Cloudways vs WP Engine (2021): Which Managed Cloud Hosting Provider Is Better?

Managing a server is no easy feat even for the most skilled programmers out there, and so, many turn to managed cloud hosting. If you think you could use some help in this department, two managed WordPress hosting platforms you can try out are Cloudways and WP Engine, both of which are trusted leaders in the industry.

They do have their differences, however, and so it’s important to choose the right one for your website, business, or blog. To help you decide which one is the better pick for you, here’s an in-depth comparison of the two, taking their speed and performance, security features, additional features, and pricing into consideration.

Cloudways vs WP Engine Comparison Chart

Model	Cloudways	WP Engine
Price	Check Price at Cloudways	Check Price at WP Engine
Cloud Providers	Top 5: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode,	Top 2: Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform
NGINX Caching System	Yes	Yes
PHP 7	Yes	Yes
HTTP/2	Yes	Yes
Cloudfare Content Delivery Network	Yes	Yes
Data Centers	60+	18
Free SSL	Yes	Yes
Free Domain Name	Yes	No
Migration	Yes	Yes
Staging	Yes	Yes

Speed and Performance

Cloudways and WP Engine are neck and neck when it comes to speed and performance.

Speed and performance are the two of the most important things to consider when choosing a managed cloud hosting provider. Fortunately, both Cloudways and WP Engine fare well in these categories. The two don’t cut any corners when it comes to hardware, with Cloudways employing the servers of the world’s top five cloud hosting providers and WP Engine making use of Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform servers (currently the two best hosting providers). Cloudways and WP Engine have advanced caching systems as well to help speed up page loading times, with both using the state-of-the-art NGINX caching system.

To add to their swift servers and advanced caching systems, Cloudways and WP Engine also take advantage of HTTP/2 and PHP 7 to make sure that applications load without any interruptions. To boot, both managed cloud hosting platforms make use of the Cloudfare content delivery network (CDN), a distributed network of proxy servers that’s considered to be one of the best in the world. So instead of having to wait to connect to servers that are across the globe, content will be loaded using a CDN node that’s nearest to the viewer’s location.

Security Features

WP Engine has the slight edge when it comes to security.

Because malicious attacks are a constant threat in the cyber world, security should be a main priority when you’re choosing a managed cloud hosting provider. The good news is that Cloudways and WP Engine take the safety of your content very seriously, both equipped with several security features. First off, they use the trusted Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate and provide free SSL for all of their plans. This means that the connection between your host server and your visitor will be encrypted and that your website will be seen as a trustworthy one.

Both managed cloud hosting providers are also highly proactive when it comes to malware protection. For Cloudways, all of their plans are safeguarded with OS-level firewalls to block off unwanted attacks and intruders. You can even choose to pay for their Sucuri Application Antivirus and Firewall add-on if you want that extra boost of security. As for WP Engine, they have a multi-layer security system in place that’s made up of two-factor authentication, regular patching updates, and threat mitigation, ensuring that your website is protected against malware from all angles.

While they have these things in common, WP Engine has a slight edge over Cloudways in terms of security. It has something called automatic disaster recovery system which allows you to recover your content on autopilot. In addition, WP Engine is a fully managed cloud hosting provider, meaning they’ll pretty much take care of everything for you when it comes to securing your website.

Additional Features

Cloudways wins when it comes additional features such as domain names and staging.

If you already have a website and you want to transfer it to another managed cloud hosting provider, both Cloudways and WP Engine make the migration process an easy one. With Cloudways, you can use their free WP migration plugin which lets you complete the transfer in just a couple of clicks. As for WP Engine, they have a tool that works in the same way, allowing for a seamless and hassle-free site migration.

While it’s a tie in terms of migration, Cloudways takes the cake when it comes to other features. For example, they give you a domain name for free no matter which of their plans you choose, something that you can’t get with WP Engine. Cloudways also wins when it comes to staging, offering up a robust staging feature that lets you change up your themes, codes, and plugins sans the need for cloning. This way, you can be sure that your live site is unbothered as you’re making edits. As for WP Engine, you can test new things on your site as well but the staging process requires cloning.

Pricing

Cloudways offers better value for money compared to WP Engine.

Whether you’re a small blogger or own a full-blown e-commerce business, you can find a package that suits your needs at either Cloudways or WP Engine. That said, Cloudways would have to be the more affordable option of the two, with their lowest package starting at just $10 per month. Their most comprehensive package, which comes with 160GB of storage and 5TB of bandwidth, falls at $80 per month.

With WP Engine, you’re going to have to shell out a bit more, with their Startup package setting you back $25 per month. Their Scale package, which they say will give you the best annual value for money, is priced at $242 per month. It’s enough to support 400,000 visits per month, making it the best option for websites with higher traffic.

Verdict

Choose Cloudways if you want great value for money but pick WP Engine if you want to have everything taken care of for you.

Cloudways

Best for those on a budget

WP Engine

Best for those who prefer to be hands-off

There’s no doubt that both Cloudways and WP Engine are reliable managed cloud hosting providers that can be trusted when it comes to speed, performance, and security. That said, they do have advantages over each other. If you’re after great value for money, Cloudways will give you a seamless experience and quality tools for prices that won’t break the bank. If, however, you prefer to be hands-off and would like to have everything taken care of for you, WP Engine is the better pick. Do note though that this comes at a higher cost.

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