Bluehost or Cloudways: Why Choose Us?
Bluehost gives you powerful WordPress hosting without any complexity. Get transparent pricing, built-in tools and expert support without needing developer-level knowledge.
Faster performance
NVMe SSDs, Oracle Cloud infrastructure and Cloudflare CDN with a 99.99% uptime.
AI-powered site creation
Launch WordPress sites quickly with built-in AI tool; no cloud configuration required.
Built for WordPress
Officially recommended by WordPress.org with 24/7 available WordPress-trained experts.
Up To
60% off*
Plans start at $6.99/month as compared to Cloudways’ $28/month starting price.
Excellent value
Free domain, SSL, backups, security, migrations and staging included; no multi-part billing.
Feature Comparison:
Bluehost vs Cloudways
Compare Bluehost and Cloudways based on pricing, performance, scalability and ease of use. Discover how Bluehost offers enterprise performance without enterprise complexity.
Promotional prices apply to your first term. Renewal rates vary by provider and are shown at checkout. Data as of February 2025.
COMPARISON WITH KEY COMPETITORS
Bluehost delivers speed
We believe in speed, and we have the data to prove it. WPShout’s November 2025 hosting comparison shows Bluehost delivering faster load times than most hosts tested — clocking in at just 0.35s in the US.
US load time comparison (Lower is better)
In-depth comparison:Bluehost vs Cloudways
Choosing between Bluehost and Cloudways goes beyond price. The real differences show when you compare how each host performs for small businesses, how they handle WordPress setup and what you get as your site grows. The sections below break down every major hosting factor, so you can see where each provider stands and why Bluehost is often the stronger choice for simplicity, value and long-term growth..
1. Pricing transparency and value
Bluehost pricing starts at $6.99/month with renewal at $13.99/month. You see exactly what you're paying from the start, with everything included: domain, SSL certificate, backups, security tools and AI website builder. No hidden costs or complex calculations required.
Cloudways employs multi-tier pricing starting at $28/month for their managed layer, requiring separate costs for your cloud provider choice (DigitalOcean, AWS or Google Cloud). This complexity often confuses small business owners seeking transparent monthly expenses. Understanding Cloudways pros and cons reveals that while performance is solid, the pricing structure demands technical knowledge to estimate true costs accurately.
Verdict: Bluehost delivers transparent, all-inclusive pricing ideal for small businesses. Cloudways requires technical expertise to navigate multi-part pricing effectively.
2. Ease of setup and management
Bluehost focuses on getting your WordPress site live quickly. Our onboarding includes automatic WordPress installation, AI-powered site creation and guided setup that works perfectly for complete beginners. Everything connects seamlessly from our hosting and domain to email and website tools to work effortlessly.
Cloudways targets developers and agencies wanting cloud performance without server management complexity. While it simplifies raw cloud hosting, it still requires more technical knowledge than traditional shared hosting. You'll need to understand cloud providers, server resources and managed services architecture.
Verdict: Bluehost wins for simplicity and beginner-friendliness. Cloudways suits users comfortable with cloud hosting concepts.
3. WordPress optimization and tools
As an official WordPress.org recommended provider, Bluehost includes WordPress-specific tools like one-click installation, automatic updates, Yoast SEO integration and staging environments. Our AI website builder creates WordPress sites optimized for both performance and SEO from day one.
Cloudways delivers excellent WordPress performance through managed cloud infrastructure and advanced caching tools. However, it lacks WordPress-specific features like AI site creation, built-in SEO tools or the streamlined WordPress experience beginners need. This makes Cloudways vs Bluehost comparisons favor us for WordPress-focused users.
Verdict: Bluehost provides a complete WordPress ecosystem with integrated tools and support. Cloudways offers performance but requires separate tools for full WordPress functionality.
4. Scalability and resource allocation
Bluehost's WordPress Hosting Business plan supports up to 50 websites with 50GB NVMe storage and capacity for 200k monthly visits. This clear resource allocation helps you plan growth without surprise overage fees or complex calculations.
Cloudways provides flexible scaling across multiple cloud providers, allowing granular server resource adjustments as needed. This cloud-native approach offers more control but requires ongoing resource monitoring and management.
Verdict: Cloudways provide advanced scaling flexibility. Bluehost offers simpler, more transparent scaling for most small businesses.
5. Support and expertise
Bluehost provides 24/7 support through chat, phone and email with WordPress-trained specialists. Our support team understands common WordPress issues, plugin conflicts and website growth challenges that small businesses face daily.
Cloudways offers 24/7 platform support with paid higher-tier support options available. Their team focuses on managed cloud hosting rather than WordPress-specific guidance, which works well for technical users but may not address beginner WordPress questions comprehensively.
