Last verified 35 days ago·31 sources·Updated automatically
Bluehost and Cloudways compared across Company facts, Pricing, Performance & infrastructure, WordPress management, Support & security and Platform & integrations — every fact sourced and re-verified from each vendor's public material.
Bluehost
Budget-friendly, WordPress.org-recommended hosting aimed at first-time site owners.
DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, VultrCustomer chooses the cloud provider per server; DigitalOcean is the cheapest entry option
Datacenter Locations
—
150150+ data centers in 50+ countries across all five cloud providers
Free CDN
Free CDN included on all plans (Cloudflare-powered)
No
Web Server
Apache
NGINX
Built-in Object Cache
Redis object caching enabled by default on WordPress plans
Redis persistent object cache available at no extra cost
Latest PHP Version
8.4
8.4Up to PHP 8.4 (Debian 11/12 servers); 8.2 default
Free SSL Certificate
Free SSL (Let's Encrypt) on all plans
Free 1-click Let's Encrypt SSL
WordPress management
Automatic WordPress Updates
Managed WordPress core updates included
No
Staging Environments
WordPress staging site included on all plans
Free 1-click staging and cloning
Automatic Daily Backups
Free backups are weekly; daily automatic backups require the paid CodeGuard add-on
Automated daily by default (adjustable to hourly); off-site storage metered
Backup Retention (Days)
—
7 daysDefault 7-day retention; configurable from 1 to 4 weeks
Free Site Migration
Free self-serve WordPress migration tool
Free WordPress Migrator plugin (unlimited) plus one free expert-handled migration per account
SSH & WP-CLI Access
SSH & WP-CLI access included on standard WordPress plans
SSH + pre-installed WP-CLI on all servers; SFTP and Git too
WordPress Multisite Support
—
Cloudways Flexible only (not Autonomous)
Support & security
Uptime SLA (%)
99.99%99.99% uptime SLA (server/Apache performance); remedy is a 5% monthly account credit
99.99%99.99% uptime SLA (covers the Cloudways platform/console, not partner cloud providers)
24/7 Support
24/7 support; chat on all plans, phone added on Business and above
24/7/365 live chat and ticket support on all plans
Malware Removal / Hack Fix
Starter includes malware scanning only; malware detection/removal unlocks on the Business plan and above
No
WAF / DDoS Protection
Web Application Firewall and DDoS protection included on all plans
Built-in WAF included free on all Flexible servers (OWASP rules, IP/country blocking, bot + DoS protection)
Platform & integrations
Control Panel
customBluehost custom dashboard (cPanel available underneath)
customCloudways Platform (custom dashboard; no cPanel)
White-Label / Agency Features
No white-label/client-management tooling on the entry managed WordPress plan
Team roles, project organization, client access control, and automated white-label invoices
Email Hosting Included
Professional email is a paid add-on after a 1-month free trial (~$2.99/mo per mailbox)
No bundled email; optional Rackspace email add-on at $1/mailbox/mo
The verdict
Bluehost
Best for hands-off WordPress with a refund window
Bluehost manages WordPress core updates and bundles a free Cloudflare CDN, neither of which Cloudways offers. Its 30-day money-back guarantee beats Cloudways' pay-as-you-go (no refund, 3-day trial). The tradeoff: the $9.99 Starter caps at 10 sites, ~40k visits, and 10 GB, and daily backups need the paid CodeGuard add-on.
Cloudways' $11 entry plan runs unlimited websites with unmetered visits and 50 GB storage, versus Bluehost's 10-site, 10 GB cap. It adds white-label/client tooling, daily backups by default, multisite, and a choice of five cloud providers across 150+ datacenters. Tradeoffs: no free CDN, no managed updates, and no money-back guarantee.
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