Introduction
Managed hosting panels sit between bare-metal cloud servers and full platform-as-a-service solutions, giving developers control over their stack without the overhead of managing servers. Cloudways and RunCloud are two of the most popular managed hosting panels, and they compete on server optimisation, panel UX and support.
Cloudways is the established managed hosting provider known for its clean panel and excellent support. RunCloud is the newer challenger focused on transparent pricing and a growing ecosystem.
Background
Cloudways launched in 2009 and built a reputation on managed cloud hosting with a custom panel, removing the complexity of cPanel while keeping full server control. It supports DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP and Linode as infrastructure providers.
RunCloud launched in 2018 as a modern alternative to traditional hosting panels. It offers managed cloud hosting with a custom panel and transparent pricing, supporting DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP and Vultr.
Hosting model
Both providers offer managed cloud hosting, where you choose an infrastructure provider (DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP) and they manage the server stack. This gives you the flexibility of cloud infrastructure with managed optimisation.
Cloudways supports DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP and Linode, while RunCloud supports DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP and Vultr. Both give you the same core hosting model.
Panel and UX
Cloudways’ custom panel is clean, intuitive and well-designed, making multi-site management efficient. RunCloud’s panel is functional but slightly behind in UX polish.
For agencies managing many client sites, Cloudways’ panel gives it a real edge.
Performance
Cloudways delivers excellent optimised server stacks with strong performance out of the box. RunCloud’s performance is good but slightly behind Cloudways for equivalent server configurations.
Both providers optimise for common workloads like WordPress, Laravel and Node.js, with pre-configured stacks that work well out of the box.
Staging and workflows
Both providers offer built-in staging environments and cloning, which is essential for development workflows. Cloudways’ staging is slightly more polished, with one-click push-to-live and environment management.
Pricing
Both providers use pay-as-you-go billing, where you pay for the underlying server costs plus a platform fee. Cloudways charges a platform fee on top of server costs, while RunCloud’s pricing is more transparent with fewer add-on charges.
For most projects, the difference is minimal, but RunCloud’s transparent pricing is appealing for cost-conscious teams.
Support
Cloudways offers 24/7 human support at all tiers, which is a significant advantage for agencies and non-technical users. RunCloud offers 24/7 support, but quality varies at lower tiers.
Verdict
Choose Cloudways if you want the best managed hosting experience with excellent support, clean panel and strong performance. It is ideal for agencies and teams that value support quality.
Choose RunCloud if you prefer transparent pricing and a growing ecosystem, and are comfortable with a slightly less polished panel. It is ideal for cost-conscious teams.
Our recommendation: for agencies, start with Cloudways for its support and UX. Choose RunCloud when transparent pricing is your top priority.