Bluehost vs Cloudways: Features, Pricing and Verdict

Bluehost starts at $3.99 a month with a free domain, while Cloudways starts at $11 a month on a dedicated cloud server. Compare pricing and features.

By Galactic News Editorial · Published 2026-11-13T13:28:56+00:00 · Updated 2026-11-13T13:28:56+00:00

Bluehost vs Cloudways: Features, Pricing and Verdict

Bluehost and Cloudways solve the same problem in very different ways. Bluehost sells simple shared hosting with a fixed monthly price. Cloudways sells managed cloud hosting on servers you choose and resize. Pick Bluehost if you want the cheapest, simplest start for a WordPress site. Pick Cloudways if you want speed, control, and room to grow without changing hosts.

Bluehost vs Cloudways at a glance

The core difference is the hosting model. Bluehost puts your site on a shared server with other sites. Cloudways puts your site on a dedicated cloud server from DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Google Cloud. Shared hosting costs less. Cloud hosting performs better under load. Both include free SSL certificates and one-click WordPress installs. Neither offers a free plan.

Bluehost features and pricing

Bluehost is one of the hosts WordPress.org recommends. Its shared plans run WordPress on NVMe storage. Every plan includes a free SSL certificate and 24/7 support. The Starter plan costs $3.99 per month on a 36-month term. It renews at $9.99 per month. The Business plan costs $6.99 per month to start and renews at $13.99 per month. The eCommerce Essentials plan costs $14.99 per month to start and renews at $21.99 per month. A free domain comes with the first year on most plans. Bluehost also bundles its WonderSuite setup tools. These walk new users through building a site. Staging is included, so you can test changes before they go live. The catch is the renewal jump. The intro price applies only to the first term. After that, you pay the renewal rate. Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting fees. Domain registration fees are not refundable.

Cloudways features and pricing

Cloudways is a managed layer on top of real cloud servers. You pick the provider, the server size, and the location. Cloudways handles setup, security patches, backups, and monitoring. The cheapest server is a 1 GB DigitalOcean Standard box at $11 per month. The same size with NVMe Premium storage costs $14 per month. Vultr and Linode start at $14 per month. AWS starts near $38.56 per month and Google Cloud near $37.33 per month. Billing is hourly, with no contract and no renewal increase. The price you start at is the price you keep paying. Every server includes free SSL, automated backups, a staging environment, and a dedicated firewall. Object Cache Pro is free on servers with 4 GB of RAM or more. Cloudways also sells Autonomous, an autoscaling WordPress line from $99 per month. A 3-day free trial needs no credit card. It does not cover AWS or Google Cloud servers. Cloudways does not include a free domain or email hosting. You buy those elsewhere.

Performance and ease of use

Cloudways has the performance edge. A dedicated cloud server gives your site its own resources. Shared hosting splits resources between many sites. That matters when traffic spikes. Cloudways also offers server-level caching and its Lightning Stack. Bluehost is easier for a complete beginner. Its dashboard guides you from signup to a live site in a few steps. Cloudways asks you to choose a provider and a server size first. That choice confuses some new users. But the Cloudways console is clean once the server exists. Both hosts offer one-click WordPress installs and free migrations. Bluehost includes a free WordPress migration plugin. Cloudways offers one free managed migration per site.

Support, backups and security

Both hosts offer 24/7 support. Bluehost support covers hosting, WordPress, and domain issues by chat and phone. Cloudways support is staffed by engineers around the clock. That matters when a server problem needs a technical answer. Backups work differently on each host. Cloudways runs automated backups and lets you restore with one click. Offsite backup storage costs $0.033 per GB. Bluehost includes backups on its plans too. Check the backup frequency on the plan you pick. Security is solid on both sides. Bluehost includes a free SSL certificate and basic malware protection. Cloudways adds a dedicated firewall and DDoS protection. Its Enterprise CDN add-on starts at $4.99 per domain per month. Neither host offers a free domain email service on the cheapest plan. Cloudways users buy email hosting elsewhere. Bluehost includes email on most shared plans.

Who should choose which host?

Choose Bluehost if you are launching your first site on a tight budget. It is the cheaper entry point. The free domain and guided setup save time and money. Choose Cloudways if your site already gets steady traffic. It is the better pick for WooCommerce stores and client sites. Agencies like the ability to host many sites on one server. Developers like the server choice and staging tools. If you outgrow Bluehost, you will move hosts anyway. Starting on Cloudways avoids that move later. The trade-off is cost. Cloudways starts at $11 per month with no free domain. Bluehost starts at $3.99 per month with a free domain for year one.

Bottom line

Bluehost wins on price and simplicity. Cloudways wins on performance, flexibility, and long-term value. For a first blog or brochure site, Bluehost is the sensible buy. For a store, a busy blog, or an agency portfolio, Cloudways is worth the extra cost. Check the renewal price before you buy either host. The intro rate is never the long-term rate on Bluehost. On Cloudways, the rate you see is the rate you keep. If you are still unsure, start with the cheaper option and move later. A simple site migrates easily. A busy store does not.