After extensively testing both platforms, Cloudways emerged as the overall winner. It wasn’t just faster—it gave me more flexibility, better control over server resources, and clearer pricing. I liked that I could choose between top cloud providers like DigitalOcean or AWS, and the performance of my test site was excellent.
WP Engine, while solid in some areas like dashboard design and managed WordPress tools, didn’t perform as well in speed or support responsiveness when I actually needed help.
1. Prices and Plans Comparison
Cloudways Offers More Flexibility and Better Value Than WP Engine.
Cloudways gives you way more control over your budget. You can start small with $14/month using DigitalOcean and only pay for what you need. It’s flexible, usage-based pricing — no upfront commitment.
In contrast, WP Engine’s plans start at $25/month, but the real power kicks in at $50/month and higher. Their pricing is based on storage, traffic, and feature bundles, with separate tiers for ecommerce and enterprise. WP Engine is great for high-traffic WordPress sites needing expert support and built-in security.
But if you just want fast hosting and full control over server resources, Cloudways is much easier on the wallet.
2. Customer Support Comparison: Who’s Got Your Back?
Cloudways Responded Quickly and Helped Me Understand the Issue.
Cloudways Customer Support
When it comes to choosing a hosting provider, the level of support they offer is extremely important. A provider can have excellent infrastructure, but if you can’t get help when you need it, that’s a serious problem.
That’s why I decided to test Cloudways support firsthand.
I logged into my Cloudways dashboard and clicked on the “Need a Hand?” button on the middle right of the dashboard.
This opened the live chat panel, where I had to choose between Technical Help, Billing, and Affiliate. I selected Technical Help, then chose SSH/SFTP from the list of issues.
I explained that I was having trouble using sudo commands — the error said my user wasn’t in the sudoers file. I had already confirmed my password but couldn’t perform administrative tasks.
The chatbot immediately gave a pretty solid explanation. It told me that Cloudways restricts root/sudo access by design, which makes sense since it’s a managed hosting platform. It also mentioned I could adjust key settings (like PHP memory limits and upload sizes) from the dashboard without needing root access.
Still, I wanted a more tailored answer. So, I clicked “Get more help” and got connected to a real human — Faraz — in less than 30 seconds.
Faraz was polite and acknowledged my question right away. He confirmed that sudo/root access isn’t allowed on Cloudways due to their platform-wide security policies. He also sent me a link to a relevant Knowledge Base article for further reading. While he couldn’t change the policy, his explanation was clear and helpful.
I liked that I didn’t have to wait long, and both the bot and human agent were knowledgeable. It’s just unfortunate that the platform doesn’t allow more advanced users to do certain things via command line — but at least they’re transparent about it.
WP Engine Customer Support
To see how WP Engine’s support stacks up, I visited their website and clicked the live chat button at the bottom-right corner.
A chatbot named Walter P. popped up, and I was given three options:
✅ Need help picking a plan
✅ Chat with sales
✅ Just browsing
I clicked Chat with sales, and Walter began a sequence of questions — email, business size, user type — before saying he’d connect me with a sales specialist.
Here’s the part that disappointed me a bit:
“Thanks for reaching out. None of our agents are currently available, but we have your information and we’ll be in touch shortly.”
That was it.
WP Engine’s support wasn’t available in real-time, even though it was within their advertised support hours. I didn’t get a chance to ask my question or talk to a human agent. For a premium host, this wasn’t a great first impression.
3. Hosting Features Comparison
Cloudways Offers More Flexibility and Built-In Features.
Cloudways Features
When I tested Cloudways, what stood out immediately was how fast and smooth everything felt, even on a basic DigitalOcean setup. The interface is minimal but powerful. For example, I could launch a WordPress site in less than 10 minutes by just going to the “Applications” tab and clicking “Add Application.”
From there, selecting the server I want to install WordPress on, and from the list of available apps, hit “Add Application,” and Cloudways did the rest.
Additionally, everything from managing backups to enabling server-level caching, SSL, staging environments, and vertical scaling was just a few clicks away. I didn’t have to mess with command lines or custom server scripts — Cloudways made it easy to tweak performance settings, monitor usage, or roll back changes if needed.
And with the ability to launch unlimited apps per server, I had the flexibility to manage all my client sites from one place without paying extra.
The only real drawback? You don’t get email accounts by default — but Rackspace email is available as a cheap add-on.
Overall, I felt like Cloudways gives you the power of raw cloud infrastructure without the hassle of managing it yourself.
WP Engine Features
WP Engine feels like the Apple of WordPress hosting — sleek, polished, and fully managed. When I set up a site on WP Engine, I didn’t have to think about performance tuning or security at all. It came with EverCache, a proprietary caching system, and a global CDN that kept my site loading incredibly fast.
The dashboard is designed for ease — everything from plugin management to backup restores and PHP version switching was intuitive.
One feature I found helpful was the Smart Plugin Manager. I was able to set my own update schedule — choosing how often, what days, and what time plugin updates should run. Once set, Smart Plugin Manager automatically handled updates in the background, ran visual regression tests, and even rolled back changes if something looked off, so I could stay focused on everything else.
