Cloudways Startup Program
Cloud Provider Credits
$50,000 in credits
Empowering startups with managed hosting discounts, exclusive growth tools, and personalized mentorship for sustained business success.
Who qualifies
Every condition below is taken from the vendor’s own published criteria. Read them before you spend an afternoon on the application.
Startups
The programme is aimed at startups. Vendors read this loosely, but expect to describe the company and what you are building on the application.
Empowering startups with managed hosting discounts, exclusive growth tools, and personalized mentorship for sustained business success.
About Cloudways Startup Program
Quick answer
Empowering startups with managed hosting discounts, exclusive growth tools, and personalized mentorship for sustained business success.
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform built on top of DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, and AWS. The Startup Program bundles platform credits, hosting discounts, priority support, and mentorship to help early-stage founders reduce infrastructure costs while scaling. Designed for both bootstrapped and venture-backed startups.
Cloudways Startup Program at a glance
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform built on top of DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, and AWS. The Startup Program bundles platform credits, hosting discounts, priority support, and mentorship to help early-stage founders reduce infrastructure costs while scaling. Designed for both bootstrapped and venture-backed startups.
- $50,000Max platform credits
- 15–20%Recurring monthly discount
- 24/7Priority support tier
- 3 tiersProgram stages (Build, Grow, Expand)
The Cloudways Startup Program offer explained
Cloudways grants eligible startups up to $50,000 in platform credits applied directly to monthly hosting bills, covering compute, storage, and bandwidth across their managed cloud infrastructure. Credits are paired with 15–20% recurring discounts on invoices, priority technical support, and exclusive add-ons (e.g., advanced caching, security modules). The program is tiered by startup stage and growth metrics.
Heads up: credit programs change their terms and caps regularly — confirm the current offer on the application page before you plan around it.
Apply to Cloudways Startup ProgramHow Cloudways Startup Program compares
Here's how Cloudways Startup Program stacks up against other cloud infrastructure credits in the same category:
| Program | Headline offer | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudways Startup Program | $50,000 in credits | This page |
| Vultr | $300 in free credits for new accounts | Cloud Provider Credits |
| Oracle for Startups | Up to $100K in free OCI credits | Cloud Provider Credits |
| Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub | Up to $150K Azure credits + GitHub Enterprise free | Cloud Provider Credits |
Who should apply — and who shouldn't
Apply if
- You're running a web app, SaaS, or content-heavy platform that needs managed hosting and you want to avoid DevOps overhead.
- You're bootstrapped or pre-Series A and need to preserve cash for product and marketing rather than infrastructure.
- You value 24/7 priority support and personalized guidance as much as the credits themselves.
- You're already on or considering DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, or AWS and want a managed layer on top.
Skip if
- You're building on Kubernetes, serverless, or edge compute and don't need traditional VPS/managed hosting.
- You've already secured significant cloud credits from your cloud provider (AWS Activate, GCP for Startups) and have excess capacity.
- Your infrastructure needs are highly specialized (GPU, bare metal, custom networking) and Cloudways' managed offering feels too constrained.
More Cloud Provider Credits
If Cloudways Startup Program isn't the right fit, compare it against Vultr, Oracle for Startups, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, AWS Activate — or browse the full Cloud Provider Credits category.
What the credit covers
- Up to $50,000 in platform credits
- 15–20% recurring monthly discount
- 24/7 priority technical support
- Exclusive advanced add-ons (caching, security, monitoring)
- Personalized mentorship and growth guidance
- Multi-cloud deployment (DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS)
- Managed hosting with auto-scaling
- Automated backups and disaster recovery
- Three-tier program structure (Build, Grow, Expand)
- No VC sponsor or formal pitch required
Programme tracks
What Cloudways Startup Program publishes for each stage — confirm on the application, since credit programmes are re-cut more often than list pricing.
| Track | Value | Who it is for | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build | Up to $10,000 credits | 12 months | For pre-seed and early bootstrapped teams · 24/7 priority support · Managed hosting on shared infrastructure · Basic mentorship and growth resources |
| Grow | Up to $25,000 credits | 12 months | For seed-funded and scaling startups · 24/7 priority support + dedicated success contact · Advanced add-ons (caching, security modules) · Personalized mentorship and quarterly check-ins |
| Expand | Up to $50,000 credits | 12 months | For Series A and high-growth startups · 24/7 priority support + dedicated infrastructure engineer · All advanced add-ons included · Strategic mentorship, growth planning, and investor intro network |
How to apply
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Cloudways Startup Program through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The terms you get are identical either way, and it never changes what this page says about the programme.
- 2
Have the eligibility evidence ready
Applications are checked against one condition — startups. Incorporation date, cap table and a one-line description of what you are building cover most of it.
- 3
Size the migration against the 12 months window
Credits start burning from activation, not from when you get round to using them. Work out what you will genuinely consume in that window before you move production workloads across.
- 4
Know the rate you land on when it runs out
Empowering startups with managed hosting discounts, exclusive growth tools, and personalized mentorship for sustained business success.
Where this programme wins and loses
What works
- No VC sponsor required Open to bootstrapped founders and early-stage teams; direct application process.
- Substantial credit pool Up to $50,000 in platform credits covers months of hosting for typical early-stage workloads.
- Recurring discount on top of credits 15–20% off monthly invoices extends savings beyond the credit window.
- 24/7 priority support included Managed hosting with expert on-call support reduces operational risk and founder stress.
- Personalized mentorship Access to Cloudways experts and growth resources tailored to your tier and use case.
- Multi-cloud flexibility Deploy across DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, or AWS from a single managed dashboard.
What doesn't
- Vendor lock-in risk Credits only apply to Cloudways; migrating to another host means losing unused credits and relearning a new platform.
- Credit expiry window Credits typically expire after 12 months; unused balance is forfeited, creating pressure to spend.
- Limited to managed hosting use cases If you need bare metal, GPU, or custom infrastructure, Cloudways' managed offering may not fit; credits won't help.
The bottom line
Cloudways Startup Program is a straightforward, no-strings-attached credit offer with genuine recurring discounts and support perks. Eligibility is broad (no VC requirement), credit amounts are substantial ($50K), and the three-tier structure accommodates bootstrapped and funded founders alike. Apply early to lock in credits before they're exhausted.
Cloudways Startup Program FAQ
The questions we actually get asked about this programme.
Ask us something elsePre-seed through Series A startups, plus bootstrapped founders. No VC sponsor required. You'll need a valid business and a realistic use case for managed hosting.
Credits are typically valid for 12 months from activation. Unused balance expires after that window; plan your infrastructure spend accordingly.
No. Cloudways accepts direct applications from bootstrapped and funded teams alike. Funding stage is one factor, but not a blocker.
You'll revert to standard Cloudways pricing, though you'll retain the 15–20% recurring discount for the program duration. You can reapply in future cycles if eligible.
Yes, in most cases. Cloudways credits are separate from AWS Activate or GCP for Startups. However, check your other program's terms to confirm no exclusivity clause exists.
3–7 days. Cloudways reviews applications in batches. You'll receive an email with your tier, credit amount, and next steps.
