Amazon Web Services vs Cloudways:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Amazon Web Services had more branded searches than Cloudways among cloud hosting platforms worldwide. Amazon Web Services had about 2.2 million branded searches, while Cloudways had 74,000. Amazon Web Services made up 17.1% of all cloud hosting platform searches we track, and Cloudways accounted for 0.57%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud hosting platforms, Amazon Web Services appeared in all five answers and Cloudways in two. Amazon Web Services was mentioned before Cloudways in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Amazon Web Services, about 30 searches for every 1 for Cloudways
Who does AI mention more?
Amazon Web Services, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Amazon Web Services, named ahead of Cloudways in 4 of 5 answers
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Top cloud hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Amazon Web Services appeared in all five answers. Cloudways was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Amazon Web Services was listed before Cloudways in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Google Cloud5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Amazon Web Services5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Microsoft Azure4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
DigitalOcean4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Vercel3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Cloudflare2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Cloudways2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Linode0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cloud hosting platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cloud hosting platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best cloud hosting platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cloud hosting platform for web infrastructure?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud hosting platforms”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud infrastructure provider”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Amazon Web Services or Cloudways more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Amazon Web Services and Cloudways by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cloud hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Amazon Web Services, Cloudways. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Cloudflare | Vercel | Google Cloud | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure | Linode | Cloudways | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 16.2% | 8.8% | 16.4% | 44.2% | 13.2% | 0.65% | 0.53% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 55.3% | 7.4% | 13.7% | 13.6% | 9.1% | 0.45% | 0.45% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 38% | 11.3% | 21.1% | 17% | 11.3% | 0.69% | 0.69% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 27.4% | 15% | 22.7% | 18.3% | 15% | 0.74% | 0.74% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 26.9% | 18% | 24% | 18% | 12% | 0.49% | 0.73% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 27% | 18% | 23.7% | 18% | 12.1% | 0.4% | 0.73% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 27.9% | 22.8% | 22.7% | 15.2% | 10.2% | 0.41% | 0.75% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 29.7% | 19.8% | 22.2% | 16.2% | 10.8% | 0.44% | 0.8% | 0% |
| Jun 2026 | 29.3% | 19.6% | 23.2% | 16% | 10.7% | 0.53% | 0.65% | 0% |
| Jul 2026 | 30% | 20% | 21.5% | 16.4% | 10.9% | 0.54% | 0.66% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 32.3% | 21.6% | 20.9% | 14.5% | 9.6% | 0.48% | 0.58% | 0% |
| Sep 2026 | 31.2% | 20.9% | 20.2% | 17.1% | 9.3% | 0.69% | 0.57% | <0.01% |
How has the Amazon Web Services and Cloudways comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Amazon Web Services was ahead of Cloudways in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Amazon Web Services’ share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide moved from 44.2% to 17.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 2.2M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cloudways’ share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide moved from 0.53% to 0.57%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 74K.
How did search popularity change for cloud hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes

In September 2026, Amazon Web Services gained share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 14.5% to 17.1%.

In September 2026, Cloudways fell from 6th to 7th among cloud hosting platforms worldwide.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Amazon Web Services’ and Cloudways’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Amazon Web Services
1 branded search term
- amazon web services
Cloudways
1 branded search term
- cloudways
Other head-to-heads among cloud hosting platforms

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