What is the difference between Cloudways Premium Vs Standard pricing plans? Is this your question when you are ready to purchase the server from the best-managed cloud hosting?
As a proud user, I would like to explain the Cloudways Premium and Standard plans for DigitalOcean servers to help you make a more informed decision.
Choosing between Cloudways Premium vs Standard hosting can feel confusing at first. Both plans are powered by DigitalOcean, both are fully managed, and both promise excellent performance.
The price difference makes many users wonder! Is Cloudways Premium actually worth it? My answer is – it depends on your website’s traffic, purpose, and growth plans.
In this detailed comparison, I’ll break down Cloudways Standard vs Premium across performance, hardware, pricing, and real-world use cases, so you can confidently choose the best plan for your website.
Disclosure: We get a commission when you buy a product via our affiliate link at no additional cost.
Table Of Contents
Before delving into the detailed explanations of the premium and standard plans of Cloudways, here is a quick comparison to facilitate your better understanding, allowing you to determine whether to opt for the best server plan, Cloudways Premium or Standard.
Features | DO Standard | DO Premium |
Price | $11 | $14 |
Processor | 1 core | 1 Core -2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors clocked at a base frequency of 2.50 GHz and turbo frequency of 3.90 GHz |
Storage | 25GB | 25GB(NVMe Storage) |
Slowest Load Time | The slowest loading time noticed is 6.7 secs, and for 270 concurrent users, the loading speed is <2 sec. | The Cloudways optimized stack could handle a load of 1000 users for 5 mins. The slowest load time that noticed was <300ms. |
Performance | Normal Performance | 2933 MHz memory frequency significantly improves server-side cache workloads and in-memory databases |
I hope you understand the differences between these DigitalOcean plans. So, if you have decided to move with your ideal plan, here is the Cloudways Promo Code to claim your discount.
Let me explain the features of both DO plans from Cloudways in detail!
What Is Cloudways Standard Hosting?
Cloudways Standard hosting uses DigitalOcean Standard Droplets, designed for general-purpose workloads and small to medium websites.
Key Features
- SSD-based storage
- Reliable CPU performance
- Fully managed cloud hosting
- Free SSL, backups, firewall, and staging
- Optimized for WordPress, Laravel, and PHP apps
Cloudways Standard is ideal for personal blogs, portfolio websites, small business sites, and low- to medium-traffic WordPress sites. It offers solid performance at an affordable price, making it a popular choice for beginners and budget-conscious users.
A couple of years back, in 2021, DigitalOcean introduced premium Droplets with fast Intel and AMD CPUs and the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) for efficient performance.
As Cloudways and DigitalOcean are server partners, this advanced feature allows Cloudways users to host their apps or websites on ultrafast 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors to get unmatched results.
Here, you will get improved memory performance with a 2933 MHz frequency to boost the workload of server-side cache and in-memory databases. You should also know that NVMe offers superfast performance compared to traditional SSD servers.
In addition, this premium server offers quick content delivery with the help of the 3.90 GHz CPUs. This premium-type machine is equipped in all eight DigitalOcean data centers.
If it is unavailable in your region, you should clone your server to another area where it is available.
Key Features of Cloudways Premium
- NVMe SSD storage (much faster than standard SSDs)
- Latest-generation Intel Xeon CPUs
- Higher RAM frequency
- Faster disk I/O and lower latency
- Better performance under heavy traffic
Cloudways Premium is built for high-traffic websites, WooCommerce stores, business-critical applications, and SEO-focused websites where speed matters. If your site earns money or depends on performance, Premium hosting provides a noticeable advantage.
Performance Comparison
As I use both the DO plans with Cloudways, I’m sharing my experience with their performance!
The Cloudways Premium plan delivers faster backend processing, lower server response times, and a better Core Web Vitals score.
I have seen that the Standard plan struggled to handle traffic spikes and WooCommerce checkout volume. It was slow during the heavy load.
When it comes to load handling and uptime, the premium DO plan wins the race!
I hope you are clear about the technicalities and server capacity of the premium DigitalOcean plans in Cloudways hosting and that you are now prepared to buy the server.
Here is the pricing comparison between standard and premium plans. You can see no significant difference in the pricing from the screenshot below.
DO Server | Standard | Premium |
1 GB RAM, 1 Core Processor, 25 GB Storage, 1 TB Bandwidth | $11 | $14 |
2 GB RAM, 1 Core Processor, 50 GB Storage, 2 TB Bandwidth | $24 | $28 |
4 GB RAM, 2 Core Processor, 80 GB Storage, 4 TB Bandwidth | $46 | $54 |
8 GB RAM, 4 Core Processor, 160 GB Storage, 5 TB Bandwidth | $88 | $99 |
16 GB RAM, 8 Core Processor, 320 GB Storage, 6 TB Bandwidth | $149 | $170 |
However, six more alternatives with higher storage and bandwidth are available in the standard plan. Here they are!
Cloudways Premium hosting runs on DigitalOcean Premium Droplets, which are designed for high-performance workloads. The biggest difference? Hardware quality.
Despite the increased pricing, there are several valid reasons to opt for the premium Cloudways plan over the standard plan.
- In-built AI Acceleration and Intel mesh architecture to produce high-performance output.
- NVMe storage offers significantly enhanced read/write speeds, thereby boosting the server’s performance.
- It is clocked at a frequency of 2.5 GHz with a maximum turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz for faster content delivery.
- I obtained outstanding results for the page response tests conducted by Cloudways with Varnish cache enabled and disabled. Additionally, LCP can be reduced with a Full-Page Cache.
- The price gap between the basic and premium Cloudways plans is not significant; it’s worth buying.
Cloudways Premium costs more — but the question isn’t price, it’s value.
When the extra cost is worth it:
- Your website generates revenue
- Performance directly affects conversions
- SEO and Core Web Vitals are important
- You expect traffic growth
When Standard is enough:
- Low traffic
- Informational websites
- Early-stage projects
- Testing or staging environments
In short, Premium offers better cost-to-performance for serious websites, while Standard is great for simpler needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if your site is business-critical, high-traffic, or ecommerce-focused. For small websites, the Standard plan is enough.
Does Cloudways Standard affect SEO?
Not negatively for small sites, but the Premium DO plan helps with Core Web Vitals and speed, which can improve SEO rankings.
Is NVMe really faster than SSD?
Yes. NVMe storage offers significantly higher throughput and lower latency compared to traditional SSDs.
Yes. Cloudways allows easy server upgrades, so you can start with DO Standard plan and move to Premium as your site grows.
Wrapping Up
So, you have decided to buy a server from Cloudways and are confused about the premium and standard options in their pricing plan, right? I hope you understand the difference between the two options and can select a plan that better suits your needs.
If you’re running a small website or blog, Cloudways Standard plan is a solid and affordable choice. If you’re building a business website, WooCommerce store, or SEO-focused project, Cloudways Premium is absolutely worth the extra cost.
I’m inspired by your decision to host your web asset; it is a great choice. Whatever plan you choose, I’m confident that you will achieve better server performance with the Cloudways and DigitalOcean server combination. You may also sign up for the DO server and get a $200 free credit.
