Cloudways (managed cloud) Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Cloudways (managed cloud) costs Free to $399 per month as of June 2026, with 10 plans available including a free tier. Plans: DigitalOcean - Micro at $11/month, DigitalOcean - Small at $11/month, DigitalOcean - Medium at $11/month, DigitalOcean - 8XL at $342/month, Autonomous - Free Trial (free), Autonomous - Free Plan (free), Autonomous - Growth at $99/month, Autonomous - Scale at $199/month, and Autonomous - Plus at $399/month. Enterprise pricing is available on request. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
Cloudways (managed cloud) offers 10 pricing tiers: DigitalOcean - Micro, DigitalOcean - Small, DigitalOcean - Medium, DigitalOcean - 8XL, Autonomous - Free Trial, Autonomous - Free Plan, Autonomous - Growth, Autonomous - Scale, Autonomous - Plus, Enterprise. A free plan is available. Paid plans include DigitalOcean - Micro at $11/month, DigitalOcean - Small at $11/month, DigitalOcean - Medium at $11/month.
Yes, Cloudways (managed cloud) offers a free trial plan as of June 2026. The free tier includes 0 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $11/month (DigitalOcean - Micro). Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.
Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free offering is a time-limited trial to test the full product.
What's Included in the Free Plan
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like advanced automation
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Cloudways (managed cloud) branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs DigitalOcean - Micro Plan Comparison
| Autonomous - Free Trial $0 | DigitalOcean - Micro $11/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 0 included | 0+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Cloudways (managed cloud) branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Individuals | Growing teams |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Cloudways (managed cloud) free?
Yes, Cloudways (managed cloud) offers a free trial plan with 0 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free plan?
Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free plan includes: . Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free plan?
The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have Cloudways (managed cloud) branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $11/month.
05 Is Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free plan really free forever?
Cloudways (managed cloud)'s free offering is actually a time-limited trial, not a forever-free plan. After the trial period, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan to continue using the service.