This article will compare the two popular managed WordPress hosting service providers, Cloudways Vs BlueHost.
Also, I shall give a verdict at the end of each section to decide on the service provider, and hence, it would help you choose the ideal one for your business site or blog.
Most service providers, including CloudWays and BlueHost, tend to offer extraordinary performance with shared resources. However, when you look at the technicalities, they vary significantly. If that sounds like why you chose one of them, this article is for you.
Bluehost and Cloudways have tons of customers and introduce new features quickly to attract customers. But, their success levels in such attempts are often not considered.
Cloudways Vs Bluehost – Rapid Fast Comparison
Features | Cloudways | Bluehost |
Managed Site Migration | Free | Free |
Built-In CDN | Yes | Free CDN included |
SSL | Free | Free SSL Certificate |
SSD Based Servers | Yes | Yes |
SSD Storage | Basic Plan 25GB | Basic Plan 50GB |
Free Domain | No | 1 Year |
Backup | Free Automated Backup | Available in recommended plan |
Built-In Advanced Cache | Yes | No |
1-Click App Install | Yes | Yes |
Free Trial | Yes | 30 days Money Back Guarantee |
Support | 24/7/365 Available | 24/7 Support |
PHP Apps Supported | Yes | Yes |
Why Cloudways Instead Of BlueHost?
I’d blindly go with Cloudways for six reasons when you think of managed WordPress hosting.
- Speed of servers – Since Cloudways has over 50 data centers and advanced hosting servers with advanced caching, SSD technology, and inbuilt CDN, it outranks any other managed WordPress hosting service provider. Besides, it has recently introduced an Autonomous plan to handle the traffic spike websites.
- No compromise on features – When you compare Cloudways vs Bluehost, you can notice that Cloudways allows users to customize servers, choose between infrastructures, offer a 1-click customization feature, application cloning, and easy server transfers that Bluehost does not offer.
- Straightforward pricing – Although Bluehost offers WordPress-optimized hosting with affordable pricing plans, the advanced plan seems to match its basic plan. In other words, the pricing plans are straightforward, but Bluehost doesn’t seem to add much value.
- High-class security – Dedicated firewalls for regular updates and patches, two-factor authentication to identify suspicious login attempts, Database security to prevent unauthorized access, and single server application isolation are the remarkable Cloudways safety features unseen in BlueHost hosting.
- Self Migration – You don’t need the technical support team to move your site from the current host to Cloudways. Through the Migrator plugin, you can migrate your site without any trouble. This unique feature is not available in BlueHost.
- CDN & Cache Plugin – Cloudways offers powerful yet affordable CDN to quickly deliver your site content to your audience. Moreover, it provides the cache plugin Breeze for ultra-fast performance. These qualities are yet to be included in BlueHost.
Why Bluehost Over Cloudways?
Bluehost is everywhere! When you ask a novice blogger or an affiliate about a hosting provider, Bluehost would be the choice. This is because of its nominal features and extremely affordable pricing.
I would recommend Bluehost only for two reasons!
1. Free Domain – BlueHost gives you a free domain for one year, whereas, in Cloudways, you have to buy a domain name from a service provider like GoDaddy or Namecheap.
2. Marketing Tools – If you are keenly interested in getting a suite of marketing and SEO tools, you may go with BlueHost hosting. Here, you will get SEO recommendations, Analytics insights, Business reviews, and Social network management.
Cloudways vs Bluehost – A Detailed Comparison
We had a quick comparison to decide the hosting server for your site or blog. Now, let me compare the essential factors of Cloudways Vs Bluehost to help you buy the ideal server.
1. Speed
Speed is a primary factor influencing the success of a website. Whether you run an independent blog or a digital agency, the speed of your site is based on the server’s infrastructure. If you fail to choose the ideal server configuration, it can impact Google ranking.
Cloudways
The most exciting aspect of this managed cloud hosting that makes it unique and widely chosen among digital experts is its speed. The fast-loading servers allow your sites to get loaded in a jiffy. I have tried this with sites containing thousands of pages to determine if the loading speed is the same. To my surprise, it is YES.
The time to first byte (TTFB) of Cloudways is at least four faster than that of Bluehost. Pingdom load time for a site hosted on Cloudways indicates that the site loads five times faster than Bluehost.
Some reasons for Cloudways to outrank Bluehost are
SSD Servers – Cloudways prioritizes upgrading SSD servers and has recently issued Vultr HF, which uses NVMe storage and 3.8 GHz processes that other providers cannot match.
Inbuilt caching – Cloudways has built-in caching, allowing servers to load sites at lightning speed. It makes use of Varnish, Redis, Nginx, and Memcached systems.
Content delivery network – A good content delivery network (CDN) can enhance connection speeds and accessibility. With Cloudway’s data center present worldwide, there is NO WAITING TIME. Also, Cloudways makes use of its own CDN.
