud hosting companies offer encryption protocols, firewalls, and other advanced data security features.
You should also ensure that the cloud hosting company is certified to the highest data security standards.
By researching and assessing each cloud hosting company’s data security protocols, you can ensure that your website or application remains safe and secure.
Certifications & Data Standards
When selecting a cloud host, you must look into certifications and data standards.
The best cloud hosting services are ones that have the necessary certifications and meet the relevant data standards will ensure better uptime for your website or application.
Additionally, these cloud hosting providers are often more reliable than those that do not have the same level of certification or adhere to the same data standards.
Therefore, it’s important to verify that the cloud services you choose have the necessary certifications and meets industry data standards.
By choosing a cloud host that is certified and adheres to data standards, you can be sure that your website or application will remain online and available when needed.
Reliability & Performance
The performance of a cloud server is another important factor to consider when comparing hosting providers.
You need to make sure that your cloud hosting service can keep up with the growing demand for your website or application and handle sudden spikes in traffic.
Look for a host that offers high availability, 99.99% uptime, free backups, and fast response times.
Also, it would be best if you read customer reviews to get an idea of how reliable the cloud hosting provider is and how quickly they respond to customer inquiries.
Ensuring you choose a web host that is reliable can make or break your website.
You want to feel confident that your cloud hosting plan has the resources to expand your website while keeping information secure.
Customer Service
Finally, make sure that the cloud hosting solution you choose offers excellent customer service.
The best cloud hosting providers should be available 24/7 in case you encounter any issues with your website or application.
Look for a cloud hosting service that provides support via phone, live chat, and email.
Additionally, it would help if you read customer reviews to get an idea of how helpful the provider is and how quickly they respond to customer inquiries.
Customer service is an especially important factor to consider if you’re making your first website and anticipate having a lot of questions.
It’s reassuring to know you have a cloud hosting provider that will get back to your questions in a timely manner, so your website is set up correctly.
Cloud Hosting Alternatives
You might be set on finding the best cloud hosting. However, if you’re looking for our different reviews, check out the links below! There is a lot of great options outside of cloud hosting.
Shared hosting, also called virtual hosting, is a way to host your website on a single physical server that hosts several other websites.
Instead of using multiple servers, VPS hosting plans include everything on one server while offering software applications that simplify managing and accessing your website.
HostGator
HostGator is one of the best shared web hosting providers available because of its affordable prices and plan flexibility.
Also, HostGator has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website is running smoothly whenever a visitor needs to access it.
HostGator’s shared hosting plans come with unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and a free domain for a year.
Lastly, HostGator is incredibly easy to use and is compatible with WordPress site integration.
DreamHost
DreamHost is a great shared hosting option because this company offers flexible and scalable pricing plans at a rate that won’t break the bank.
DreamHost’s cloud-based web hosting also allows you to use BSD, Linux, or Windows OS platforms.
But what really allows DreamHost to stand out from the pack is the level of security you get with any plan.
For instance, DreamHost ensures all sites come with pre-installed free SSL certificates, a WordPress firewall, auto-scaled memory, and multiple caching layers.
Lastly, DreamHost’s shared web hosting plans start at $2.95 a month, so startups and small businesses should have no problem being able to afford the introductory plan.
Best Dedicated Web Hosting Services
Dedicated hosting is a type of hosting that assigns a dedicated server (or servers) to a single customer.
Therefore, the customer controls the data center and can optimize the machine for their specific requirements, like security and performance.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy has several dedicated web hosting plans for people of all levels.
Additionally, if you need a dedicated server plan, GoDaddy has one available starting at $129.99 a month.
GoDaddy’s dedicated servers are highly customizable, fast, and designed for resource-intensive web applications.
Further, GoDaddy offers hosting solutions for Windows and Linux users and assigns each website a unique DNS.
Another detail that makes GoDaddy’s services stand out is that the company takes care of many of the technical aspects.
For example, you don’t have to worry about software updates, setups, or security patches with GoDaddy because the hosting provider handles everything.
Lastly, GoDaddy guarantees a 99.9% uptime and offers affordable plans to help you stick within your budget.
Liquid Web
Liquid Web is known as one of the best managed cloud hosting companies available.
Although the pricing tiers at Liquid Web are a little more expensive, the industry-leading customer service and flexible plan options are worth the price.
What sets Liquid Web apart is that the company uses data centers that combine the resources of dedicated servers with the on-the-spot flexibility of a cloud platform.
