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Spacelift vs Cloudways Comparison

Last updated:

Spacelift

4.7(185 reviews)

Starting at Free free

  • Mid-Market
  • Enterprise

Spacelift is a CI/CD and collaboration platform for infrastructure-as-code — providing a managed orchestration layer for Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, Ansible, and Kubernetes. It handles the operational challenges of IaC…

Cloudways

4.9(1,680 reviews)

Starting at Contact for pricing

  • Freelancers / Consultants
  • Large Enterprises

Cloudways is a cloud hosting solution. Cloudways is a cloud management platform that simplifies the process of deploying, administering and scaling applications from any popular cloud infrastructure provider: Amazon Web…

Cloudways leads on user satisfaction with a 4.9-star rating across 1,680 reviews.

Spacelift vs Cloudways — at a glance

FeatureSpaceliftCloudways
Rating4.7 / 54.9 / 5
Reviews1851,680
Starting priceFree freeContact for pricing
Free trial No No
Free version No No
Best forMid-Market, EnterpriseFreelancers / Consultants, Large Enterprises, Medium Business
CategoryCloud Management PlatformCloud Management Platform
PlatformsCloud, On-PremiseSaaS/Web/Cloud
APIAvailableAvailable
Support modesSlack Community, Help Center, Email Support, Enterprise Support24/7 (Live rep), Online
Certifications—GDPR
Data residency—Global

Key differences between Spacelift and Cloudways

  • Pricing: Spacelift starts at Free free. Cloudways pricing is not publicly listed.
  • Target audience: Spacelift is built for Mid-Market and Enterprise, while Cloudways targets Freelancers / Consultants and Large Enterprises.
  • User satisfaction: Cloudways scores higher with a 4.9-star average.
  • Deployment: Spacelift supports Cloud, On-Premise; Cloudways supports SaaS/Web/Cloud.

Spacelift vs Cloudways — find the better fit before you commit.

01

Which tool fits your team best

02

Which is actually cheaper for your team size

03

Where each product wins, per real buyers

Most Cloud Management Platform tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.

Spacelift logo
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Cloudways - Cloud Management Platform
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Spacelift vs Cloudways: Biggest differences

Start here before you go deeper into features.

Spacelift

Best for

Mid-Market, Enterprise

Cloudways

Best for simplified cloud app deployment with exceptional personalized support.

Choose if
  • You need easy, low-complexity deployment and scaling on major cloud providers.
  • You are a freelancer or small IT team managing cloud applications.
  • You value responsive, knowledgeable customer support for quick issue resolution.
Consider alternatives if
  • You require deep, advanced platform customization beyond standard options.
  • You need highly complex cloud infrastructure configurations without relying on support.

Spacelift typically suits Mid-Market and Enterprise. Cloudways tends to fit Freelancers / Consultants and Large Enterprises better. The right choice depends on your team size, workflow, and whether a free trial matters.

Description

Spacelift is a CI/CD and collaboration platform for infrastructure-as-code — providing a managed orchestration layer for Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, Ansible, and Kubernetes. It handles the ... Read More about Spacelift

Cloudways is a cloud hosting solution. Cloudways is a cloud management platform that simplifies the process of deploying, administering and scaling applications from any popular cloud ... Read More about Cloudways

Entry Level Pricing

  • Starts from Free , up to 2 users
  • Not Available

Free Trial Availability

  • No free trial
  • No free trial

SpotScore

What's this? ↗

9.4/10

9.8/10

User Ratings

Based on verified Spotsaas reviews

4.94

(1680)

Best Company Size

—
1-50 employees51-500 employees
Get pricing help
Get pricing help

Where each option fits best

See where each product is strongest, which teams it fits, and what causes buyers to keep looking — before you commit.

Based on buyer reviews and verified product data collected by Spotsaas.

Strengths

Key strengths

Spacelift

  • Safe Parallel IaC at Scale: Run dozens of Terraform stacks concurrently with proper state locking and dependency ordering — eliminating the serialized, manual apply process that slows platform teams.
  • Catch Drift Before It Causes Incidents: Automated drift detection alerts teams when infrastructure diverges from code — preventing the configuration drift that causes midnight incidents.
  • Governance Without Bureaucracy: OPA policies enforce infrastructure standards automatically (tagging, sizing, approval requirements) without manual review of every Terraform plan.
Best fit

Best fit

Spacelift

  • Platform engineering teams managing 50+ Terraform stacks who need safe, parallel execution with proper dependency management
  • Organizations enforcing infrastructure governance policies (required tags, approval gates, cost limits) across multiple engineering teams
  • DevOps teams replacing custom Terraform CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins + Atlantis) with a managed orchestration platform

Software Demo

Demo

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Step 1 of 4

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How do Spacelift and Cloudways Compare on Features?

