Cloudways vs WP Engine

Cloudways is the better choice for developers and agencies that want server-level control across multiple cloud providers at a lower price point. WP Engine is the stronger pick for businesses that need a fully managed, WordPress-only environment with enterprise-grade support and built-in performance optimizations. Your decision comes down to how much flexibility you need versus how much management you want handled for you.

Choosing between Cloudways and WP Engine is one of the most common decisions facing WordPress site owners who have outgrown shared hosting. Both platforms sit in the managed hosting category, but they approach it from opposite directions. Cloudways gives you the keys to the server room while still handling the heavy lifting. WP Engine locks the server room entirely and optimizes everything behind the scenes.

That distinction matters more than most comparison articles let on. The right hosting platform depends on your technical comfort level, budget, and how much control you actually need over your infrastructure. A freelancer running three client sites has very different requirements than an eCommerce brand processing thousands of orders during a flash sale.

This comparison breaks down every angle that matters: pricing, performance, scalability, security, developer tools, and agency features. By the end, you will know exactly which platform fits your specific situation.

Cloudways vs WP Engine at a Glance

What Is Cloudways?

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform, now owned by DigitalOcean, that acts as a management layer on top of five major infrastructure providers: DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud. Rather than running its own data centers, Cloudways simplifies the deployment and management of servers from these providers through a single, unified control panel.

The platform supports WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and other PHP-based applications. This multi-app flexibility is one of its biggest differentiators. You can run a WordPress site, a Magento store, and a Laravel application on the same server or across separate servers managed from one dashboard.

Cloudways serves over 100,000 businesses and hosts more than 570,000 websites. Its pay-as-you-go billing model means you only pay for the server resources you actually consume, with no long-term contracts. The platform recently expanded to over 150 data center locations across 50+ countries, making it one of the most geographically diverse hosting options available.

What Is WP Engine?

WP Engine is a premium managed WordPress hosting provider built exclusively for WordPress websites. Founded in 2010 in Austin, Texas, WP Engine has grown into one of the largest WordPress-specific hosting companies, powering over 1.5 million websites across 150 countries. Notable customers include brands like AMD, National Geographic, and SoundCloud.

Unlike Cloudways, WP Engine does not support non-WordPress applications. That narrow focus is intentional. Every layer of their infrastructure, from kernel tuning to caching, is engineered specifically for WordPress performance. The platform runs on Google Cloud infrastructure and includes proprietary technologies like EverCache for server-side caching and a Smart Plugin Manager that uses machine learning to test plugin updates before applying them.

WP Engine offers a fully managed experience where core WordPress updates, PHP updates, security patches, and daily backups are all handled automatically. It also includes access to 36+ premium StudioPress themes and the Genesis framework at no extra cost, adding significant value for WordPress developers and designers.

Feature Comparison: Cloudways vs WP Engine

Performance and Speed

Both platforms deliver excellent performance, but through different approaches. Cloudways uses an optimized stack that includes Varnish, Memcached, Redis, and Nginx for server-level caching. Users can also choose between standard and CPU-optimized server configurations, which is a major advantage for resource-heavy applications like LMS platforms or large WooCommerce stores.

WP Engine’s performance stack centers on EverCache, its proprietary caching system, combined with Cloudflare CDN integration that comes standard on all plans. In 2025, WP Engine introduced the eCommerce Performance Pack, which delivers an average 128% increase in mobile page speeds for WooCommerce sites. The platform also added Page Speed Boost and Dynamic Plugin Loading to reduce unnecessary resource consumption.

Cloudways gives you more granular control over your performance stack. WP Engine delivers faster out-of-the-box performance with less configuration required. For CPU-intensive applications like TutorLMS, Cloudways’ ability to select CPU-optimized servers gives it an edge. For standard WordPress sites, WP Engine’s automated optimizations are hard to beat.

Server Management and Control

This is where the two platforms diverge most significantly. Cloudways provides SSH access, server-level control, and the ability to configure PHP versions, MySQL settings, and caching parameters directly. You can choose your cloud provider, select your server size, pick your data center location, and scale vertically at any time. The platform supports SFTP, SSH, and Git deployment.

