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Cloudways vs Bluehost 2025 – which is better?

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Last updated on April 28th, 2025 at

Cloudways vs Bluehost: My Honest Experience After Using Both

When I first started searching for a web host, I had three main priorities in mind: speed, ease of use, and solid performance. But let’s face it — it’s not always easy to find a hosting provider that checks all the boxes.

I decided to test out Cloudways and Bluehost — two popular options with different approaches to hosting. And to be honest? My experience with both was a bit of a rollercoaster.

While Cloudways stood out with its powerful cloud hosting and flexibility, Bluehost impressed me with its beginner-friendly interface and affordable pricing.

In this article, I’ll share my personal experience with both services, highlighting the pros, cons, and which one might be the best fit for your website.

Keep reading to find out what worked, what didn’t, and which hosting provider came out on top in my comparison.

Cloudways vs Bluehost – Plans and Pricing

Cloudways Hosting Plans

💬 Who win For Pricing:

Bluehost is more affordable for beginners. Cloudways offers better performance but starts at a higher price.

Cloudways Review 2022: Details, Pricing & Features | Sitechecker

 

DigitalOcean Plan

💵 Price: $11/month
📌 Best for: Small to medium-sized websites
✅ What you get:

  • 1 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 25 GB SSD Storage

  • 1 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

Premium Plan

💵 Price: $14/month
📌 Best for: Websites that need better performance
✅ What you get:

  • 1 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 30 GB SSD Storage

  • 1 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

Vultr Plan

💵 Price: $16/month
📌 Best for: High-performance websites
✅ What you get:

  • 1 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 30 GB SSD Storage

  • 1 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

Linode Plan

💵 Price: $14/month
📌 Best for: Reliable hosting for small to medium applications
✅ What you get:

  • 1 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 25 GB SSD Storage

  • 1 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

AWS Plan

💵 Price: $20.56/month
📌 Best for: High-traffic websites
✅ What you get:

  • 2 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 20 GB SSD Storage

  • 2 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

Google Cloud Plan

💵 Price: $37/month
📌 Best for: Resource-heavy websites or applications
✅ What you get:

  • 2 GB RAM

  • 1 Core Processor

  • 30 GB SSD Storage

  • 2 TB Bandwidth

  • Free SSL Certificate

  • Managed Backups

  • Cloudflare CDN Integration

  • 24/7 Support

Bluehost Hosting Plans

bluehost vs Cloudways

Basic Plan

💵 Price: $2.95/month (Save 75%)
📌 Best for: Single website
✅ What you get:

  • 1 Website

  • Free Domain for 1st Year

  • Free SSL

  • Free CDN

  • ~15k Visits Per Month

  • 10 GB SSD Storage

  • 3 Months Free Pro Email Trial

  • Free WP Migration Tool

  • 24/7 Chat Support

Plus Plan

💵 Price: $4.95/month (Save 71%)
📌 Best for: Multiple websites
✅ What you get:

  • Unlimited Websites

  • Free Domain for 1st Year

  • Free SSL

  • Free CDN

  • ~50k Visits Per Month

  • 20 GB SSD Storage

  • 3 Months Free Pro Email Trial

  • Free WP Migration Tool

  • 24/7 Chat Support

Choice Plus Plan

💵 Price: $5.45/month (Save 75%)
📌 Best for: Additional privacy and security
✅ What you get:

  • Unlimited Websites

  • Free Domain for 1st Year

  • Free SSL

  • Free CDN

  • ~200k Visits Per Month

  • 50 GB SSD Storage

  • 3 Months Free Pro Email Trial

  • Free WP Migration Tool

  • 24/7 Chat Support

Pro Plan

💵 Price: $13.95/month (Save 52%)
📌 Best for: More speed and power
✅ What you get:

  • Unlimited Websites

  • Free Domain for 1st Year

  • Free SSL

  • Free CDN

  • ~400k Visits Per Month

  • 100 GB SSD Storage

  • 3 Months Free Pro Email Trial

  • Free WP Migration Tool

  • 24/7 Chat Support

Bluehost is perfect for beginners and small websites. Its Basic Plan at $2.95/month offers essentials like a free domain, SSL, and CDN 🌐. The Plus Plan at $4.95/month gives more storage and traffic 🚀.

