Cloud web hosting pools resources from multiple virtual servers to provide a reliable, scalable, and flexible hosting solution. It keeps your site fast and smooth, even during traffic spikes. It's no wonder 80% of enterprises use cloud hosting for their business needs.
As a technical writer specializing in web development, e-commerce, and SEO, I selected the 10 best hosting services for cloud web hosting. I focused on companies that provide reliable uptime, robust security, and efficient customer support. Take a look at our expert picks below.
» Learn how to change your web hosting provider without losing data.
Our 10 Best Cloud Web Hosting Services in 2024:
- HostGator - Best cloud web hosting service overall
- DreamHost - Best for all-in-one managed WordPress services
- Hostinger - Best for integrated marketing tools
- IONOS - Best for transparent hosting fees
- Cloudways - Best for choice of multiple cloud service providers
- SiteGround - Best for reselling of cloud services
- Hostwinds - Best for customizable traffic control
- Bluehost - Best for global website load speeds
- InMotion Hosting - Best for multiple-stage support
- Liquid Web - Best for zero contract commitments
How We Reviewed the Best Cloud Web Hosting Services
Our team tested multiple cloud web hosting services and explored each provider's website, utilizing trusted third-party platforms, and researching users' experiences with the services. Using these diverse resources, we compiled a list using the following key criteria:
- Performance and speed: We assessed server response times and uptime guarantees to ensure high performance and reliability. We prioritized hosts that maintain fast and consistent website speeds.
- Scalability: We examined how well services handle increasing traffic and scale resources. We looked for providers that offer smooth scalability options without service interruptions.
- Security features: We evaluated the security measures each host implements, including firewalls, DDoS protection, and SSL certificates. This ensures robust protection against potential threats.
- Cost-efficiency: We compared the pricing structures of different hosts, focusing on transparency and the balance of cost vs. features.
- Customer support: We checked the availability and efficiency of customer support, ensuring services offer helpful, 24/7 assistance through various channels.
- Management and usability: We analyzed the user interfaces for ease of use, including features like automated backups and one-click installs.
- User reviews and testimonials: We reviewed user reviews on Trustpilot and BBB to determine the overall industry reputation of each provider.
A Closer Look at Our Best Cloud Web Hosting Services in 2024: Quick Reviews
1. HostGator
Boosts computing power with integrated cache configurations
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- Best for - Scalability potential
- Pricing - From $4.95/mo
- Storage limit - Unmetered
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.90%
- Support - 24/7
HostGator's cloud web hosting doubles traditionally hosted website speeds using low-density servers and premium hardware. It has four times the scalability potential with improved server allocation and management. Plus, you can boost your cloud resources with just one click. There's no need for data migrations, downtime, or reboots.
Why we chose HostGator: It utilizes unmetered bandwidth and an integrated caching configuration to ensure pages load quickly from the cloud.
Additionally, its local caching feature uses a distributed Varnish solution to load static content swiftly, freeing up computing resources for dynamic content.
Our experience: We found HostGator's statistics dashboard both intuitive and robust. It lets us track and manage our site’s performance by monitoring important metrics.
We delved into its tool suite to review usage trends, page download speeds, uptime, and global reach and found that the cloud service is very efficient.
Pros
- Provides cPanel integration, offering a user-friendly interface
- Easy to monitor and allocate additional resources
- Automated failover protects you against hardware failure
Cons
- Dedicated IPs are only available on the Business plan
- The Hatchling plan doesn't include unlimited parked domains
Read the full HostGator review
2. DreamHost
Restores damaged websites with a single click
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- Best for - Web development environment
- Pricing - From $19.95/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 120 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 100%
- Support - 24/7
DreamHost's cloud hosting plan, DreamPress, is an all-in-one managed WordPress service that handles installations, updates, and backups. It includes a WordPress website builder complete with a site creation wizard, free templates, and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
Hosting expert Jeffrey Wilson praises the platform's web development capabilities: "If you want to build a Linux-powered website, DreamHost should be one of the first places you look.”
Why we chose DreamHost: It offers a free Jetpack plugin for WordPress that boosts your site's security with downtime monitoring and brute force protection. Additionally, it uses automated daily backups to store your data for up to two weeks and features a one-click restore function.
Our experience: DreamHost's built-in WordPress caching is a game-changer. It takes the hassle out of managing cache, letting us clear it with a single click for specific posts, pages, or the whole site.
This ensures visitors always see the latest updates on our website, saving us tons of time.
