Cloudways vs WP Engine
More flexible pricing, broader cloud provider choices, and comparable performance at nearly half the cost.
Winner
Cloudways
Pricing Comparison
Intro prices are promotional. Always factor in renewal rates before committing.
Cloudways
Best managed cloud hosting
Per month, pay-as-you-go
- ✓Scalable cloud SSD
- ✓Free SSL
- ✓Unlimited sites
- ✓Cloudflare CDN
- ✓Daily backups
- ✓Staging env
WP Engine
Premium managed WordPress
Per month, billed annually
- ✓10 GB SSD
- ✓Free SSL
- ✓1 site (Startup)
- ✓CDN included
- ✓Daily backups
- ✓Staging site
Prices reflect promotional rates at time of testing. We earn commissions from affiliate links at no cost to you.
Full Feature Comparison
Cloudways vs WP Engine — every metric compared side by side
✦ indicates the winner for that metric. Data based on real-world testing, updated 2026.
Performance Scores
Based on 6 months of real-world testing, uptime monitoring, and support evaluations.
Cloudways
WP Engine
Pros & Cons
Cloudways
Best managed cloud hosting
✓ What We Like
- +Flexible cloud infra (AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean)
- +Excellent page speed and performance
- +Transparent pay-as-you-go pricing
- +Free Cloudflare Enterprise CDN
- +Team collaboration tools
- +Staging environments included
✗What We Don't Like
- −No domain registration
- −No email hosting included
- −Learning curve for beginners
- −More expensive than shared hosting
WP Engine
Premium managed WordPress
✓ What We Like
- +Best-in-class WordPress performance
- +Free Genesis Framework themes
- +Developer staging + dev tools
- +Automated daily backups
- +Global CDN via Cloudflare
- +WordPress-expert support team
✗What We Don't Like
- −Expensive for small or personal sites
- −WordPress-only (no other CMS)
- −Some popular plugins are blocked
- −No email hosting
Our Verdict
Cloudways wins for most users who want managed cloud hosting. It starts at $11/mo vs WP Engine's $20/mo, supports any CMS (not just WordPress), and lets you choose from AWS, GCP, or DigitalOcean. WP Engine is still worth it if you need premium WordPress-specific tooling, Genesis themes, or specialist WordPress support. But for most growing sites, Cloudways delivers 95% of the performance at half the price.
Last updated: May 19, 2026
Our Verdict: Cloudways Wins
More flexible pricing, broader cloud provider choices, and comparable performance at nearly half the cost.
Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. Our recommendations remain independent and based on real testing.