COMPARISON
DANIAN vs Cloudways.
DANIAN is managed hosting for ~150 open-source apps at a flat €9 per app — we run the app for you.
Cloudways is managed cloud hosting built for WordPress and other PHP web apps: it provisions and looks after the server, and you run the application on top.
Both say "managed", but they manage different things, and they host different software. This page is honest about which is which.
✓Free 7-day trial ✓99.9% Uptime SLA ✓No credit card ✓Cancel anytime
✓Free 7-day trial ✓99.9% Uptime SLA
✓No credit card ✓Cancel anytime
What "managed" covers
See Cloudways' pricing →
Different shapes of product
What each one actually is.
Most "X vs Y" pages skip this part. We start with it because Cloudways and DANIAN host different software and manage different layers — and the right answer turns entirely on what you're trying to run.
DANIAN
A curated catalog of 150+ open-source applications, hosted and looked after for €9 per app, per month: Vaultwarden, EspoCRM, Matomo, n8n, Mattermost, Nextcloud, Mautic, PeerTube and more. It's the whole app that's managed, not just the server beneath it — the software arrives configured and stays updated, with the database it needs, daily off-site backups, security patches, hardware, monitoring and human-on-call support included. Apps run on multi-tenant infrastructure with hardened container isolation, per-app resource guarantees and isolated networking, with per-container terminal and file-manager access through the dashboard. Choose from 21 datacenter regions across six continents.
CURATED CATALOG FLAT €9/APP
INCLUDES THE DB
WE RUN THE APP
Best fit: SMBs and teams that want a specific open-source app run for them, without operating anything.
Cloudways
A managed cloud hosting platform, founded in 2012 and now part of a larger cloud company, built around WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and custom PHP apps. You choose a cloud server and a size, and Cloudways provisions and looks after it — an optimized PHP stack, server-level patching, monitoring, automated backups, free SSL, staging, and a control panel with SSH and SFTP access. Pricing follows the server you pick, from about $11/month, billed for what you use. You operate the application yourself.
MANAGED CLOUD SERVERS
WORDPRESS & PHP
FROM ~$11 / MO
YOU RUN THE APP
Best fit: agencies, developers, and SMBs running WordPress, WooCommerce, or other PHP sites who want the server looked after but are happy operating the app.
Feature comparison
How they line up on the things that overlap.
The attributes that matter when you want an open-source app online and looked after. Where Cloudways has a different shape, a partial answer, or wins outright, we mark it accordingly.
| ATTRIBUTE | DANIAN | CLOUDWAYS |
|---|---|---|
| Fully managed application (run for you) | ✓ Yes, included | × You run it (or +$100/mo support) |
| Broad open-source app catalog | ✓ ~150 apps, one click | — WordPress & PHP apps |
| One-click Vaultwarden, n8n, Matomo, Nextcloud | ✓ Yes | × PHP/WordPress only; others manual |
| Server provisioning & OS patching | ✓ Done for you | ✓Done for you |
| App updates, plugins, app-level security | ✓ DANIAN does | × You do |
| DNS, SSL, SMTP setup | ✓ DANIAN does, on request | — SSL automated; DNS & mail yours |
| Database with the app | ✓ Included, sized for the app | — On your server; you manage it |
| Daily off-site backups | ✓ Included & restore-tested | — Included; off-site storage $0.033/GB |
| Pricing model | €9 / app / month — flat | Server size + add-ons, metered |
| Choice of server size / vertical scaling | × Fixed per-app resources | ✓ Pick & scale the server |
| Shell access to a server | — Per-container terminal & files | ✓ Full SSH & SFTP |
Where DANIAN wins
Four differences for the app you actually want run.
When the workload is a specific open-source app and you'd rather not operate anything, these four are the ones that decide it.
Honest read
Where Cloudways is the right pick instead.
Cloudways is genuinely good at what it's built for, and purpose-built in ways a general catalog isn't. The three profiles below describe buyers who should pick it.
