Affiliate & Editorial Disclosure

Best Cloud Hosting Providers in 2023

Bojan Jovanovic Image
Written ByBojan Jovanovic
Updated March 07,2023

Everything is moving to the cloud. You can store your photos in the cloud, sync your emails, and even use it as an advanced processor for all those crazy deepfake videos you’ve seen. The cloud also offers a number of advantages for website owners who use it to host their infrastructure. We’ve simplified your search for the best cloud hosting services by compiling a list of the most affordable and feature-rich options.

Show more...

Hostinger

Starts at
$9.99/month

(with a four-year plan) Includes: 2 CPU cores, 200 GB of SSD,

3 GB of RAM, unlimited bandwidth,  free email, free SSL, free domain


At A Glance
Servers:
Linux
Data Centers:
USA, Europe, Asia
Money-back guarantee:
Yes
Training:
24/7 technical support

Show more details
Hostinger is a great option for those looking for a powerful hardware solution ready to host and manage up to 300 websites. The cloud hosting pricing plans differ based on the hardware resources, and each of them comes with numerous additional features and tools. This is a great all-around hosting company, with some of the best customer support options we’ve encountered. The high scores from its users are well deserved.

InMotion Hosting

Starts at
$5/month

(with a three-year contract) Includes: Dual-core CPU,

2 GB of RAM, 4 TB of bandwidth, 45 GB of SSD


At A Glance
Servers:
Linux
Data Centers:
USA
Money-back guarantee:
Yes
Training:
Launch Assist support

Show more details
Featuring a wide range of hosting services, top-notch security, and best-in-class customer support, InMotion is widely regarded as one of the best hosting sites. With options for cloud and shared hosting, WordPress-optimized servers, VPS, and dedicated server hosting, InMotion appeals to a large segment of the market, from small-time bloggers to larger companies. Add to that a very generous pricing scheme for people willing to commit over several years, and it’s easy to see why the company has become one of the most popular solutions on the market.

HostGator

Starts at
$4.95/month

(with a three-year plan) Includes:  One website, dual-core CPU,

2 GB of RAM, unlimited disk storage and bandwidth, free SSL, free domain


At A Glance
Servers:
Linux
Data Centers:
USA
Money-back guarantee:
USA
Training:
Support team, knowledge base, video tutorials

Show more details
Some call it the best cloud hosting for startups. We call it a really good deal. HostGator is a company with nearly two decades of experience. It’s based in Texas, but operates globally and provides some of the most stable servers you’ll ever find. In fact, you’re unlikely to experience any real interruptions thanks to its 99.99% uptime. The starting price isn’t the lowest on the market, but it won’t make a significant dent in your budget either. The company tops it all off with a cool gator logo.

HostArmada

Starts at
$3.33/month

(with a one-year plan) Includes: One website, 15 GB of SSD storage, dual-core CPU,

2 GB RAM, unlimited bandwidth, free domain registration/transfer, free SSL


At A Glance
Servers:
Linux
Data Centers:
USA, Europe, Asia, Australia
Money-back guarantee:
Yes
Training:
Managed support, learning center

Show more details
HostArmada is a great cloud solution for both rookies and experienced developers alike. Numerous online reviews of cloud hosting services compliment the host for offering unlimited bandwidth and an easy-to-use interface. Its highly competitive pricing model and easily scalable servers are also excellent. HostArmada houses a set of more than a hundred tutorials for CMS and other web platforms and is a great choice for your first serious website.

DreamHost

Starts at
$4.50

Includes: 512 MB of RAM, single-core CPU,

80 GB of SSD, unlimited bandwidth


At A Glance
Servers:
Linux, Windows
Data centers:
USA
Money-back guarantee:
N/A
Training:
FAQ, articles

Show more details
If you’re looking for the best web hosting service that never goes offline, DreamHost is the perfect choice. This is the only hosting provider on our list that guarantees a 100% uptime for your site, something that much larger companies still struggle to provide. Regardless of whether you choose the cheapest or the most expensive plan, you’ll get free bandwidth, 80 GB of disk storage, and 100 GB of block storage.

Methodology

To find the best cloud hosting service, we use certain criteria to distinguish between the good and the best. We examine key features that have the greatest impact on the user experience. Here’s how we do it.

Storage and bandwidth

Since we’re storing a lot of data on these cloud servers, a sizable storage capacity is essential. Unsurprisingly, a lot of providers are stingy with their storage and offer limited plans in this regard. With a high amount of data comes high traffic, too. Ideally, plans should include either unlimited traffic or at least 10 times more than the amount of storage provided. The best cloud server hosting shouldn’t let you down. The last thing you want is for your websites to go offline because you’ve exceeded your monthly traffic limit.

