🏆 Top Cloud Hosting Providers

Best Cloud Hosting Compared: Cloudways, Vultr & FastComet Breakdown

As the founder of VolServer.com, I’ve spent over a decade testing, deploying, and managing hosting infrastructures for everything from high-traffic WordPress blogs to robust e-commerce platforms. At VolServer.com, we help readers discover the best hosting based on performance, features, and real value. This comparison between Cloudways, Vultr, and FastComet is based on hands-on implementation data, client use cases, and our own rigorous testing across dozens of real-world scenarios.

Before we dive in, a quick note: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. However, every recommendation here is backed by our own testing and experience—we only recommend platforms that deliver for our clients.

Comparison Overview

At a glance, here’s how Cloudways, Vultr, and FastComet stack up:

• Cloudways offers a managed layer over cloud infrastructure (including Vultr), ideal for users wanting performance without sysadmin headaches.
• Vultr provides raw cloud power at competitive prices, great for developers who prefer full control.
• FastComet blends managed features with competitive pricing and excellent customer service, ideal for small businesses and growing sites.

At VolServer.com, our evaluation focuses on these core factors:

1. Performance & Uptime
2. Pricing & Value
3. Features & Ease of Use
4. Support Quality

We’ve also handled migrations between these hosts and understand the nuances that affect real-world performance and user experience.

Pricing Comparison

Cloudways:

• Starts at $14/month (DigitalOcean), $14/month (Vultr Standard), $26/month (Vultr High Frequency)
• Pay-as-you-go model with hourly or monthly billing
• Free trial available, no credit card required
• Extra charges for premium support and offsite backups

Vultr:

• Cloud Compute: Starts at $5/month
• High Frequency Compute: Starts at $6/month
• Bare Metal & Dedicated plans available
• Charges for backups, snapshots, and DDoS protection

FastComet:

• Cloud VPS Hosting: Starts at $47.95/month
• Shared hosting starts at $2.49/month (intro offer)
• Free daily backups, free website migration, and fixed pricing model

VolServer.com Verdict:

• Best budget option: Vultr
• Best managed value: Cloudways
• Best all-inclusive support: FastComet

Performance

Based on VolServer.com’s testing:

• Cloudways (Vultr HF): Avg. server response time ~170ms, Uptime 99.99% (monitored over 12 months)
• Vultr (HF): Avg. server response time ~160ms, but more setup overhead
• FastComet: Avg. server response time ~210ms, Uptime 99.96%

Global server locations:

• Cloudways: Depends on provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, etc.)
• Vultr: 32+ locations worldwide
• FastComet: 11 data centers globally

At VolServer.com, we use independent monitoring tools and simulated real-user data to measure uptime and latency across different geographies.

Features

Feature	Cloudways	Vultr	FastComet
Storage Type	SSD / NVMe	NVMe (HF)	SSD
Bandwidth	Unmetered (soft cap)	Metered	Unmetered
Control Panel	Custom UI	Full root (no panel)	cPanel
Backups	Daily (paid)	Manual (paid)	Free daily
Security	Firewalls, 2FA, bot protection	DDoS (paid)	Immunify360, WAF
SSL	Free Let’s Encrypt	Manual install	Free + Auto-renew

VolServer.com Insight:

• Developers love Vultr for raw control
• Business owners prefer FastComet for simplicity
• Agencies favor Cloudways for client-friendly management

Customer Support

Aspect	Cloudways	Vultr	FastComet
Support Channels	Chat, tickets (premium phone)	Tickets only	24/7 Chat, tickets
Response Times	~10-15 mins (chat)	Slow (avg. 4–6 hours)	~5 mins (chat)
Tech Knowledge	High	Moderate	Very High
Availability	24/7	Business hours (chat limited)	24/7

We’ve submitted over 100+ support requests across these hosts. FastComet leads in friendliness and responsiveness, while Cloudways handles technical issues professionally. Vultr, while competent, lacks handholding support.

Specialized Features

WordPress Optimization:

• Cloudways: Built-in cache, Breeze plugin, Redis, staging
• Vultr: Manual setup required
• FastComet: LSCache, cPanel staging, WP-CLI ready

E-Commerce:

• Cloudways: Great for WooCommerce with auto-scaling
• Vultr: Best for custom e-commerce stacks
• FastComet: Easy setup with Softaculous and proactive security

Developer Tools:

• Cloudways: Git, SSH, staging, API
• Vultr: Full root, IPv6, private networking
• FastComet: Git, SSH, Cron, Node.js

Scalability:

• Cloudways: Vertical scaling, clone to larger servers
• Vultr: Snapshots, custom scaling
• FastComet: Plan-based scaling

Pros and Cons

Cloudways

Pros:

• Managed hosting on top cloud providers
• Performance-optimized stack
• Easy-to-use dashboard
• Scales easily
• Great for agencies

Cons:

• No root access
• Some features (like backups) are paid extras
• Learning curve for beginners

Vultr

Pros:

• Raw performance, especially HF plans
• Full control for developers
• Highly customizable
• Large number of server locations
• Affordable entry pricing

Cons:

• No built-in support tools
• Limited beginner guidance
• Requires sysadmin skills

FastComet

Pros:

• Fixed pricing, no hidden fees
• Outstanding support
• Free backups and migrations
• cPanel access
• User-friendly for beginners

Cons:

• Higher price for VPS plans
• Less flexible than pure cloud hosts
• Slightly slower performance

User Cases

• Small Business Websites: FastComet is a top choice thanks to their reliability, fixed pricing, and ease of use.
• Bloggers: Cloudways offers great speed and WordPress-friendly tools without overwhelming complexity.
• E-Commerce Sites: Cloudways (especially with Vultr HF) provides the best performance-to-management balance.
• Developers: Vultr is ideal for full-stack developers who want granular control.

At VolServer.com, we assess client needs and match them with the ideal host, factoring in budget, technical skill, and growth plans.

Migration Information

• Cloudways: Offers free first migration; VolServer.com has used this successfully with no downtime.
• Vultr: Manual migration required; we recommend using Duplicator or rsync-based workflows.
• FastComet: Free migration handled by their team; we’ve had 20+ successful moves with zero data loss.

Basic migration steps:

1. Backup your current site
2. Initiate migration request or prep destination server
3. Test staging environment
4. Update DNS
5. Monitor for issues post-launch

VolServer.com also offers hands-on migration services if you prefer expert handling.

Final Recommendation

Overall Winner: Cloudways, based on its balance of performance, management, and scalability.

• Choose Cloudways if you want managed performance for WordPress or WooCommerce
• Choose Vultr if you’re a developer needing raw cloud control
• Choose FastComet if you’re a small business or beginner seeking top-notch support

These are the same recommendations we make to our consulting clients.

👉 Try Cloudways with $25 credit (VolServer.com trusted pick)
👉 Explore Vultr’s High Frequency plans (Great for developers)
👉 Get started with FastComet (Excellent support for SMBs)

VolServer.com also offers complementary services like server setup, optimization, and performance tuning for all three platforms.

Conclusion

Choosing the right host depends on your technical ability, growth goals, and site type. At VolServer.com, we’ve tested Cloudways, Vultr, and FastComet extensively across real-world projects.

• For speed and scalability: Cloudways wins
• For dev control and pricing: Vultr excels
• For beginner-friendliness and support: FastComet shines

Need help deciding? Reach out to VolServer.com for a personalized hosting consultation.

We’re here to make your hosting choices easier and smarter.