You run WordPress, WooCommerce, or Magento
This is Cloudways' home ground: an optimized PHP stack, staging, caching, and cloning tuned for exactly these apps. If your site is WordPress or another PHP application, Cloudways is built for it in a way a broad app catalog isn't. Use Cloudways.
USE CLOUDWAYS
You're an agency hosting many client sites
Cloudways lets you pack many sites onto one server you size and scale, with team management and client-friendly tooling. For density across dozens of PHP sites, that economic model beats per-app pricing comfortably. Use Cloudways.
USE CLOUDWAYS
You want to choose and scale the server
You want to pick the cloud, the server size, and the region, keep full SSH and SFTP, and scale vertically as traffic grows. DANIAN gives each app fixed managed resources, not a server you tune. If that control matters to you, Cloudways is the right fit.
USE CLOUDWAYS
Real-world math
One open-source app, and what it takes to run it.
Scenario: a self-hosted n8n for a small team automating internal workflows, running around the clock. n8n is a marquee app on DANIAN's catalog — and a useful test of the difference, because it isn't a Cloudways one-click app at all.
DANIAN — n8n on the catalog
YOUR MONTHLY INVOICE
n8n (catalog deploy) - €9
Server, OS, hardening - Included
Database (sized for the app) - Included
Daily off-site backups - Included
SSL + custom domain - Included
Bandwidth - Included
Updates & patching - done for you
Your time / month - €0
Effective monthly €9
All-inclusive. One click to deploy; the app is operated for you.
Cloudways — n8n on a server you run
YOUR MONTHLY INVOICE
Off-site backup storage2 - $0.50 – $5
SSL + staging3 - included
Install & run a non-PHP app4 - your job
Your time: setup + 1–2 h / month4 - €60 – 240
Effective monthly ≈ €70 – €260
1 Cloudways' entry managed server (about 2 GB / 50 GB / 2 TB on the new stack) is roughly $11/mo on monthly billing. 2 automated backups are included; off-site backup storage is billed at about $0.033/GB and is effectively always on. 3 free SSL and staging are included on every plan. 4 n8n is not a Cloudways one-click app — its catalog is WordPress and other PHP software — so running it means installing and maintaining a non-PHP app yourself, largely outside Cloudways' support scope; at €60–120/hr the setup and upkeep is the real cost. For a WordPress or PHP site, Cloudways' managed stack changes this calculation entirely and in its favour. Prices verified June 2026 — re-check before relying on them.
Managed server vs managed app
Cloudways manages the server. DANIAN manages the app.
Pick Cloudways when…
Pick DANIAN when…
Questions
What buyers ask before they pick.
DEPLOY IN YOUR REGION
21 datacenter locations on six continents
Pick the region closest to your users.
United States, Germany, Finland, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands, UK, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, Malaysia, India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, Chile, South Africa and more coming soon
REVIEWS
Hear from customers like you
No more maintenance headaches!
Finaly, I can relax and not bother with maintenance. Each of the softwares that we run on DANIAN is automated and running stable for couple months already. They even assist us with modifying the DNS records. Once we needed to modify the config of Nextcloud so that we are able to upload higher than 5GB files and they assisted us fast. I also love their documentation!
Kevin Blackwell
Best managed service
I previously ran Peertube, Mastodon, Mattermost and Mirotalk on other providers before switching to DANIAN. I was tired of handling the updates and backups myself. Not only that the performance is "out of this world" fast, but their tech support is amazing. Since then I added 5-10 more Apps on my account. I also love how they add more softwares on their list constantly!
William Northfield
Love the personalized service!
George Adams
n8n runs excellent
David Hartmann
Smooth experience
I needed a way to manage the projects and files for my company. This was the first time I learn about opensource. I asked their support and livechat and they assisted me immediately. I started with Openproject. Later I added Nextcloud. My team were able to get used to the apps fast.
