Bluehost Vs Cloudways Comparison 2024: Which Is Best Hosting?

Bluehost Review 2023

• Overall Rating (4.75/5)
• Types of Hosting (4/5)
• Hosting Features (4.25/5)
• Disk Space (5/5)
• Uptime (4/5)
• Help and Support (5/5)
• Value For Money (5/5)

Cloudways Review 2023

• Overall Rating (4.45/5)
• Types of Hosting (4/5)
• Hosting Features (4.25/5)
• Disk Space (5/5)
• Uptime (3.5/5)
• Help and Support (5/5)
• Value For Money (4/5)

Founded in 2003, Bluehost has grown to be one of the top players in the shared hosting world. It’s officially recommended by WordPress.org and offers a variety of hosting services, from shared to dedicated hosting. With over 2 million websites under its belt, it’s clear that Bluehost is trusted by many.

Established in 2009, Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform. Unlike traditional shared hosting, Cloudways offers users the chance to host their website on major cloud platforms like DigitalOcean, Linode, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It combines the power of cloud hosting with simplicity and ease.

One of the strengths of Bluehost is its user-friendly interface. Once you sign in, the cPanel is intuitive, making it easy to install WordPress, manage emails, or handle domains. The integration with WordPress is seamless, and for beginners, they offer a one-click WordPress installation. Bluehost’s dashboard is designed with beginners in mind, ensuring that even if you’re not technically inclined, you can still get your website up and running without much fuss.

Cloudways operates differently from Bluehost. Instead of cPanel, they have their custom-built platform. While this might sound intimidating, it’s incredibly user-friendly. The dashboard is clean, and tasks like server management, application installation, or security features are all just a click away. The Breeze WordPress cache plugin they offer is also a testament to how they’ve catered their platform for ease and speed.

Pricing is where Bluehost shines. They offer competitive pricing, especially for their shared hosting plans. As of my last check, their basic shared hosting starts at $3.95/month (with promotional pricing). This comes with 50 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and a free domain for the first year. However, it’s essential to note that the renewal rates can be significantly higher than the promotional prices.

With Cloudways, you’re paying for a managed cloud hosting experience. Their pricing starts at $10/month for the most basic plan on DigitalOcean. Remember, with Cloudways, you’re not just paying for hosting, but also for the convenience of a managed experience on top cloud platforms. It might seem pricier compared to shared hosting, but given the scalability and performance of cloud hosting, it’s a fair price for many.

Bluehost guarantees a 99.9% uptime, and from most accounts, they live up to this promise. Speed-wise, Bluehost is decent for its shared hosting plans, but if you’re looking for top-tier performance, you might want to look into their higher-tier packages or VPS solutions.

Speed and uptime are where Cloudways truly excels. Being a cloud platform, the speed is inherently better due to distributed resources. With features like SSD-based hosting, built-in caching, and a CDN, Cloudways ensures your website loads swiftly. Moreover, the uptime is impressive. Since your site is hosted on cloud infrastructure, even if one part of the network faces issues, another part can pick up the slack, ensuring your website remains live.

Bluehost takes security seriously. It offers a variety of tools and features to protect your website. By default, you get a free SSL certificate for every site you host with them. This not only encrypts data between the user’s browser and your server but also boosts your SEO rankings. Bluehost also provides Secure Shell (SSH) access for secure web sessions and SiteLock, which helps prevent malware attacks. Daily backups are available, although, for more regular and advanced backup solutions, you might need to go for their premium packages.

Being a managed cloud hosting platform, Cloudways offers a layered approach to security. The platform uses dedicated firewalls to fend off intrusions. Like Bluehost, they also offer free SSL certificates. They conduct regular OS patches, ensuring that server vulnerabilities are plugged. Plus, their two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security when accessing the dashboard. Automated backups are standard, and you can set the frequency according to your preference.

Bluehost is known for its robust customer support. They offer 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and a ticket system. Their vast knowledge base covers a wide range of topics, guiding users through common issues and general queries. Users have noted timely and helpful responses, especially via live chat.

Cloudways prides itself on its 24/7/365 support. They offer live chat and ticketing for their customers, and for more advanced issues, you can request a call back. The Cloudways community and knowledge base are rich with resources and tutorials. Additionally, they offer a premium support add-on, which gives you faster response times and priority access to cloud engineers.

Bluehost’s primary data center is located in Provo, Utah. They have advanced measures to ensure data protection, including UPS power backup, diesel generators, and multiple 10 GB fiber connections to locations all over the world. The geographical location can influence your site’s speed, especially if your audience is based far from the US.

One of Cloudways’ unique selling points is its data center diversity. Since they leverage top cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, and more, you get to choose from a multitude of data center locations worldwide. This is a significant advantage if you want to position your server closer to your primary audience for faster load times.

Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can try their services, and if you’re not satisfied within the first 30 days, you can cancel and get a full refund. However, it’s crucial to note that this doesn’t cover add-ons or domain registrations.

Cloudways offers a unique pay-as-you-go system. Instead of long-term contracts, you’re billed for what you use. While they don’t have a traditional refund policy due to this structure, they do offer a 3-day free trial. This lets you test out their platform without any financial commitment.