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Recommended everywhere. Why?

Cloudways alternative for PHP hosting

Q: How does a WordPress site move from Cloudways to fortrabbit?

Code, then data - Push the repository so Composer runs on deploy, import the MySQL dump through the SSH tunnel, and rsync the uploads into persistent storage. The move ends at DNS.

Q: Can a fortrabbit app be cancelled at any time?

Yes - Cancellation runs from the dashboard with immediate effect. Billing is in arrears and pro-rated, so nothing paid upfront needs refunding.

Cloudways is a friendly panel on a server you size yourself, owned by DigitalOcean since 2022. fortrabbit is independent, and the app is what you pay for.

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About Cloudways

Cloudways is server management software, a software service more than a full hosting service. It spins up servers on other providers, such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud, and patches them. Cloudways is a marketing driven hosting service with well optimized landing pages. It was acquired by DigitalOcean in 2022. We don't have first hand experience.

Why not Cloudways?

Cloudways might look like a good option for novice web developers with a tight budget. It also turns up in nearly every "best hosting" list. One reason: the affiliate program pays up to $125 per referred customer. We don't pay for recommendations. Keep that in mind when reading those lists, this page included.

Take care when using server management software, there is the risk of a responsibility gap. The unit is still a server you size. When one site gets busy, the others on the same machine feel it. And a panel that once sat neutrally across clouds now belongs to one of them.

Why fortrabbit

fortrabbit is an independent hosting service with a long term commitment, bootstrapped since 2012. Our solution is more professional and more sustainable for sophisticated web developers and their clients. You pay for the app, not for a server. MySQL is a component of that app, and each app scales on its own. The people in the support chat run the platform.

Cloudways and fortrabbit

Feature	Cloudways	fortrabbit
Unit	Server	App
Clouds	DO, Vultr, Linode, AWS, GCE	AWS, run by us
Scaling	Resize the server	Per component
Deployment	Git, SFTP, installer	git push, Composer
Billing	Hourly per server	Per component, arrears
Company	DigitalOcean	Independent

# Different by design

Pay in arrears

Daily prorated, post-paid billing. No upfront payment, no yearly commitment.

Modular pricing

Pay per component and scale each one from xs to 2xl on its own.

No dark patterns

No vendor lock-in, no upselling, no misleading messages.

Humans in support

Eye-level developer chat over the support bubble. No sales calls.

Developer-first

Git-push deploy, SSH access, bring your own code. No 1-click bloat.

Managed platform

A hardened, service-oriented PHP stack. Deploy code, skip the server admin.

# Frequently asked

Are there infrastructure costs underneath a fortrabbit plan?

No - The plan covers the PHP runtime, a MySQL component, SSL and persistent storage. There is no server to size and no separate cloud invoice.

How does a WordPress site move from Cloudways to fortrabbit?

Code, then data

Code, then data - Push the repository so Composer runs on deploy, import the MySQL dump through the SSH tunnel, and rsync the uploads into persistent storage. The move ends at DNS.

Can a fortrabbit app be cancelled at any time?

Yes

Yes - Cancellation runs from the dashboard with immediate effect. Billing is in arrears and pro-rated, so nothing paid upfront needs refunding.

# What customers say

Having fortrabbit is like having a dedicated DevOps engineer on the team, taking care of the infrastructure so we can focus on writing code. We've used many PaaS providers, but none come close to fortrabbit's mix of features, reliability, predictable and fair pricing, and fast, genuinely helpful support. Their service has been rock solid, giving us the confidence that our apps are in good hands.

Len van Essen

CTO at Fitwinkel

2026 — Direct feedback

Unmatched performances and ease-of-configure. I really like what fortrabbit is doing for the modern PHP hosting ecosystem, and I'd suggest anyone to have a try with them.

Federico Magnani

CTO at glueglue