Verdict: Bluehost offers more comprehensive WordPress support for growing businesses. Cloudways provides good technical support for cloud hosting management.
6. Security and maintenance
Bluehost includes automatic malware detection and removal, DDoS protection, free SSL certificates and weekly backups (daily on higher tiers). Our security features work automatically without requiring technical configuration or ongoing management.
Cloudways includes managed security through caching tools and staging environments, but security specifics depend on your chosen cloud provider. You may need additional security services or configurations for complete protection, making it a less turnkey Cloudways alternative.
Verdict: Bluehost provides comprehensive, automatic security for non-technical users. Cloudways requires more security management depending on cloud provider choice.
7. Long-term value and growth
Bluehost renewal pricing at $13.99/month remains significantly lower than Cloudways' starting price, making us more cost-effective long-term. The included features like domain, SSL, backups, security and AI tools eliminate additional service costs as your business grows and scales.
Cloudways' value increases with technical complexity and high-traffic requirements. For developers managing multiple client sites or businesses with specific cloud preferences, the performance and flexibility justify the higher cost. This represents a key consideration in any Bluehost vs Cloudways evaluation.
Verdict: Bluehost delivers better long-term value for most small businesses. Cloudways provides value for technical users with specific cloud performance needs.
8. Migration and onboarding experience
Bluehost offers free website migration services with expert assistance to transfer your existing sites seamlessly. Our guided onboarding process includes tutorials, setup wizards and dedicated support to ensure your transition is smooth and stress-free, regardless of your technical experience level.
Cloudways provides migration plugins and some assisted migration options, but the process often requires more technical knowledge to navigate properly. The cloud infrastructure setup adds complexity to the onboarding experience, which may challenge users unfamiliar with cloud hosting environments.
Bluehost excels at hassle-free migration and onboarding for all skill levels. Cloudways migration works best for technically experienced users.
Pros & Cons Summary
A quick look at where each host stands, so you can compare Bluehost and Cloudways pros and cons at a glance.
Included in all our hosting plans
NVMe SSD storage
High-throughput storage accelerates logs, queues, and databases for snappy virtual servers.
SSL certificate
& malware scanning
Enterprise-level security to safeguard your site against cyberattacks.
Automatic backups
Your site is backed up regularly, so you can quickly restore your content if something goes wrong.
Unmetered
bandwidth
Move data freely without surprise overage fees.
AI-powered
site creation tools
Zero coding knowledge required to launch your own website in minutes.
Automatic WordPress updates
We keep WordPress updated for you, helping your site stay secure, stable, and running smoothly.
Domain Name (1st year)
A uniquely branded web address for greater credibility and memorability
CDN and
caching
Lightning-fast load times for prospects and customers, anywhere in the world.
24/7 Expert
Support
Real humans, real help, whenever you need it
Trusted by more than 5 million customers across the world
This was a Difficult time with access…
This was a Difficult time with access my contact with you took effort for being in communication with what haD been difficult for my inability to get across the effective you work f for me. Thank you
Thank you
Thank you! The service and assistance are great! Highly recommend!
Ameen was very helpful and had a great…
Ameen was very helpful and had a great attitude. He resolved my issue quickly and professionally. I really appreciate his help.
Great once you get the right person.
The first two people couldn’t help me. They just referred me to the pricing page. But, Joel, on my third attempt was awesome. I opened an account and now I’m building my site.
This review is overdue from 2013 actually
This review is overdue, sorry about that. Years ago I was the webmaster for a Messianic Rabbi in Chicago. I took his notes and mp3 audio files, after sermons and bible studies, that he sent me by email and put them on a WordPress website. The site grew over the years and the host organization that gave us hosting for free, for years, was loosing it's network administrator. We needed to find another host. I did a Google search on sites that host WordPress websites and Bluehost came up. Trustpilot had good ratings and I talked to sales and told them the specifics and the price quoted was reasonable. Their technical support team was awesome. They transferred the website and all the content from the old host to their site after I provided ftp login credentials. Everything went smoothly thanks to their help. The website is still functioning well and I haven't had any problems to date in all these years. I'm in the process of becoming an affiliate for Bluehost because of my great experience with y'all.
Great Assistance
The assistant was very knowledgeable and patient with me. Was a very good experience and the issue was resolved prefectly.
The Bluehost representative in a long…
The Bluehost representative in a long phone call was excellent, knowledgeable and patient. I have no technology expertise and she walked me through all my questions and resolved my issues.
Live agent was super knowledgeable and…
Live agent was super knowledgeable and helped me set up proper FTP info to help make the handshake with Sucuri
After a deeply annoying banking scam
After a deeply annoying banking scam, my accounts were locked out, thus my domains never renewed. Through a very efficient, polite and thoughtful operative, Bluehost cut to the chase and sorted it for me in next to no time. That's why I stay with them. When things are broken, they fix them rapido. Thank you.
