Cloudways vs. Bluehost 2025: Which Host is the Best?

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Cloudways vs. Bluehost 2025: Which Host is the Best?

Disclosure: We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see our Disclosure page. Thanks.

When choosing a web hosting provider, understanding the differences between available options can help make the decision easier. Two popular names in the industry are Cloudways and Bluehost. Both offer unique features and benefits, but which one is the best fit for your needs? In this comparison, we will examine Cloudways vs. Bluehost 2025, considering various aspects such as performance, pricing, customer support, features, and more.

Overview of Cloudways and Bluehost

Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that focuses on providing high-performance hosting solutions on top of various cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, and others. It simplifies cloud hosting by offering an intuitive platform with managed services, making cloud hosting more accessible to developers, agencies, and businesses without requiring deep technical knowledge. Cloudways is known for its speed, security, scalability, and flexibility.

Bluehost

Bluehost, on the other hand, is one of the largest and most popular shared hosting providers. It is a part of the Endurance International Group (EIG) and has been around since 2003. It offers various hosting services, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. Bluehost is an officially recommended host by WordPress.org, making it a preferred choice for WordPress users. It provides a user-friendly interface and solid performance at an affordable price.

1. Performance and Speed

Cloudways

Cloudways stands out with its cloud hosting model. It provides high-speed hosting by leveraging leading cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean. These platforms are known for their exceptional reliability and speed. With Cloudways, you get optimized servers, fast data storage options, and CDN integration (through Cloudflare). As Cloudways is based on cloud infrastructure, your website can scale with ease, and resources like CPU and RAM can be adjusted based on traffic requirements.

Cloudways also offers built-in caching technologies like Varnish, Memcached, and Redis to ensure your site loads faster. This is a big advantage, especially for those who are looking to host high-traffic websites or web applications. Since Cloudways provides cloud infrastructure that is distributed globally, your website’s content can be served to visitors from the nearest server, improving response times and performance.

Bluehost

Bluehost, as a shared hosting provider, typically offers good performance for small to medium-sized websites. While its performance is decent, it does not match the high performance of cloud hosting providers like Cloudways. The shared hosting model means that multiple websites share the same server resources, which can lead to performance degradation during traffic spikes.

However, Bluehost offers a free CDN through Cloudflare to help speed up your website. It also uses SSD storage, which helps with faster read/write times compared to traditional hard drives. For larger websites, Bluehost also offers VPS and dedicated hosting plans, which provide more resources and better performance.

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways excels in terms of performance, especially for high-traffic and resource-intensive websites. Its cloud infrastructure gives it a clear edge over Bluehost in this category.

2. Pricing and Value for Money

Cloudways

Cloudways offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model that is transparent and flexible. The pricing depends on the cloud provider you choose, with various options ranging from more affordable ones like DigitalOcean to premium choices like AWS. For instance, DigitalOcean plans start as low as $12 per month, while AWS can cost you upwards of $50 per month.

The flexibility of Cloudways means you only pay for the resources you use, and you can scale up or down as needed. While Cloudways can get pricey, especially with premium cloud providers, it can be a cost-effective solution for websites that require scalable resources.

Bluehost

Bluehost has more traditional pricing, with lower initial costs. Its shared hosting plans start as low as $2.95 per month (with a 36-month contract), making it one of the most affordable options for small businesses and bloggers. However, prices increase upon renewal, so it’s important to consider the long-term cost.

Bluehost also offers VPS hosting starting at $19.99 per month and dedicated hosting from $79.99 per month. These plans give you more control over your hosting environment but come with higher price tags compared to shared hosting.

While Bluehost provides solid value for small websites and beginners, its pricing can become expensive as your website grows, especially if you need more resources.

Winner: Bluehost (for entry-level hosting)

For those with smaller budgets or websites just starting out, Bluehost offers better value for money with its affordable entry-level shared hosting plans. However, for larger, more demanding websites, Cloudways offers better scalability.

3. Ease of Use and Control

Cloudways

Cloudways is designed with developers and tech-savvy users in mind. The platform is user-friendly but assumes a certain level of technical knowledge. The interface is intuitive, and you can quickly deploy servers with one click, but managing advanced cloud hosting configurations may require some experience with cloud computing.