Total Features

4 Features

13 Features

Unique Features

No unique features

No unique features

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Get Quote

Compare Spacelift and Cloudways on pricing

Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.

Pricing Option

      Starting From

      • Free , up to 2 users
      • Not Available

      Pricing Plans

      • Free

        Free

        • All features

        • Community support

        • Cloud workers

      • Cloud

        $499

        paid

        • Unlimited users

        • Priority workers

        • SLA

        Show more +

      • Enterprise

        Custom

        paid

        • Self-hosted workers

        • SSO

        • Custom SLA

        Show more +

      • Not Available

      Pricing Page

      Pricing information not available

      Cloudways pricing

      Spacelift vs Cloudways: Other Details

      Organization Types supported

      • Small Business
      • Large Enterprises
      • Medium Business
      • Freelancers
      • Individuals
      • Small Business
      • Large Enterprises
      • Medium Business
      • Freelancers
      • Individuals

      Platforms Supported

      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Installed - Windows
      • Installed - Mac
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Mobile - Android
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Installed - Windows
      • Installed - Mac
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Mobile - Android

      Modes of support

      • 24/7 (Live rep)
      • Business Hours
      • Online
      • 24/7 (Live rep)
      • Business Hours
      • Online

      API Support

      • Available
      • Available
      Get help choosing
      Get help choosing

      Spacelift vs Cloudways Security & Compliance

      Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.

      GDPR

      —
      ✓ Yes

      Data Encryption

      —
      ✓ Yes

      Data Residency

      —
      🌐 Global

      Spacelift User Reviews & Rating Comparison

      User Ratings

      4.7

      (based on 185 reviews)

      Rating Distribution

      0

      0

      0

      0

      0

      1811

      9

      1

      1

      21

      Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI

      Buyer sentiment

      Buyer sentiment is very strong across 185 reviews, with consistently positive feedback.

      What buyers like

      • Stack dependency management automatically runs dependent stacks in order when upstream infrastructure changes — eliminating the manual coordination that breaks IaC at scale.
      • Drift detection surfaces when live infrastructure has diverged from Terraform state — the most dangerous condition in IaC that most teams discover only when something breaks.
      • OPA policy-as-code gates enable infrastructure governance: requiring approvals for production changes, blocking certain resource types, enforcing tagging standards automatically.

      Common complaints

      • Pricing jumps from free (2 users) to $499/month — there is no mid-tier for small teams that have outgrown free but are not yet mid-market scale.
      • Primarily optimized for Terraform and OpenTofu — teams using CloudFormation or CDK will find less native support.

      Buyer sentiment

      Users consistently praise Cloudways for its exceptional support and user-friendly platform, though some note limitations in advanced customization.

      What buyers like

      • Customer support
      • Ease of use
      • Reliability

      Common complaints

      • Limited customization
      • Compatibility maintenance

      Pros and Cons

      • Stack dependency management automatically runs dependent stacks in order when upstream infrastructure changes — eliminating the manual coordination that breaks IaC at scale.

      • Drift detection surfaces when live infrastructure has diverged from Terraform state — the most dangerous condition in IaC that most teams discover only when something breaks.

      • OPA policy-as-code gates enable infrastructure governance: requiring approvals for production changes, blocking certain resource types, enforcing tagging standards automatically.

      • Pricing jumps from free (2 users) to $499/month — there is no mid-tier for small teams that have outgrown free but are not yet mid-market scale.

      • Primarily optimized for Terraform and OpenTofu — teams using CloudFormation or CDK will find less native support.

      • Exceptional and personalized customer support with knowledgeable staff

      • User-friendly interface simplifying cloud deployment and scaling

      • Reliable server performance and quick issue resolution

      • Limited advanced customization options for non-technical users

      • Need to stay updated to avoid compatibility issues with evolving platform features

      Positive Reviews

      No reviews available for the product

      No reviews available for the product

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      Media and Screenshots

      Videos

      No videos available.

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      Top Alternatives to Spacelift and Cloudways in 2026

      Alternatives

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      Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].

      Frequently asked questions

      Which is better, Spacelift or Cloudways?
      Cloudways edges out the other on user ratings (4.9 vs 4.7). That said, the best pick depends on your use case, so use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
      Do Spacelift and Cloudways offer a free trial?
      Neither Spacelift nor Cloudways currently lists a free trial.
      What is the starting price of Spacelift vs Cloudways?
      Spacelift starts at Free free. Cloudways starts at Contact for pricing.
      What are the top alternatives to Spacelift?
      Top alternatives to Spacelift include Cloudways, Zesty, DuploCloud, Spot Cloud Analyzer, Apache CloudStack.
      What are the top alternatives to Cloudways?
      Top alternatives to Cloudways include Morpheus Data, Kii, Scalr, CloudZero, Spotinst.