Last verified 34 days ago·36 sources·Updated automatically
Cloudways and DreamHost 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.
Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting that runs WordPress on your choice of DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud. Owned by DigitalOcean.
1-Click Staging with push-to-live, on every DreamPress plan.
Automatic Daily Backups
Automated daily by default (adjustable to hourly); off-site storage metered
Automatic daily backups with one-click restore.
Backup Retention (Days)
7 daysDefault 7-day retention; configurable from 1 to 4 weeks
14 daysDreamPress 1 retains 14 days of daily backups (30 days on DreamPress 5 and above).
Free Site Migration
Free WordPress Migrator plugin (unlimited) plus one free expert-handled migration per account
Free professional migrations (one per included site) plus a free WordPress migration plugin.
SSH & WP-CLI Access
SSH + pre-installed WP-CLI on all servers; SFTP and Git too
SSH/shell access with WP-CLI on DreamPress.
WordPress Multisite Support
Cloudways Flexible only (not Autonomous)
WordPress Multisite (Network) is not supported on DreamPress.
Support & security
Uptime SLA (%)
99.99%99.99% uptime SLA (covers the Cloudways platform/console, not partner cloud providers)
100%100% uptime guarantee (service-credit remedy)
24/7 Support
24/7/365 live chat and ticket support on all plans
24/7/365 support from in-house, US-based WordPress experts.
Malware Removal / Hack Fix
No
No free hack-fix/malware-removal guarantee; DreamShield (scan/alert) and DreamCare (repair) are paid add-ons.
WAF / DDoS Protection
Built-in WAF included free on all Flexible servers (OWASP rules, IP/country blocking, bot + DoS protection)
Built-in Web Application Firewall + DDoS protection, included at no extra cost.
Platform & integrations
Control Panel
customCloudways Platform (custom dashboard; no cPanel)
customDreamHost's own custom panel (not cPanel/Plesk).
White-Label / Agency Features
Team roles, project organization, client access control, and automated white-label invoices
Agency Partner Program is referral/commission/discounts + priority support — no white-label, sub-account, or client-billing tooling.
Email Hosting Included
No bundled email; optional Rackspace email add-on at $1/mailbox/mo
Unlimited mailboxes at your domain included with DreamPress.
The verdict
Cloudways
Best for agencies and multi-site builders
Starts at $11/mo with 50 GB storage versus DreamHost's $19.99 and 15 GB, and adds what DreamHost lacks: WordPress Multisite, white-label and client-billing tooling, and a choice of five clouds across 150+ datacenters. A 3-day free trial needs no card. Trade-offs: no free CDN, no automatic core updates, no bundled email.
Covers extras Cloudways charges for or omits: free Bunny CDN, included unlimited email, automatic WordPress core updates, PHP 8.5, and 14-day backups versus Cloudways' 7. A 30-day money-back guarantee beats the 3-day trial, and uptime is a 100% guarantee. Limits: one site and 15 GB on entry, no Multisite, no agency white-label tooling.
cbinsights.comen.wikipedia.orglinkedin.comcloudways.comdreamhost.comsupport.cloudways.com+ 1 more
Affiliate disclosure. DecisionWire may earn a commission when you sign up through links on this page. Commissions never influence our data, scores, or rankings.
