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Guides · MIGRATE

Kinsta to Cloudways migration in 2026: cost, steps, gotchas

Some prices quoted in this guide are out of date. It is being rebuilt on our price index; for current prices use the comparison pages, which show when each price was checked.

The two most common reasons people move from Kinsta to Cloudways are cost (Kinsta is 2-3x more expensive at every tier) and the need to run multiple sites on a single server (Kinsta prices per site, Cloudways prices per server). Both are legitimate. Here's the honest migration guide.

Prices as of 2026-09-22.

The cost delta

If you're on Kinsta Starter at $35/mo for a single site, moving to Cloudways DO 1 GB at $14/mo (with add-ons: +$5 CF Enterprise, +$10 Object Cache Pro = $29/mo total) saves you $6-19/mo — modest. If you're on Kinsta Pro at $70 with several small sites, moving all of them to a single Cloudways DO 2 GB ($28/mo + add-ons ≈ $43/mo) saves $27/mo. The multi-site case is where Cloudways math is dominant.

Your Kinsta plan Cloudways equivalent Monthly delta
Starter ($35) DO 1 GB + add-ons ($29) -$6
Pro ($70) DO 2 GB + add-ons ($43) -$27
Business 1 ($115, 5 sites) DO 4 GB + add-ons ($69) -$46
Business 2 ($225, 10 sites) DO 8 GB + add-ons (~$100) -$125

When to migrate (and when not to)

Migrate to Cloudways if:

  • You are running 3+ WordPress sites and hate paying per-site pricing.
  • You want SSH and WP-CLI access on the entry tier (Kinsta only grants these at higher tiers).
  • You want Object Cache Pro at $10/mo instead of Kinsta's $100/mo Redis.
  • You're comfortable trading a bit of support polish for a lot of cost savings.
  • You want to choose the underlying cloud provider (Vultr HF for CPU-bound sites; GCP for a specific region).

Do NOT migrate to Cloudways if:

  • Support quality is a top priority. Kinsta's is genuinely better.
  • Your traffic spikes are frequent (product drops, viral posts). Kinsta absorbs spikes; Cloudways doesn't.
  • You've built custom MyKinsta workflows or use Kinsta APM heavily. Cloudways doesn't have equivalents.
  • You value the polished admin panel over cost. MyKinsta is meaningfully nicer than Cloudways' admin.

Step-by-step migration

Kinsta doesn't offer a migration-to-competitor service (obviously). Cloudways offers a free managed migration via ticket, or you can DIY with the WordPress Migrator plugin. DIY is faster if you know what you're doing.

1. Provision your Cloudways server

Pick a DO Droplet (default) or Vultr HF (for CPU-bound sites). Size it against your Kinsta plan's visit tier.

2. Install the WordPress Migrator plugin on the Kinsta site

Cloudways provides this plugin at wordpress.org/plugins/cloudways-wordpress-migrator/. Install and activate on your live Kinsta site.

3. Point the plugin at your new Cloudways SFTP

  • Master credentials from the Cloudways dashboard → Server → Master Credentials.
  • Plugin will copy files and database over SFTP to the new Cloudways site.

Time: 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on site size.

4. Verify on the Cloudways temporary URL

The new site lives at a temp wpstagecoach.cloudwaysapps.com-style URL initially. Full test:

  • Homepage.
  • Login.
  • WooCommerce checkout (if applicable).
  • Custom redirects.
  • SSL loading correctly.
  • Object cache: install Redis and Object Cache Pro on Cloudways, point at Cloudways' Redis (add-on: $10/mo).

5. DNS cutover

  • Drop TTL to 300 seconds 24 hours before cutover.
  • Change A/AAAA records to Cloudways' IPs.
  • SSL provisions in ~10 min.
  • Cloudflare Enterprise CDN activates if you took the add-on ($5/mo).

6. Migrate any writes that happened during the DNS window

Same as any other WP migration — copy comments, orders, form submissions from Kinsta over. See our Cloudways to Kinsta migration guide for the exact approach; it's symmetrical.

7. Cancel Kinsta

  • Download a final backup from MyKinsta.
  • Cancel the site in MyKinsta.
  • Keep the backup for 30 days.

Common gotchas

Object cache: If you were relying on Kinsta's Redis, you'll need to add Cloudways' Object Cache Pro ($10/mo) or drop the cache. Most sites don't miss it dramatically; measure before deciding.

Cloudflare Enterprise CDN: Kinsta includes it; Cloudways charges $5/mo. If you don't take the add-on, you lose Argo routing and the better cache hit rates. Consider it non-optional for a site that had CFE on Kinsta.

PHP settings: Kinsta and Cloudways both let you set memory_limit and max_execution_time. Copy your values from MyKinsta to the Cloudways application settings.

MyKinsta APM data: not portable. If you relied on Kinsta's built-in APM to debug slow queries, you'll need an external tool on Cloudways (Query Monitor plugin, New Relic, etc.).

Automatic scaling: Kinsta absorbs spikes on GCP. Cloudways sizes are fixed until you manually resize. If your traffic is spiky, size your Cloudways box for the peak, not the average.

Reverse migration

If you migrate and don't like it, going back to Kinsta is straightforward — their migration team handles it. See Cloudways to Kinsta migration for the reverse steps.

Related guides

Prices as of 2026-09-22.