If you build and run WordPress sites for clients, you have probably looked at Cloudways. It is a capable platform with a clean dashboard and real performance. But a lot of freelancers and agencies hit the same wall. The base price looks low, then the add-ons start stacking up. Email over here, a CDN over there, a higher support tier, backups on top. By the time your stack is actually ready for production, the bill looks very different from the sticker price.
Forge Web Services takes a different approach. Every client gets their own dedicated VPS, and the things you actually need to run WordPress in production are included rather than sold as extras. Here is an honest look at how the two compare, and when Forge is the better fit.
What Cloudways gets right
Let us be fair. Cloudways is genuinely managed cloud hosting, not shared hosting. You get to pick an underlying cloud provider, you get a polished control panel, and performance is solid for most WordPress workloads. If you enjoy assembling your own stack and you want a lot of knobs to turn, it is a reasonable choice.
So the question is not whether Cloudways works. It does. The question is where it costs you time and margin, and whether a more complete package serves you better.
Where freelancers and agencies feel the friction
Three things come up again and again from people who manage client sites on Cloudways.
The add-on pricing model. The headline server price is only part of the story. Transactional email, a CDN, off site backups, and premium support are commonly billed on top. That makes it hard to quote a client a clean monthly number and protect your margin, because your real cost depends on which extras each site ends up needing.
You operate it through a console. Cloudways gives you a platform to launch and manage your servers and apps. That is real control, but it is also time. For a solo freelancer juggling ten client sites, every hour spent in a hosting dashboard is an hour you are not billing for design or development work. Forge is fully managed, so that work is on us.
Support sits behind tiers. Faster, more hands on help often means paying for a higher support level. When a client site is down, that is exactly when you do not want to be weighing a support upsell.
How Forge Web Services is different
Forge is built for the person who wants managed WordPress hosting without babysitting a server. Here is what every plan includes, with no surprise line items.
- A dedicated VPS per client. No shared hosting and no noisy neighbors competing for resources. Each client site sits on its own server.
- Server security included. Real server level protection on every plan, not an upsell.
- All-in-One WordPress Security and CDN included. Faster delivery and hardened sites come standard.
- Transactional email included via ForgeMail. Your contact forms, WooCommerce receipts, and password resets actually reach the inbox, with no separate SMTP add-on to buy and configure.
- Free migrations on every plan. We move your sites over for you. You do not pay extra and you do not do it yourself.
- Proactive 24/7 support. We monitor every site around the clock, fix issues before they reach your visitors, and keep you updated, so you are never the one watching the server.
- Flat pricing in USD. Plans run from $39 per month for Starter up to $209 per month for Enterprise. The number you see is the number you pay.
The point is simple. The features that turn “a server” into “a site you can confidently hand to a client” are in the box.
Cloudways vs Forge Web Services at a glance
| Cloudways | Forge Web Services | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Managed cloud, choose a provider | Dedicated VPS per client |
| Server security | Varies by setup | Server security included on every plan |
| CDN | Typically an add-on | Included on every plan |
| Transactional email | Typically a paid add-on | ForgeMail included |
| Migrations | Limited free moves | Free on every plan |
| Pricing | Base price plus add-ons | Flat USD, $39 to $209 per month |
| Support | Available when you reach out | Proactive 24/7 monitoring, we fix issues and keep you updated |
| Best for | Building your own stack | Hands off managed WordPress |
Which one should you choose
Choose Cloudways if you like assembling your own hosting stack, you want to pick the underlying provider yourself, and you are happy managing more of the operational side in exchange for flexibility.
Choose Forge Web Services if you want predictable margins on client work, a dedicated server for every site, and the security, CDN, email, and migration help included from day one. If your goal is to stop thinking about hosting and get back to billable work, that is exactly what Forge is built for.
Ready to make the switch
We are onboarding new clients now and migrations are free on every plan. Join the waitlist and we will notify you the moment your spot is ready, then move your sites over for you.
Join the waitlist at forgewebservices.com.
