Cloudways is a solid managed cloud platform. But if you are reading this, something has changed. Maybe your monthly bill keeps creeping up as your server grows. Maybe you are tired of being the person who still has to think about server sizing, application settings, and add-ons. Maybe you just want one team that owns the whole stack so you can get back to building.
That is usually the moment WordPress owners start looking for a fully managed dedicated setup. If you are comparing options, our Cloudways alternative breakdown covers the differences in detail.
This guide walks through how to move from Cloudways to a dedicated server without breaking your site, losing email, or guessing your way through DNS. You can do it yourself with the steps below, or you can skip the work entirely and let Forge Web Services migrate you for free.
Managed Cloud vs Fully Managed Dedicated: What Actually Changes
These two phrases sound similar, so it helps to be precise.
On Cloudways, you get a managed cloud platform. You choose your cloud provider, pick a server size, deploy your application through the dashboard, and scale up when you outgrow it. Billing is pay-as-you-go, charged hourly and settled monthly, so your cost moves with the server size and provider you select. It is flexible, and for a lot of people that flexibility is the appeal.
A fully managed dedicated setup is a different deal. Your WordPress site lives on a server dedicated to you, and a team handles the setup, security, and ongoing management for you. You are not sizing servers or wiring up add-ons. You tell them what you have, and they run it.
The practical difference is who carries the work. On a managed cloud platform, a lot of decisions still land on your desk. On a fully managed dedicated setup, they do not.
Before You Move: Your Pre-Migration Checklist
A clean migration is mostly preparation. Before you touch anything, gather these:
- A full list of the sites and applications on your Cloudways account
- Your current PHP version, and any custom server or application settings you rely on
- A list of active plugins and themes, especially anything tied to caching or security
- Your email setup: where your mailboxes live today and how they are configured
- Your domain registrar login, so you can update DNS when it is time
- A recent, tested backup of each site
That last point matters more than anything. Never start a migration without a backup you have actually confirmed.
Step 1: Audit Your Current Cloudways Setup
Open your Cloudways dashboard and write down exactly what you are running. Note the server size, the cloud provider, the applications on the server, and any add-ons you are paying for. Pay attention to anything bolted on outside the core hosting, like email or paid support tiers, because those need a home on the other side.
The goal here is simple: no surprises later. Most migration headaches come from a setting nobody remembered until the site broke.
Step 2: Choose Your Destination
Decide what “dedicated” means for you. If you want to keep managing servers yourself, a raw dedicated server or VPS gives you full control and full responsibility.
If you are leaving Cloudways because you want less server work, not more, choose a fully managed dedicated setup. That way your site gets its own dedicated environment, but the provider handles provisioning, security, and maintenance. This is the route most WordPress owners actually want when they say they are “moving to a dedicated server.”
Step 3: Take a Full, Verified Backup
Back up every site completely: WordPress files and the database. Cloudways gives you backup tools, and you can also use a trusted WordPress backup plugin for a second copy.
Then verify it. Download the backup, confirm the file size looks right, and make sure the database export is complete. A backup you have not checked is a guess, not a safety net.
Step 4: Provision the New Environment
On your new dedicated setup, get the server ready before you move a single file. That means the right PHP version, the database, and the WordPress core in place, matching the environment your site expects.
If you are going fully managed, this is the part the provider does for you. You hand over access or a backup, and they build the environment to match.
Step 5: Move Your Files and Database
Now move the site. Transfer your WordPress files to the new server and import your database. Update wp-config.php with the new database credentials. Keep the same WordPress version, the same PHP version, and the same plugin set so the site behaves exactly as it did on Cloudways.
Work on a temporary URL or staging domain at this stage. Do not point your real domain at the new server yet.
Step 6: Sort Out Email Before You Switch
This is the step people forget, and it is the one that causes the most pain.
Cloudways servers do not include email. Email on Cloudways runs through an add-on, usually Rackspace Email at around $1 per mailbox per month, with email migration billed separately. So your mailboxes are not part of your WordPress migration. They live somewhere else, and you have to plan for them on purpose.
