Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform (acquired by DigitalOcean in 2022) that lets users deploy WordPress on infrastructure from DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or Linode. Unlike Kinsta or WP Engine, Cloudways does not bundle any email sending capability by default. WordPress’s wp_mail() function will attempt to use PHP mail(), but on most Cloudways servers, port 25 is blocked by the underlying cloud provider, so default outbound email simply fails.
Email on Cloudways requires explicit configuration via one of two platform addons, or a third-party service configured through a WordPress SMTP plugin.
Plans start at $11/month (DigitalOcean 1GB, monthly billing).
Email on Cloudways
The default: nothing works
Out of the box, Cloudways servers do not send email reliably. PHP mail() is available in theory, but outbound port 25 is blocked on most cloud providers (DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, Vultr). Password resets, form submissions, and order confirmations will fail silently unless email is explicitly configured.
This is the most important thing to know about email on Cloudways: it requires setup. Operators migrating from shared hosting (where email typically works by default) will encounter this immediately.
Addon option 1: Elastic Email
Cloudways offers a built-in Elastic Email addon, activated through the platform dashboard. Elastic Email is a third-party transactional and marketing email service integrated at the platform level. Pricing starts at $0.10/month for small volumes; higher tiers scale with usage. The addon configures the SMTP connection automatically.
SMTP connection uses port 587 or 2525 (not port 25).
Addon option 2: Custom SMTP
The Custom SMTP addon lets operators connect any third-party email provider (Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, SMTP2GO, Gmail) through the Cloudways platform layer. The operator provides the SMTP credentials; Cloudways configures the server to route outbound email through that provider.
Option 3: WordPress SMTP plugin
The addon system is optional. Any WordPress SMTP plugin (WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP, Post SMTP) can connect to an external relay directly. Ports 587 and 2525 are open; port 465 availability depends on the cloud provider. API-based sending (HTTP) always works regardless of port restrictions.
What Cloudways does not provide
Any email by default. No relay, no MailChannels equivalent, no PHP mail() that works. This is the key difference from Kinsta (MailChannels included) and SiteGround (full email hosting included).
Email hosting (mailboxes). No email accounts, no IMAP/POP3, no forwarding. Domain email requires a separate provider.
Email monitoring. No logs, no bounce tracking, no delivery analytics from the platform. The Elastic Email addon provides its own dashboard; Custom SMTP relies on the external provider’s tools.
When to add email
Always. There is no "when" – email on Cloudways must be configured from day one. The choice is between the Elastic Email addon (simplest, integrated), the Custom SMTP addon (BYO provider through the platform), or a WordPress plugin (most flexible, provider-agnostic).
For most WordPress sites, a dedicated relay (Postmark, SMTP2GO, Mailgun) configured via an SMTP plugin is the best approach. The Elastic Email addon is a reasonable alternative for operators who prefer platform-level configuration.