Server uptime

In an ideal world, a website should never be offline. But we don’t live in a perfect world, so a 100% uptime isn’t always realistic. There’s usually some downtime during which the host runs maintenance on its servers. The uptime is calculated based on the number of hours that a server is online and expressed in percentage form. For example, a 99.95% uptime means the site is offline just four hours per year. The higher the percentage, the more reliable the cloud server hosting service.

Hardware

Since you’re not just renting a remote hard disk but an actual server (or server cluster), it’s worth considering the performance of the whole rig. More specifically, it’s the performance of the CPU and RAM that matters. Websites and online services can get quite power hungry, especially when you add user management to the mix. In this case, bigger is better.

Security

Websites are frequently hacked these days. Hackers can also disrupt normal website operations by launching DDoS attacks. That’s why we look at the security options of the best cloud hosting providers. It’s highly desirable for the service to offer at least some basic DDoS protection, as well as SSL certificates, ensuring safer user management and payment processing.

Customer support

Computers and servers can be quite volatile at times. That’s why we all sometimes need help from customer support. We examine what contact options each hosting provider offers, as well as whether the support is available 24/7. Providers with a knowledge base on their website or at least an FAQ section get higher marks.

Price

The web hosting price comparison is the last but not the least important section of our reviews. We look at all the plans that the company offers, how the features compare to the price, and whether there are any discounts with annual subscription plans. We then compare those prices with the competition to get a clear understanding of the plan’s value. After all, saving a few dollars here and there could make a big difference in the long run.

5 Best Cloud Hosting Services

  1. Hostinger
  2. InMotion Hosting
  3. HostGator
  4. Host Armada
  5. DreamHost
Featured Snippet Image

Best Cloud Hosting Reviews

Hostinger Review Logo

Hostinger Review

Support

GOOD

Pricing plans

GOOD

Resources

EXCELLENT

  • ⦿ Google Ads credit
  • ⦿ Free website migration
  • ⦿ Daily backups

Among the many popular cloud server solutions, one name stands out as the most highly recommended by customers. Hostinger is one of the biggest web-hosting providers, with over 30 million users all around the globe. They choose this cloud hosting provider because of its powerful servers, comprehensive plans, and fast customer support. 

Like other best cloud hosting providers, Hostinger has servers spread across several continents. Aside from data centers in North America, Hostinger has servers in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Lithuania, Singapore, Brazil, and India. All servers use ultra-fast SSDs for storage, which starts at 200 GB for the most affordable plan. The best part is that you can choose your server location, which many other providers will not allow you to do. By selecting the nearest one, you’ll get better website speed and overall performance. 

Hardware options start at a dual-core CPU and 3 GB of RAM, with the most expensive plan offering an eight-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM. All virtual machine hosting plans come with a wide range of features that are hard to find at most other providers. The plans differ based on hardware resources included (CPU, RAM, and SSD storage), while the rest of the features remain the same. For example, the first-tier pricing plan comes with two CPU cores, 3 GB of RAM, and 200 GB of SSD storage. The price for this plan is $9.99 per month with a four-year plan. After the trial period expires, the price renews at $18.99 per month. 

All plans can host up to 300 websites, and they come with unlimited bandwidth. Regardless of how many visitors you have on your site, you don’t need to worry about its loading time. Hostinger provides the fastest cloud storage, with up to four times faster website loading time than you’re used to. If you’re already using some other provider’s hosting services, you don’t need to worry about that; whichever Hostinger cloud plan you choose, free website migration is available. 

The security features are impressive. They include free SSL certification, daily backups, and Cloudflare protection, all of which are free with the four-year contract. After that, you need to pay certain fees to use them. 

For everything you need help with, there’s an excellent support team that’s available 24/7. Hostinger monitors and manages your server so that you can focus on your business growth. 

Compared to some other providers, Hostinger is not a cheap cloud hosting solution. The most expensive package, which includes 300 GB SSD storage, 12 GB of RAM, and a six-core CPU, costs $69.99 per month with a four-year contract. The renewal price is $84.99 per month. However, considering that this cloud hosting provider offers an excellent choice of features and tools for managing your website, it’s definitely worth paying a bit more for its products.

+ Show more
InMotion Hosting Review Logo

InMotion Hosting Review

Support:

GOOD

Pricing plans:

FAIR

Resources:

GOOD

  • ⦿ SSH Key management
  • ⦿ Resource monitoring dashboard
  • ⦿ 24/7 live chat and phone support

InMotion Hosting is a veteran in the world of web hosting. With over 11 million hosted domains since 2001, the company is a major player when it comes to shared and dedicated servers, virtual private servers, and even WordPress-specialized hosting platforms. In this review, we’ll focus on its cloud hosting solution for small businesses. 

