Start a free trial on Cloudways managed cloud hosting via our referral link. Cloudways removes the complexity of server management so you can focus on your website. Choose your cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS or Google Cloud), deploy WordPress or PHP in minutes, and get fully managed hosting with automated backups, free SSL, CDN and 24/7 expert support.
How to start your free trial
- Click the Get Deal button below.
- Create your free Cloudways account — no credit card required.
- Choose your cloud provider and server size.
- Deploy your application (WordPress, WooCommerce, PHP) in minutes.
- Manage everything from the Cloudways dashboard.
Pay-as-you-go pricing. Cloudways plans start from around $11–$14/month (approximately R200–R260/month at current rates) for a DigitalOcean or Vultr server. No long-term contracts — scale up or cancel any time.
Why Developers and Businesses Choose Cloudways
- Managed hosting on your choice of 5 major cloud providers
- Optimised WordPress and WooCommerce stack (Nginx, PHP, MySQL, Redis, Varnish)
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL in one click
- Automated daily backups with one-click restore
- Staging environments to test before going live
- Built-in Cloudflare Enterprise CDN integration
- 24/7 expert live chat support
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no lock-in contracts
For South African developers and growing businesses, Cloudways offers a compelling alternative to traditional cPanel hosting — you get the raw performance of cloud infrastructure (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS or Google Cloud) without needing to manage Linux servers yourself. The platform handles security patches, PHP upgrades, server optimisation and monitoring, so your team stays focused on building rather than maintaining infrastructure.
SA consideration: Choose DigitalOcean Amsterdam or Vultr Amsterdam for the best round-trip latency from South Africa — these European nodes typically outperform US-East for ZA-based visitors when no local CDN is in place.
Cloudways is an especially good fit for WooCommerce stores, high-traffic WordPress blogs and client sites managed by SA web agencies. The free trial requires no credit card, so you can test deployment and server speed before committing. Compare your options in our best web hosting South Africa 2026 guide, or browse more Cloudways deals and other tech coupons on CouponDeals.