Levi Nilsson
Bye GA
Wyatt Mitchell
Love the freedom
I wanted to use a crm for my startup. I signed up for the free trial. Tried out espocrm and dolibar and picked one. Their dashboard is very easy for a beginner. I recommend them and feel confident in choosing them.
Elias Koch
Wow just wow
After discovering DANIAN, I wished I'd found them sooner — their solution is excellent and deserves wider recognition. Very good solution!
Tyler Hollander
Professional tech support!
Bastian Engel
Their support team is the best!
I had a problem with my card and the subscription could not be renewed in time. I notified their support and surprisingly, they showed much understanding. They basically left my apps run until I solved the card issue. Other providers would have deleted my data in a heartbeat. This is the way to build client-vendor trust!
George Adams
Fair price and fast
4 months ago I activated n8n, Uptime kuma, Vaultwarden and Paperlessngx. So far everything is perfect. The performance of all apps is excellent. I contacted their support team couple times for using custom subdomains for the apps and they were fast and kind. I'm constantly recommending them to my network!
Atanas
Vaultwarden 10/10
I wanted to selfhost a passwords manager for my company but I didn't trust the mainstream providers. I tried out Vaultwarden for the free trial. I loved how their support team communicated with me professionally but still kind. I know that I can contact them whenever with whatever question I have. Recommended!
James Smith
Multiple locations options
Edward Nelson
Everything just works!
My focus is on my business, not running servers. I love that I can lauch any app without having to think about the tech behind it. Everything just works!
Tony Roy
Awesome support team!
Filip
Very proactive!
Today couple of the videos on my Peertube got viral. Before I even noticed, their support have notified me via email that they proactively upgraded my app with more cpu & ram so that it continues to work without any downtime. They left the upgraded app with the added resources for couple days until the traffic stabilizes. After that I had the possiblity to stay on the same plan or keep the upgraded plan. Out of gratitude I stayed on the upgraded one.
Luke Hall
Win-win!
I run a web design biz. After I perform the work for my clients, they constantly ask me for more software solutions. So I partnered with DANIAN. Not only I provide the requested softwares for my clients and get the increased revenue boost by delegating all to DANIAN, but also for those clients that wish to order directly from DANIAN, I send them an affiliate link. Win-win on all sides!
Luke Walker
Jeffrey Johnson
Awesome customer service
I needed to add analytics on my website but I didn't know anything about DNS. Their team guided me at all phases and they performed the changes for me. Additionally they were transparent and notified me of every change applied and steps performed.
Gabriele Marino
Good admin dashboard
Not only that I got Chatwoot, I also have access to the management dashboard. I love that I can view my hourly/daily usage and perform manual backups and restorations if needed. I don't need the level of control but it feels good to know that I have it if I need it.
Matthew Turner
Andreas Schmitt
Great service!
I configure custom Matomo tracking for my clients as a monthly service. Many of my clients were asking if they can selfhost Matomo instead of using the Cloud service. My employee recommended DANIAN. Basically, I can activate as much Matomo's in any of 20+ countries the same day. Additionally the affiliate revenue is a nice bonus.
Jacob Turner
Smooth experience
I was listing through youtube tuts on how to install Bookstack myself. Then randomly, I found their video playlist exactly for Bookstack. Got curious and went at their website. For the same price (or higher) that I would pay for just the VPS, with them I'm getting a fully managed Bookstack. It's a no-brainer decision!
Elias Gustafsson
Mason Hayes
Its a great service
Its a great service. I love the performance of my Mastodon community. It keeps on growing and I don't have any worries about backups, secuirity, updates, etc.
Vinícius Rocha
Very intuitive solution!
I wanted to use a nocode software for my company. A friend recommended them so I tried both Baserow and NocoDB, couple days later picked one.
Haruto Hashimoto
Henrik Otto
See which one fits your app.
If it's an open-source app you want run for you, start a DANIAN trial and see the difference.
Daily off-site backups · Full data export
