If you’re not using cloud hosting, you’re missing out — more than 94% of companies are using cloud computing. Although cloud hosting costs are usually higher than those for traditional bare-metal hosting (I’ll explain why toward the end of this article), you shouldn’t let these costs prevent you from experiencing the benefits of the cloud.
This type of hosting has become increasingly popular. Years ago, only wealthy companies and large enterprises could afford cloud hosting. But these days, it only takes a couple of dollars a month to host your website or application on the cloud. The best part? You have many options to choose from, each with unique features and capabilities.
Below, I’ve covered some of the cheapest cloud providers today.
1. Kamatera — Plans Starting at
Kamatera is an industry-leading cloud hosting provider with 18 datacenters across four continents at the time of writing. This host gives uptime and reliability a whole new meaning, but that’s not the only reason it leads the pack.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Ultimate scalability with limitless customizations
- Create and deploy servers in 60 seconds
- Easily add load balancers and firewalls
- Stellar 99.95% uptime guarantee
- Sign up today for a 30-day FREE trial
- Get started on Kamatera now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $4.00 |
| Disk Space | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD |
| CPU | 1 – 32 cores |
| RAM | 1 GB – 128 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.kamatera.com/cloud |
Starting with more than 60 operating system images to choose from, Kamatera is a strong option for developers who know exactly what environment works best for their project. Customize your cloud server as needed and deploy in less than a minute.
Go to full review »Given how heavily Kamatera has invested in its cloud infrastructure, it is incredibly affordable. Whether you’re a web developer, student, small business, SaaS provider, or any other type of user, Kamatera’s cloud hosting service has your needs in mind.
So, how does it keep its prices low despite having so much to offer? Kamatera lets you customize your server with only the necessary resources. In other words, you can tailor your hosting plan to suit your budget, which means you won’t have to pay for resources you haven’t used. And since cloud hosting is scalable, you can always scale up when you experience unexpected traffic spikes.
2. IONOS — Plans Starting at
IONOS has some of the cheapest hosting plans in the industry. But the saying “cheap is expensive” doesn’t apply to this web host. I’ve seen cheap web hosts that will leave you pulling out your hair with frustration. So, finding one that’s truly affordable, scalable, and reliable is like finding an oasis in the desert.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Start with $100 in credit for your first month
- Auto scaling with premium Intel processors
- Customized operating systems (Linux or Windows)
- Deploy Linux instances in less than 1 minute
- Transparent costs and by-the-minute billing
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $4.00 |
| Disk Space | 10 GB NVMe – 640 GB NVMe |
| CPU | 1 – 24 cores |
| RAM | 512 MB.- 48 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.ionos.com/cloud |
Boasting 99.998% platform availability, the popular cloud hosting services from 1&1 IONOS deploy more than 2,500 virtual machines each week. Customers flock to the host for its cutting-edge hardware, georedundant network, and always-there support.
Go to full review »IONOS is a cloud hosting provider designed to cater to every hosting need, from an individual user at the lowest level, an agency at the middle, and all the way up to a large enterprise. Regardless of your hosting plan, IONOS offers lightning-fast SSD storage, top-notch security (including daily backups), and unrestricted bandwidth.
But that’s not all; this affordable web host will add a free domain and SSL certificate to your plan.
Even better, when you sign up for any cloud hosting plan with IONOS, this host assigns a personal consultant to answer any questions you may have about your hosting environment. Talk about getting VIP treatment on a budget. Cloud hosting doesn’t come better than this.
3. AccuWebHosting — Plans Starting at
AccuWebHosting also uses a consumption-based pricing model, meaning you only pay for what you use. That’s the same pricing model Hostwinds uses to help you cut costs and get the most out of cloud hosting services.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- High redundancy means 100% uptime guarantee
- Powered by Intel Dual Xeon E5 and E7 servers
- Auto-scaling easily handles abrupt traffic increases
- 24/7/365 support available via email and live chat
- FREE account transfer, emails, and daily backups
- Get started on AccuWebHosting now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $4.79 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 7 days |
| Disk Space | 40 GB – 125 GB |
| Domain Name | New or Transfer |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.accuwebhosting.com/cloud |
AccuWebHosting seamlessly combines the performance and stability of cloud hosting with the affordability of shared servers. Site owners can take their online presence to the next level by auto-scaling…
Go to full review »But AccuWebHosting’s cost calculator tool is what makes it stand out in the cloud hosting sphere. As the name suggests, this tool gives you a rough idea of what you should expect to pay based on your cloud hosting needs. That way, you can adjust your hosting needs to suit your budget.
The cloud cost calculator also offers two price ranges. One shows what you should expect to pay as the bare minimum, while the other displays the estimated price if you use all the resources available in your selected plan. As a result, it’s easier to budget when you know the costs involved.
