9 of the Best Cheap Cloud Hosting Providers You Need in 2023

Cloud hosting services have improved in the last few years thanks to the advent of new technology. Thanks to these improvements, website owners looking for cheap cloud hosting services today no longer have to worry about getting poor services for low rates.

But while this is the case, the presence of too many cheap cloud server companies has complicated things for consumers. For example, anyone looking to work with such a firm will need to confirm that the company can deliver maximum uptime at the quoted price.

The cheapest cloud provider has to do so without compromising on reliability and sustainability. Below is a detailed look at the best cheap cloud hosting companies of 2022. The guide includes a description of what to expect from their services.

What Is Cloud Hosting?

Affordable cloud hosting services make websites and other applications accessible to web users via cloud resources. Unlike the case with traditional hosting, cheap cloud hosting services don’t deploy the solutions on one server.

Instead, the cloud server provider relies on a network of connected physical and virtual cloud servers to host the application or website, ensuring scalability and flexibility. The key features of a good cloud server include:

Automated solutions controlled using mobile apps, web portals, and APIs
Applications and solutions deployed on a cloud instead of a single on-site server
Cloud hosting can support NoSQL and MySQL databases
Users only pay for the resources they need
Resource scaling to support different user needs

Why Consider Cheap Cloud Hosting?

The top reasons you should consider using the inexpensive cloud servers include:

Reliability

The applications and sites are hosted on a network of servers. Therefore, you never have to worry about unexpected downtime arising from hardware failures. The traffic travels across different network interfaces where it’s segregated and secured.

Pay-as-you-go model

Website owners will only need to pay for the resources they use. They can make hourly or monthly payments depending on their subscriptions. The pay-as-you-go model differs from a situation where you pay a flat rate for your hosting needs.

Flexibility

The traditional hosting provided by the cheapest cloud hosting for WordPress providers tend to offer limited bandwidth. On the other hand, cheap cloud hosting companies can scale to accommodate seasonal demands or sudden traffic spikes.

Top Cheap Cloud Hosting Providers

1. Kamatera

Kamatera is unequivocally the best cheap cloud hosting provider in the market today. Its plans are affordable and start at less than $5 a month. What’s more, you have a chance to try their services at no cost at all for up to 30 days.

On signup, the platform will reward you with a $100 credit. You can use this reward from Kamatera to get any configuration you desire. Apart from offering cheap cloud hosting with cPanel, you’ll also receive access to more than 100 different OS configurations.

Other notable benefits from Kamatera include scalable RAM, vCPUs, and storage options.

Our Expert Rating:

94%

Best Features

Solid 99.95% uptime guarantee
Ultimate scalability guaranteeing
Easily add firewalls and load balancers
Create and deploy cloud VPS server in less than 60 seconds
Provides a 30-day free trial offer

2. Vultr

Vultr is not only one of the best cloud hosting providers, but it’s also low cost and 100% powered by SSDs. Starting price is just $2.50 per month. It has cloud servers in 25 different regions worldwide, spanning a total of 4 continents.

Its competitive pricing, KVM compatibility, flexible control panel, and 10 Gigabit Redundant Network make it among the best cheap cloud hosting providers to consider. Users can choose to pay their bills either hourly or monthly.

All its servers come with full root access, solid-state drives, and Intel CPUs.

Our Expert Rating:

86%

Best Features

Hourly and monthly billing
Highly customizable server configurations
Unlimited OS configurations
Feature-rich cPanel
23 locations worldwide with low latency

3. Interserver

Easy scalability is among the top benefits of cloud hosting, which is what you get when working with Interserver. It’s recommended for startups as it allows you to scale as your traffic increases.

With $6/month, you can access cheap cloud hosting services on a Linux cloud VPS. You can choose the $10/month Windows cloud VPS option if this isn’t for you. Hosting your site on Interserver comes with various benefits such as:

• 16 OS options
• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• SSD drives
• An opportunity to choose between Linux and Windows servers

Our Expert Rating:

95%

Best Features

Several OS options and free cPanel
Choose either Windows or Linux cloud hosting
Redundant cloud storage and plenty of RAM
16TB of data transfer

Visit Interserver

4. DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean is among the largest cheap cloud hosting companies operating in the US. Fortunately, the company also provides secure cloud hosting services to small and medium-sized businesses looking to develop a cloud-based app, speed up their site, or crunch through big data sets.

The versatility in its operations is thanks to its customized system where users buy Droplets instead of signing up for a fixed plan with a set number of RAM. Using Droplets, you’re at liberty to buy as many virtual CPUs as your operations require.

