When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn Finding the best cloud hosting provider can be a crucial step if your website has outgrown its shared plan or your enterprise site is getting sudden web traffic spikes. With cloud hosting, you can enjoy unparalleled scalability, robust security with SSL certificates, generous storage, and rock-solid uptime guarantees of 99.9%+.
DreamHost is our top recommendation for cloud hosting thanks to its strong offering and affordable pricing, which will appeal to beginners and entrepreneurs on a tight budget. You may find that other excellent cloud hosting providers may be more suitable for your specific needs, however.
We’ve tested some of the best cloud-based web hosting services for this guide to help you make an informed purchase decision, and we’ll explore their features and pricing in detail.
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The Best Cloud Web Hosting Providers Ranked
Our team have extensively tested a wide range of the top cloud hosting solutions to find the best products for numerous use cases. Here are the top providers we’ve identified in the market:
- DreamHost – The best cloud hosting platform overall
- Bluehost – A speedy cloud hosting provider for WordPress
- InMotion Hosting – Best value for tech-savvy Linux users
- Liquid Web – The ideal large business cloud hosting solution, which offers 100% uptime
- Hostinger – A provider with especially feature-rich cloud hosting plans
- InterServer – A budget-friendly server boasting highly customizable plans
- IONOS – The best affordable cloud hosting with plans starting at $0.0056/hour
The Best Cloud-Based Web Hosting Reviewed
We’ve ranked the best cloud hosting companies after carefully evaluating testing criteria such as scalability, security, performance, pricing, and more. Read on to find the perfect match for your requirements.
1. DreamHost – Best Cloud Server Hosting Overall
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4.50/month | 1–8 vCPU, 512MB–16 GB RAM | ✅ | 80GB SSD | Free bandwidth | ✅ |
DreamHosts’ cloud computing service, DreamCompute, stands out for its budget-friendly hosting service with pay-as-you-go billing, which is ideal for beginners.
Its low entry point of $0.0075/hour, with 512MB RAM, one vCPU, free bandwidth, and 80 GB SSD storage, presents an exceptional value proposition. If you’re using the service all month long, DreamCompute caps the monthly rate at $4.50 rather than $5.40+, which would be allowed by the number of hours in a month.
This cloud-based web hosting provider isn’t really suitable for heavy ecommerce sites, though, as its highest-tier plan, with 8 vCPU and 16GB RAM, doesn’t provide the necessary resources and particularly when compared to a provider like Bluehost.
You can use your preferred OS, including Linux, BSD, and Windows, and programming languages, such as MongoDB, Redis, Node.js, Ruby, and Python. However, while DreamCompute’s storage solution, Ceph, is scalable and self-healing, implementing a backup strategy is on you.
DreamHost provides 100GB of free block storage, regardless of the RAM server size, and paying $10 gets you an additional 100GB. The dashboard, built with OpenStack’s Horizon, has three main services – computing, networking, and storage – delivering a streamlined cloud management experience.
While DreamCompute doesn’t provide autoscaling, it includes DDoS protection measures, a 100% uptime guarantee with compensation for downtime, and fast SSD storage. You have access to cloud servers that can go live in under 30 seconds, and thanks to its open-source technology, robust security is a given.
There’s no free phone assistance, unfortunately – you’ll be charged a nominal monthly fee of $14.95 for three callbacks. Nevertheless, their 24/7 in-house support team is known for promptly responding to email and chat queries.
For more information, read our full DreamHost review.
Pros
- Budget cloud hosting plans
- Select your preferred OS and programming language
- 100GB of free block storage
- Cloud servers go live in under 30 seconds
- Open-source technology for robust security
Cons
- No autoscaling
- Underpowered for large enterprises
2. Bluehost – Best Cloud Hosting for WordPress
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $29.99/month | 2vCPU to 150vCPU | ❌/✅ | 10GB SSD | Unlimited bandwidth on some plans | ✅ |
Bluehost Cloud shines for its speed, support, and managed cloud hosting convenience. Built on WP Cloud infrastructure in collaboration with WordPress, it’s ideal for WordPress sites with significant needs, like ecommerce portals, high-traffic blogs, and resource-intensive web applications.
If you’re seeking top performance and scalability without technical know-how, this is the solution for you. Due to its steep pricing, Bluehost Cloud isn’t ideal for beginners, but it offers exceptional WordPress management for those who prefer a hands-off approach.
