Cloudways vs WP Engine
- ✦ Managed Hosting
- ✦ 1-Click Install
- ✦ Free Migration
- ✦ Managed WordPress
- ✦ Genesis Framework
- ✦ Free CDN
Cloudways and WP Engine are both Cloud Hosting tools. Cloudways starts at $11/mo, WP Engine at $30/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Cloudways vs WP Engine
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Cloudways' Automated Backups run daily, letting hosting resellers roll back corrupted updates in under 5 minutes with a single restore action.
Automated Backups run hourly with no setup, satisfying HIPAA and SOC 2 audits. Point-in-time restoration can recover a compromised site in under 3 minutes.
Cloudways' 1-Click Install provisions WordPress with Free SSL pre-enabled and a Staging Environment ready for review - all in under 2 minutes.
Dev/Stage/Prod clones production data for safe plugin and theme testing before a single-click promotion - cutting post-launch bug reports by 87% for one agency.
Page Performance monitoring shows global load times in real time, while Free CDN distributes assets worldwide without per-gigabyte costs or edge infrastructure.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
Cloudways Plans
Paid plans only
DigitalOcean Standard 1GB
$11/moBest for: This entry-level plan is ideal for small websites or testing environments, offering a cost-effective start on DigitalOcean.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Vultr Standard 1GB
$14/moBest for: An affordable Vultr option for basic hosting needs, offering a balance of performance and cost for smaller projects.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Linode 1GB
$14/moBest for: A solid choice for those preferring Linode, providing reliable hosting for small to medium-sized websites at a competitive price.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
Vultr High-Frequency 1GB
$16/moBest for: Recommended for users prioritizing CPU performance, this Vultr plan offers better speed for slightly higher cost than standard.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
WP Engine Plans
Paid plans only
Startup
$30/site/moBest for: Small sites / blogs
- ✓1 WordPress site
- ✓25,000 monthly visitors
- ✓10 GB storage
- ✓75 GB bandwidth
- ✓24/7 chat support
Professional
$55/site/moBest for: Building brand
- ✓3 WordPress sites
- ✓75,000 monthly visitors
- ✓15-20 GB storage
- ✓150-200 GB bandwidth
- ✓24/7 phone and chat support
Growth
$109/site/moBest for: Growing business
- ✓10 WordPress sites
- ✓100,000 monthly visitors
- ✓20-30 GB storage
- ✓240-400 GB bandwidth
- ✓24/7 phone and chat support
Scale
$276/site/moBest for: Higher capacity
- ✓30 WordPress sites
- ✓400,000 monthly visitors
- ✓50 GB storage
- ✓550 GB bandwidth
- ✓Enhanced security features (WAF, advanced threat protection)
Capability Breakdown
2 differences found across 18 standardized features
- •Managed Hosting
- •1-Click Install
- •Free SSL
- •Free Migration
- •Staging Environment
- •CDN
- •Automated Backups
- •Server Monitoring
- •PHP Apps Support
- •WordPress Optimization
- •Team Collaboration
- •SFTP/SSH Access
- •24/7 Support
- •Git Deployment
- •CloudwaysBot
- •Managed WordPress
- •Genesis Framework
- •Free SSL
- •Free CDN
- •Automated Backups
- •Staging
- •Dev/Stage/Prod
- •Page Performance
- •Themes
- •PHP Upgrades
- •Git Integration
- •SSH Gateway
- •24/7 Support
- •Threat Detection
- •Global Edge Security
- •REST API
- •Git Push Deploy
- •CLI
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Choice of 3 top IaaS providers (DO, AWS, GCE)
- +Pay-as-you-go pricing with no long-term contracts
- +Built-in advanced caching (Varnish, Memcached, Redis)
- +Free SSL, migrations, and staging for all applications
- +Vertical scaling allows resizing servers with one click
- −No root access, limiting advanced server configurations
- −Email hosting is not included; requires a separate add-on
- −No domain registration service; must use a third-party registrar
- −Support can be slow unless you purchase a premium support plan
- −No cPanel; uses a proprietary, less familiar control panel
- +Genesis Framework & premium themes included ($2,000+ value)
- +Proprietary EverCache technology for extreme speed & scalability
- +Automated plugin updates with AI-powered visual regression testing
- +Integrated local development tools (Local) for streamlined workflows
- +24/7 expert WordPress support with fast response times
- −Strict disallowed plugins list can limit customization options
- −No email hosting included; requires a separate third-party service
- −Premium pricing; significantly more expensive than shared hosting
- −Overage charges for exceeding visitor or storage limits can be costly
- −No cPanel; relies on a proprietary user portal which can be a learning curve
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Cloudways added a new "DigitalOcean Premium 4GB" plan at $50/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Cloudways lowered "Google Cloud Small" from $37.45/mo to $37.33/mo (0%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways lowered "AWS Small" from $38.56/mo to $20.56/mo (-47%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 4GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 1GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
WP Engine removed the "Custom" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
WP Engine added a new "Enterprise" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
WP Engine added a new "Core Hosting" plan at $400/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
WP Engine raised "Scale" from $193/mo to $276/mo (+43%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
WP Engine raised "Growth" from $77/mo to $109/mo (+42%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
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Sources & Data Trail · WP Engine
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-02)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.4/5 · 337 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.5/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.StackShare·StackShare developer community