Cloudways vs InMotion Hosting — Which is Better in 2026?
Cloudways is significantly more expensive (234% more). In our testing, Cloudways consistently outperformed on speed. We compared pricing, support, uptime, and features so you can choose with confidence.
Last verified: June 2026
Our Quick Verdict
Cloudways wins overall with a 4.6/5 rating vs 4.2/5. It is best for Developers, Agency, WordPress. The other option — InMotion Hosting — is a better fit if you need Small Business or WordPress.
Ratings Comparison
| Category | Cloudways | Winner | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 4.6/5 | Winner | 4.2/5 |
| Speed | 4.7/5 | Winner | 4.3/5 |
| Support | 4.4/5 | Winner | 4.5/5 |
| Uptime | 4.7/5 | Winner | 4.6/5 |
| Value | 4.5/5 | Winner | 4.2/5 |
| Features | 4.6/5 | Winner | 4.2/5 |
| Security | 4.5/5 | Winner | 4.2/5 |
| Ease of Use | 4.2/5 | Winner | 4.3/5 |
Features Comparison
| Feature | Cloudways | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free Domain | ✕ | ✕ |
| Free Migration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Money-Back | None | 90 days |
| Storage Type | SSD | NVMe |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Founded | 2012 | 2001 |
Pros & Cons
Cloudways
Pros
- ✓Choose your underlying cloud provider
- ✓Pay-as-you-go — no annual lock-in
- ✓Built-in CDN, Redis, and Varnish cache
- ✓Free SSL and automated backups
- ✓One-click staging environments
- ✓PHP-FPM and Nginx Varnish stack
Cons
- ✕No phone support
- ✕No email hosting included
- ✕Pricing scales with cloud server size
- ✕Not ideal for non-technical beginners
InMotion Hosting
Pros
- ✓90-day money-back guarantee
- ✓US-based 24/7 support team
- ✓NVMe SSD on all plans
- ✓Free website migration
- ✓BoldGrid website builder included
- ✓Business-class email hosting
Cons
- ✕US data centres only
- ✕Pricing is mid-range, not cheapest
- ✕No free domain
Performance Comparison
In our testing, Cloudways consistently outperformed InMotion Hosting on page load speed, scoring 4.7/5 and 4.3/5 respectively. Cloudways uses SSD storage with data centres in USA, EU, while InMotion Hosting relies on NVMe storage with locations including USA (Los Angeles), USA (Virginia). Cloudways guarantees 99.99% uptime, and InMotion Hosting offers 99.9% uptime.
Pricing Breakdown
InMotion Hosting starts at $3.29/month, making it more affordable than Cloudways ($11.00/month) — a 234% price difference. Over 12 months, that's $93 in savings by choosing InMotion Hosting. Cloudways has no standard refund policy; InMotion Hosting offers a 90-day guarantee.
Support Comparison
Cloudways offers support via live chat, ticket with a support rating of 4.4/5. InMotion Hosting provides live chat, phone, ticket support, rated 4.5/5. InMotion Hosting has the edge on support responsiveness and quality in our evaluation.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Cloudways if you need:
- Developers
- Agency
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
Not ideal for:
Beginners, Email hosting users
Choose InMotion Hosting if you need:
- Small Business
- WordPress
- Beginners
Not ideal for:
International audiences, Large e-commerce
Our Verdict
After testing both platforms, we recommend Cloudways for most users. The difference in overall rating is meaningful enough to have a clear recommendation.
Our Testing Methodology
ArdentSupport evaluates hosting providers across eight weighted criteria: overall value, page load speed, customer support quality, uptime reliability, feature depth, security posture, and ease of use. Ratings reflect real-world performance data, industry reputation, public SLAs, and first-hand support interactions. Prices are verified at time of publication. We update this comparison when provider data changes.