Cloudways vs Netlify (2026)
Pricing, features and who each one is for, checked against both vendors' pricing pages in November 2026.
Quick verdict: Both are hosting & deploy, so this is a direct choice. Netlify is cheaper to start (from $9/mo). Pick Cloudways for hosting for AI-built apps and sites, cheap and free AI coding tools. Pick Netlify for hosting for AI-built apps and sites, cheap and free AI coding tools, professional developers.
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Side by side
| Cloudways | Netlify | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Managed cloud hosting | Web app deploy platform |
| Made by | DigitalOcean | Netlify |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Starts at | From $11/mo | From $9/mo |
| Plans | Flexible from $11/mo (DigitalOcean 2GB); Velocity Node.js from $20/mo; Autonomous WordPress from $99/mo; AI agent hosting from $9.99/mo; 5-day free trial, no card | Free $0 (300 credits/mo); Personal from $9/mo; Pro from $20/mo with unlimited members; Enterprise custom |
| Open source | No | No |
| Runs in | Web | Web, CLI |
Cloudways strengths
- Pick your cloud provider
- Unlimited apps per server
- Free trial without a credit card
Netlify strengths
- Free plan with hard limits, no surprise bills
- Deploy straight from Claude, Codex or Cursor
- Unlimited deploy previews
Cloudways drawbacks
- More server choices to make
- Add-ons like advanced support cost extra
Netlify drawbacks
- Credit-based metering takes getting used to
- Projects pause when credits run out