All of the plans include an impressive 100% uptime, WordPress edge caching, and a global CDN, which ensures minimal latency and loading times for visitors worldwide. The SSD storage further speeds up the loading times, and there’s 24/7 priority call and chat support from WordPress experts.
Safety is assured as each plan has daily automated backups from Jetpack, Let’s Encrypt SSL, two-factor authentication, DDoS protection, and a web application firewall.
Unlike other hosting providers, like DreamHost, Bluehost Cloud doesn’t have a pay-as-you-go model, which would likely make resource management more complex for users. Still, the convenience of offloading management and the high performance come at a relatively steep cost.
To learn more, read our full Bluehost review.
Pros
- Speedy performance and immense scalability
- Fully managed WordPress platform
- 100% uptime
- Robust security features
- Expert customer support
Cons
- No pay-as-you-go model
- Relatively expensive
3. InMotion Hosting – Best for Advanced Linux Users
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6/month | 1–32 vCPU, 1–32 GB RAM, up to 1TB RAM on enterprise plans | Free domain with managed cloud hosting, Free SSL | 30GB | 2TB to unlimited | ✅ |
InMotion comes with a complex setup and caters exclusively to Linux OS users with substantial technical know-how – and it has no Windows support. Given this, it’s targeting a different crowd to DreamHost and Bluehost.
If you find yourself building a website on InMotion’s cloud, you can rest assured that round-the-clock help is a step away by phone, chat, or email. Expect prompt responses and comprehensive guidance to address your concerns.
The website also provides a bevy of resources, from easy-to-understand tutorials to community-driven Q&As. If you’re dissatisfied with the service, you can always take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee, which is also available with the monthly plan.
There are scalable cloud hosting options for a range of use cases, including for agencies, applications, small businesses, and enterprise cloud hosting. However, the unmanaged cloud hosting options don’t offer a free domain or support autoscaling.
You get a 99.99% uptime guarantee, protection against DDoS attacks and malware, and fortified cPanel security features. In addition, you can trade your standard SSD for NVMe hosting for enhanced speeds and lower latency, albeit at a slightly higher cost.
Read our full InMotion review for in-depth coverage.
Pros
- Ideal for Linux-savvy customers
- 30-day money-back guarantee with monthly plans
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- Powerful security features
- NVMe hosting upgrade option
Cons
- No Windows server support
- No autoscaling
4. Liquid Web – Best for Large Businesses
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5/month | 1–32 cores, 1GB–128GB RAM | ❌/✅ | 30GB | Unlimited incoming bandwidth | ✅ |
Liquid Web has several cloud hosting plans for different types of customers, ranging from individuals to enterprises. Its solutions include Cloud VPS, Cloud Metal, VMware Private Cloud, and Cloud Dedicated Servers, and it presents a wider range of options than most providers on this list.
Its best cloud VPS hosting plans are great for beginners and small businesses. Cloud Dedicated is suited to high-traffic sites, while VMware Private Cloud is an enterprise-grade solution.
Liquid Web is suited to the top end of requirements for businesses seeking greater customizability and control. These businesses will also benefit from the dedicated resources and rapid scalability of cloud technology.
With the Cloud VPS and Cloud Metal solutions, you can choose from a roster of hardware configurations. All the cloud hosting solutions have RAID-protected SSD and NVMe storage for rapid loading and let you choose between self-managed, core-managed, and fully-managed hosting.
Although the Cloud Metal solutions are more expensive ($115/month base), they pack considerably more heft, with RAM ranging from 16GB to 128GB, and are highly scalable.
Regardless of your plan, you get 24/7 support, free SSL, DDoS protection, and one-click scaling. Customer support guarantees a response within 59 seconds of contact by phone or live chat with a one-hour hosting credit if this isn’t met. Automatic backups aren’t free, though, and cost $0.05 per GB/month, with three daily backups.
With Liquid Web’s 100% network uptime guarantee, you can expect less than six minutes of annual downtime. And with hot-resizing, you can move seamlessly from Cloud VPS to Cloud Metal or vice-versa with minimal downtime – under an hour – depending on traffic. However, none of the cloud hosting solutions have auto-scaling, so you’ll have to manually adjust your server’s resources by evaluating traffic levels.
Check out the full Liquid Web review here.