You may look at the speed performance of this blog – WPGLOSSY, hosted on Cloudways!
Bluehost
Bluehost has improved its server speeds but seems insufficient for sites containing thousands of pages.
SSD has a reliable solid-state storage system to enhance the site’s performance.
Cache – Bluehost follows a multi-layer caching system.
CDN – Bluehost maintains an established CDN from Cloudflare to enhance the speed performance.
Here is the speed score of our niche blog hosted on the BlueHost server!
Speed Test Score | Cloudways | Bluehost |
GTMetrix | 100% | 94% |
Loading Time | 0.461ms | 1.4s |
Winner – Cloudways
Verdict
The server capability and features of Cloudways to promote speed outperform Bluehost. My choice and recommendation for super fast site loading is Cloudways.
2. Security
Another key feature of a website is security. This is linked to the server quality and the effort taken by the hosting service provider to maintain the upkeep of this server.
A service provider needs to upgrade algorithms and introduce newer firewalls to detect and mitigate security threats when it comes to security.
Cloudways and Bluehost are constantly focusing on establishing a secure environment for the welfare of the users. Both service providers also issue free SSL certificates.
Cloudways
As Cloudways focuses on advancing features and enabling users to expand businesses, it prioritizes security and has a state-of-the-art security system.
It contains several firewalls, follows a two-factor authentication protocol, and provides database security. Most importantly, the security infrastructure has DDoS protection, so your site never falls short of service.
Bluehost
Bluehost includes malware scanning, and automatic protection features via the Jetpack plugin. Further, an Akismet anti-spam protection facility is open to users to activate automatically. The downside of Bluehost is that there is no dedicated firewall protection system, which may lead to malicious attacks.
Winner – Cloudways
Verdict
Cloudways continues to score in terms of security due to its extra effort to offer firewall and intrusion detection systems to control malware and third-party attacks.
3. Performance
Every penny that we spend needs to have some value. The hosting service provider must perform exceptionally well to reduce data and infrastructure-based vulnerabilities.
A website’s performance relates to reliability, versatility, security, usability, and maintainability. There’s more to performance, but let’s limit these areas and find out which one will win Cloudways vs Bluehost.
Cloudways
Cloudways maintains 100% uptime consistently because of the widespread availability of data centers worldwide. The key locations include the Middle East, South America, Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia.
Internal caching tools such as PHP-FPM, Memcached, and Varnish allow Cloudways to ensure faster web page delivery. Thunderstruck server software is overloaded with web tools like MySQL, Nginx, MariaDB, and Apache that guarantee incredible performance.
The uptime score of our blog has always maintained 100%, and we haven’t faced any downtime issues till now!
Bluehost
Bluehost has limited data centers, and the exact location is unknown. When your visitor is from a region far away from the hosted data center, it can increase the loading time and lower the page responsiveness.
Bluehost does not have a top-notch caching tool called PHP-FPM. This results in unnecessary storage of cached files, affecting speed and performance.
Performance | Cloudways | A2 Hosting |
Uptime | 100% | 99% |
Winner – Cloudways
Verdict
In our performance test for both service providers, Bluehost managed to get an average score while Cloudways performed well. In short, Cloudways is beyond expectations in terms of uptime performance.
4. Support
Whether you are a novice or an expert in managing websites, the service provider must offer a reliable support system that travels with you and guides you during technical glitches.
A hosting provider with an excellent support system is also a sign of credibility. Both providers have dedicated customer support infrastructure so users can reach via email, tickets, and live chat around the clock.
Let’s find out which provider addresses the area of customer service.
Cloudways
Customer support does not just limit availability on various modes. It also includes response time, customer satisfaction, and resolution approach. The specialty of Cloudways lies in its extensive knowledge base, 24/7 support tickets, tier-based support system, and live chat.
In addition to the aspects mentioned above, Cloudways helps users monitor applications, customize configurations, and guide users closely in solving their queries. The response time seems abnormally fast because many customer service executives are employed in Cloudways.
I happened to reach them for a couple of queries in recent days, and the response came to me in a few minutes. You will never regret choosing the live chat option. All answers come in seconds.
Bluehost
Bluehost makes a genuine attempt to improve its customer support feature. It has a broad knowledge base that guides users in cases of queries. Live chat and phone options are available 24/7.
Most importantly, a priority support feature is available if you face an emergency issue. The response time is comparatively higher since the service provider operates from limited locations that experience time-zone restrictions.
Winner – Cloudways
Verdict
In the Bluehost vs Cloudways face-off, Cloudways makes it to the top with its promising, credible, customer-oriented approach. Whenever we need assistance, they respond readily; hence, we are very satisfied with their knowledgeable technical support.
Comparing Other Features Of BlueHost & Cloudways
Now, let’s compare the other essential features of Cloudways and BlueHost hosting!
5. CDN
As you know, the site loading speed is a Google ranking factor. CDN can quickly deliver your content to your visitors; hence, it is good to pick the hosting that offers a reliable CDN feature.