For high-traffic sites or more control, Cloudways is the better choice. Starting at $11/month, it offers cloud hosting from providers like DigitalOcean and Google Cloud ☁️, with better performance and scalability ⚡.

In short, Bluehost is great for beginners and small sites 🧑‍💻, while Cloudways is ideal for those needing more power and flexibility 💪.

Ease of Use

💬 Who win For ease of use:

Bluehost is the better choice if you want a super simple, beginner-friendly setup with helpful automation tools. Cloudways, while powerful, offers more flexibility but comes with a bit of a learning curve for beginners.

Cloudways

Cloudways main account dashboard and server window

From my experience, Cloudways offers a clean and modern control panel, but it’s not the easiest for beginners. Setting up your website and installing SSL certificates is straightforward, but managing domains can be confusing.

vYou’ll need to change settings with your domain registrar, which could be tricky for someone new to hosting. Cloudways does provide detailed guides to help you through the process, but it’s still a bit of a challenge if you’re not familiar with web hosting.

One thing to keep in mind is that Cloudways doesn’t offer email hosting directly. If you need email services, you’ll have to use a third-party provider like Rackspace, which comes at an additional cost.

Here’s what I liked about Cloudways:

✅ Clean and Modern Interface: Easy to navigate once you’re familiar with it.
✅ Customizable Hosting Environment: Great for users who need flexibility and control.
✅ Advanced Features: Managed backups, Cloudflare CDN, and free SSL on all plans.

If you’re okay with some learning and technical setup, Cloudways gives you much more control over your hosting. ⚙️

Bluehost

BlueHost vs A2 hosting - Ease of use

Bluehost makes everything as easy as possible, especially for beginners. Setting up your site takes just a few minutes with their step-by-step guided process. You won’t feel lost at any point.

The AI Site Creator is a standout feature—it allows you to quickly launch a website without any technical experience. WordPress installation is automatic, and everything is pre-configured, so no complicated steps are involved. Bluehost also provides an easy-to-use Site Migrator tool for seamless website transfers.

Here’s what I liked about Bluehost:

✅ Step-by-Step Setup: Easy-to-follow process to get your website live quickly.
✅ AI Site Builder: Ideal for beginners with no design or coding skills.
✅ Automatic WordPress Setup: No manual installation needed.

The dashboard is clean and intuitive, integrating custom tools with cPanel, making site management straightforward. Everything from email to FTP is right at your fingertips. 🌟

My recommendation

If you’re brand new to websites and want an easy, no-hassle experience, Bluehost is the clear winner. Its automated tools and simple setup make it perfect for beginners. Cloudways, on the other hand, is better for users who are comfortable with a bit of technical setup and want more control over their hosting environment. If you’re willing to invest time into learning, Cloudways offers flexibility and customization that Bluehost can’t match.

Performance: Cloudways vs Bluehost

 

Uptime

Cloudways

Cloudways uptime and response time 6-months results

Cloudways maintained an uptime of 99.98%, meaning your website will stay online almost all the time. It had minimal outages, totaling only 41 minutes over six months.

Bluehost

Bluehost UptimeRobot results

Bluehost had a slightly lower uptime of 99.63%, which is still acceptable but not as reliable as Cloudways. Without a long-term uptime guarantee, this leaves a bit more uncertainty about its reliability in the long run.

Website Loading Speed

Cloudways

Cloudways fully built website loading speed test with GTmetrix

Cloudways loaded in an impressive 358 ms for a fully built website, which is incredibly fast for a VPS provider. This ensures that your site will load almost instantly, offering a seamless experience for visitors.

Bluehost

Bluehost GTmetrix score

Bluehost took around 2 seconds to load, which is still decent but slower than Cloudways. For larger or media-heavy sites, this delay could be noticeable, especially when compared to faster options.

