Cloud86 Start, € 1.95/mo. on Linux Shared

Start has been updated on September 22, 2025 (added May 22, 2024)

🔌 Hosted domains :	2
🆓 free domains :	0
📌 Dedicated IPs :	0
💳 Payment Methods :	Credit / Debit / Prepaid CardsWire Transfer
🔨 Control Panel :	Plesk
🔧 Category :	WordpressWebsite Builder
✍️ Support Options :	EmailPhone / Toll-FreeLive Chat
🌏 Server Locations :	Netherlands
⚑ Targeting :	AT BE FR DE IT NL ES CH
💰 Money-back guarantee :	30 days
🚀 Uptime :	99.98 %

See also initial Start plan location on their website!

*📜 Plan description

📄 Editorial Review

Cloud86 is an independent Dutch hosting provider founded in 2019 by Maurice Graber and Gideon Vergouwe. The contracting entity is Cloud86 B.V., registered in Drachten, the Netherlands, under Chamber of Commerce number 74718444. Both founders brought substantial earlier hosting experience, and the business was built around a company-controlled server stack rather than a white-label reseller catalog. It grew from 39 customers when active marketing began in 2020 to more than 50,000 customers. Approximately 40 colleagues now work for the company, within a LinkedIn size range of 11–50 employees.

The product line centers on shared web hosting, Managed WordPress, WooCommerce hosting, managed VPS, domains, business email, Microsoft 365, SSL, and an AI Website Builder. There is no conventional unmanaged VPS or dedicated-server range aimed at customers seeking root access at the lowest possible cost. Cloud86 combines infrastructure with management, migration, security, backups, and direct support, making the service more appropriate for small businesses, agencies, freelancers, and online stores than for administrators assembling a completely custom server platform.

Standard web hosting uses SSD storage and the Plesk panel. Start supports two websites, 5 GB storage, ten email accounts, five databases, and 250 GB traffic. Medium raises those limits to five websites, 50 GB, 50 email accounts, ten databases, and unlimited transfer, while Power provides ten websites, 100 GB, unlimited email accounts, twenty databases, and unlimited transfer. All three include SSL, DNS management, webmail, SSH, Git, cron jobs, malware scanning, anti-spam and antivirus protection, and PHP versions from 7.4 through current 8.x releases.

Performance tooling is unusually broad for an entry-level shared range. LiteSpeed web servers, LiteSpeed Cache, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, QUIC.cloud Enterprise CDN access, object caching, optimized database settings, and modern AMD processing underpin the platform. A web application firewall and WebShield add traffic filtering, while two-factor authentication protects account access. This combination reduces the optimization work a WordPress owner must assemble independently. Actual results still depend on theme quality, plug-ins, image weight, database size, visitor geography, and traffic behavior.

Managed WordPress builds on that foundation with more resources and specialist assistance. WordPress Toolkit handles installation, staging, cloning, security hardening, and automatic core, theme, and plug-in updates. Redis, extra PHP workers, twice-daily or more frequent backup schedules on selected packages, and premium WordPress support suit sites where speed and operational help matter more than the lowest monthly rate. Free migration aims to move a site within five days without downtime and carries a nominal value of €75.

The management boundary deserves attention. Cloud86 maintains the hosting platform and helps with its supported WordPress stack, but a site owner remains responsible for content, business logic, administrator passwords, licensed extensions, and safe changes. A vulnerable custom plug-in, an unsuitable theme, or a compromised user account can still cause trouble on well-maintained infrastructure. Staging, automated updates, malware controls, and backups reduce risk without eliminating the need for application governance.

WooCommerce hosting applies the same managed foundation to stores and transactional workloads. Start supports two websites with 10 GB SSD, Medium allows five websites with 50 GB, and Power reaches ten websites with 100 GB. Redis, staging, SSL, security controls, WordPress Toolkit, and responsive technical assistance simplify routine shop maintenance. Merchants retain responsibility for tax rules, payment-provider accounts, checkout configuration, product data, privacy obligations, and regulatory compliance.

Managed VPS is the high-resource option. Start supplies 3 vCPU, 6 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, and 50 GB backup storage. Medium doubles this to 6 vCPU, 12 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, and 100 GB backup capacity. Power includes 8 vCPU, 24 GB RAM, 200 GB SSD, and 200 GB backup storage. Each server permits unlimited websites, email accounts, and traffic under normal-use conditions, while Plesk, LiteSpeed, Redis, WordPress Toolkit, WAF protection, daily backups, monitoring, staging, Git, SSH, and migration are included. CPU, RAM, and SSD can be expanded without replacing the entire service.

This managed model removes much of the routine server-administration burden, but it is not equivalent to an unrestricted hyperscale cloud. Cloud86 controls the operating environment so it can preserve a consistent security and performance baseline. Buyers needing custom kernels, unusual network appliances, hourly ephemeral instances, direct hypervisor functions, or arbitrary software combinations should establish compatibility before ordering. Conversely, a business that wants to host many managed sites without maintaining Linux, Plesk, LiteSpeed, and backup systems can benefit from the integrated approach.

The AI Website Builder runs on WordPress rather than a closed proprietary publishing system. It can generate an initial design, written content, and images, with more than 1,000 templates and responsive editing tools. Because the finished site remains WordPress-based, customers retain a clearer migration path than with a builder that works only on one vendor's platform. Medium includes five websites, 50 GB SSD, 50 mailboxes, and a free domain for the first eligible term; Power increases the allowance to ten websites, 100 GB, and unlimited email accounts.

Domain registration covers hundreds of country-code and generic extensions, including .nl, .com, .be, .eu, .net, .de, .it, .org, .nu, and .info. DNS, transfer, renewal, and holder functions keep a website's namespace with the hosting account. Cloud86 acts as the registration intermediary, so registry eligibility, transfer locks, redemption rules, and irreversible registration costs continue to apply.

Business email offers a lower-complexity alternative to buying a full website package solely for mailboxes. Microsoft 365 adds the Microsoft productivity and collaboration ecosystem for organizations that need it. Separating business mail from the website can be useful when storage, staff access, and continuity requirements differ. Customers should compare mailbox quotas, archive needs, migration work, spam filtering, device setup, and tenant ownership rather than judging email only by its introductory monthly price.

The site operates in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, while product prices use euros. This multilingual reach supports customers outside the Netherlands, although infrastructure remains concentrated in one country rather than spread across a multi-region cloud. Legal identity, contact details, tax registration, and infrastructure ownership are unusually clear for a provider at this price level.