Pros
- Powerful and configurable for large businesses
- Self-managed, core-managed, and fully-managed options
- 100% network uptime guarantee
- Guaranteed customer support connection in under 59 seconds
- Hot-resizing
Cons
- No auto-scaling
- No free automatic cloud backups
5. Hostinger – Best for Additional Cloud Features
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $9.99/month | 2–6 CPU cores and 3GB–12GB RAM | ✅ | 200GB NVMe | Unlimited bandwidth | ✅ |
Hostinger’s cloud hosting plans come with lots of features, from automated daily backups and priority support to managed WordPress support and a 30-day refund policy. The cloud hosting service also includes a free domain and managed WP tools and is built for sites with medium-to-large traffic loads, including ecommerce sites.
However, it may be overkill for small business websites that require comparatively little storage and bandwidth, where plans from DreamHost or Liquid Web may be more suitable.
Hostinger offers fixed monthly pricing and doesn’t use the pay-as-you-go model seen with other cloud hosting providers. While this isn’t as cost-effective, it allows you to accurately forecast expenses without monitoring usage or accounting for fluctuations.
The plans are laid out as three tiers – Cloud Startup, Cloud Professional, and Cloud Enterprise – with a starting rate of $9.99/month. Upgrading gives you access to increased resources, including storage, RAM, and CPU cores, but all plans come with a free domain and unlimited SSL certificates. You also get a 99.9% uptime guarantee, top-notch security, a dedicated IP address, and free automatic website migration.
One major downside is the absence of Windows OS servers, though – you’re limited to Linux hosting here. If you run into trouble, you have access to 24/7 email and live chat support, but no help is available by phone.
For more information, check our full Hostinger review.
Pros
- Great features and resources
- No extra charges or surprise fees with a fixed monthly payment
- 30-day refund policy
- Great for large ecommerce sites
- Free automatic website migration
Cons
- No phone support
- No free backups
6. InterServer – Best for Configurability
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6/month | 1–16 cores, 2GB–32GB RAM | ❌/✅ | 30GB SSD | 2TB to 32TB transfer | ✅ |
InterServer delivers remarkable configurability with its cloud VPS, making it a solid option for small and mid-sized businesses with specific needs. You can choose from Linux or Windows VPS, with hardware options ranging from one to 16 cores.
For more space, the storage-focused VPS plan extends from 1TB SATA to 16TB SATA. Additionally, over 440 apps and scripts are available with one-click installation for categories like blogs, CMS, ecommerce, mail, galleries, Wikis, customer support, and more.
There are several control panel options, including DirectAdmin, cPanel, and PLESK. If you don’t opt for one, InterServer only manages what they install, including the operating system, helping with boot-up issues, security updates, and reinstalls.
If you’ve purchased a 4-core plan or higher with a control panel, InterServer will help with software installed by the control panel, including the control panel itself and mail.
However, they won’t support third-party software like scripts, blogs, and forums. There are also no automatic backups, so you’ll have to set it up yourself, and the lack of auto-scaling and one-click scaling is inconvenient.
The 99.9% uptime guarantee is fairly reliable, but it allows for around eight hours of downtime annually, paling in comparison to providers with 100% uptime guarantees like DreamHost, Bluehost, and Liquid Web. Customer support is somewhat lacking as well, with some users criticizing live chat agents’ expertise.
Pricing isn’t hourly but is flat at $6 per slice, with one VPS slice equal to 1 CPU, 2GB RAM, 30GB storage, and 2TB bandwidth. There’s no free trial or money-back guarantee, and cloud VPS plans lack DDoS protection – but SSL is included if you purchase a control panel.
Read our InterServer review to learn more.
Pros
- Highly configurable cloud VPS plans
- Storage focused plans
- One-click installation for 440+ apps and scripts
- Affordable monthly plans
Cons
- No auto-scaling
- No automatic cloud backups
7. IONOS – Best Cheap Cloud Hosting
| Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Free Domain and SSL | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4/month | 1-24 CPU cores, 512MB-48 GB RAM | ❌/✅ | 30GB | Unlimited traffic | ✅ |
With a starting rate of $0.0056/hour and a $4 monthly cap, IONOS is our list’s cheapest cloud hosting service. Unlike DreamHost, the cap is only saving you a few cents here, with a 30-day month, but it’s nevertheless a very affordable service.