Load Handling

Cloudways Stress Test

Cloudways stress test

Cloudways handled 50 virtual users without any noticeable slowdowns. The performance remained consistent, even under heavy traffic, proving its ability to manage more visitors without issue.

Bluehost Stress Test

bluehost stress testing results

Bluehost was able to handle 50 virtual users as well but showed small spikes in response time. Despite this, it still performed relatively well under stress, maintaining stability with minor fluctuations.

Cloudways

Security: Which One Offers Better Protection for Your Website?

💬 Who wins for security?
Cloudways wins with its all-in-one security features included in every plan. Bluehost provides solid security, but many advanced features require extra costs or are available only on higher plans.

SSL Certificates

Cloudways
Free SSL certificates (Let’s Encrypt) are included on all plans, with a simple one-click setup.

Bluehost
Free SSL certificates (Let’s Encrypt) are available on all plans, but premium SSLs come at an extra cost.

✅ Winner: Cloudways

Backups

Cloudways
Customizable automatic backups: hourly, daily, or weekly. Easy one-click restore options.

Bluehost
Free daily backups only on Choice Plus & Pro plans. Lower-tier plans require paid backup options (via CodeGuard).

✅ Winner: Cloudways

Malware Protection

Cloudways
MalCare prevents brute force attacks and suspicious bot traffic. Includes free malware cleanup.

Bluehost
Malware protection only available through SiteLock, which comes at an additional cost. No built-in cleanup unless you pay for it.

✅ Winner: Cloudways

Firewall & DDoS Protection

Cloudways
Includes OS-level firewalls and optional Sucuri Web Application Firewall (WAF). Free DDoS protection included.

Bluehost
Basic DDoS protection through Cloudflare. No default WAF for shared hosting plans; third-party plugins required for advanced protection.

✅ Winner: Cloudways

Server Monitoring

Cloudways
Automatic server monitoring every 10 seconds, with manual checks every 30 minutes.

Bluehost
Standard monitoring with no standout features.

✅ Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways

Support – Cloudways Has Gotten Better, Bluehost Hasn’t

When it comes to customer support, both Cloudways and Bluehost have their own strengths.

Bluehost

Bluehost live chat support about security

Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat and phone support. If you choose a higher-tier plan, you can get help from their special WordPress team, Blue Sky. But if you want this support separately, it can increase your hosting costs.

Cloudways

Chat with Cloudways chatbot

Cloudways technical customer support live chat 1

Cloudways also has live chat and a ticketing system for support. If you go for their Advanced or Premium plans, you can get help with technical issues like fixing plugins or themes. However, phone support is only available with the Premium plan, which might be better for established businesses because it costs more.

In my experience, both companies did well with live chat. Bluehost’s representative was friendly and helped me pick the right hosting plan. They even offered to assist me with setting up WordPress. But when I asked about website performance outside the US, like in Europe or Asia, the response wasn’t very detailed.

Cloudways’ support was even better. The representative took time to explain how using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) could improve my website’s performance worldwide. There was no rush, and they gave clear answers about the support I could get during the website setup process.

While both hosts were helpful, Cloudways felt more professional and focused on providing useful advice instead of just trying to make a sale. Both Bluehost and Cloudways also have good knowledge bases, so you can easily find answers to common questions and handle things on your own.

WINNER – 

Cloudways

Cloudways vs Bluehost – Conclusion

Final Thoughts: Which Host Should You Choose?

After reviewing Cloudways and Bluehost, here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide which one suits your needs.

Cloudways: Best for Performance, Flexibility, and Advanced Users

💬 Cloudways is ideal if you’re looking for:

  • High Performance: Exceptional uptime, fast response times, and scalability for growing websites.

  • Flexibility & Control: Choose your cloud provider and manage your hosting environment with ease.

  • Advanced Security Features: Built-in SSL, customizable backups, WAF, DDoS protection, and real-time malware scanning.

  • Dedicated Support: 24/7 live chat with a focus on more technical, advanced users.

When to choose Cloudways:

  • If you’re managing high-traffic sites or need more control over your hosting.

  • If you require top-tier performance and flexibility.

  • If you’re comfortable with a more hands-on hosting experience.

