MaintainHQ and Cloudways
Cloudways Copilot fixes server issues on Cloudways. Gus fixes WordPress problems on any host.
Facts checked on 4 November 2026. Prices taken from each vendor's own website.
The short answer
MaintainHQ
MaintainHQ works with WordPress sites on any host, and also offers its own hosting at $5 a month per site with MaintainHQ built in. On whichever host you use, it looks after the WordPress layer: Gus diagnoses and fixes problems (your approval for every fix, staging or production as you choose, coding-standards checks, verification and automatic rollback), safe updates with pre-update testing, backups, malware scanning, uptime with incident autopilot, team roles and white-label reports across every site you manage.
Choose MaintainHQ if
- You want WordPress-level fixes (plugin conflicts, theme code, slow pages) with staging and rollback
- Your sites are on several hosts
- You want one flat price instead of per-site update add-ons
Cloudways
Cloudways offers managed cloud servers, with DigitalOcean servers from $11 a month. SafeUpdates automates WordPress updates for $3 per site per month (or $2 per site from six sites). Cloudways Copilot monitors servers and offers SmartFixes, one credit each, on Starter (free, 5 credits), Growth ($9.99/mo) and Scale ($19.99/mo) plans.
Choose Cloudways if
- You need cloud servers
- Server-level diagnosis and fixes are what you need most
Use both
MaintainHQ does not ask you to leave Cloudways. Cloudways runs the servers; MaintainHQ and Gus look after the WordPress layer on top, across every host your clients use. MaintainHQ also offers its own hosting if you want servers and maintenance in one place, but for many agencies the right answer is to use both.
Side by side
| Feature | MaintainHQ | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Connects to WordPress sites on any host, and offers its own WordPress hosting ($5 a month per site, on servers MaintainHQ runs) with MaintainHQ built in. | Managed cloud servers |
| Safe updates | Backup first for risky plugins, visual checks after the update and automatic rollback | SafeUpdates add-on: $3 per site per month ($2 from six sites) |
| AI that fixes | Gus diagnoses and fixes: your approval for every fix, on staging or production as you choose, WordPress coding-standards checks, a backup, verification and automatic rollback | Copilot: server monitoring and SmartFixes for server issues |
| Pricing model | Flat plans: Starter $2.99/mo (1 site), Starter Plus $29/mo (5), Pro $79/mo (25), Agency $199/mo (unlimited). 7-day free trial. Gus is on every plan, with an allowance that resets every 6 hours and a weekly allowance, bigger on bigger plans. | Servers from $11/mo; SafeUpdates and Copilot extra |
Pricing
Cloudways charges for servers (from $11/mo), SafeUpdates per site and Copilot by plan. MaintainHQ charges one flat maintenance plan on any host.
Adding MaintainHQ to Cloudways sites
Step 1: Keep your sites on Cloudways. Nothing moves.
Step 2: Add the sites in MaintainHQ (one by one, or paste a list of addresses into the importer) and install the connector plugin on each one.
Step 3: Decide which tool owns updates and backups on each site. Many agencies keep Cloudways's server backups as a second copy and let MaintainHQ run updates, monitoring and Gus.
Questions
Is MaintainHQ a replacement for Cloudways?
It does not have to be. Your sites can stay on Cloudways (or any other host): MaintainHQ connects to them with a plugin and handles maintenance and fixes on top. If you would rather have servers and maintenance in one place, MaintainHQ Hosting is $5 a month per site, on servers we run, with MaintainHQ built in.
Does Copilot do the same job as Gus?
They work at different layers. Copilot looks after the Cloudways server. Gus works inside WordPress on any host: plugins, themes, custom code, database and performance, with your approval for every fix, staging or production as you choose, and automatic rollback. Using both is reasonable.
Can I run MaintainHQ alongside Cloudways?
Yes. The MaintainHQ connector is an ordinary WordPress plugin and runs alongside other plugins, Cloudways included. The one thing to avoid is two tools auto-updating the same site, so pick one to own updates on each site.
Facts about Cloudways checked on 4 November 2026 from their public websites. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it. Product names belong to their owners.
Try MaintainHQ free
From $2.99 a month for 1 site, with a 7-day trial. Connect your first site in minutes and let Gus run a health check.