November 08, 2022
Best cloud hosting services of 2024

If your ecommerce business is quickly outgrowing its current web hosting provider, consider moving to a cloud hosting platform.

Compared to single-server hosting options, cloud hosting offers improved flexibility and power by distributing server resources across an entire network — making it an excellent choice for fast-growing websites.

In this article, we’ll show you the best cloud hosting services. Specifically, we’ll cover the following:

What is cloud hosting?

Cloud hosting is a unique type of web hosting that makes websites and apps accessible through cloud resources.

Unlike regular hosting, which takes a centralized approach to data storage and retrieval, cloud hosting operates on virtualization, a process wherein storage is distributed across a network of physical and virtual servers. Because data doesn’t live on a single server, cloud hosting results in faster, more reliable, and more flexible performance than traditional web hosting.

High-traffic websites like ecommerce stores need increased processing power, bandwidth, and disk space, making cloud hosting solutions ideal for them.

Advantages and disadvantages of cloud hosting

Cloud technology has changed the future of the internet by offering businesses the following advantages:

  • Guaranteed uptime. It keeps your site safe from unexpected downtime.
  • Enhanced performance. Cloud hosting’s distributed servers assure good load balancing, letting you maintain good performance even with heavy traffic.
  • Scalable. Easily upgrade bandwidth and storage to fit your needs and pay only for what you use.

However, like everything else, it also has drawbacks:

  • Expensive. Cloud hosting can be pricier than regular hosting because of its advanced features.
  • Security vulnerabilities. Although generally secure, web-based services aren't immune to hacks and data breaches.
  • Limited control. Web hosts often manage cloud hosting, giving users less control over their own hosting environment.

If you want full control over website hosting, try one of our dedicated hosting plans.

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How to choose the best cloud hosting service

Not all cloud hosting services are created equal, so it’s critical to do your research before subscribing to a plan. Read hosting reviews, and don't be afraid to ask cloud hosting providers questions.

Businesses have different needs and priorities. Still, here are general criteria to guide you when choosing the best cloud hosting service:

  • Security. Your website stores personal and sensitive data. For that reason, security should be a top priority when choosing a cloud hosting service. Look for features like firewalls, DDoS protection, security monitoring, and SSL certificates.
  • Uptime. The best cloud hosting services should be able to run without downtime or interruption. Uptime refers to the percentage of time your website is up and available to visitors — the closer to 100% uptime, the better. If your website does fail, your hosting provider should be able to get it back up and running quickly.
  • Backup. Look for hosting companies that offer automatic daily backups so you don't lose any important files should data breaches or downtimes occur.
  • Speed. Business websites turn to cloud hosting because it promises faster site speed than traditional web hosting. Look for features like content delivery networks (CDNs) and caching, which decrease page load times and supplement site speed.
  • Storage. The cloud hosting plan you choose should offer enough storage for your needs and have the capacity for more in case you need it.
  • Cost. Before choosing a cloud platform, check whether its price point fits your budget. When comparing plans, check whether prices are all-inclusive — some plans may have hidden costs.
  • Customer support. No matter how user-friendly a web hosting service may be, you’ll likely run into a problem you can't troubleshoot — that is where customer support comes in.

The best cloud hosting services should have 24/7 support available via phone, email, and live chat channels. They should also have a knowledgeable support team and offer customers access to an updated and comprehensive knowledge base.

Best cloud hosting services

  • Nexcess
  • Liquid Web
  • A2 Hosting
  • InMotion
  • Kamatera
  • SiteGround
  • DreamHost
  • Hostinger
  • Cloudways
  • HostGator

With the criteria out of the way, let’s go over the best cloud hosting services in the market.

Nexcess

Nexcess homepage.

If you're looking for a hosting platform for your ecommerce shop, Nexcess cloud hosting should be at the top of your list.

Nexcess comes from the same family as cloud computing industry leader Liquid Web — meaning its managed cloud hosting plans provide the same security, speed, and performance as other brands in the Liquid Web portfolio.

Nexcess supports serverless hosting for PHP-based applications such as WordPress, Magento, and WooCommerce. Its free SSL certificates, level 1 PCI compliance, regularly updated firewalls, and 24/7 server monitoring ensure a top-notch security experience. At the same time, worldwide data centers, CDNs, and the Nexcess Cloud Accelerator guarantee faster load times.

Need help and assistance? The cloud experts at Nexcess are available 24/7 and can quickly resolve any technical issues.

Pros:

  • Built for speed and security.
  • Developer-friendly environments.
  • Customer service is available 24/7 on multiple channels.

Cons:

  • No free domain.
Bandwidth1TB–10TB
Storage50GB–800GB
Free backups?Yes
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes
PricingPlans start at $49 when billed annually.

Wondering how we compare?

Learn how Nexcess delivers more value than any other host

Liquid Web

Liquid web cloud hosting

Liquid Web’s cloud-based VPS hosting is an excellent option for businesses with a single site requiring root-level access or those needing minimal storage and server resources.