Pros
- Provides unmetered bandwidth
- Conducts free priority WordPress migrations
- Includes a free SSL certificate
Cons
- Priority support is only available for DreamPress Pro users
- You're only eligible for a free domain on the annual plans
Read the full Dreamhost review
3. Hostinger
Protects against cyber attacks with a malware scanner
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- Best for - Robust security features
- Pricing - From $24.99/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 300 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.90%
- Support - 24/7
Hostinger's managed cloud hosting simplifies backend processes so you can focus on growing your online presence. Its plans boast performance-enhancing features like a custom-built cache manager, HTTP/3, and high-performance SSDs.
You can use the website builder with AI tools to easily create your site. It also comes with built-in marketing features like Google Analytics. Plus, if you run an online store, you'll get automatic solutions to help manage orders and inventory.
Why we chose Hostinger: The platform has robust security features, including enhanced DDoS protection, a web application firewall, a malware scanner, and a secure access manager. It also provides free domain WHOIS privacy protection, which hides your contact information and protects you from ID theft. Normally, it costs $10-$20/year.
Our experience: Hostinger's managed WordPress services and website builder have made our hosting experience incredibly user-friendly.
The automatic website migration and WordPress installation features allowed us to transition to their platform seamlessly.
We also appreciated the pre-built templates, which saved us time and effort in setting up our site.
Pros
- Unlimited free SSLs for all your websites
- Nearly instant hosting activation and setup
- Provides a 10% student discount
Cons
- Your dedicated IP might change if you need to migrate your website
- Only stores two weeks of backups on the remote server
Read the full Hostinger review
4. IONOS
Assists you every step of the way with a dedicated consultant
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- Best for - Full control over server functions
- Pricing - From $7/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 500 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
Ionos's cloud hosting operates on a pay-as-you-go system, only charging for the time your cloud server is active. It doesn't charge overage fees, and you never pay more than the maximum price listed in your plan.
It also has safety features like firewall management, intrusion detection and prevention, and server snapshots. Plus, it uses load balancing and unlimited bandwidth to handle changes in demand
Why we chose IONOS: It gives you full control of your server through a control panel and cloud panel. This lets you easily manage server functions and access customer data.
You can also monitor server performance and set warnings with custom thresholds.
Our experience: Our dedicated personal consultant (included in the hosting plan) was extremely helpful. He was always at our beck and call and offered excellent support and advice on all IONOS's services.
The load balancing and unlimited bandwidth came in very useful and helped to set up the website we needed.
Pros
- Data centers are certified at the highest levels of security
- There's no minimum contract period
- You have full root access to control your system
Cons
- Charges a small admin fee for site migrations
- Some services may not be available to international customers
5. Cloudways
Accommodates traffic spikes with multiple cache solutions
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- Best for - Application testing with staging environments
- Pricing - From $11/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 3840 GB
- Money back guarantee - No
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
Cloudways' hosting plans offer a choice of top cloud service providers, including DigitalOcean, Google Compute Engine, and AWS. Scalability is super flexible, allowing you to control RAM, CPU, and storage upgrades with just a click.
You're also set on safety with a dedicated operating system-level firewall and automated backups that ensure quick recovery. The platform also uses a server auto-healing system that automatically resolves issues as they arise.
Why we chose Cloudways: It allows you to launch as many CMS or eCommerce applications as your server can handle.
This flexibility is complemented by free staging environments, so you can test changes before going live with a single click.
Our experience: Managing the cache was a breeze. Thanks to the built-in Memcached, Varnish, and Redis caches, we didn't have to set up anything.
Plus, the free Object Cache Pro, which is usually $95/month, kept our site loading fast even when traffic surged. It was a hassle-free experience that let us focus on our content without worrying about technical issues.
Pros
- Offers a three-day free trial with no credit card required
- Access over 16 real-time server-monitoring metrics
- 90-second average support response times
Cons
- Won't refund money for services already used
- Cloudflare CDN comes at an additional $4.99/month
Read the full Cloudways review
6. SiteGround
Automatically scales your resource needs
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- Best for - Sharing website designs with your clients
- Pricing - From $100/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 160 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 14-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
SiteGround's fully managed cloud service uses Google Cloud's reliable SSD storage. This ensures durability through multiple redundancies, keeping your data safe and accessible.
Each plan comes with a free dedicated IP to prevent blacklisting from other users' actions. You can also resell hosting to your clients using white-label reselling. This feature provides full control over resource allocation and client roles with a free private DNS to brand it as your service.
Why we chose SiteGround: It's ideal for designers, developers, and agencies that create websites for clients. It enables seamless site transfers from your account to another SiteGround client.
You can also recommend hosting plans and additional services, streamlining the client handover process.
Our experience: Many services offer CPU and RAM scalability, but we particularly appreciate SiteGround's auto-scale feature.
It automatically adds more resources during traffic spikes, effectively preventing downtime.