That said, it’s very WordPress-specific — no room for other frameworks. And while features like Genesis Blocks and WooCommerce optimizations are nice, they’re tied to higher-tier plans. It’s great for serious WordPress users, but I missed the flexibility to launch multiple types of apps or scale server-level settings the way I could on Cloudways.
4. Website Performance Comparison
Cloudways Is Faster and Handles Real-World Websites Better.
When it comes to hosting performance, testing a blank WordPress install doesn’t tell you the full story. That’s why I created a fully functional website on each platform—Cloudways and WP Engine.
Cloudways Performance
For Cloudways, I tested the performance of a WordPress site that I had fully set up with real content and media.
The results were genuinely impressive. The performance score was a near-perfect 99%, and the structure score was 96%, which shows Cloudways has optimized its backend well. The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) was just 925ms, meaning the site’s main content loaded in under a second. That’s a great user experience, especially for people browsing on slower connections.
Total Blocking Time (TBT) came in at only 1ms, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) was 0, which means everything loaded smoothly without unexpected shifts. The Time to First Byte (TTFB) was lightning-fast at 119ms, and both the First Contentful Paint (735ms) and Time to Interactive (927ms) showed that users could start engaging with the site almost instantly.
While the fully loaded time was 5.5 seconds, which isn’t the fastest, it’s still very reasonable given the media and plugins I added. A few optimizations could easily bring that down further.
Overall, Cloudways proved to be a high-performance host even under realistic conditions, not just on a blank slate.
WP Engine Performance
For WP Engine, I tested https://avada.com, which is hosted on their platform and built with a popular WordPress theme. It’s a real site with real content, so it was a solid candidate for comparison.
The performance results were underwhelming. WP Engine’s test site scored only 41% for overall performance. The LCP was 4.1 seconds, which is noticeably slow, especially for users trying to access the site quickly.
The Total Blocking Time was 774ms, and the TTI hit 7.1 seconds—a big gap compared to Cloudways’ sub-second response. Even the TTFB was relatively high at 495ms. The site’s fully loaded time came in at 13.1 seconds, which is well beyond what’s considered optimal.
To be fair, the structure score was high at 95%, and the CLS was low at 0.01, but those alone can’t offset the long loading and interaction times. If performance and speed are priorities—especially for ecommerce, blogs, or media-heavy websites—WP Engine didn’t deliver the same level of responsiveness as Cloudways in my test.
5. Ease of Use Comparison: Which Platform Is Easier to Use?
WP Engine Wins for Ease of Use With Its Clean Interface, Guided Workflows, and WordPress-Focused Setup.
Registration and Creating a New Account
One of the first things I looked at when testing Cloudways and WP Engine was how easy each platform is to sign up for, set up a site, and manage everything afterward.
Cloudways: Signing up for Cloudways started with a “Start Free” button on the homepage. It’s a free trial, so I didn’t need to enter my credit card — which was nice. However, the signup process itself was longer than I expected. After entering my name, email, and password, I had to fill out several dropdowns about my hosting experience, monthly spending, and use case.
Then came the verification step — Cloudways asked for extra details like my LinkedIn profile, website URL, and phone number. It felt more tailored to developers or agencies, not casual users. Once I was verified, though, I got instant access to the dashboard.
WP Engine: WP Engine’s signup process felt more straightforward. I chose a pricing plan, clicked “Buy Now,” and was taken directly to a clean checkout page. There were some optional add-ons like Site Monitoring and Smart Plugin Manager, but nothing forced.
After entering my billing and contact info, I was good to go. The entire process felt much more like signing up for a typical SaaS product—fast and minimal.
User Interface – Client Area & Dashboard
Cloudways: When I logged into Cloudways for the first time, I landed on a dashboard that looked clean but very developer-focused. Across the top, I saw tabs for “Servers,” “Applications,” “Team,” and “Projects.”
I clicked on my server, and that’s where the real dashboard opened up. The left-hand menu gave me full access to areas like Monitoring, Vertical Scaling, Security, and Backups.
I liked how detailed it was — I could do everything from restarting services to checking RAM usage. But for someone who’s not used to managing infrastructure, it might be a little overwhelming.
WP Engine: In contrast, WP Engine’s User Portal felt much more polished and beginner-friendly. Everything was laid out around the idea of WordPress environments.
From the “Sites” tab, I could see my production, staging, and development setups in one place. Each environment had its own backup options, update logs, caching controls, and even a Go Live checklist.
It was clear that WP Engine was built specifically with WordPress in mind, which made things much easier to find and manage.
Hosting Setup: Creating a New WordPress Website
Cloudways: Once my server was live, setting up WordPress was just a few clicks. I went to the “Applications” tab, clicked “Add Application,” chose my server, and selected WordPress.
That was it. Cloudways handled the rest. A few minutes later, my WordPress site was ready. I could launch the admin panel directly from the dashboard and start customizing immediately. It was surprisingly fast, but again — you still need to know which server you’re linking to, which might confuse some beginners.