Not only is this option less costly than a physical dedicated server, but it also gives you deeper control of the operating system and server stack. Plus, Liquid Web’s resize process makes it easy to upgrade to another VPS or Cloud Dedicated server.

Speaking of … If you want the benefits of a VPS and more storage and resource options in a server that only you use, consider Liquid Web’s Cloud Dedicated hosting. VPS owners share the resources of the parent server they’re provisioned on, but a Cloud Dedicated server takes advantage of its full CPU and RAM. It’s the only virtual server on the parent.

A more robust alternative to VPS or dedicated cloud is Liquid Web’s managed private cloud hosting. VMware Private Cloud is its own cluster of physical servers with the ability to set up as many virtual servers as resources allow.

You can also dynamically upgrade or downgrade the VMs as needed. In addition, the platform provides high availability because if a server goes down, the VMs will spin up on another available server in the cluster until the failed one is repaired and back online.

Whatever hosting option you choose, one thing is guaranteed: access to Liquid Web’s support teams. Known as the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting®, they are available 24/7/365 and customer praise earned Liquid Web an NPS score of 67.

Pros:

  • Full root access.
  • Easily upgradeable.
  • Cost-effective.
  • Customer service is available 24/7 on multiple channels.

Cons:

No free domain.

Bandwidth:10TB
Storage:40GB-200GB
Free backups?Yes, for monthly plans.
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes, for fully managed options with control panels.
Money-back guarantee?Yes
Pricing:Plans start at $45 when billed annually.

A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting homepage.

A2 Hosting offers managed and unmanaged virtual private server (VPS) hosting solutions.

VPS hosting is similar to dedicated hosting in that you have your own environment and are not sharing resources with other websites. Dedicated servers are more secure, easier to scale, and allow faster deployments and backup management.

Besides the benefits of VPS hosting, all A2’s hosting plans come with free site migrations, strong uptime guarantees, and 24/7 customer support.

Pros:

  • One of the few hosting plans that offer full money-back guarantees.
  • Customer service is available 24/7 on multiple channels.
  • Option for managed and unmanaged hosting.

Cons:

  • No free domain.

Bandwidth2TB–4TB
Storage150GB–450GB
Free backups?Yes
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes
PricingPlans for unmanaged VPS hosting start at $6.59/month when billed annually. Plans for managed VPS hosting start at $49.99/month when billed annually.

InMotion

InMotion homepage.

InMotion Cloud Hosting offers cloud hosting services for agencies, applications, small businesses, and enterprises. It provides around ten plans and pricing tiers — one of the most extensive on the list.

InMotion’s Small Business plan, its managed cloud VPS hosting option, is enough for ecommerce startups. Like the other InMotion hosting plans, the Small Business plan comes with many freebies, including automatic backups, an SSL certificate, a cPanel license, and domains.

Pros:

  • Multiple plan options.
  • Excellent customer service availability.
  • Excellent security features, including hack and malware protection, SSH keys, and firewalls.

Cons:

  • Bandwidth is limited to 2TB for the lowest-priced plan.
  • Data centers are only located in the U.S.
  • Windows servers are not available.
BandwidthUnmetered
Storage90GB–360GB
Free backups?Yes
Free domain name?Yes, for 6+ month-plans
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes, 90-day money-back guarantee.
PricingPlans start at $24.99/month when billed annually.

Kamatera

Kamatera homepage.

Kamatera has been providing cloud services to businesses of all sizes since 1995.

Its VPS cloud hosting plans are extremely customizable and allow you to only pay for what you use. Users can choose from:

  • 13 data centers around the world.
  • 60+ operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, Gentoo, or custom.
  • Different RAM and SSD storage capacities.

If you're on the fence about signing up for a year-long plan, Kamatera offers a generous 30-day trial to try out their services.

Pros:

  • Gives you complete control: 60+ operating systems to choose from.
  • Flexibility when scaling up or down.
  • 30-day trial for all cloud-based products.

Cons:

  • Kamatera has a 99.95% uptime, which is strong but still lower than other providers.
  • Not beginner-friendly.
  • No cPanel or domain registration services are included.
Bandwidth1TB–10TB
Storage20GB–4TB
Free backups?No
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?No
PricingSince Kamatera lets you customize your plan, pricing starts at $4/month.

SiteGround

SiteGround homepage.

SiteGround is a high-performance cloud host built on the Google cloud infrastructure, reinforcing its power and reliability.

Its fully managed cloud hosting plans handle everything for you so you can focus on other areas of your website. SiteGround’s cloud hosting plans come with:

  • Automatic updates and backups.
  • Auto-scaling tools, which prevent traffic loss and downtime.
  • Dedicated IP and free SSL.

SiteGround’s strong uptime guarantees your website won't crash when needed most. And, with six data centers, optimized servers, and a complimentary CDN, you won't need to worry about site speed either.

Pros:

  • Customizable.
  • Excellent customer service.
  • Strong uptime guarantee.

