How to Cancel Cloudways and Stop Billing (Delete Servers First)

The most common Cloudways mistake is stopping a server and assuming billing stops too. It does not. Cloudways charges for every server in your account, running or stopped. To stop paying, you delete the servers and remove paid add-ons.

Why a stopped server still costs money

A stopped server still holds its CPU, memory, disk, and IP address at the cloud provider. On DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode, a stopped server costs the same as a running one. On AWS and Google Cloud, compute stops but disk and IP charges continue.

Cloudways is also postpaid: on the 1st of each month you are billed for the previous month. Even after you delete everything, you get one final bill on the next 1st for the days you used.

Step 1: Download backups

Deleting a server deletes its sites and databases. Cloudways keeps backups for 14 days after deletion, then they are gone. For each app:

1. Open the server, click www, and choose the app.
2. In Backup and Restore, click Take Backup Now (enable Local Backup to save it in the server's local_backups folder).
3. Download the backup over SFTP and check that it contains the files and the .sql database.

Moving to another host? Migrate there first, confirm it works, then come back and delete.

Step 2: Delete every server

1. Click Servers in the top menu.
2. Select the server and choose Delete Server.
3. Pick a reason and confirm.

Billing for that server stops the moment it is deleted. Do not forget test servers and clones.

Step 3: Remove paid add-ons

Add-ons such as Cloudflare Enterprise, Rackspace email, DNS Made Easy, Elastic Email, and malware protection are billed separately and are not removed when you delete a server.

1. Open the grid menu and choose Add-ons.
2. Click Edit on each active add-on and choose Remove Subscription.

If you use Rackspace email, export your mail and move your MX records first.

Step 4: Pay the final bill

The final invoice is charged on the 1st of the next month. Do not remove your payment method or cancel the card before then, or the bill goes overdue. With no servers and no add-ons, your account costs nothing, even if you keep it open.

Optional: delete your Cloudways account

Only the account owner can do this, and Cloudways cannot do it for you.

1. Click your avatar and choose My Account.
2. On the Account page, scroll to Delete My Account.
3. Read the notice and confirm.

Account deletion is permanent: servers, apps, and data cannot be recovered, and you cannot sign up again with the same email address. You may still receive the final bill afterwards.

Can you get a refund?

Cloudways has no 30-day money-back guarantee like shared hosts; it charges for what you use. Time already used is not refunded. If you have unused prepaid funds, ask support about them before deleting the account. Think a bill is wrong? Contact live chat or open a ticket with the invoice number.

Just taking a break?

There is no pause option. Either keep paying for the server, or download backups, delete it, and restore onto a new server later. To cut costs instead, move to a smaller server or combine sites onto one server.

Compare costs with other hosts on the Cloudways price table, or see Cloudways against SiteGround and Hostinger.