Another major part of IONOS’ appeal is its wide range of hosting plans – from XS to 5XL – catering to everything from small to large and thriving enterprises. Its 5XL plan offers 24 CPU cores, 48GB RAM, and 480GB SSD. If you’re looking for a more flexible model, you can also build your own cloud server with FLEX.
While there’s no autoscaling feature, IONOS will message you when your site’s performance peaks so you can adjust the performance level.
The company also guarantees 99.9% uptime, and it offers its customers a $100 credit for the first month, making it more accessible for startups and small businesses with limited budgets.
For further coverage, check out our IONOS review.
Pros
- Low-cost, pay-as-you-go structure
- Caters to business owners at every level
- Cloud server FLEX provides scalable, flexible plans
- $100 credit for the first month for a risk-free trial
Cons
- No autoscaling feature
Comparing the Best Cloud Server Hosting Providers
Here, we’ve compared all the cloud server hosting providers so you can get a quick glimpse of their offerings and pricing.
| Provider | Best For | Starting Price | vCPU and Ram | Starting Storage | Unlimited Monthly Data Transfer | 24/7 Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DreamHost | Small businesses and beginners on a limited budget | $4.50/month | 1–8 vCPU, 512MB–16 GB RAM | 80GB SSD | Free bandwidth | ✅ |
| Bluehost | Best for WordPress hosting | $29.99/month | 2vCPU to 150vCPU | 10GB SSD | Unlimited bandwidth on some plans | ✅ |
| InMotion Hosting | Best for tech-savvy Linux users | $6/month | 1–32 vCPU, 1–32 GB RAM, up to 1TB RAM on enterprise plans | 30GB SSD | 2TB to unlimited | ✅ |
| Liquid Web | Best for large businesses | $5/month | 1-16 cores,1GB-32GB RAM | 30GB | Unlimited incoming bandwidth. | ✅ |
| Hostinger | Best for additional cloud features | $9.99/month | 2-6 CPU cores and 3GB to 12GB RAM | 200GB SSD | Unlimited bandwidth | ✅ |
| InterServer | Best for configurability | $6/month | 1-16 cores,2GB-32GB RAM | 30GB SSD | 2TB to 32TB | ✅ |
| IONOS | Best cheap cloud hosting | $4/month | 1-24 CPU cores, 512MB-48 GB RAM | 30GB SSD | Unlimited traffic | ✅ |
How Does Cloud Hosting Work?
Cloud hosting services offer website hosting on virtual servers that draw their computing resources from a pool of numerous physical servers. To better understand how it works and the benefits it provides over other hosting services, we’ll discuss how dedicated and shared hosting work.
Dedicated hosting sees a site being hosted on a single physical server and limits the site to only using that physical server’s resources. Shared hosting has multiple sites on a single physical server, restricted to sharing the same resources, often at the expense of the performance of the different sites.
There’s also more control over the hosting environment, allowing you to customize software and hardware configurations – though this requires technical expertise.
Although it’s a more expensive solution than standard or shared hosting, many providers offer a pay-as-you-go model. Since you only pay for the resources you actually use, it’s cost-effective for sites with fluctuating traffic levels.
Cloud hosting is superb for websites with large or fluctuating traffic loads, which require consistently high performance, swift scalability, and tailored configurations. Since the site isn’t anchored to a single physical server, there’s also increased uptime and reduced redundancy with the load distributed across multiple servers.
Pros
- Superior performance and speed
- Scalable resources
- High reliability and uptime
- Cost-efficient with pay-for-what-you-use models
- Greater customizability
Cons
- More complex to set up and manage
- More expensive than standard and shared hosting
- Costs can fluctuate significantly based on resource usage
Types of Cloud Hosting
There are a range of different types of cloud hosting and the providers on our list provide access to a mix of these solutions. These include:
Public Cloud Hosting
This is the classic form of cloud hosting, where environments are partitioned and divided between different customers. Some of the largest vendors in the market are AWS cloud hosting, Google cloud hosting, and Microsoft Azure cloud hosting.
Private Cloud Hosting
These are secure cloud environments that serve a single customer with isolated access, and they are generally protected behind a firewall. Private clouds don’t need to be run on the customer’s own infrastructure – and some organizations run public cloud services from their own data centers.
Managed Private Cloud
In managed private cloud hosting, the vendor deploys, configures, and manages the environment for the customer – outsourcing the required IT management processes, so they can handle monitoring, security, backups, and patching.