My experience with AI was just okay
My experience with AI was just okay; while it did provide information regarding my issue, human interaction proved much more useful for the specific problem I was facing.
Once again the Bluehost Pro WordPress…
Once again the Bluehost Pro WordPress Live team solved some complicated issues with the placement, design, lettering, coding, etc., to a platform developed 8 years ago merging in new content seamlessly. I cannot say enough about the associate who worked on the issues with me, his technical skills, patience, and importantly he "heard" what I was trying to accomplish delivering the best possible product . Thank you Bluehost!
Domain Transfer
Great experience with Bluehost support! I contacted them regarding a domain transfer issue, and the agent was extremely helpful, professional, and resolved my problem quickly. Highly recommended!
instead of making me go to your website…
instead of making me go to your website to change my password, she did it for me...I'm 88 yrs old & I really appreciate the extra effort!!!
The assisting agent was very friendly and knowledgeable
The assisting agent was very knowledgable and resolved my issue in a timely manner, better than an AI agent I chatted on the phone with.
The Bluehost.com specialist's assistance was remarkable!
The Bluehost.com specialist's assistance in helping me correct my error in setting up a mistaken domain was excellent beyond words. His professionalism was remarkable, and his professionalism set me at ease instantly. Thank you very much and I will be certain to share my exciting experience with others.
Stan in hosting support was the best…
Stan in hosting support was the best agent I have ever worked with in my almost 4-5 years of using this company. He was able to solve my issue in 1 chat when it usually takes 24+ hours and multiple chats to fix correctly. Way to go, Stan!
Although you encourage callers to avail…
Although you encourage callers to avail ourselves of your AI, I preferred to speak with a human. I spoke with Cha today. She was wonderful and provided the kind of assistance I've come to expect from Bluehost. She quickly guided me through what I needed to do and solved my problem. Thank you, Bluehost!
I have positive experience today with…
I have positive experience today with the specialist and tech support. I need to rebuild my site but do not want to edit my live site. The specialist checked my storage and said I don't need to buy more space because I have plenty left. I later spoke with tech support and was given good advice to use my staging site as the temporary space to work on my new site while leaving the live site untouched. The staging site gave me an error while trying to "edit site". Tech support rep went ahead and fix it and I'm able to go in and build my new site. They were courteous on the phone and the conversation was pleasant.
I run two non profit organizations…
I run two non profit organizations websites. Bluehost has been very helpful with me on getting these sites up and running and maintaining them for the long haul. I highly recommend them.
Very helpful
great experience knowledgable and patient live chat, issues sorted
FAQs: Bluehost vs Cloudways
Which offers high value at good price - Bluehost or Cloudways?
Bluehost WordPress Hosting Business plan starts at $6.99/month with all-inclusive features, while Cloudways Small plan costs $28/month plus you have to pay cloud infrastructure costs. Bluehost offers better value for small businesses with transparent pricing and no hidden fees.
Is Cloudways or Bluehost better for beginners?
Bluehost is ideal for beginners with one-click WordPress installation, intuitive control panel and 24/7 support. Cloudways requires technical knowledge for server management, making it less beginner-friendly despite its flexibility.
Does Cloudways include a free domain like Bluehost?
No, Cloudways doesn't include a free domain name. Bluehost provides a free domain for the first year with hosting plans, plus free SSL certificates and email accounts, offering more complete value.
What are the main disadvantages of Cloudways?
Cloudways cons include higher total costs, no domain registration, complex server management, separate email hosting and steeper learning curve. These factors make it less suitable for beginners seeking simple, all-in-one hosting solutions.
Can I migrate from Cloudways to Bluehost?
Yes, Bluehost offers free WordPress migration services with expert assistance. Our team handles the complete transfer process, ensuring zero downtime and seamless transition from Cloudways to Bluehost's managed hosting environment.
Which offers better performance - Bluehost or Cloudways?
Both platforms deliver excellent performance. Bluehost provides enterprise-grade Oracle Cloud infrastructure with Cloudflare CDN and resource protection, delivering fast load times at a fraction of Cloudways' cost with simpler management.
Does Cloudways provide 24/7 support like Bluehost?
Cloudways offers live chat support but lacks phone support. Bluehost provides comprehensive 24/7 customer support through phone, chat and email with WordPress-trained specialists, ensuring immediate assistance whenever you need it.
Is Bluehost a good alternative to Cloudways?
Bluehost is an excellent Cloudways alternative for users seeking simplicity, affordability and comprehensive features. With WordPress.org recommendation, managed hosting and lower costs, Bluehost delivers enterprise performance without complexity.