Cloudways vs DigitalOcean:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Cloudways had more branded searches than DigitalOcean among cloud hosting platforms worldwide. Cloudways had about 74,000 branded searches, while DigitalOcean had 10. Cloudways made up 0.57% of all cloud hosting platform searches we track, and DigitalOcean accounted for <0.01%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud hosting platforms, DigitalOcean appeared in four of the five answers and Cloudways in two. DigitalOcean was mentioned before Cloudways in three out of four answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Cloudways, about 7400 searches for every 1 for DigitalOcean
Who does AI mention more?
DigitalOcean, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Cloudways in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
DigitalOcean, named ahead of Cloudways in 3 of 4 answers
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Top cloud hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DigitalOcean was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Cloudways was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. DigitalOcean was listed before Cloudways in three out of four answers that named either.
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 Cloudways or DigitalOcean more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Cloudways and DigitalOcean 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 Cloudways, DigitalOcean. 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 Cloudways and DigitalOcean comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Cloudways was ahead of DigitalOcean in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- 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.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DigitalOcean’s share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide held steady at <0.01%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 10.
How did search popularity change for cloud hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
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 Cloudways’ and DigitalOcean’s 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.
Cloudways
1 branded search term
- cloudways
DigitalOcean
1 branded search term
- cloud storage digitalocean
Other head-to-heads among cloud hosting platforms
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