Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting company that lets customers run their websites on top cloud infrastructure providers — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud Engine — without the complexity of managing servers themselves. It's especially popular with WordPress site owners, WooCommerce and Magento stores, Laravel developers, and digital agencies. For affiliates in the web hosting and SaaS niche, Cloudways is one of the best-known recurring-friendly programs on the market, with a long track record of paying content creators well.

About Cloudways

Cloudways positions itself as a bridge between raw cloud infrastructure and fully managed hosting. Rather than buying servers directly from DigitalOcean or Vultr, customers get a managed layer on top with features like free migration, free SSL, 24x7 expert support, Cloudflare Enterprise integration, Redis Object Cache Pro, and a simple dashboard. Plans start at around $12/month, and higher-tier customers on premium providers can spend considerably more. The company also offers newer products including Cloudways Autonomous (fully managed WordPress hosting), Client Billing & Reporting, and an AI Copilot. Independent affiliate reviewers describe Cloudways as a genuinely good host with fast time-to-first-byte and a churn rate the company cites as under 3%, which matters directly to affiliate earnings.

How the Cloudways affiliate program works

The program is built around flexible commission models that you can switch between at any time:

• Slab model: a large flat commission per sale, up to $125 per sale, scaled across performance tiers (Slab 1: 1–5 customers, Slab 2: 6–20, Slab 3: 21–45, Slab 4: 46–80). Super affiliates referring 80+ customers negotiate custom terms.
• Hybrid model: a smaller flat commission of $30 per sale plus 7% lifetime recurring commission for as long as the referred customer stays. This suits affiliates who want passive, compounding income and refer high-spend customers.
• Custom model: negotiated terms for established partners.

There is also a two-tier program that pays 7% of each sale made by sub-affiliates you personally recruit. The referral cookie window is 90 days, longer than the 60 days many competing hosting programs offer. According to the comparison table on the program page, the approval period is around 60 days, the payout cycle is 30 days, there are multiple payout options (not just PayPal), and chargeback rates are low. Affiliates get a dedicated affiliate manager, personalized coupon codes, co-branded landing pages, and marketing resources.

Signing up is described as three steps with no long forms or approval delays: create a Cloudways account and complete your affiliate details to access the panel, generate links using banners and seasonal campaigns, then earn on the plan you choose. You join directly at the Cloudways web hosting affiliate program page rather than through a third-party network.

Who should promote Cloudways

Cloudways explicitly targets several audiences, and the program fits them well:

• Content creators and bloggers writing hosting reviews, comparisons and WordPress tutorials.
• Digital agencies that host client sites and want an additional revenue stream.
• Freelance developers who deploy sites on cloud infrastructure for clients.
• Teachers and trainers running courses that recommend a hosting stack.
• SaaS reviewers who produce product recommendation content.

One well-known affiliate, Tom Dupuis of OnlineMediaMasters, reports making around $10k/month promoting Cloudways after switching from SiteGround, earning $150/sale after negotiating rates up with the affiliate team. His experience highlights that the Cloudways affiliate managers are hands-on, will match strong existing commission rates, and actively collaborate with performing partners.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Up to $125 per sale on the Slab model — among the highest flat payouts in web hosting.
• Lifetime recurring option via the Hybrid model ($30 + 7% recurring), plus a low sub-3% churn rate.
• 90-day cookie, longer than many rival hosting programs.
• Two-tier commissions at 7% of sub-affiliate sales.
• Dedicated affiliate managers, custom coupons, co-branded pages, and 30-day payouts with multiple payout options.
• Flexibility to switch between Slab, Hybrid and Custom models at any time.

Cons

• The headline "$125" (and even higher figures in some marketing) depends on hitting performance slabs — new affiliates start lower.
• Approval/qualifying period is cited as around 60 days, so payouts aren't instant.
• The default affiliate link uses a simple ?id= parameter that gives weak tracking unless you set up SubID tracking manually.
• Slab and Hybrid are an either/or choice, so you can't collect both a large flat payout and full recurring on the same referral.
• Marketing pages mix several commission figures (up to $125, "$100/sale", "up to $350 or 12%"), which can make the exact current terms confusing.

Overall, Cloudways remains a strong pick for affiliates in the hosting and WordPress space. The combination of high flat payouts, a real lifetime recurring option, a long cookie window and an engaged affiliate team makes it worth promoting for creators whose audiences need reliable managed cloud hosting. Confirm your exact tier terms with your affiliate manager, since rates scale with volume and can be negotiated.