When it comes to Laravel hosting, performance, reliability, and developer tools matter. Cloudways and A2 Hosting are two popular choices that support Laravel, but they cater to slightly different needs.
So, which one should you choose for your Laravel project? In this comparison, we’ll explore features, performance, pricing, developer tools, and ease of use—so you can decide which platform fits your Laravel application best. Discover the best shared hosting providers of 2025. Compare pricing,
?️ Quick Overview
| Feature | Cloudways | A2 Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Managed cloud hosting | Shared, VPS, and managed hosting |
| Laravel Support | Excellent (pre-installed) | Excellent (manual setup needed) |
| Performance | High (uses cloud VPS) | Medium–High |
| Ease of Use | Intermediate | Beginner–Intermediate |
| Root Access | Limited (on managed plans) | Full access (on VPS/Dedicated) |
| Starting Price | $14/month | $2.99/month (shared) |
| Best For | Developers & agencies | Beginners, small projects |
? Laravel Deployment & Developer Tools
✅ Cloudways
Laravel is pre-installed
Git, SSH, Composer, Redis, Supervisor, Cron support
One-click staging and deployments
Built-in server optimization for PHP & MySQL
Works with top cloud providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud
✅ A2 Hosting
Laravel supported (manual installation)
SSH access, Composer, Git support
Turbo plans offer enhanced speed (LiteSpeed-powered)
Developer-friendly tools with cPanel on shared plans
Root access on VPS plans
Verdict: Cloudways is more Laravel-centric out of the box, while A2 is flexible but requires more manual setup.
? Performance
⚡ Cloudways
SSD cloud infrastructure
Dedicated resources (even on basic plans)
Optimized PHP stack with Nginx, Varnish, and Redis
Built-in caching and CDN support
⚡ A2 Hosting
SSD storage across all plans
Turbo Servers (LiteSpeed cache, faster loading)
Shared and VPS options—performance varies by tier
Verdict: Cloudways delivers consistent high performance due to cloud VPS architecture. A2 Hosting is solid—especially on Turbo or VPS plans—but shared plans may lag under load.
? Pricing
? Cloudways
Pay-as-you-go pricing model
Starts at $14/month (DigitalOcean 1GB server)
Add-ons like backups and premium support cost extra
? A2 Hosting
Shared hosting starts at $2.99/month
Turbo Boost shared plan from $6.99/month
VPS and Dedicated hosting available at higher prices
Verdict: A2 Hosting is more budget-friendly for beginners. Cloudways offers better value for scalable apps despite the higher entry price.
? Security & Uptime
? Cloudways
Free SSL, firewalls, automated backups
Two-factor authentication
Managed security patches
? A2 Hosting
Free SSL, malware scanning, and automatic backups (on higher plans)
Perpetual Security initiative for layered defense
Verdict: Both are secure, but Cloudways handles more of the security for you—ideal for teams that don’t want to manage updates.
?? Ease of Use & Support
Cloudways: Custom dashboard instead of cPanel, slightly more technical but streamlined for Laravel.
A2 Hosting: Traditional cPanel UI, easier for beginners. Support is responsive but can vary.
Support Quality:
Cloudways: 24/7 live chat & ticketing
A2 Hosting: 24/7 Guru Crew Support via chat, phone, and tickets
? Final Verdict: Which is Better for Laravel?
| Use Case | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Beginners with small Laravel projects | ✅ A2 Hosting |
| Agencies and growing Laravel apps | ✅ Cloudways |
| Want out-of-the-box Laravel setup | ✅ Cloudways |
| Need cPanel or low-cost shared hosting | ✅ A2 Hosting |
| Focused on performance and scaling | ✅ Cloudways |
? Conclusion
Choose Cloudways if you're looking for high performance, managed Laravel hosting with cloud scalability.
Choose A2 Hosting if you’re on a budget, prefer cPanel, or are building a small-to-medium Laravel app.
Both hosts support Laravel well, but the right one depends on your technical skill level, app size, and budget.
