Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting with the biggest bounties after WP Engine
- Start a Website or Business
- by Cloudways (DigitalOcean)
- From $10/mo · pay-as-you-go cloud hosting, no long contract
- Direct program
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Terms verified Oct 11, 2026 against the vendor's own program page.
Quick verdict
- Best for
- Site owners outgrowing shared hosting who don't want a sysadmin job
- Skip if
- $250 payout minimum — real friction for first commissions
- Skip if
- $250 payout minimum — real friction for first commissions
- Price
- From $10/mo (pay-as-you-go cloud hosting, no long contract)
- Affiliate payout
- Up to $125/sale, or $30/sale + 7% lifetime recurring (you pick the model)
- The catch
- Old affiliate URLs 404 — the page moved
- Our rating
- 3/5 — honest take
- Last verified
- Oct 11, 2026
Our honest take
Best hosting economics for a site with steady traffic, worst for a brand-new one (that $250 minimum and two-invoice rule strangle first payouts). Pick the hybrid model only if you believe in recurring; the slab is the cash-now choice. Our hosting roundup treats it as the 'upgrade from shared hosting' answer.
Who it's for
Site owners outgrowing shared hosting who don't want a sysadmin job
What you get
- Managed hosting on DigitalOcean/AWS/GCP without the DevOps
- Staging, backups, and free migration included
- 90-day cookie on an in-house affiliate panel
Cloudways — questions
Is Cloudways legit?
Cloudways is a real product from Cloudways (DigitalOcean) with its own checkout — check their current refund terms before buying. Legit ≠ worth it for you, though: weigh the cons above against where you actually are. Our score: 3/5.
Why does Make Money HQ link with affiliate links?
Because it keeps the directory free and independent. The commission comes out of the vendor's side, not your price. We'd rather be transparent and keep your trust — it's the only asset a directory has.