That said, Cloudways offers a managed experience, so you don’t have to worry about updates, server management, or security patches. Their 1-click app installer and team collaboration features make it easier for agencies and teams to work together.

Bluehost

Bluehost is known for its easy-to-use control panel and cPanel, which is one of the most popular hosting control panels available. You don’t need to have technical knowledge to get started, as the platform offers a user-friendly interface, especially for beginners. The process of setting up a website is smooth, and Bluehost provides 1-click WordPress installation and other tools to help users manage their sites with ease.

The downside is that for more advanced features and flexibility, Bluehost can be limiting. If you require deeper customization or have specific needs, Bluehost might feel restrictive compared to Cloudways.

Winner: Bluehost

Bluehost wins this category due to its beginner-friendly interface and control panel, which is perfect for those who don’t want to deal with the complexities of server management.

4. Customer Support

Cloudways

Cloudways offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. Their support team is known for being responsive and knowledgeable, but given the cloud-focused nature of the platform, the support is often more technical. If you encounter an issue with your server, Cloudways provides quick responses, but it may require some technical know-how to fully resolve the issue.

Cloudways also has an extensive knowledge base and a community forum, which provides great resources for troubleshooting common issues.

Bluehost

Bluehost also offers 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, and email. Their support is renowned for being very beginner-friendly, with agents who can help solve common hosting problems quickly. Bluehost also has a large knowledge base with helpful articles and video tutorials for users.

However, while the support is excellent for basic issues, more complex issues might require more specialized attention. Additionally, some users report waiting times during peak hours, although this is typical for most shared hosting providers.

Winner: Bluehost (for ease of use)

For non-technical users and beginners, Bluehost provides better customer support due to its accessible and beginner-friendly assistance.

5. Security Features

Cloudways

Cloudways offers several security features like managed firewalls, two-factor authentication (2FA), free SSL certificates, and automatic security patching. They also provide backups and advanced monitoring tools to ensure that your site remains secure and functional.

Additionally, Cloudways partners with cloud providers that offer high levels of physical security, such as data encryption and security updates at the infrastructure level.

Bluehost

Bluehost also provides robust security features, including free SSL certificates, automatic updates, firewall protection, and site backup options. For advanced security, Bluehost offers SiteLock and CodeGuard, which are paid services for malware removal and website backup.

Overall, Bluehost’s security features are strong but tend to be more basic compared to Cloudways, which offers advanced security management options for cloud environments.

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways offers more comprehensive security measures for cloud hosting environments, making it the winner in this category.

6. Scalability and Flexibility

Cloudways

Cloudways is known for its exceptional scalability and flexibility. Since you’re essentially renting resources from cloud providers, you can scale your server resources easily with just a few clicks. Whether you need to upgrade your RAM, CPU, or storage, Cloudways offers seamless upgrades.

This is ideal for businesses that need to grow quickly or handle fluctuating traffic. You can scale resources without downtime, making Cloudways perfect for large or growing websites.

Bluehost

Bluehost offers scalability, but it is more limited than Cloudways. If you start with shared hosting, you can upgrade to VPS or dedicated hosting as your website grows. However, migrating to these plans may involve more complexity and may not be as seamless as Cloudways’ cloud-based scalability.

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways wins this category due to its superior scalability and flexibility, especially for websites that anticipate rapid growth or need to manage large amounts of traffic.

Conclusion

Cloudways vs. Bluehost 2025: Which Host is the Best?

• Cloudways is the best choice for developers, businesses, and websites that require high performance, scalability, and flexibility. With its cloud infrastructure and premium features, Cloudways is ideal for larger websites and high-traffic applications. If you have technical expertise or are willing to invest in learning the platform, Cloudways can offer unmatched performance and scalability.
• Bluehost, on the other hand, is the better option for beginners, small businesses, and WordPress users looking for ease of use and affordable pricing. Its shared hosting plans are perfect for those just starting out or managing personal websites and blogs.

If you need a simple, budget-friendly hosting solution, Bluehost will meet your needs. However, for those seeking advanced features, performance, and the ability to scale, Cloudways is the superior choice.

Final Verdict: Cloudways wins for performance, scalability, and flexibility, while Bluehost is ideal for beginners seeking an easy-to-use and budget-friendly solution. The best host depends on your specific needs, goals, and the level of technical expertise you have at your disposal.