Same real box. No management layer in between.
Cloudways is a managed layer provisioned on top of third-party clouds — you pay a premium to skip server admin, but you don't get a bare box you fully own. Nxeon gives you a single-tenant NVMe VPS with full root, no management layer or premium — compared honestly, row by row.
0
Nxeon wins
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Even
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Cloudways wins
Nxeon vs Cloudways, line by line
Only public facts and our own live prices — no invented competitor figures. A cyan check is a genuine Nxeon win; an even row is called even; and where Cloudways is the better fit, we say so.
| Compared | managedfrom $8.88/mo · first month free | Cloudwaysmanaged hosting layer on third-party clouds |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & terms | ||
| Pricing modelEvenDifferent, not better: Cloudways' premium buys you managed administration you never have to do yourself. | Simple all-in monthly plans, no card to sign up | Underlying server cost plus a managed-service premium |
| Performance & specs | ||
| Location focusCloudways winsCloudways lets you pick the region of whichever underlying cloud you provision on — broader choice than our single node. | Single Singapore node — low APAC latency | Regions inherited from the underlying cloud you pick |
| StorageEvenStorage quality depends on whichever cloud Cloudways provisions you onto — comparable to ours on the higher-end options. | Enterprise NVMe SSD on a self-healing ZFS mirror | SSD/NVMe from the underlying provider you choose |
| Dedicated IPv4 Nxeon winsOurs ships with every plan by default; on Cloudways it depends on which underlying cloud and plan you pick. | Included with every plan | Depends on the underlying provider and plan |
| Management & support | ||
| Root access Nxeon winsCloudways intentionally abstracts away some system-level control as part of what makes it managed. Nxeon hands you the whole box. | Full root over SSH on every plan | SSH/SFTP access within a managed environment; not a bare box you fully own |
| Free migrationEvenCloudways' migration tooling is strong for WordPress specifically; ours covers your whole stack — apps, databases, Docker/compose. | One-click, read-only, no DB passwords — included free | Offers a WordPress migration plugin; scope is WordPress-focused |
| Platform & ecosystem | ||
| Game servers Nxeon winsGame servers are a headline use case here. Cloudways is built around managed WordPress/PHP applications, not game hosting. | First-class — Minecraft, Rust, Valheim, Palworld, CS2 and more, one-click | Not a focus — the platform is oriented around web apps |
| Domains Nxeon winsCloudways focuses purely on the application layer — you register domains elsewhere. Ours lives in the same dashboard as your server. | Register & manage domains in the same dashboard | Not a domain registrar |
| Managed WordPress/PHP stackCloudways winsIf you want a managed WordPress/PHP stack you never have to administer yourself, that's Cloudways' core strength. | Bring your own — full root | Built-in caching, staging and a managed control panel |
vsCloudwaysPricing & terms
Different, not better: Cloudways' premium buys you managed administration you never have to do yourself.
Performance & specs
Cloudways lets you pick the region of whichever underlying cloud you provision on — broader choice than our single node.
Storage quality depends on whichever cloud Cloudways provisions you onto — comparable to ours on the higher-end options.
Ours ships with every plan by default; on Cloudways it depends on which underlying cloud and plan you pick.
Management & support
Cloudways intentionally abstracts away some system-level control as part of what makes it managed. Nxeon hands you the whole box.
Cloudways' migration tooling is strong for WordPress specifically; ours covers your whole stack — apps, databases, Docker/compose.
Platform & ecosystem
Game servers are a headline use case here. Cloudways is built around managed WordPress/PHP applications, not game hosting.
Cloudways focuses purely on the application layer — you register domains elsewhere. Ours lives in the same dashboard as your server.
If you want a managed WordPress/PHP stack you never have to administer yourself, that's Cloudways' core strength.
Cloudways is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with Nxeon. This comparison reflects Nxeon's understanding at the time of writing — always check each provider's current plans and pricing.
Three reasons the move sticks
You own the box, not a managed layer
Cloudways provisions and administers a server for you on top of another cloud. Nxeon gives you your own single-tenant VPS with full root — no layer, no premium in between.
More than WordPress and PHP
Cloudways is oriented around managed web applications. Nxeon is a general-purpose VPS — Docker, game servers, self-hosted apps and custom stacks are all first-class.
Backups included, no separate premium
Automatic daily backups, instant snapshots and one-click resize come with every plan — not a managed-service line item on top of server costs.
Switching from Cloudways? We move everything.
Point us at your old server. A read-only scan finds your apps, databases and containers, then we copy them to the same paths and bring them back up — while you watch it happen.
- Apps, databases & Docker/compose — moved for you
- Restored to the exact same paths, no reconfig
- We start what we can, and flag anything manual — honestly
Connect your old server
Read-only. We never store your credentials.
No agent to install. Nothing changes on this server.
A straight answer
No comparison wins every use case. Here's the honest split.
Choose Nxeon if…
- You want a real box you fully own, with root and no management layer
- You want game servers, domains and apps in one dashboard
- You value flat, all-in pricing with a dedicated IPv4 included
- You'd like a free one-click migration for your whole stack
Choose Cloudways if…
- You want a managed WordPress/PHP stack you never have to administer
- You want built-in caching, staging and a managed control panel
- You'd rather pick a specific underlying cloud and region
- You're happy paying a managed premium to avoid server ops
Loved by teams who moved
“I liked not managing servers, but I wanted root when I needed it — not a permission wall around the OS.”
“My app wasn't WordPress, so the managed layer was fighting me more than helping. A plain VPS with real root was simpler.”
“No separate managed-service line item on the invoice anymore — just the plan price.”
Common questions
How is Nxeon different from Cloudways?+
Cloudways is a managed layer that provisions and administers servers for you on top of third-party clouds — great if you never want to touch server administration. Nxeon gives you your own single-tenant box with full root, so you install and run whatever you like, with no management layer or premium in between.
Do I get full root on both?+
On Nxeon, yes — full root over SSH on every plan. Cloudways provides SSH/SFTP access inside a managed environment, but it's a managed platform rather than a bare box you fully own, so some system-level control is intentionally abstracted away.
Can I run more than WordPress?+
Yes on Nxeon — it's a general-purpose VPS, so Docker, game servers, self-hosted apps and custom stacks are all first-class. Cloudways is oriented around managed WordPress and PHP applications, so it's a strong fit if that's your workload.
What does Nxeon cost?+
Simple all-in monthly plans with a dedicated IPv4 included and no credit card required to sign up — no separate managed-service premium.
Try the managed side for free. Your server is 47 seconds away.
First month free on hosting plans, backups included, and a free migration off Cloudways.
Already decided? See exactly how we move you over free →