Cloudways vs Hostinger
Both are alternatives to GoDaddy. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting for sites that outgrow shared plans.
When a site outgrows shared hosting, Cloudways runs it on real cloud infrastructure (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS) with the server work managed for you — monthly billing, no long lock-ins. It doesn't register domains, so pair it with any registrar above.
Hostinger
Budget hosting with a free first-year domain.
For the hosting half of a GoDaddy exit, Hostinger delivers the lowest real cost for a small site — shared plans from ~$2.99/mo with solid performance and a free domain for the first year. Being honest: the headline rates need 24–48 month commitments, and renewal prices step up.
Side by side
| Cloudways | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 45 | 40 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first | No | No |
| License | Proprietary service | Proprietary service |
| Pricing | From ~$11/mo on DigitalOcean infrastructure — monthly billing, cancel anytime | Shared hosting from ~$2.99/mo on long terms; renewal steps up; free domain first year |
Cloudways edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Cloudways
Strengths
- +Managed cloud performance without server administration
- +Monthly billing — no multi-year commitments
- +Choice of underlying cloud provider
Trade-offs
- −No domain registration — you still need a registrar
- −Overkill for a simple brochure site
Hostinger
Strengths
- +Lowest real cost for a small site
- +Solid performance for the price tier
- +Free domain bundled in year one
Trade-offs
- −Cheapest rates require 24–48 month commitments
- −Renewal prices rise after the intro term
- −Aggressive upselling in the dashboard
More GoDaddy head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-18. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.