4. Hostwinds — Plans Starting at
Hostwinds offers a range of cloud hosting packages that vary in price and features, so you can choose a plan that suits your needs and budget. All you need to do is place your order and set up your cloud environment.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Choose your OS or application configuration
- Hourly or monthly billing for convenience
- Optional upgrades for cPanel, backups, and more
- Managed services, SSDs, and HDDs available
- Block and object storage, plus enterprise firewall
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $4.99 |
| Disk Space | 30 GB SSD – 750 GB SSD |
| CPU | 1 – 16 cores |
| RAM | 1 – 96 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.hostwinds.com/cloud |
Hostwinds provides supremely scalable and customizable options for the savvy developer or site owner. Customers can customize their cloud environment or choose pre-built configurations optimized to run apps like WordPress, Drupal, and others.
Go to full review »I find Hostwinds’ cloud pricing model quite fair. Rather than paying a standard hosting fee, Hostwinds will charge you a few cents per hour. The final price will depend on the cloud resource you’ve consumed. For example, you can choose as low as one CPU core to 16 cores.
No matter the plan you select, Hostwinds offers a free website transfer, enterprise firewall, custom ISO’s, SSD storage, and a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. And if you don’t have technical experience, don’t worry. Hostwinds makes server management a breeze with its custom cloud portal.
5. InterServer — Plans Starting at
InterServer costs slightly more than other cloud hosting providers, but it’s still reasonably priced compared to the industry standard for this type of hosting. The strict month-to-month payment system also makes it the perfect fit if you’re not ready for long-term commitments.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Choose Linux or Windows cloud hosting
- Up to 16 cores and 16TB of data transfer
- Plenty of RAM and redundant cloud storage
- FREE control panel and several OS options
- Pay $.01 the first month with HOSTINGADV coupon code
- Get started on InterServer now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $6.00 |
| Disk Space | 30 GB SSD – 480 GB SSD |
| CPU | 1 – 16 CPUs |
| RAM | 2 – 32 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.interserver.net/cloud |
InterServer’s on-site datacenter and hands-on involvement with configuring and provisioning cloud servers give customers a level of flexibility not seen with many other hosting providers. InterServer rations its VPS and cloud resources through slices….
Go to full review »A closer look at InterServer’s features reveals exactly why this host costs slightly more than others I’ve covered. It supports different operating systems, including Centos, Debian, Windows VPS, and Ubuntu. On top of that, this cloud computing service provider is also compatible with different web applications, such as Magento, WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. So whether you’re an individual looking for more control over your website or a small business seeking better web or application performance, InterServer has exactly what you need.
To keep the prices even more reasonable and ensure that you use only the resources you need, this web host packs its resources in “slices.” One slice comprises a single CPU core, two gigabytes of RAM, 30 gigabytes of cloud storage, and one terabyte of bandwidth. Of course, you can always add more slices to your plate if you need more resources to run your website or application.
6. Cloudways — Plans Starting at
Cloudways offers managed cloud web hosting services, allowing you to focus on the most important aspect: managing your website or application. And if you want to take it for a test drive with no commitment, you have three days from the date you sign up to do so.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Managed cloud hosting with 24/7/365 monitoring
- Choose from 5 popular cloud providers
- Auto-healing cloud servers with FREE backups
- 3-day free trial with no credit card required
- Host unlimited apps with no contract lock-in
- Get started on Cloudways now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $8.25 |
| Disk Space | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD |
| CPU | 1 – 96 cores |
| RAM | 1 GB – 384 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.cloudways.com/cloud |
If you can’t beat the cloud provider behemoths, offer their infrastructure as a service. Cloudways gives customers their choice of cloud platform: AWS, Google, Linode, Digital Ocean, or Vultr.
Go to full review »Three things make this cloud provider stand out from the competition. For starters, it uses the consumption-based pricing model. Secondly, you’re not obligated to sign up for long-term commitments; you can cancel anytime if it’s not what you want.
But the best part is that it partners with three of the most powerful cloud service providers to bring you the best of cloud services: Amazon Web Services, Digital Ocean, and Google Cloud Platform, which also hosts Google Workspace, Google Drive, Google Search, Gmail, Google Photos, and YouTube.
7. Hostinger — Plans Starting at
Hostinger describes its cloud hosting plans as ideal “for large-scale projects.” But its pricing tells a different story. This cloud hosting provider is affordable and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, a free domain, and website migration.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- User-friendly hosting powered by Google Cloud
- Isolated resources and integrated CloudFlare
- Built on CloudLinux with LVE containers
- Automated, daily backups and integrated caching
- Instant setup with intuitive custom control panel
- Get started on Hostinger now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $8.99 |
| Disk Space | 50 GB NVMe – 400 GB NVMe |
| CPU | 2 – 6 cores |
| RAM | 3 – 12 GB |
| Cloud Hosting Plans | www.hostinger.com/cloud |
Hostinger offers something for everyone. From two cloud hosting plans that leverage the company’s global datacenter presence to a premium service powered by Google Cloud Platform, you’re sure to find what you need.
Go to full review »I haven’t seen a web host as generous as Hostinger in a very long time. A quick look at some of the features it offers for free makes you wonder how it manages to sustain that while keeping its prices reasonable.
To give you some perspective, Hostinger offers unlimited free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain, free CDN, a dedicated server IP address, free migration for WordPress websites, and daily backups. Don’t take that for granted; with other hosting companies, these features and services are usually available as paid add-ons.