WP Engine: Setting up WordPress on WP Engine was designed to be dead simple. I clicked “Add Site” from the Sites page, chose “Build a New Site,” and picked my environment type. After naming my site and clicking “Add Site,” I got an email prompting me to finish setting up my admin user.
From there, I could log in to WordPress and start building. WP Engine even installs a Genesis Pro theme by default, so it feels like a more complete setup right out of the gate.
Server Management Dashboard
Cloudways: Managing my server on Cloudways gave me a ton of flexibility. I just clicked on my server name and got access to all the controls. From the left-hand menu, I could manage Nginx, Apache, and MySQL services, monitor CPU and RAM usage, add SSH keys, and launch an SSH terminal right in the browser.
I also loved the Vertical Scaling feature — I could increase my server resources instantly without touching the code. It felt like I had full control, which is great if you’re technical.
WP Engine: With WP Engine, there’s no separate “server” panel. Everything is managed through the User Portal under your environments. I could still do a lot — like clear caches, run backups, enable maintenance mode, or even push changes from staging to production — but it didn’t feel like I was managing a raw server.
It was all streamlined for WordPress use cases. If you’re someone who just wants to focus on content and performance without dealing with infrastructure, this setup is ideal.
6. Privacy and Security Comparison: Which Platform is More Secure?
Your Data Is Safer With Cloudways Thanks to Its Layered, Built-in Security Stack and Active Vulnerability Monitoring.
Cloudways Privacy and Security
I felt confident hosting my site on Cloudways because of the multi-layered security that’s built into every server—no extra setup required. It starts with a dedicated server-level firewall powered by Imunify360 that actively blocks malicious traffic, brute-force attempts, and bot abuse.
I really liked how easy it was to enable 1-click SSL, and I didn’t need to worry about setting up separate malware tools—the system scans apps regularly and alerts me via CloudwaysBot if anything suspicious pops up.
Their Patchstack vulnerability scanner was particularly helpful for staying ahead of plugin or theme vulnerabilities.
Plus, I could easily whitelist IPs, monitor activity with Fail2ban, and scale my defenses further using Cloudflare Enterprise. Everything felt automated, reliable, and made me feel in control of my site’s security without needing to dig through complex settings.
WP Engine Privacy and Security
WP Engine also takes WordPress security seriously, and I saw that immediately. Their proprietary firewall and disk write protections were solid, and they go a step further with user enumeration blocking, disallowed plugins, and tight environment-level restrictions.
I liked that they encrypt data both at rest and in transit, and the fact that they do regular vulnerability scanning and third-party penetration testing gave me additional peace of mind.
However, some features like their Global Edge Security and Smart Plugin Manager come as add-ons, and the level of control felt more limited compared to Cloudways. WP Engine is secure by design, but I felt a little boxed in when I wanted to dig deeper or customize parts of the setup.
7. Server Locations Comparison
Cloudways Offers More Server Location Flexibility Across the Globe.
When it comes to server locations, Cloudways completely blew me away. During setup, I was given the freedom to choose from 65+ data center locations across top infrastructure providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode. It honestly felt like I had the entire globe at my fingertips.
What I appreciated most was the ability to host my site as close as possible to my target audience. For example, if most of my traffic came from Europe, I could spin up a server in Frankfurt, London, or even Stockholm.
And here’s the kicker: if I ever wanted to change the server location, Cloudways made that super easy too. I could simply clone my server to a different data center through the dashboard—no support tickets or downtime surprises. That’s something I rarely see in other platforms.
WP Engine, on the other hand, also offers a decent range of Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure locations. I was able to choose from regions like Iowa, Montreal, Frankfurt, and Singapore. But there’s a catch. Some locations are only available on premium plans, and if you want to move your website to a new data center later on, you have to contact support, wait for them to approve it, and potentially deal with downtime and added costs.
They do let you test latency using tools like CloudPing or GCPing, which is a nice touch. But as someone who likes control and simplicity, I found WP Engine’s server location process more rigid and less hands-on than Cloudways.
Cloudways vs WP Engine: The Bottom Line
After testing both providers, Cloudways is the clear winner. It outperforms WP Engine in speed, server control, and global data center availability. While WP Engine is easier for beginners, Cloudways gives you more flexibility, better pricing, and powerful features ideal for developers or growing businesses that want performance and control.
| Category | Winner | Why |
| Pricing and Plans | Cloudways | Offers more flexible pay-as-you-go pricing and lower starting cost |
| Support | Cloudways | Faster, more responsive live chat support during my tests |
| Hosting Features | Cloudways | Includes better server management tools, SafeUpdates, and integrations |
| Website Performance | Cloudways | Scored 99% on GTmetrix with exceptional load speeds and TTFB |
| Ease of Use | WP Engine | Smoother onboarding and simpler dashboard for beginners |
| Privacy and Security | Cloudways | More robust built-in security stack and free tools like Imunify36 |
| Server Locations | Cloudways | 65+ global locations via multiple cloud providers |
