Cloudways: Free Credits, Pricing & Eligibility Compared (2026)

Choosing the right Cloudways promotion can save your startup hundreds of dollars on cloud hosting. You can opt for a 4-month percentage discount or a fixed sign-up credit depending on your server size and timeline. Here is a clear look at how both offers work, who can claim them, and which option delivers lower hosting costs.

Cloudways Promotions: 40% Discount vs $100 Credit

Cloudways offers managed hosting on top of top cloud infrastructure like DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud. New customers usually pick between two primary entry offers: a 40% discount for four months or a flat $100 platform credit.

How the 40% off for 4 months deal works

The 40% discount reduces your monthly server invoice by 40% for your first four billing cycles. This promotion scales directly with your infrastructure size, making it valuable for medium to high-traffic applications.

Because Cloudways uses pay-as-you-go hourly billing, the 40% reduction is automatically calculated on your monthly invoice total during those first four months.

• Best for: Scaled apps, high-RAM servers, and multi-server setups.
• Duration: Active for your first 4 continuous months.
• Usage Limits: Applies to the total server cost without cap limits.

How the $100 free hosting credit works

The $100 free credit provides a fixed dollar amount added directly to your account balance. As your servers run, your hourly usage costs are deducted from this balance until the $100 is completely used up.

This option allows small projects or early-stage startups to host their applications for zero out-of-pocket cost during their first few months of operations.

• Best for: Small web applications, staging servers, and budget-conscious founders.
• Duration: Valid until the $100 balance is fully consumed.
• Usage Limits: Covers base server costs up to the $100 limit.

Comparing Cloudways Hosting Costs and Savings

Understanding your hardware requirements helps you select the promo that saves the most money over time. Here is how both offers stack up against common server configurations.

Which promotion saves you more money?

If your total monthly hosting spend is under $62.50 per month, the $100 credit provides higher overall savings ($100 total value versus less than $100 total discount). If your server spend exceeds $62.50 per month, the 40% discount yields greater financial savings over four months.

For instance, running an $80/month server with 40% off saves you $32 every month, totaling $128 in savings over four months. You can evaluate alternative managed hosting providers on Cloudways to compare baseline pricing structures.

Rules, restrictions, and stacking limits

Both promotional offers are restricted strictly to new account signups. Existing users cannot apply these discounts or credits to established accounts.

Cloudways does not allow offer stacking. You must enter a single promo code during registration, choosing either the percentage discount or the credit route.

1. Single Code Policy: Only one discount or credit code can be entered at checkout.
2. New Users Only: Duplicate accounts created to claim additional credits are flagged and suspended.
3. Automatic Renewal: After 4 months or when credit balances hit $0, billing automatically switches to standard rates.