The managed dedicated servers are perfect for small businesses that must dedicate time to other portions of their business.
Lastly, this provider is one of the best because of the customer service, which ensures a 59-second response guarantee.
Therefore, if you have any questions or problems with your plan, someone on Liquid Web’s team is ready to help!
Best cPanel Web Hosting Services
cPanel hosting is a Linux-based hosting that includes an installation of cPanel, providing a cPanel account to control your hosting elements.
You can use cPanel with several types of web hosts, like shared, dedicated, and managed WordPress hosting.
Bluehost
Bluehost is an ideal cPanel web hosting choice for people who need a tailored solution for their business needs, whether it be a blog, eCommerce site, or website.
Also, Bluehost provides the cPanel Account Control Panel, making it much easier to manage your hosting account because you can see all the information you need in a single place.
Further, Bluehost offers unlimited domain hosting and unlimited disk storage.
Therefore, you can host as many websites as you need on your account and have plenty of space to grow each website.
Lastly, the user interface on Bluehost is very easy to understand and has several drag-and-drop tools that make it easier for users to build a website without using any code.
HostGator
HostGator is an excellent cPanel web hosting option because the provider offers quick average speed times and free cPanel website transfers.
Therefore, you can move your existing site to HostGator without paying any fees!
Even after you transfer your cPanel site to HostGator, the web hosting provider offers a lot of beneficial services and tools.
For example, HostGator provides free SEO tools to help your website rank higher on search engines like Google.
Additionally, you receive a free SSL and a unique IP address to improve security.
HostGator is easy to use and extremely powerful, making this company one of the best in the hosting industry for small businesses and web developers!
Our Final Thoughts on the Best Cloud Hosting
Cloud server hosting demands you take several factors into consideration.
For instance, finding affordable cloud hosting within your budget is vital, especially if you’re running a startup or small business.
Also, make sure you consider factors like unlimited bandwidth, free migration, phone support, uptime, and security measures when you’re looking for the best cloud hosting plan.
Fortunately, there are several unmanaged and managed cloud hosting providers available, most of which offer flexible plans to match your budget and website needs.
Still, it’s always important to do your research on different cloud hosting features, so you do with a provider that provides the solutions you’re looking for!
Cloud Hosting FAQ
Cloud hosting offers many benefits, including scalability, increased performance, and data security. Cloud hosting also offers certifications & data standards, reliable performance, and excellent customer service.
Another reason cloud hosting is the best is that it makes applications and websites accessible using cloud resources. Traditional hosting solutions are deployed on a single server. But with cloud hosting, these solutions are connected to a network of virtual and physical cloud servers to host the website or application, allowing for more flexibility and scalability.
The best cloud hosting that’s free is the one that fits both your budget and website needs. 000webhost, AwardSpace, and Infinity are all popular options for free cloud hosting. They offer various features such as significant bandwidth storage, global locations, and managed services to get started quickly with your next web project.
000webhost is especially popular for its free plans that include regular backups, free website builder, and password-protected directories in the dashboard. Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your needs and budget.
Yes, cloud web hosting is typically better than traditional web hosting because cloud servers provide faster loading times, improved scalability, and reliability. A cloud hosting solution also provides unlimited storage and bandwidth with zero downtime, making it the best choice for businesses.
Cloud hosting can be more expensive than traditional web hosting, but it’s worth the extra cost if you want to ensure your website is secure, reliable, and efficient. Cloud server hosting also offers certifications and data standards, and excellent customer service that traditional web hosting cannot match.
The best platform for hosting depends on your website or application needs—some of the most popular options in HostGator, GoDaddy, Bluehost, and DreamHost.
Each provider varies slightly in the offerings and customization that is available. Therefore, it’s vital to compare and contrast different companies before choosing one for your website. Also, make sure you have a good idea of everything your website will need from a provider before choosing one.
There are two main types of cloud hosting: unmanaged and managed.
An unmanaged cloud VPS plan is a type of cloud server that you have to manage on your own, while managed cloud hosting comes with an entire team of experts providing support and maintenance services.
Managed cloud hosting also typically offers premium features such as one-click installation, scalability, reliable performance, and enhanced security measures. Furthermore, managed cloud hosting providers also offer extra services such as disaster recovery plans, 24/7 monitoring and support, advanced firewalls, access to backup logs, and more.