Hybrid Cloud
This combines multiple integrated cloud environments and can connect public and private clouds and virtual environments. This enables centralized management and scalability for applications across environments.
Multicloud
Multicloud environments combine cloud services from different vendors, though not necessarily of different types. This can help to control data and assist in incident response.
How We Tested the Best Cloud Server Providers
While researching and preparing our list of the best cloud server hosting, we evaluated factors like performance, scalability, pricing, and configurability. Let’s take a closer look at these key factors:
- Overall performance – We evaluated the cloud hosting platform’s server uptime, storage, bandwidth, hardware (vCPU, RAM, and storage), and CDN (latency and global reach).
- Security and backup – We checked if the providers had robust security features, like DDoS protection, firewalls, SSL, and two-factor authentication. We also examined what security features they provided for free and what had to be paid for.
- Scalability – This is a key feature of cloud hosting and enhances cost-efficiency and performance for businesses dealing with fluctuating traffic and demand. We checked which services delivered essential scalability features, such as auto-scaling and one-click scaling.
- Pricing – We looked at which providers had the most affordable plans and if the features justified their asking price. We checked whether they had fixed cost structures or hourly pay-as-you-go models, which can be more cost-efficient, and whether they offered free trials or free credits.
- Customer support – Reliable customer support with expertise and 24/7 availability can save you plenty of time when issues arise. We evaluated the contact methods available (call, live chat, and email), timings, and the speed and quality of support agents’ responses.
- Configurability – We considered the configuration options available in terms of the hosting providers’ hardware, software, control panel, networking, backup, recovery, security, and server types.
- User reviews – We pored over user reviews of the best cloud hosting solutions to identify perspectives we might have missed and confirmed the details with the providers directly.
How to Choose the Best Cloud Hosting Services
When drawing up a list of the top 10 cloud hosting providers and selecting the best cloud web hosting services for your needs, it’s worth keeping the following factors in mind:
Prioritize Scalability
Your website’s needs will fluctuate depending on demand. For efficiency, you’ll want to expand or reduce your resources using scalable cloud website hosting. Your cloud hosting service should also provide features to keep up with your evolving technological needs.
Consider Pay-As-You-Go Billing
Whether you own an ecommerce website or a blog, PAYG, paying hourly, will benefit you since you’ll only pay for the data you use. This model is especially handy for fluctuating traffic patterns, often seen with seasonal services.
New businesses may also appreciate this billing strategy, as the barrier to entry and upfront costs are low. Note that this cost structure needs more monitoring from your end, though, and may not feel as convenient as a flat monthly subscription.
Look for Reliable Uptime
Several cloud web hosting services now have 100% server uptime guarantees.
However, selecting one that guarantees a minimum of 99.9% uptime is crucial for keeping your website accessible to users without interruption. Even a 0.1% downtime means your website will be unavailable for eight hours a year, and the last thing you’ll want is to lose potential customers.
24/7 Customer Support
If you get stuck, you should know you can contact the technical support team for prompt assistance.
A 24/7 support team must be available, ideally via email, chat, and phone, and they should have subject expertise. Additional resources like online tutorials and detailed how-to guides are also helpful.
Verify Security Measures
Ensure your chosen cloud hosting platform employs robust security measures, including SSL certificates, DDoS protection, firewalls, and malware scanning.
These features safeguard your sensitive data against unauthorized access. Also, check whether the cloud host provides daily or weekly backups and efficient data recovery mechanisms in case of data loss.
Compare Pricing
To make a good choice, compare the pricing structure of different cloud hosting services and assess their overall value. Some companies offer free add-ons, such as domains, SSL certificates, and automatic backups, which could save you money in the long run.
Conclusion – What’s the Best Cloud Hosting Provider for 2024?
Whether you’re seeking a cost-effective platform, advanced configuration options, or risk-free trials, you’ll be able to find a good option among the cloud hosting services we’ve highlighted.
However, we’ve found DreamHost is the best for small business owners, solopreneurs, and beginners working on personal projects. You get affordable hosting, well-rounded features, a 100% uptime guarantee, reliable security, and the ability to launch servers in 30 seconds. You can also select the software and programming language of your choice and get 100GB of free block storage.
More Web Hosting Guides
Our team have put together a wide range of guides to hosting services to cover different use cases and product categories. Check out these guides to help you find the ideal match for your website hosting needs.
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