Two things to handle:
- Transactional email. The receipts, password resets, and form notifications your site sends. Make sure your new setup can send these reliably so your WooCommerce orders and contact forms do not land in spam.
- Inbox email. The mailboxes you actually read. Decide where they will live and update your DNS mail records (MX and SPF) to match.
With Forge, transactional email is handled by ForgeMail, included on every plan, so your site keeps sending reliably from day one. You still confirm where your human inboxes live, but the part that breaks WooCommerce and forms is covered.
Step 7: Test Everything on the Temporary URL
Before you go live, test the site on its temporary address:
- Load the home page, key landing pages, and a few deep pages
- Run through a checkout if you sell anything
- Submit a contact form and confirm the email arrives
- Log into wp-admin and check that plugins are active and happy
- Click through images and downloads to catch broken paths
Fix anything broken now, while your real domain is still safely pointing at Cloudways.
Step 8: Point DNS, Then Decommission
When the new site checks out, update your domain’s DNS to point at the new server. Lower your DNS TTL a day in advance so the change propagates faster. Keep your Cloudways server running during this window, because some visitors will still hit the old IP until DNS fully updates.
Give it 24 to 48 hours. Watch your traffic, your forms, and your email. Once everything is flowing to the new server and nothing is hitting the old one, you can safely cancel your Cloudways subscription.
That is the full manual move. It works, but it is a real afternoon of careful work, and email and DNS are where most people slip.
The Shortcut: Let Forge Migrate You for Free
You do not have to do any of the above.
Forge Web Services migrates your site for you, free, on every plan. You point us at your current Cloudways setup, and we move your WordPress files, your database, and your configuration onto a dedicated environment built and managed for you. We handle the server work, set up transactional email with ForgeMail, and check the site before anything goes live. You stay on Cloudways until the new setup is confirmed working, so there is no risky in-between.
The whole reason to leave a managed cloud platform is to stop doing server work. A free, done-for-you migration is how you actually get there.
What You Get When You Move to Forge
Forge is built for people who want managed WordPress hosting without touching a server. Every customer gets a dedicated VPS, not a shared account, plus a managed setup and proactive 24/7 monitoring. Every plan includes:
- Free migration, done for you
- A dedicated VPS, your own isolated environment
- BitNinja server security
- All-in-One WordPress Security and CDN
- ForgeMail transactional email
- Proactive 24/7 monitoring, and we keep you updated
And the pricing is flat. What you pay in month one is what you pay in month twenty. No usage meter, no renewal increase:
- Starter: $39/month
- Professional: $69/month
- Agency: $119/month
- Enterprise: $209/month
You always know your hosting bill before it arrives.
Move From Cloudways to Forge Without the Hassle
If you are ready to move from Cloudways to a fully managed dedicated setup, Forge will do the migration for you, free.
See plans and start your free migration at forgewebservices.com.
FAQ
Can I move from Cloudways to a dedicated server without downtime?
Yes. Build the new site on a temporary URL, test it fully, then switch DNS while keeping your Cloudways server running. Visitors stay on the old server until DNS updates, so there is no gap. With Forge, we manage this cutover for you.
Will my email break when I leave Cloudways?
It can if you do not plan for it, because Cloudways email runs through a separate add-on rather than the server itself. Handle transactional email and your inbox mail records as their own step. On Forge, transactional email is covered by ForgeMail on every plan.
Is a fully managed dedicated setup harder to run than Cloudways?
No, it is usually easier. On a managed cloud platform you still size servers and manage add-ons. On a fully managed dedicated setup, the provider handles provisioning, security, and maintenance, so there is less for you to do, not more.
How much does it cost to move to Forge?
The migration is free on every plan. Hosting is flat monthly pricing: Starter $39, Professional $69, Agency $119, and Enterprise $209. There is no usage meter and no renewal increase.
Do I have to migrate the site myself?
No. Forge migrates your site for you as part of every plan. You point us at your current setup and we move the files, database, and configuration onto a dedicated environment, then confirm it works before going live.