Pros
- Includes a free CDN with all plans
- Utilizes an AI antibot system to block brute force attacks
- Has a comprehensive knowledgebase for almost any query
Cons
- Doesn't offer a free trial
- Your website is deleted when you cancel your plan
Read the full SiteGround review
7. Hostwinds
Redundant networks eliminate failure points for uninterrupted service
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- Best for - Massive data mobility
- Pricing - From $0.006931/hr
- Storage limit - Up to 750 GB
- Money back guarantee - No
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
Hostwinds ensures your website's constant availability by using a completely redundant network that eliminates single points of failure. Its load balancers distribute traffic across multiple servers. Plus, you can customize traffic control through the Hostwinds cloud portal.
All resources are dedicated to your website and can be scaled anytime by upgrading your plan tier. If any issues arise, Hostwinds takes real-time snapshots of your entire server, making recovery simple.
Why we chose Hostwinds: It provides root access for its Linux Cloud Servers and full administrator access for its Windows Cloud Servers. This gives you complete control over server configuration.
It also allows you to make customizations tailored to your specific needs.
Our experience: Hostwinds impressed us with its Volumes feature, which lets you create additional hard drives. These Volumes can be moved between servers, facilitating massive data relocation. This was especially handy when we scaled our storage for a large-scale video hosting project.
Pros
- Performs free site migrations
- Access and store your backup data indefinitely at any time
- Offers 24/7 cloud monitoring and issues automatic support tickets
Cons
- Only offers a pro-rated refund up to 72 hours after purchase
- Lacks support for custom scripts due to no development assistance
Read the full Hostwinds review
8. Bluehost
Takes care of PHP configurations and WordPress updates for you
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- Best for - Automated backup and restoration solutions
- Pricing - From $79.99/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 225 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 100%
- Support - 24/7
Bluehost's managed WordPress hosting platform adapts to your website's requirements, whether you're running a small personal blog or a large business site.
The platform is built with multiple data centers in different regions. This ensures that if one location experiences issues, your website will continue to function properly.
All its plans include Jetpack daily automated backups for easy restores and free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates to deter scammers. You can also enhance security with two-factor authentication to prevent unwanted access.
Why we chose Bluehost: It offers a global CDN with all its plans that dynamically optimizes images and provides edge server caching. This significantly reduces page load times worldwide, enhancing users' experiences no matter where they are.
Our experience: It was refreshing to let Bluehost's fully managed cloud hosting handle PHP configurations, WordPress updates, and automatic backups. This allowed us to focus entirely on building our site without worrying about tedious technical details.
Pros
- Delivers priority support with Level 3 technicians
- All plans come with DDoS protection and a web app firewall
- Backups enable one-click restorations of previous site versions
Cons
- Premium domains are non-refundable
- Hosting limitations due to being built specifically for WordPress sites
9. InMotion Hosting
Equips you with automatic server setup frameworks
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- Best for - 24/7 dedicated server monitoring
- Pricing - From $6/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 540 GB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
InMotion Hosting's cloud service has essential developer tools and offers flexible server configurations. It features a resource monitoring dashboard that provides a visual breakdown of your server’s RAM, bandwidth, storage, and load usage.
The platform makes managing your server's workload simple by letting you allocate hardware resources as needed. Thanks to dedicated hardware clusters that are constantly monitored, your website's safety is guaranteed. If one server fails, another instantly takes over, ensuring uninterrupted service.
Why we chose InMotion Hosting: It includes a free Ansible control node with your first cloud server, which is used to deploy servers through an automation framework.
This comes with a curated Ansible UltraStack playbook, which guides you through the process.
Our experience: Thanks to the extensive resources available, we felt very supported by InMotion Hosting, especially when using their web cloud service.
We really liked the Education Channels, which cover everything from blogs and CMS systems to software tools.
Pros
- Lets you set up secure keys for encrypted server access
- No hidden charges
- Features upgrade-as-you-go scalability
Cons
- Solely Linux-based, so there's no support for Windows hosting
- You're responsible for OS updates, backups, and server management
Read the full InMotion Hosting review
10. Liquid Web
Encourages reselling cloud services with an incentive scheme
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- Best for - Range of cloud hosting options
- Pricing - From $5/mo
- Storage limit - Up to 2 TB
- Money back guarantee - Yes, 30-day guarantee
- Uptime - 99.99%
- Support - 24/7
Liquid Web provides various cloud hosting options that can be tailored to your needs and budget. Whether you're looking for a private cloud, dedicated servers, or a virtual private server (VPS), Liquid Web has you covered.
With its Cloud Studio and Cloud Metal offerings, you can enjoy the benefits of both hosting types. This gives you the flexibility and performance you need to run your applications and websites smoothly.
Why we chose Liquid Web: It allows resellers to offer public or private cloud services on its infrastructure. Resellers get fully managed hosting solutions and support, a dedicated account manager, and multiple revenue-based incentives.