Cloud hosting service reviews often point out the importance of having unlimited bandwidth hosting. Unfortunately, this is only available for InMotion customers on shared hosting plans. The Cloud Business solutions start at 4 TB of bandwidth and go up to 6 TB, depending on your chosen package. Similarly, SSD storage is capped at 45 GB for the basic plan and goes up to 105 GB in the top-tier plan.

In terms of hardware, you get two to six CPU cores and one to six gigabytes of RAM.

As with the best web hosts, cPanel and WHM are included, along with a resource monitoring dashboard and real-time server snapshots that allow you to roll back to an earlier state easily. The free website migration and the server setup are also available. There are no Windows servers available at the moment, only Linux. The server uptime is rated at 99.97%, which is up there with the best offers on the market.

In terms of security features, you get a dedicated IP address with Corero DDoS protection. If you opt for managed hosting, you’ll also get automatic server management and security updates.

No decent cloud-hosted service can thrive without proper customer support. Thankfully, this is one of the highlights of the company’s offer, as the helpful and knowledgeable staff is available 24/7/365 through live chat or phone.

Finally, let’s talk about pricing. InMotion offers three pricing plans for small business hosting solutions. The lowest-tier pricing option starts at $31.99 per month with a three-year contract. The plan includes a dual-core CPU, 2 GB of RAM, 4 TB of monthly transfers, and 45 GB of SSD storage. It also comes with one dedicated IP address and free SSL. 

While InMotion may not offer the best cloud hosting options on the market (mainly due to the company’s focus on shared and dedicated traditional server hosting), its solution does the job very well at a competitive price. If you’re willing to spend a bit more money, you’ll also have incredibly powerful dedicated and managed server options. For those on a tighter budget, affordable shared hosting options are also available.

+ Show more
HostGator Logo

HostGator

Support:

GOOD

Pricing plans:

GOOD

Resources:

EXCELLENT

  • ⦿ Unlimited bandwidth
  • ⦿ cPanel
  • ⦿ Video tutorials

Based in Houston, Texas, this gator has been around since 2002. The company offers cloud hosting with fierce hardware at attractive prices. Add to that high availability, and you get the best website host on this side of the pond.

HostGator offers three fixed plans for its servers. The first-tier pricing plan is Hatchling Cloud, which comes with a dual-core CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and the option to host only one website. The cost of this package is $4.95 per month with a three-year contract. After that, the price is $8.95 per month. The plan also comes with a free domain name and a free SSL certificate. However, you won’t get a dedicated IP address for free with this pricing option. On the other hand, whichever of the cloud hosting solutions you pick, it will come with free subdomains. 

The Baby Cloud plan is the one recommended by the provider.  It costs $6.57 per month with a three-year subscription and comes with four CPU cores and 4 GB of RAM. With this plan, you can host an unlimited number of websites. 

It’s worth mentioning that there’s no customization of hardware during the initial setup process, but it is available once you become a customer. Scalability is not an issue, as you only need to request an upgrade through your cloud hosting dashboard. MySQL database, cPanel, and SSH access are also available with all plans.

HostGator offers some of the best cloud web hosting uptime rates thanks to several bandwidth providers and a gigabit uplink. The company guarantees a 99.99% uptime, resulting in less than one hour of downtime throughout the year. 

From a security standpoint, you’ll get two firewalls and centralized DDoS protection. Every customer also gets a free SSL certificate, with an option to upgrade to a paid one.

HostGator has a great support team. The company offers 24/7/365 support via phone, live chat, and email, with several offices around the world covering most time zones. If you prefer to learn on your own, there’s a knowledge base accompanied by video tutorials. You can also choose managed cloud hosting if you want to worry less about maintenance and more about making the most out of your website.

While the starting price isn’t especially low, the service is still cheaper than what many competitors offer. In case you’re not satisfied with your cloud server, the refund period is 30 days. You can get discounts on your monthly rates if you make payments annually.

+ Show more
HostArmada Review Logo

HostArmada Review

Support:

EXCELLENT

Pricing:

GOOD

Resources:

GOOD

  • ⦿ 45-day money-back guarantee
  • ⦿ Learning Center with hundreds of tutorials
  • ⦿ Numerous monitoring and management tools

HostArmada sits among some of the best cloud hosting options on the market. The Delaware-based company was founded in 2019, but it’s already proving to be a big name in the cloud hosting business. Your server will be up and running in mere seconds, giving you more time to manage your websites.

The plans offer good hardware and storage options. With the standard plan, you get 15 GB of storage on superfast drives. That number goes up to 40 GB with the most expensive plan. When it comes to bandwidth, these cloud hosting plans are unlimited as long as the website doesn’t hit a certain visitor threshold. You also get to register a domain name for free.

HostArmada offers a dual-core CPU and 2 GB of RAM in its first-tier pricing option. The most expensive plan comes with a six-core CPU and 6 GB of RAM. The uptime is at the industry standard of 99.9%, so no complaints there.