WP Engine takes a more locked-down approach. You do not get root-level server access, and certain PHP functions and plugins are restricted for security and performance reasons. However, WP Engine compensates with a polished developer workflow: one-click staging environments (dev, stage, and production), SSH gateway access, WP-CLI support, and Git push deployment. The tradeoff is clear — less raw control, but a more streamlined workflow.

WordPress-Specific Features

WP Engine wins this category decisively. The platform was built from the ground up for WordPress, and it shows. Automatic WordPress core updates, automatic PHP updates, the Smart Plugin Manager for safe plugin testing, access to premium Genesis themes, and a WordPress-optimized analytics dashboard are all included. In 2025, WP Engine launched an AI Toolkit for content optimization and intelligent site management.

Cloudways supports WordPress well, including one-click installation, a free Breeze caching plugin, SafeUpdates for WordPress, and Object Cache Pro with Redis. But it is fundamentally a platform-agnostic hosting solution. If your entire business runs on WordPress and you want a platform that lives and breathes the CMS, WP Engine has the deeper integration.

Scalability

Cloudways offers two scaling approaches. The Flexible plan allows vertical scaling, where you increase RAM, CPU, and storage on your existing server. The Autonomous plan, built on Kubernetes, provides true auto-scaling for traffic spikes. During a traffic surge, additional servers spin up automatically within seconds and scale back down when traffic normalizes. You pay only for the extra capacity used, billed at $0.07 per additional server per hour.

WP Engine scales through plan upgrades. If your site outgrows its current tier, you move to the next plan with more bandwidth, storage, and visitor capacity. The platform also introduced Hot Standby for disaster recovery, which replicates site data to a secondary data center and automatically reroutes traffic during outages. For enterprise customers, custom scaling solutions and a 99.99% uptime SLA are available.

For unpredictable traffic patterns, Cloudways Autonomous offers more granular and cost-efficient scaling. For steady, predictable growth, WP Engine’s tiered approach is simpler to manage and budget for.

Security

Both platforms provide robust security, but WP Engine’s security stack is more comprehensive out of the box. WP Engine includes a web application firewall (WAF), DDoS mitigation, malware scanning, automatic security patching, and SOC 2 audits with ISO 27001 certification. The platform blocks over 26 billion cyber attacks annually across its network.

In 2025, WP Engine added advanced measures to handle the surge in AI bot traffic, which now accounts for over half of all web activity.

Cloudways provides dedicated firewalls, Fail2Ban for brute-force protection, DDoS protection, Imunify360 integration, free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt, and two-factor authentication. The Malware Protection add-on, introduced recently, provides proactive malware detection and removal. While Cloudways’ security is solid, some advanced features require add-on purchases.

For a deeper look at hosting security considerations, see our guide on hosting security for agencies.

Developer Tools

Cloudways offers SSH access, SFTP, Git deployment, WP-CLI, staging environments, server cloning, and the ability to run custom PHP applications. Developers who want to configure Nginx rules, manage cron jobs, or fine-tune PHP settings will appreciate the level of access Cloudways provides.

WP Engine provides SSH gateway access, Git push deployment, WP-CLI, one-click dev/stage/production environments, and the Local by Flywheel tool for offline development. The Atlas Headless Platform enables decoupled WordPress architecture with Next.js and Node.js support, which is a significant advantage for modern JavaScript-driven web applications.

Cloudways vs WP Engine Pricing Comparison

Pricing is one of the starkest differences between these two platforms. Cloudways operates on a pay-as-you-go model where you select your cloud provider and server size. WP Engine uses fixed monthly or annual plans with set resource limits.

Cloudways Pricing (Flexible Plans)

Cloudways Autonomous (auto-scaling WordPress hosting) starts at $35/month for the starter tier and $100/month for the Growth plan, which includes one baseline Kubernetes server and automatic scaling during traffic spikes.

WP Engine Pricing

WP Engine also offers Core plans starting at $400/month and Enterprise plans with custom pricing for large organizations. All plans include a 60-day money-back guarantee. Annual billing provides a discount, and WP Engine is implementing updated pricing effective March 2026 for renewals.

The Price Gap in Context

At the entry level, Cloudways is less than half the price of WP Engine. A Cloudways DigitalOcean 2 GB server ($24/month) delivers 2 GB RAM, 50 GB storage, and 2 TB bandwidth with unlimited websites. WP Engine’s closest equivalent, the Professional plan ($50/month), gives you 3 sites, 15 GB storage, and 125 GB bandwidth. For agencies or developers managing multiple sites, Cloudways offers dramatically better value per dollar.