Regardless of your plan, you get DDoS attack protection with real-time monitoring, full root access, and dedicated IP addresses. Each private cloud even has a site-to-site VPN solution, so you can connect securely from external environments.
Our experience: Liquid Web's free seven-point infrastructure assessment was very informative.
We interacted with a hosting engineer who analyzed our site's current performance, security, and fault tolerance to identify key areas for improvement. This personalized approach helped us get to grips with our hosting setup quickly.
Pros
- Hosting solutions are HIPAA-compliant
- No contracts are required, although they are available
- Includes Cloudflare CDN to offset performance loads
Cons
- cPanel comes at an additional cost
- Multiple hosting options can make pricing confusing
Read the full Liquid Web Hosting review
Compare the Best Cloud Web Hosting Services:
How Does Cloud Hosting Work?
Cloud hosting operates by distributing the resources necessary to maintain a website across multiple servers, which are connected in a network (referred to as "the cloud"). This setup allows for data to be handled across several machines, improving reliability and scalability. If one server fails, others in the network can compensate.
This flexibility is especially beneficial for handling sudden increases in traffic or load - the system can allocate more resources from the pool without affecting performance. Additionally, cloud hosting provides better disaster recovery systems and ensures smoother, uninterrupted service. By leveraging virtual technology, cloud hosts can offer more dynamic and cost-effective hosting solutions that scale with user needs without the need for physical hardware upgrades.
How Does Cloud Hosting Speed Up Websites?
Cloud hosting significantly enhances website speed and efficiency through several key technologies and strategies:
Leverage Global Data Centers: Cloud hosting utilizes a network of globally distributed data centers, which helps to reduce the distance data travels to reach the user, thereby reducing latency and increasing load speed.
Use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): By integrating CDNs, cloud hosting ensures that copies of your website’s content are stored at multiple, strategically placed locations worldwide. This setup allows users to access data from the nearest server, drastically improving load times and reducing bandwidth costs/
Resource Allocation Efficiency: Dynamic resource allocation is a cornerstone of cloud hosting, allowing the distribution of more server resources to your website during peak traffic times. This flexibility ensures that your website remains responsive and fast, regardless of user demand.
Advanced Caching Mechanisms: Many cloud hosting services enhance performance through advanced caching techniques. These mechanisms store frequently accessed data on fast-access storage systems, significantly reducing the time needed to load web pages during subsequent visits.
Optimized Server Hardware: Cloud hosts typically invest in high-performance server hardware designed for rapid data processing and reduced response times. This hardware supports faster computations and data retrieval, which contributes to quicker website performance overall.
By combining these technologies, cloud hosting provides a robust solution for improving website speed, ensuring a smooth and efficient user experience.
What Is Managed Cloud Hosting?
Managed cloud hosting encompasses a comprehensive suite of services that extend beyond mere infrastructure provision to include full management of operating systems, applications, and security. This model of hosting is designed to offload the complexity and burden of technical management from businesses, allowing them to focus primarily on their core activities without the distractions of server upkeep.
Define Managed Services: Managed cloud hosting is characterized by its holistic approach, covering everything from routine software updates to complex security protocols. The provider not only maintains the physical and virtual infrastructure but also ensures that the entire environment, including applications and operating systems, is robust, up-to-date, and secure.
Stress Hands-Off Maintenance: This hosting model is particularly beneficial for businesses looking for hands-off operations in terms of technical management. Companies can direct their resources and attention towards growth and innovation, relying on their hosting provider to handle the technical aspects.
Discuss Enhanced Security: Enhanced security is a critical component of managed cloud hosting. Providers actively manage security protocols, perform regular updates and patches, and monitor the systems for any potential threats, thereby ensuring high levels of data protection and system integrity.
Explain Support Levels: Managed cloud hosting offers varying levels of support tailored to meet different business needs. From basic system monitoring to comprehensive management, providers offer scalable services that can include application management, technical support, and proactive response measures.
Highlight Expertise Access: Clients of managed cloud hosting gain access to a pool of experts who bring specialized knowledge in system management, security, and compliance. This access not only enhances the efficiency and performance of their web infrastructure but also fortifies it against emerging threats and challenges in the digital landscape.
By delegating these complex and critical functions to a managed hosting provider, businesses can leverage expertise and advanced technologies to ensure their web presence is both powerful and secure.
Look to the Cloud for Limitless Website Potential
Why choose cloud hosting? Simple—it's all about flexibility, scalability, and reliability. Whether you're a solo developer, a growing startup, or a large enterprise, cloud hosting meets you where you are and grows with you. It's not just about hosting your site; it's about empowering it to perform at its best, no matter where your audience is.
» Still not convinced? Look at these 10 reasons why cloud hosting is best.