Cloudways
For global reach, Cloudways offers easy-to-integrate CDN for its users. You can enjoy a faster performance with this premium add-on. You need to pay $1 for 25 GB, an inexpensive service for a speed boost.
BlueHost
BlueHost has a free CDN feature through the help of an advanced content delivery network, Cloudflare. It is built directly into your hosting plan. Though it is a free service, you are getting it for free.
Winner – Both
6. User Interface
The hosting settings in the user dashboard should be uncomplicated to handle all things at ease under a roof. Let’s see who offers an intuitive interface, BlueHost or Cloudways.
Cloudways
Cloudways Dashboard is something different. It is not like an uninteresting interface. You will adore the crystal-clear, self-explanatory settings and ease of management. I’m very much excited about fixing things and scaling the resources. You can see the dashboard options in the below screenshot.
BlueHost
I should admit that the backend of Bluehost is easy to use with a custom control panel. However, I usually get frustrated by unessential marketing and paid tools. They should improve their user interface with a refreshing look and helpful setting options.
Winner – Cloudways
7. Pricing
Most people prefer affordable hosting, but it’s better to purchase premium hosting with managed features to sit back and relax if you are a dedicated online business or blogger.
I will compare the managed pricing plans in this Cloudways Vs BlueHost battle. There is no point in comparing the Cloudways managed hosting with the BlueHost shared hosting.
Cloudways
This best-managed hosting has three cloud server options and four different pricing plans. The basic plan of Digital Ocean is $11/mo, which is highly suitable for business startups and newbie bloggers. If you have an eCommerce site, getting higher pricing plans like $24/mo or $46/mo would be better.
All these plans have many features like Free SSL, Free Migration, Dedicated Firewalls, Auto-Healing, Automated Backups, a Staging environment, and many more qualities. Besides, you have a three-day free trial (Without a Credit Card) to test the server performance and other features. You have the highest Cloudways $30 coupon code – WPGLOSSY to grab the discount.
BlueHost
BlueHost contains three different pricing plans for managed WordPress hosting. The basic plan costs $9.95/mo and includes all essential features like Free SSL, Malware detection & removal, free domain with privacy protection, and much more.
However, for the same price, you will get a handful of managed features from Cloudways, such as automated backups, regular security patching, real-time server monitoring, and SSH & SFTP access.
Winner – Cloudways
WordPress Optimization
If your business site uses WordPress CMS, opting for “Optimized WordPress Hosting” for performance optimization, regular WordPress updates, automatic backups, and specialized WP expert support would be better. Let’s discuss which hosting company supports personalized WordPress support for its clients.
Cloudways
Cloudways comes up with managed WordPress hosting on your preferred cloud providers. Whether you are an individual, eCommerce business, agency, or small/medium business owner, you will experience powerful performance and pass the necessary core web tests.
In-built cache for ultimate speed performance, NGINX web server for the optimized stack, Dedicated firewalls for regular patches, Vertical scaling for server resources, and entire server or particular WordPress website for cloning are the exceptional features of Cloudways hosting.
BlueHost
Like Cloudways, BlueHost also provides WordPress-optimized hosting with automatic WordPress installation, a one-year free domain, automatic updates, secure login credentials, and 24/7 WordPress hosting support.
In addition, since 2005, WordPress has recommended it for technical support and expertise. Besides, BlueHost offers an add-on service named “Blue Sky” that gives you direct access to a team of WordPress professionals to get any assistance.
Winner – Both
Other Cloudways Comparisons For Your View
- Cloudways Vs SiteGround
- Cloudways Vs Kinsta
- Cloudways Vs WPX Hosting
- Cloudways Vs DigitalOcean
- Cloudways Vs A2 Hosting
- Cloudways Vs Flywheel
- Cloudways Vs Hostinger
- Cloudways Vs Upcloud
Conclusion
Without any uncertainty, Cloudways wins the battle, Cloudways Vs BlueHost comparison, you can see that Cloudways wins most tests as it aims to offer a reliable server service for its clients. In simple words, Cloudways is doing better than its competitors.
I have conducted a series of tests to assess Cloudways and Bluehost, and yes, Cloudways has undoubtedly won the contest. BlueHost is likely to take years to reach what Cloudways is offering today.
Even though Bluehost is a tough competitor for Cloudways, it has to improve a lot in Speed, Security, Performance, CDN, and Customer Support. So, without further ado, get this best Bluehost alternative now!
mam, please tell me about any free hosting site because I am a newbie blogger.
Don’t get any free hosting. It would not help you in anyway!
Hey,
Cloudways is one of the best-value purchases on the market. Bluehost has its own infrastructure, a wide range of shared hosting plans, and attractive entry-level prices. However, Bluehost doesn’t offer any kind of cloud hosting. Overall, Cloudways gives you more freedom and support to grow your services.