Cheapest price is $5 per month.

Our Expert Rating:

92%

Best Features

Excellent speeds and uptime
Advanced developer tools
Specialized droplets allowing for scalability
Four times more RAM and bandwidth than most providers

5. GearHost

GearHost operates out of Arizona and only takes a few minutes to complete the onboarding process. As a cheap cloud hosting provider, GearHost has five different cloud plans, each charging different cloud server prices. Cheapest one comes at $5 per month.

Customers have an option to try out its services using the free option. But this option will come with no root access, among other notable limitations. On the other hand, you don’t have to use the command line, thereby significantly simplifying the process of getting your site online.

It’s best to go for the paid options if you want to get the most out of this hosting service.

Our Expert Rating:

90%

Best Features

Instant application scaling
Strong database support
Clean and easy to use cPanel
99.99% uptime guarantee
Git publishing

6. Hostwinds

Hostwinds introduces an all-new layer of cloud sophistication by providing an hourly billing option that allows users to pay for the resources they need. Despite being a cheap cloud hosting provider, their services are akin to those of Google Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure. Starting price is $4.99 per month – perfect for any budget.

Their supremely customizable and scalable options easily make them one of the best cheap cloud server companies. These are services that will guarantee that your cloud infrastructure will continue to match that of your web traffic.

Our Expert Rating:

93%

Best Features

Enterprise firewall plus block and object storage
Choose your application or OS configuration
SSDs, HDDs, and managed services are available
Optional upgrades for backups, cPanels, and more

7. DreamHost

DreamHost is the cheapest virtual machine cloud service provider targeting WordPress websites. Today, the platform is actively managing more than 1.5 million websites and applications.

You should note that DreamHost is much more than a cheap cloud hosting provider. It also offers a broad range of services, including domain name registration, website builder, VPS, and dedicated web hosting services. Full root access provides you with complete control over your hosting needs

Its cloud hosting services are built with SSD drives allowing to enjoy unbeatable speeds. Cheapest plan comes at $2.59 per month.

Our Expert Rating:

90%

Best Features

Free bandwidth
Powered by SSD drives allowing for maximum speed and reliability
You can start your server in 30 seconds or less
Good reputation among web hosts

8. Cloudways

CloudWays is slightly more expensive than the other cheap cloud hosting companies mentioned in this list. However, these extra charges enable you to unlock premium managed cloud services from the best cloud server providers worldwide.

A monthly subscription will allow you to leverage the CloudWays support crew and engineering team to operate hassle-free servers from Digital Ocean and Amazon Web Services. Starting price is $12 per month. The company configures every environment with one-click backups and dedicated firewalls.

Our Expert Rating:

96%

Best Features

Host unlimited apps with no contract lock-in
Easy management and 1-click server cloning
Free backups and auto-healing cloud servers
Automated security monitoring

9. HostGator

HostGator is already known as the champion of cheap cloud hosting. But this hasn’t stopped it from making every effort possible to make it the best in the business. For example, in 2016, this affordable hosting provider doubled down its operations by releasing a new platform.

The platform boasts of an obscene amount of computer power that ensures that users get to start with a minimum of 2GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores. You’ll find 4x the computing resources making it 2x faster than other cheap cloud server providers. With this, you’re also assured access to unlimited subdomains, storage, email, and bandwidth.

Cheapest plan’s price comes at $4.95 per month.

Our Expert Rating:

98%

Best Features

Upgrades available for domain privacy, productivity, backups, and security
Unlimited MySQL databases and domains
Tons of storage
Low-density servers

Who Should Opt for Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting is a highly versatile solution. It helps in supporting the operations of firms that require 100% uptime, unlimited bandwidth, and high performance, such as Netflix. But it also works well for start-ups that have just started to scale their services and web traffic.

Thanks to its flexibility, cheap cloud server hosting is available at several levels, i.e., from individuals running high-traffic blogs to enterprise organizations. At its highest level, this service is great for companies that require near-perfect uptime.

The same holds for those who want to continue growing their servers as they deem fit without encountering unnecessary delays. Partnering with companies supplying superb cloud servers can guarantee speedy site performance and solid security.

Others who may benefit from cheap cloud hosting include website owners who record decent traffic spikes and often have to deal with traffic spikes that take them offline. Cloud hosting ensures they have the scalability they need to continue growing.

