Softplorer Logo

Affiliate links present. Disclosure

Bluehost vs Cloudways

Bluehost
VS
Cloudways
Bluehost
Cloudways

WordPress Bundle vs. Managed Cloud Platform

Fact-checked and maintained by Softplorer Research

Bluehost
Cloudways

Ease of Use

8.0
6.4

Performance

3.7
4.9

Reliability

2.7
7.5

Scalability

2.7
7.5

Dev Control

1.7
5.2

Support

4.6
4.4

Value

5.4
6.1
Bluehost leads in 2Cloudways leads in 5
Feature
Bluehost
Cloudways
Managed WordPress
✕
✓
WordPress-only
✕
✕
Staging included
✕
✓
Email hosting
✓
✕
LiteSpeed server
✕
✕
Phone support
✓
✕
Root/SSH access
✕
✕
Eco credentials
✕
✕

Quick pick

→ Bluehost is the simpler route for a WordPress-first website that benefits from a bundled domain, CDN, migration, and staging workflow.

→ Cloudways is the stronger fit when infrastructure choice and managed server scaling matter more than an all-in-one website package.

Bluehost and Cloudways both simplify WordPress operations, but they simplify different layers. Bluehost sells a packaged WordPress hosting plan with domain, CDN, updates, staging, and support. Cloudways manages the application and server layer on top of external cloud infrastructure.

If you choose Bluehost

What you get

Bluehost's current WordPress plans include a free domain for the first year, SSL, CDN, managed WordPress updates, staging, SSH/WP-CLI, migration tooling, and backup features. The account model is built around launching and managing websites rather than choosing an IaaS provider.

What you give up

You trade away some infrastructure-level choice. Cloudways lets you select AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Linode, or Vultr and scale the managed server around the applications that run on it.

If you choose Cloudways

What you get

Cloudways combines third-party cloud compute with a managed application stack, staging, backups, monitoring, security controls, and 24/7 support. Multiple applications can share a server subject to its resources, which is useful for agencies or teams managing several PHP workloads.

What you give up

Cloudways expects you to think in terms of servers, providers, application placement, and resource scaling. Bluehost is simpler when the goal is a packaged WordPress site with mainstream hosting conveniences rather than a managed cloud operations layer.

Explore each provider in detail

Compare a different pair

Not sure yet?

Related comparisons

Explore related categories