Numerous online reviews of cloud hosting providers commend HostArmada for its set of security features. That’s because your sites will be SSL-certified, and your domain will get an extra layer of security to protect your identity from WhoIs lookups. You also get daily backups for your cloud-based server, easy installation of apps, and root access. There’s also an optional monitoring and security solution available.

Customer support can be reached through all the usual channels, with the live chat option being the most prominent one. Tucked in the footer is a link to the Learning Center - a vast database of tutorials for both hosting and various apps you’ll use.

As for the cloud server pricing, it starts at $3.33 per month, but the plans are charged on an annual basis. Your first subscription period is at a discounted price, but the pricing rises significantly when it’s time to renew. However, there are no upsells, and you get to choose the server location. Finally, a generous money-back guarantee makes this hosting almost risk-free.

+ Show more
DreamHost Review Logo

DreamHost Review

Support:

FAIR

Pricing:

GOOD

Resources:

GOOD

  • ⦿ 100% uptime
  • ⦿ Free block storage
  • ⦿ Root access

The next provider on our list is DreamHost. It’s a well-known hosting company that offers various hosting services - from shared hosting and VPS to dedicated hosting solutions. If you are looking for the best cloud hosting provider for small businesses and startups, DreamHost has a solution for you. The company offers three pricing options for cloud hosting that can help you host a website or an app. 

Unlike other hosting providers, DreamHost has a unique pricing scheme. The company says that you can run your server for unlimited time, but you’ll be charged only for up to 600 hours or 25 days in a month. 

As mentioned, there are three plans to choose from. While most of their features coincide, they differ based on the RAM and CPU you get. The first pricing option comes with 512 MB of RAM only, less than what you get with other best cloud hosting companies from our list. If you require more, the second-tier pricing plan is a good start, giving you 2 GB of RAM. 

As for the processors, the options start from a single-core CPU, ramping up to quad-core processing power. Each hosting plan includes 80 GB of SSD and 100 GB of completely free block storage. If need be, you can purchase additional block storage for a reasonable price. The only downside is that the free unlimited bandwidth you get is available only for a limited time. 

DreamHost has an impressive uptime of 100%. That translates into uninterrupted, 24/7/365 server uptime, making this the best website hosting service in this regard.

DreamHost claims it offers 24/7 support through live chat and email, but we noticed that the live chat team can go offline at times. If that happens, you can go through some commonly asked questions with a chatbot or leave a message, and the team will reply by email. Other companies that offer cloud-based servers have round-the-clock customer service, so DreamHost failed to impress in this department. 

Finally, let’s look at the cloud hosting pricing. For the first-tier pricing option, marketed as ideal for tinkering, you’ll need to pay $4.50 per month. The price for the plan that’s the most suitable for websites is $12 per month, while the most expensive plan, costing $48 per month, is promoted as the best for databases.

+ Show more
FAQ
Is cloud hosting better?

When you compare web hosting with cloud hosting, the latter is obviously better. For starters, you’re not sharing server resources with other customers in the traditional manner. Traditional hosting solutions use a single server for a lot of users, meaning that more demanding websites may suffer due to overload. With cloud solutions, you get exactly the processing power you’re paying for, ensuring your website always gets stable speeds. A server cloud also provides better uptime since websites don’t depend on a single machine to host the data.

What is a cloud hosting service?

Cloud hosting is a form of website hosting that’s not constrained to a single server. Instead, your website is hosted on a multitude of servers that work in unison, making expansion much easier than with dedicated and shared hosting. Since the machines that run the cloud offload the traffic to each other, your visitors won’t suffer any slowdowns, even during the busiest hours.

Do I need cloud hosting?

It depends on what kind of website you’re running. For serious website owners, the best cloud hosting for a small business offers a stable infrastructure that can handle heavy loads and provide a lot of features. If you need close to 100% of uptime for your website and data hosting that’s quickly expandable and secure, you absolutely need to give cloud hosting providers a try.

Why is a cloud-based server better?

Many consider cloud hosting a much more stable and secure solution than traditional hosting. Since the website isn’t located on a single device but a group of servers, it’s much harder to disrupt its functionality. The best cloud hosting companies will usually offer additional security measures for your cloud server, like protection from DDoS and malware attacks and tools that prevent doxxing. A cloud-hosted website very rarely goes offline for maintenance. In most cases, the system is offline for just an hour or two per year. That’s why so many people are moving to the cloud for their hosting needs.

Is the cloud better than a dedicated server?

While it’s great to have a single powerhouse for a server, it’s still just one computer running all your data. If you go with the best cloud hosting, your website will be continuously backed up, while plenty of resources and processing power will remain at your disposal. Almost all big companies use the cloud, and the technology is finally affordable enough for everyone who needs a stable hosting solution.