Choosing to subscribe for cloud services services will allow you to enjoy various benefits such as:

Scalability and flexibility
Cost efficiency
Increased traffic and better uptime
Downtime and disaster recovery
Ease of mind
Collaboration among remote workers and those working in hybrid workspaces

Different Types of Hosting

Perhaps the most complicated decision a website owner has to make is deciding on the hosting plan to use. Anyone who has ever hosted a website knows there are many options to consider, with each varying in its pricing.

But while your budget is important, you shouldn’t base your decision on cost alone. Remember, a WordPress blog will have different needs than an eCommerce platform. Therefore, ensure you select a plan that offers all the resources and features you need to set up your website. As we’ve already discussed what is cloud hosting, below is a look at the other three types of hosting.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is by far the most basic form of hosting. It’s affordable, making it the perfect choice for start-ups and small to mid-level businesses. Websites using this form of hosting will need to share resources with the other websites running on that server.

It’s a setup that works well for small business websites, as many of them don’t need a whole server for their operations. While shared hosting is cheap, it does have significant drawbacks, especially when a website experiences a sudden traffic spike. A spike will cause the website to slow down due to limited resources.

VPS

VPS hosting refers to a virtual private server. It’s a type of hosting that’s one step above shared hosting. Most owners will upgrade to this plan after their business website has outgrown the resources present in a shared hosting plan.

In this setup, the business website or blog will continue to share the resources of a single server with other websites. However, the number of websites you have to share resources with will reduce significantly, and you can even get optional root access if you need it.
You should consider VPS hosting if your website has large files such as images and videos.

Dedicated

Dedicated servers are normally considered the best option for individuals looking for hosting providers. Here, you’ll get a dedicated server that specifically handles your website needs alone.

Dedicated hosting offers many more benefits, such as faster speeds and more uptime, with one catch – it’s costlier than the other hosting plans mentioned here. The fact that your website isn’t sharing resources with others means it will operate at peak performance at all times.

If you opt for a dedicated server, you can expect lightning-fast loading speeds and high uptime rates. It guarantees that you never have to worry about traffic from other sites impacting the performance of your website.

Features

Shared Hosting

VPS Hosting

Dedicated Hosting

Cloud Hosting

Price

Low

Intermediate

Higher than shared hosting but still affordable

High

Low

Due to the “pay as you go” model

Performace

Good

Great

Best

Sharing resources

Yes

Sharing the physical server only

Depends

Different types of plans

Load balance

Depends

A variety of providers with different offers

Yes

Security

Good

Great

Best

Scalability

Low

High

Important Features to Look For

Almost all businesses today have moved or are in the process of shifting their operations to the cloud. Most of them are doing so because they have become aware of the benefits offered by cloud computing. But before you choose a cheap cloud hosting provider, there are several factors to consider:

Performance

Latency can sometimes become an issue for cheap cloud hosting providers. As a business, you’ll want to ensure that you’re working with a host that has a reliable and sturdy connection.

Security

What kind of security does the provider have in place? The best providers are those with data, operational/physical, system and network, and application security solutions. You can’t afford to work with a provider having a lax security system.

Support

Cloud hosting companies often provide various tools to their users. Some will even go the extra mile and provide specialist services to assist with the management of cloud-hosting environments.

Sensitive Data

Businesses that work with sensitive data may need to separate data at the hardware level. A setup of this nature will involve using dedicated servers or any other options that may apply to the business.

Other factors to consider include:

Backup
Uptime guarantee
Company experience and profile
Type of cloud
Cost factors

Do I Need Managed or Unmanaged Cloud Hosting?

Cloud computing has radically changed how information technology works. It has helped to contribute to a new infrastructure model and a smarter way of doing things. As a result, companies that want to shift to the cloud will have to choose between:

Managed Cloud Hosting

These providers include a service layer on top of the hosting infrastructure. For example, they can offer virtual machine instances with services through the middleware and database layers or the operating system.

Unmanaged Cloud Hosting

The cloud hosting providers will offer infrastructure resources to the cloud consumers. Their availability, however, will not go beyond that particular layer. Here, database, middleware, and OS management services aren’t available.

If possible, you should opt for managed cloud hosting, especially if you have a mission-critical website. Such websites will require you to have scalable components operating in a virtualized interface and having automated lifecycle features.

Unmanaged cloud hosting works best for cloud-native environments. These are environments that call for the use of elastic demand infrastructure. E.g., in development and test environments or systems of engagement.

What Is “Pay as You Go,” And Is It Important?

