What is cloud hosting?
Cloud hosting runs your server on a big pool of machines. You can make it bigger or smaller in minutes, and you pay by the hour or the month. If one machine fails, your server moves to another.
Cloud servers suit apps, test setups and sites with busy days. Many providers also sell storage, databases and load balancers on the same bill.
How to compare cloud hosting prices
Compare the monthly price for the same RAM and CPU. Then check what is extra: backups, more traffic, a fixed IP and snapshots can add a few dollars each.
Look at the CPU type too. Shared cores are cheap and fine for most sites. Dedicated cores cost more and give steady speed for heavy work.
Cloud server or VPS?
A cloud server and a VPS feel much the same once you log in. The cloud server is easier to grow and to bill by the hour. A VPS is often cheaper for the same RAM if you keep it for a year.