Vultr vs. Cloudways (2025): The Raw Speed DEMON vs. The Managed POWERHOUSE... Who Wins?
One provides bleeding-edge, unmanaged cloud infrastructure for an incredibly low price. The other is a premium managed platform that lets you use that same hardware without the headache. This is the ultimate battle between DIY power and managed convenience.
At a Glance: The Final Verdict
| Feature | Vultr (Unmanaged) | Cloudways (Managed) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price & Value | ★★★★★ Excellent | ★★★★☆ Very Good | Vultr |
| Performance (Out of the Box) | ★★★★☆ Very Good (Raw) | ★★★★★ Excellent (Optimized) | Cloudways |
| Interface & Ease of Use | ★★★★☆ Very Good (For Experts) | ★★★★★ Excellent | Cloudways |
| Support & Management | ★★★☆☆ Good (Unmanaged) | ★★★★★ Excellent (Managed) | Cloudways |
| Overall | 4.8 / 5.0 | 4.9 / 5.0 | Cloudways |
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Vultr | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Management Level | Unmanaged | Managed Platform |
| Control Panel | Custom Infrastructure Panel | Custom Application Platform |
| Optimized Stack (Pre-configured) | No (DIY) | Yes (Nginx, Varnish, Redis) |
| Backups | Paid Add-on (Manual) | Paid Add-on (Easy) |
| Choice of Provider | No (Is the provider) | Yes (Vultr, DO, AWS, etc.) |
Performance & Benchmarks
Raw hardware vs. a finely-tuned machine. How much does optimization matter?
Vultr
Vultr's High-Frequency plans are built for pure, raw speed. The 3GHz+ CPUs and enterprise NVMe drives are unmatched, delivering a Geekbench score of ~1500 and disk speeds of 1.6 GB/s. It's the king of raw power.
Bleeding-Edge Speed
Cloudways
Cloudways takes Vultr's hardware and adds its optimized "ThunderStack". This delivers incredible application speed out of the box, with a Geekbench score of ~1400 and a faster TTFB for WordPress.
Optimized Application Speed
Pricing & Value Comparison
| Plan (1GB Vultr HF) | Provider | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Price/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Frequency | Vultr | 1 GB | 32 GB NVMe | 1 TB | $6.00 |
| Vultr High Frequency | Cloudways | 1 GB | 32 GB NVMe | 1 TB | $13.00 |
Who Should You Choose?
Choose Vultr if...
You are a developer or sysadmin who wants the absolute best performance for the lowest price and are comfortable managing your own server. If you live in the command line and want full control, Vultr is the undisputed value champion.
Visit VultrChoose Cloudways if...
You are an agency, business owner, or developer who values time, convenience, and optimized performance. If you want the power of Vultr's hardware without the headaches of managing it, the Cloudways platform is worth every penny.
Visit CloudwaysExpert's Advice
This is a clear choice between raw materials and a finished product. Vultr gives you the best raw hardware for an incredible price. Cloudways gives you a finely-tuned, high-performance final product with expert support. For hobbyists and hardcore sysadmins, Vultr is the value king. But for any business, agency, or user whose time is more valuable than the $7/month management fee, Cloudways is the definitive winner and the smarter, more efficient choice.