Overall: Cloudways is the better choice for experienced users or businesses with high-performance needs and traffic.

Bluehost: Best for Beginners and Simplicity

💬 Bluehost is great if you’re looking for:

  • Ease of Use: Beginner-friendly interface with automated setup tools, perfect for those new to website hosting.

  • Affordable Pricing: Budget-friendly plans, especially for small websites and blogs.

  • Excellent Customer Support: 24/7 support through live chat and phone, ensuring help is always available.

  • Quick Setup: Fast and easy website launch, with WordPress pre-installed.

When to choose Bluehost:

  • If you’re new to web hosting and want an easy, no-hassle setup.

  • If you have a smaller website or blog that doesn’t require advanced features.

  • If you need reliable customer support and a straightforward hosting experience.

Overall: Bluehost is perfect for beginners or anyone seeking an affordable, user-friendly hosting solution with excellent support.

Conclusion:

  • Choose Cloudways if you need high performance, more control, and advanced security features for a growing or high-traffic site.

  • Choose Bluehost if you’re a beginner, want a simple setup, and need affordable hosting with great customer support.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger review (2024): Pros, cons and features tested | TechRadar

Overview:

Hostinger is an affordable and feature-packed web hosting provider offering a wide range of hosting options, including shared, WordPress, VPS, Minecraft, and cloud hosting. Known for its budget-friendly pricing and comprehensive services, Hostinger is a great choice for beginners and anyone seeking value for money without sacrificing quality. Their plans are designed to meet the needs of individuals and businesses looking to keep costs low while enjoying reliable hosting.

Pricing:

  • Single Plan: $1.79/month
    • 1 website
    • 50 GB SSD storage
    • Free weekly backups
    • 1 email account
    • Unlimited free SSL
    • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Premium Plan: $2.69/month
    • 100 websites
    • 100 GB SSD storage
    • Weekly backups
    • Free email
    • Unlimited free SSL
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • Free domain ($9.99 value)
  • Business Plan: $3.59/month
    • 100 websites
    • Up to 5x performance
    • 200 GB NVMe storage
    • Daily backups
    • Free email
    • Unlimited free SSL
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • Free domain
    • Free CDN
  • Cloud Startup Plan: $8.99/month
    • 300 websites
    • Up to 10x performance
    • 200 GB NVMe storage
    • Daily backups
    • Free email
    • Unlimited free SSL
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • Free domain
    • Free CDN
    • Dedicated IP address

Pros:

  • Affordable pricing starting at just $1.79 per month
  • Fast performance with SSD storage and LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website is always live
  • Helpful customer support that’s responsive and ready to assist
  • Free website migration with all plans
  • 1-click WordPress installation for easy setup
  • Free website backups included
  • Unlimited free SSL certificates
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free email and Free domain (on higher-tier plans)
  • Free CDN for faster global access (on higher-tier plans)

Cons:

  • Limited features on lower-tier plans (e.g., no free domain with the basic plan)

Money-Back Guarantee: Hostinger offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try their services risk-free and make sure they meet your needs.

Why Choose Hostinger:

If you’re looking for affordable, yet feature-rich web hosting, Hostinger is an excellent option. Starting at just $1.79 per month, Hostinger is perfect for budget-conscious users, including individual bloggers and small businesses.

  • Affordability: Hostinger’s low starting price makes it ideal for those looking to save money without sacrificing essential features.
  • Feature-Rich Plans: Even with the basic plan, you get 50 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and free SSL certificates. Higher-tier plans unlock even more features, such as daily backups, increased storage, and improved performance.
  • Performance and Reliability: With SSD storage and LiteSpeed Cache, your website will load quickly, and the 99.99% uptime guarantee ensures your site is always up and running.
  • Excellent Support: Hostinger’s customer support is known for being fast and helpful, providing assistance whenever needed.
  • Free Extras: All plans come with free automatic website migration, 1-click WordPress installation, unlimited free SSL certificates, and unlimited bandwidth. Higher-tier plans also offer a free domain, CDN, and dedicated IP address, adding even more value.
  • Risk-Free Trial: With a 30-day money-back guarantee, Hostinger allows you to test their services with no risk.

