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Cloudways Affiliate Program

Active

Managed cloud hosting offering a choice between a per-sale slab model and a lifetime hybrid.

Join programView official terms

Researched and verified by Alston AntonySaaS SEO practitioner and affiliate publisher, working in search since 2010.Last checked

We do not currently earn commission from this program. Outbound links carry our UTM tags only. Full disclosure.

7%Commission
LifetimeRecurring
90 daysCookie duration
In-houseNetwork
Aug 12, 2026Last verified

Quick answer

Yes. Cloudways runs an active in-house affiliate program with two commission models you pick between: a Slab model paying up to $125 per sale based on volume, or a Hybrid model paying $30 per sale plus 7% lifetime recurring commission. The cookie is 90 days. Payouts are made by PayPal once approved commission reaches $250.

Program overview

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that provisions and maintains servers on providers such as DigitalOcean, Linode and AWS. Its affiliate program is one of the few that lets the affiliate choose the commission structure: a performance slab paying purely per sale, or a hybrid trading a smaller bounty for lifetime recurring revenue.

Web Hostingcloud hostingmanaged hostinglifetime recurringhybridin house

Commission details

7%Lifetime

Slab model: up to $125 per sale by volume tier. Hybrid model: $30 per sale plus 7% lifetime recurring. Sub-affiliates earn an additional 7%.

Commission type
Hybrid
Recurring
Yes — for the lifetime of the referred account
Currency
USD

Payment and payout details

Payout frequency
Monthly
Minimum payout
$250
Payment methods
PayPal, Wire transfer (accounts earning $1,000+ monthly)
Payout currency
USD

Requirements

Applications are reviewed by the Cloudways affiliate team. Direct linking in paid campaigns requires prior approval.

  • An approved affiliate account
  • Approval before running direct-linked paid campaigns

Promotional restrictions

Paid search (PPC)Allowed
Brand-term biddingNot allowed
Coupon promotionNot publicly disclosed
Email promotionNot publicly disclosed
Deep linkingAllowed
Self-referralNot publicly disclosed
  • PPC campaigns are permitted but bidding on 'Cloudways' brand terms and misspellings is prohibited
  • Direct linking from paid ads requires prior approval

Who this is best for

Good fit

  • Developers and agencies deploying client sites on cloud infrastructure
  • Affiliates who can choose the model that matches their volume
  • Publishers with existing hosting comparison content

Poor fit

  • Affiliates with low volume, who may wait a long time to clear the $250 threshold
  • Anyone relying on brand-term paid search

Pros and limitations

Pros

  • Rare choice between bounty-only and lifetime recurring structures
  • 90-day cookie is above the hosting category average
  • Two-tier commission pays 7% on sub-affiliate sales
  • PPC is explicitly permitted, with published limits

Limitations

  • $250 payout threshold is the highest in this directory and delays cash flow for smaller affiliates
  • The $125 top slab requires 46–80 customers, which is out of reach for most affiliates
  • Choosing the Slab model forfeits recurring revenue entirely

How to join

  1. 1Apply through the Cloudways affiliate program page
  2. 2Choose the Slab, Hybrid or a custom commission model
  3. 3Request approval separately if you intend to direct-link from paid ads
Join programView official terms

Estimate earnings from this program

Prefilled with Cloudways's published terms. Adjust plan value and retention to match the audience you would actually send.

Month 1 commission—
Estimated year 1 commission—
Run-rate at month 12—
Lifetime value per referral—

These are estimates, not guaranteed earnings for Cloudways. They assume a constant referral rate and a flat monthly retention rate, and they exclude refunds, clawbacks, approval rates and payout thresholds. Real results vary widely.

Open the full earnings calculator

Editor's notes

Cloudways is one of very few programs in this directory that publishes its promotional restrictions on a public page rather than hiding them behind an approved account, which is why it scores well on promotional flexibility despite the brand-bidding ban.

Sources and verification

This record was last checked on . Verification dates are set only when a program is genuinely rechecked — they are never bumped by a site rebuild. Spotted something out of date?Report it.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cloudways commission model is better?

Hybrid wins on retention, Slab wins on volume. The Hybrid $30 plus 7% lifetime overtakes a $125 slab payment once a referred customer has stayed long enough for the 7% to accumulate past $95, which on a typical mid-tier plan takes roughly a year. If you refer at high volume and cannot rely on retention, the Slab pays faster.

What is the Cloudways payout threshold?

$250 in approved commission, paid by PayPal in the last week of each month. Wire transfer is available for accounts earning over $1,000 monthly.

Can I run Google Ads for Cloudways?

Yes, with limits. Cloudways permits PPC but prohibits bidding on its brand name and misspellings, and requires prior approval for direct linking.

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