Methodology

How We Test Cloud Hosting Providers

The exact process, tools and scoring weights behind every ranking on this site.

Our 5-step process

1

Sign up with a real, paid account

We purchase the same plan a regular customer would, on the same pricing tier we recommend, rather than requesting a free press account.

2

Deploy a real WordPress test site

A standardised WordPress installation with common plugins is deployed on each host so page-load results are comparable across providers.

3

Run load-time & uptime monitoring

We measure Time to First Byte and full page load from Indian test locations, then monitor uptime continuously over a multi-week period.

4

Evaluate support response

We open real support tickets and live chats with genuine questions, timing first response and resolution quality.

5

Score and cross-check pricing

Each provider is scored against our weighted criteria below, and every listed price is manually verified against the provider's live pricing page.

How we weigh the final score

Every provider's /5 editor score is a weighted average across five categories.

Performance (speed, TTFB) 30%
Uptime reliability 25%
Price & renewal transparency 20%
Support quality 15%
Features & ease of use 10%

Tools we test with

GTmetrix & PageSpeed Insights

Used to benchmark load times and Core Web Vitals on each test site.

UptimeRobot

Continuous uptime monitoring across a multi-week testing window per provider.

k6 load testing

Simulated traffic spikes to see how each plan handles concurrent visitors.

Manual pricing audits

Direct comparison against each provider's live checkout page, rechecked on a rolling schedule.

How often we re-test

Hosting changes constantly. Prices increase, data centres are added, support quality changes and infrastructure improves. Every provider featured on Best Cloud Hosting India is re-tested on a rolling basis, with pricing reviewed monthly and performance benchmarks refreshed throughout the year.