In summary, Hostinger is an ideal choice for those looking for reliable, feature-packed hosting at an affordable price. Whether you’re just starting out or managing multiple websites, Hostinger’s plans provide great value and flexibility.

Get Hostinger

ChemiCloud

Meet the New ChemiCloud – Fresh Look, Updated Plans, and More

Overview:

ChemiCloud is a top-tier web hosting provider that offers excellent performance, user-friendly features, and great value for money. With advanced technology, robust security, fast connections, and a variety of freebies, ChemiCloud stands out for providing more hosting features compared to competitors like Bluehost. Whether you’re starting a blog or running a business website, ChemiCloud delivers reliable, high-performance hosting solutions.

Features:

  • Free domain name
  • Automated daily backups
  • Free SSL certificate for secure connections
  • Reliable email service
  • One-click app installations
  • Free Content Delivery Network (CDN)
  • Fast SSD storage for quicker load times
  • Free website migration

Why Choose ChemiCloud over Bluehost:

  • Performance and Speed: ChemiCloud utilizes SSD-based storage, LiteSpeed web servers, and a global CDN, which ensures faster loading times for your website. This leads to better user experience and improved SEO rankings compared to Bluehost’s slower performance.
  • Free Daily Backups: Unlike Bluehost, which offers free backups only for one year, ChemiCloud provides free daily backups across all plans, ensuring your data is consistently protected and easily recoverable.
  • Responsive Customer Support: ChemiCloud offers 24/7 customer support through live chat, tickets, and a comprehensive knowledge base, which is more responsive and accessible than Bluehost’s support.

Pros:

  • Free domain registration
  • Multiple global data centers for improved performance
  • Impressive 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Free SSL encryption (HTTPS) for secure browsing
  • Generous 45-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

  • Limited SSD storage on all plans compared to some competitors

Pricing:

  • Starter Plan: $2.95/month
    • Host 1 website
    • 20 GB NVMe disk space
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • 10 days free backup
    • 1 core CPU
    • 1 GB RAM
  • Pro Plan: $3.95/month
    • Host unlimited websites
    • 30 GB NVMe disk space
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • 20 days free backup
    • 2 core CPU
    • 2 GB RAM
  • Turbo Plan: $4.95/month
    • Host unlimited websites
    • 40 GB NVMe disk space
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • 30 days free backup
    • 3 core CPU
    • 3 GB RAM

Why Choose ChemiCloud:

When choosing a web host, ChemiCloud offers several compelling reasons to be your hosting provider:

  • Superior Performance and Speed: ChemiCloud’s use of SSD-based storage, LiteSpeed servers, and a global CDN ensures your website loads faster, which is vital for user experience and search engine rankings.
  • Reliable Backups: ChemiCloud’s inclusion of free daily backups on all plans gives you peace of mind, ensuring your website data is always safe and easily restorable.
  • Responsive Support: ChemiCloud provides exceptional customer support, with multiple ways to get in touch, including live chat, tickets, and a knowledge base. Their support team is always ready to resolve any issues quickly.
  • Generous Money-Back Guarantee: With a 45-day money-back guarantee, you have plenty of time to test out ChemiCloud’s services risk-free.
  • Increased Security and Extras: Every plan comes with a free SSL certificate, free domain registration, and free website migration, ensuring that you have a secure and seamless start. The free CDN further boosts performance and security by distributing your website’s content globally.
  • Affordable and Scalable: Starting at just $2.95 per month, ChemiCloud’s pricing is affordable, and they offer scalable plans that can meet the needs of both individuals and businesses, whether you’re hosting one site or many.
  • Global Data Centers: With multiple data centers worldwide, ChemiCloud offers excellent 99.99% uptime, ensuring your website is accessible and reliable from anywhere in the world.

In summary, ChemiCloud is a solid choice for those looking for high-quality, affordable web hosting with fast performance, solid security, and excellent customer support. Whether you’re just getting started or running a growing business, ChemiCloud provides the tools you need for a successful online presence.

Get Chemicloud

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