How Does Cloud Hosting Work?
Cloud hosting is not what it sounds like. You won’t find a cloud server hanging somewhere up there in the actual cloud. Instead, the term “cloud hosting” refers to a virtual machine paired with a physical cloud server that hosts a website or application, as opposed to on-premises hosting.
Cloud hosting offers high scalability, which helps users power their applications according to their shifting demands.
Because cloud-based servers have varying amounts of resources, websites and applications hosted on these servers tend to perform better than those hosted on physical servers. That’s because physical (on-premises) servers have finite resources, and you’ll need to upgrade the infrastructure, such as CPU, RAM, storage, and processors, to accommodate newer hosting needs.
What Are the Types of Cloud Hosting Models?
Cloud hosting comes in three distinct flavors: public, private, and hybrid. Each serves a unique purpose for individuals and organizations that want to host websites or store data in the cloud.
Here’s a breakdown of what each environment entails:
- Public cloud environments: Public clouds live on shared infrastructure where multiple users can upload and access data on the cloud network. However, that doesn’t mean others have easy access to your data. Cloud providers have protections in place to separate your data from others on the network. This setup is usually the most affordable and is popular with individuals and small businesses. Some common examples of public cloud environments are Google Docs and cloud-based shared hosting plans.
- Private cloud environments: A private cloud is a premium, high-security environment that dedicates the entire network’s resources to a single organization. Banks and hospitals with specific regulatory requirements (like HIPAA and PCI) use private clouds to house sensitive data. As you can imagine, this level of privacy and performance comes with a hefty price tag.
- Hybrid cloud environments: A hybrid cloud is when an organization uses both private and public clouds in its network. This is what we like to call the best of both worlds. It houses sensitive and proprietary information in the private cloud and puts non-sensitive data in the public cloud. This setup is highly efficient and lets companies save money by only using a private cloud when absolutely necessary.
The hosting plans we reviewed in this article are specific to public clouds. However, you can contact the providers directly to inquire about private cloud offerings. For example, Kamatera has a virtual private cloud product you can purchase.
Is Cloud Hosting More Expensive?
Cloud computing costs are usually higher than the costs for traditional hosting and justifiably so. Let’s look at what determines the final hosting cost.
Since most cloud hosting providers use the consumption-based pricing model, it’s technically impossible to know how much it will cost until the next billing cycle.
What is a consumption-based pricing model?
A consumption-based, or pay-as-you-go, pricing model is when you only pay for the resources you consume. This means that your monthly hosting bill may vary depending on the amount of traffic your website gets.
Car rentals work in a similar way. Since the rental company will most likely charge you per mile (in terms of gas usage), you won’t know how much your total cost will be until you return the vehicle.
When you return it to the drop-off location, they’ll charge you for the gas you used (if you didn’t fill it back to the level you found it). Cloud hosting works in a similar way. The more resources you use, the higher the costs.
If you don’t use a lot of resources, cloud hosting will be more affordable. If your traffic shoots up and you end up needing more, you should expect to pay a higher price.
How Do I Calculate the Cost of Cloud Hosting?
Since most cloud hosting providers use the pay-as-you-go pricing model, you can estimate the resources your website or application will need. A non-resource-intensive cloud platform, such as a blog or a small web-based application, will cost less than a powerful one, such as an eCommerce website, especially during peak seasons.
That said, check if the hosting provider has a cost calculator tool (AccuWebHosting does) to help with cloud cost management. Alternatively, you can contact support directly with your hosting needs, and they should be able to give you an estimate of the cloud computing cost.
Not ready to commit just yet? Some cloud hosting providers offer free trials.
Check out the best cloud hosting free trials >>
How Do I Choose the Best Cloud Service Provider?
Your needs should always come first. To determine this, ask yourself the following questions:
- What type of website or application are you planning on hosting?
- Do you need a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, or a private cloud?
- How many resources will you need?
- Do you expect a sudden spike in traffic? If so, how frequently?
Generally, the right cloud host should allow high scalability, which is the whole point of signing up for this service in the first place. In addition, it should:
- Align with your budget
- Guarantee uptime and reliability
- Maintain high security levels
Last but not least, think about the tools, applications, programs, operating systems, or plugins you intend to use with the cloud host you choose. Are they compatible? Consider all these factors before signing up for a cloud hosting plan.
Book Your Flight to the Cloud With Affordable Cloud Hosting
If you’re a website administrator or developer, cloud hosting is the closest you’ll get to that “cloud nine” feeling in the web hosting sphere. I’m talking about the feeling of watching your website or application run smoothly with zero downtime while at the same time seamlessly absorbing all kinds of traffic thrown its way, all thanks to the scalability that comes with this type of hosting.
It’s like having a car fitted with shock absorbers or a cruise ship perfectly streamlined to withstand the most violent storms. Statistics show that cloud hosting is the future of web hosting. If you haven’t migrated yet, the best time to jump on the bandwagon is now. Hopefully, with these affordable plans, you’ll find one that fits your budget and meets your hosting goals.
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