However, WP Engine’s pricing includes features that Cloudways charges extra for: Cloudflare CDN, premium themes, the Smart Plugin Manager, and enterprise-grade security are all bundled in. Factor those add-on costs into a Cloudways setup, and the gap narrows. For a detailed breakdown of Cloudways pricing across all providers, see our full pricing review.

Cloudways vs WP Engine for Agencies

Agency hosting is one of the most important use cases in this comparison. Cloudways appeals to agencies that manage diverse client portfolios. You can host WordPress, Magento, and Laravel sites across multiple cloud providers, all from one dashboard. The pay-as-you-go model means you never overpay for unused resources, and server cloning makes it easy to replicate configurations for new clients.

WP Engine targets agencies with a different value proposition: reduced management overhead. Automatic updates, the Smart Plugin Manager, and premium support mean less time on server maintenance and more time on client work. WP Engine also offers a partner program with co-marketing opportunities and dedicated account management for larger agencies.

Agencies that handle non-WordPress projects or need granular server control will lean toward Cloudways. Pure WordPress agencies that want to minimize operational complexity will find WP Engine’s managed approach more efficient.

For more on this topic, read our analysis of hosting solutions for agencies.

Migration and Onboarding

Cloudways offers one free migration for all customers and provides a free WordPress migration plugin for self-service transfers. Additional paid migrations start at $25 per application. The onboarding experience is developer-friendly — you choose your provider, server size, and data center, and your server is live within minutes.

WP Engine provides an automated migration plugin and dedicated support during the migration process. Higher-tier plans include white-glove onboarding with a technical success manager for the first 30 days. The platform also offers a Go Live Checklist that tracks DNS, SSL, redirects, and other launch tasks, which is particularly useful for teams deploying multiple sites.

Customer Support Comparison

Both platforms offer 24/7 support, but with different approaches. Cloudways provides live chat and ticket-based support around the clock. The support team is known for being responsive and technically capable, though phone support is not available on standard plans.

WP Engine offers 24/7 live chat across all plans, with phone support available starting from the Professional plan and above. WP Engine’s support staff specializes in WordPress troubleshooting, which means faster resolution for WordPress-specific issues. Enterprise customers get access to dedicated technical account managers and priority support channels.

When to Choose Cloudways

When to Choose WP Engine

Cloudways and WP Engine Alternatives

If neither platform feels like the right fit, there are strong Cloudways alternatives and WP Engine alternatives worth considering.

Kinsta offers premium managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud with an intuitive dashboard and strong performance. It sits between Cloudways and WP Engine in terms of control and pricing. For a detailed breakdown, see our Cloudways vs Kinsta comparison.

SiteGround provides high-performance hosting at a lower price point than both Cloudways and WP Engine, with excellent customer support and Google Cloud infrastructure. It is especially popular with WordPress beginners. Read our Cloudways vs SiteGround comparison for more detail.

Hostinger is the budget-friendly option in managed hosting, offering competitive performance at prices starting under $3/month. It is ideal for personal sites and small projects where cost is the primary driver.

Flywheel is owned by WP Engine and targets freelancers and small agencies with a simplified WordPress hosting experience, collaborative tools, and client billing features.

Cloudways vs WP Engine FAQ

Final Verdict: Cloudways vs WP Engine

Cloudways and WP Engine are both excellent platforms, but they serve different audiences with different priorities.

Choose Cloudways if: You need flexibility across cloud providers, host non-WordPress apps, manage multiple client sites on a budget, or want granular server control. Cloudways gives you more hosting power per dollar and more freedom to configure your environment.

Choose WP Engine if: WordPress is your entire world, you want every update and security patch handled automatically, or you need enterprise-grade compliance and disaster recovery. WP Engine’s premium price buys you a polished, worry-free WordPress experience.

For most small businesses and solo developers running WordPress, Cloudways offers the best balance of performance, flexibility, and cost. For agencies and businesses where WordPress uptime is mission-critical and IT resources are limited, WP Engine’s managed approach pays for itself in reduced overhead and peace of mind.