Pay-as-you-go is a payment model for cloud computing where billing occurs according to resource usage. It’s a practice that’s very similar to utility bill payments, in example. Meaning, you only pay for the resources you need at that moment.

The greatest benefit of this model is that you never have to worry about wasting resources. You’ll only need to pay for the services you have procured for your website for use at that time. Instead of allocating resources the site may not use.

With the pay-as-you-go model, your cloud hosting provider will allow you to design the computer resources you need and charge you for what you have used. You’re, therefore, at liberty to select the CPU, storage, memory, and OS you need.

Presently, there are three different types of cloud computing services, and each can use a different kind of pay-as-you-go model. These are:

Infrastructure as a service: Consumers pay per use and can choose to pay hourly, weekly, or monthly.
Platform as a service: The best cheap cloud server service provider can price the services per gigabyte of memory consumed per hour or user.
Software as a service: Providers can price their services per user, storage capacity, or based on the available features.

Ready to Choose

Cheap cloud hosting is an excellent solution for businesses with growing websites. If you’re using shared hosting that can no longer support the needs of your website, it’s time that you consider shifting to the cloud.

A cloud hosting plan will provide you with more performance power, storage space, and computing resources. These, coupled with its increased scalability, flexibility, and resilience, will ensure that your web traffic matches your business growth.

Looking at this guide, it’s clear that there are many best cheap cloud server companies to consider. Make sure to do your research and assess your business needs before selecting a hosting provider.

Remember, the choice you make today will impact your business moving forward. So, use the pointers provided earlier to help you select a hosting company. Look for one offering the best cloud server prices, uptime guarantee, and platform security.

Cloud hosting is best for IoT deployments, interactive sites, web apps, and online stores.

If you want to read more on the best cloud server hosting providers – check this out.

FAQ

Can I use cloud hosting for free?

Yes, you can. A few cloud hosting companies will provide you with a free trial of up to 30 days. Kamatera is one such company. You can use this trial offer to look at what the company offers.

Check whether its offerings meet your business needs and the type of support and resources available. Keep in mind that the trial offer has limitations which means you may not get access to all the hosting services accessible to those using paid plans.

What is the average price for a cloud server?

The monthly pricing for cloud servers starts at around $5/month. With this pricing, you’ll likely get access to a small server having 1GM of RAM, 1 CPU core, and 25GB SSD storage. The charges will increase with the amount of bandwidth, storage capacity, and CPU cores needed.

For example, a cloud server with 128GB of RAM, 24 CPU cores, and 3TB SSD storage will cost you as much as $650 per month. However, you can choose to run many small servers, with each executing certain predetermined functions.

Is cloud hosting superior to other types?

Cloud hosting is better than traditional hosting for various reasons. For example, it provides increased server uptime reducing the risk of downtime or hardware failure, which is common with conventional hosting.

Cloud hosting also ensures that you only pay for the resources you need. Businesses that need to scale immediately will love this feature as they can adjust their resource utilization to match their business needs.

Lastly, it offers better performance to websites that require fast loading speeds. It ensures that websites don’t move away from your site due to low page speeds, which can adversely affect your rankings on Google.

Are there disadvantages to cloud hosting?

While its benefits are many, the cloud is no different from any other IT setup, which means it will experience some hiccups at one point. Some of the disadvantages you should know about before moving to the cloud include:

Bandwidth issues: Cloud hosting is wholly dependent on the internet, which means you must have access to a stable internet connection.
Limited control: You don’t have much control over the infrastructure as the servers are owned and managed by the cloud service providers.
Downtime: The service providers may occasionally experience downtime brought about by unexpected technical difficulties affecting your services as well.

How secure is it?

It’s normal to wonder whether the data saved on a cloud server is safe or not. What you may not have realized is that the information stored in a cloud server is probably safer than what you have saved on your computer hard drive.

Remember, hackers can use phishing emails and malware to get to the data stored on your hard drive. They could even use a ransomware attack to freeze your computer, making it impossible to access crucial data.

With cloud hosting, companies will typically go to great lengths to ensure that their systems are secure. They will also use firewalls and security software that is more robust than anything you may have with you, making them more secure than any other form of hosting.

Can I start with a free trial?

Yes, you can start your hosting with a free trial. Several cloud hosting providers can allow you to try out their services for a limited duration. Often, the trial period lasts for 30-days and allows you access to the hosting services on offer.

However, depending on the cloud hosting company, you may need to provide a credit card as a guarantee. Make sure to research the available providers before signing up for the trial offer to understand what’s expected of you.