Cons:

  • No free domain.
  • Pricier than other plans.
Bandwidth5TB
Storage40GB–160GB
Free backups?Yes
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes, 14-day money-back guarantee.
PricingPlans start at $100/month when billed annually.

DreamHost

DreamHost homepage.

DreamHost makes cloud hosting accessible to everyone.

It has the cheapest and easiest cloud setup in the industry. For plans that start as low as $4.50/month, you can get your cloud servers live in less than 30 seconds.

However, it’s better suited to developers who find DreamHost's all-SSD Cloud servers helpful when running applications on Linux or another OS of your choice.

DreamHost doesn’t bill you anything when you sign up. Instead of a fixed monthly rate, DreamHost’s plans bill you based on usage.

Pros:

  • 99.99999% uptime, leaving little to no chance of data loss.
  • Most affordable plans.
  • Quick setup.

Cons:

  • Limited customer support; only available 16 hrs.
  • No free domain, no live chat or phone support, and no money-back guarantee.
  • Storage is capped at 100GB.
BandwidthUnmetered
Storage100GB
Free backups?Yes
Free domain name?No
Money-back guarantee?No
PricingPlans start at $4.50/month when billed annually.

Hostinger

Hostinger homepage.

Hostinger offers fully managed cloud web hosting plans with decent speeds, 24/7 customer support, and security.

A couple of things make Hostinger’s hosting packages different from its competitors. For one, it provides its own in-house control panel (as opposed to the popular cPanel software that most providers use), and includes its own dedicated IP address — which is a steal for each plan’s low monthly price.

However, monthly fees increase after a year. You have to sign a contract to take advantage of a reasonably priced offer.

Pros:

  • All customers receive a dedicated IP.
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee.
  • Proprietary control panel.

Cons:

  • No phone support. Only live chat.
BandwidthUnmetered
Storage200GB–300GB
Free backups?Yes
Free SSL?Yes
Free domain name?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes, 30-day money-back guarantee.
PricingPlans start at $9.99/month when billed annually. Plan renewals start at $19.99/month after the first year.

Cloudways

Cloudways homepage.

Trusted by 75,000+ businesses, including top cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Linode, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google, Cloudways is one of the market's most flexible cloud hosting providers.

Cloudways allows you to configure plans based on what you need. It supports a bevy of CMS options and maintains a network of 25 cloud servers from all over the globe. Pricing depends on your data center’s location and whether you choose monthly or hourly pricing packages.

Cloudways’ cloud hosting solutions include:

  • Free SSL and migration
  • 24/7 real-time monitoring
  • Automated backups, auto-healing, and more.

Pros:

  • Flexible and customizable plans.
  • Secure hosting plans.
  • Exceptional customer support.

Cons:

  • You have to pay for advanced customer support. The advanced support add-on includes site monitoring, site investigations, and customization for $100/month.
  • Lacks a cPanel.
  • Does not offer free domain registration.
Bandwidth1TB–5TB
Storage25GB–256GB
Free backups?No
Free domain name?No
Free SSL?Yes
Money-back guarantee?No
PricingPlans start at $12/month when billed annually.

HostGator

HostGator homepage.

As a renowned web hosting provider in the market, it’s no surprise that HostGator cloud hosting would also make it on the list of the best cloud hosting services.

HostGator has some of the cheapest cloud hosting plans, yet they don't sacrifice quality. For as low as $4.95/month, users get:

  • Unmetered storage and bandwidth with 99.99% uptime.
  • Free SSL certificate and domain registration.
  • Easy website monitoring via HostGator’s dashboard.

Pros:

  • Unmetered storage and bandwidth.
  • Easy monitoring of website performance.

Cons:

  • Dedicated IP is only available on more advanced plans.
  • Discount pricing applies when you sign up for a 36-month minimum contract.
  • RAM is capped at 6GB, which is lower than its competitors.
  • No automatic backups.
BandwidthUnmetered
StorageUnmetered
Free backups?Yes
Free SSL?Yes
Free domain name?Yes
Money-back guarantee?Yes. A 30-day money-back guarantee.
PricingPlans start at $4.95/month when billed annually.

Final thoughts: 10 best cloud hosting services in 2024

If your current hosting plan cannot accommodate your website’s current needs, it may be time to switch to cloud hosting.

The best cloud hosting services, including Nexcess cloud hosting, are recommended for fast-growing websites like online stores, web apps, and interactive sites because they distribute resources over several servers, resulting in flexibility, scalability, and improved performance.

Sign up for a cloud hosting plan with Nexcess today.

Maddy Osman
Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman is a WordPress expert, WordCamp US speaker, bestselling author, and the Founder and SEO Content Strategist at The Blogsmith. She has a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Iowa and is a WordCamp Denver organizer while also operating The Blogsmith, an SEO content agency for B2B tech companies that works with clients like HubSpot, Automattic, and Sprout Social. Learn more about The Blogsmith's process and get in touch to talk content strategy: www.TheBlogsmith.com

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