Head-to-head · Managed WordPress Hosting
WP Engine vs Cloudways
WP Engine leads on 1 check, Cloudways on 1, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 8 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreWP Engine · 9.2/10
- Lowest starting priceWP Engine · $30/site/mo
- Free trialonly Cloudways
WP Engine scores higher on our rubric for managed wordpress hosting: 9.2 against 6.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #30.
WP Engine is cheaper to start at $30/mo against $35/mo. Cloudways leads on storage: 15 GB versus 10 GB.
WP Engine is the better fit for professional single-site hosting. Cloudways is the better fit for users wanting provider choice and scaling.
- WP Engine fits best
Professional single-site hosting
- Cloudways fits best
Users wanting provider choice and scaling
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Side by side
| Feature | WP Engine 9.2/10 Visit ↗ | Cloudways 6.3/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.2 | 6.3 |
| Ranking | #3 in Managed WordPress Hosting | #30 in Managed WordPress Hosting |
| Best for | Professional single-site hosting | Users wanting provider choice and scaling |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $30/site/mo (best) | $35/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | 3 days |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Features WP Engine 3/4 · Cloudways 3/4 | ||
| Automatic backups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Staging environment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Malware removal | Not checked yet | — |
| CDN included | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Sites included | 1 sites | 1 sites |
| Storage | 10 GB | 15 GB (best) |
| Support channel | Chat | Chat |
| Our review | ||
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| Our verdict | WP Engine is a managed hosting platform for websites built with WordPress. It is aimed at businesses, agencies, developers, and enterprise organizations that want hosting operations such as updates, backups, caching, staging, security… Read the review → |
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform for WordPress websites and other PHP applications. It lets small and medium-sized businesses, agencies, developers, ecommerce operators, bloggers, and publishers manage sites from a dashboard… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
WP Engine — where it wins
- Managed WordPress, PHP, and MySQL updates
- Automatic backups, staging, CDN, and security patching
- GitHub Actions deployments and WordPress-focused support
Where it doesn't
- No free plan
- Startup support is chat-only
- Core Hosting requires contacting sales for pricing
Cloudways — where it wins
- Staging, backups, cloning, and vertical scaling are built in
- DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, and other provider integrations
- 24/7 support through chat, email, and ticketing
Where it doesn't
- No free plan; the free trial lasts 3 days
- Automated malware removal is a paid add-on
- Scale and Plus plans each support one website
- WP Engine9.2/10 · Paid
A focused managed WordPress host with staging, backups, CDN, and security tools.
Visit WP EngineFull verdict → - Cloudways6.3/10 · 3-day trial
A provider-flexible WordPress host with strong scaling, staging, and operational tools.
Visit CloudwaysFull verdict →
More comparisons
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- WP Engine vs WPMU DEV
- WP Engine vs WordPress.com
All managed WordPress hosting comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update