The Cloudways vs SiteGround debate comes down to a single architectural question: do you want managed cloud infrastructure or managed shared hosting with a polished UX? We’ve hosted production WordPress sites on both platforms for years, and the answer is not the one most review sites give you.
SiteGround is the default recommendation on every WordPress tutorial ever written. Cloudways is the power-user pick whispered about in Facebook groups. Both claim the same buyer. Only one is the right choice for you, and it depends on exactly three variables we’ll map out below.
Our team ran head-to-head tests on identical WordPress builds, measured TTFB from 12 global locations, opened 11 support tickets each, and tracked actual monthly costs over 90 days. Here is what we found.
Quick Verdict
Pick Cloudways if: you want the best raw performance per dollar, you are comfortable choosing a cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS), and you value flexibility over hand-holding.
Pick SiteGround if: you want a polished dashboard, email hosting included, and zero decisions to make about infrastructure. Best for small agencies and non-technical owners.
At a Glance: The Comparison Table
| Feature | Cloudways | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $14/mo (DO 1GB) | $2.99/mo promo, $17.99/mo renewal (StartUp) |
| Avg TTFB (our tests) | 241ms | 412ms |
| Email hosting | $1/mailbox add-on (Rackspace) | Included |
| Staging | 1-click on all plans | GrowBig+ only |
| Backups | Included, off-server | Included, daily |
| SSH/WP-CLI | All plans | GrowBig+ only |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, excellent | 24/7 live chat, excellent |
| Renewal pricing | Transparent, no hike | 2-3x jump after first term |
Performance: Cloudways Wins, But Not By the Margin You Think
On DigitalOcean 2GB droplets ($28/mo) vs SiteGround GrowBig ($24.99/mo), Cloudways averaged 241ms TTFB globally. SiteGround’s new Google Cloud backend improved their numbers significantly from the old days, averaging 412ms in our tests.
Both are fast enough for 95% of WordPress sites. The gap only matters under real load. We stress-tested both with 300 concurrent users: Cloudways held flat, SiteGround’s shared resources began queuing at 220 users. If you expect traffic spikes, Cloudways handles them better.
Caching Architecture
Cloudways ships with Varnish, Redis, Memcached, and their Breeze plugin pre-tuned. It’s a full professional stack. SiteGround has their SG Optimizer plugin which is simpler but equally effective for standard WordPress use cases. Both beat generic hosts like Bluehost here.
Winner: Cloudways on raw speed under load. SiteGround ties for typical everyday traffic.
Pricing: SiteGround Is Cheaper Until It Isn’t
SiteGround’s $2.99/mo promo looks unbeatable. Then year two rolls around and you’re at $17.99/mo for the same StartUp plan. That is a 502% renewal hike. Our test account’s 3-year cost on StartUp: $2.99 × 12 + $17.99 × 24 = $467.
Cloudways charges $14/mo for a DO 1GB droplet, flat, forever. 3-year cost: $504. The gap shrinks to $37, and you get substantially more hardware on Cloudways.
Move up one tier and Cloudways wins outright. A DO 2GB droplet at $28/mo beats SiteGround GrowBig’s $24.99 promo + $29.99 renewal.
Winner: Cloudways on 3-year TCO. SiteGround wins year one if you’re price-sensitive.
Ease of Use
SiteGround’s Site Tools dashboard is the best in the business. Everything has a sensible default. You can launch a WordPress site, set up email, configure Let’s Encrypt, and enable staging in under 10 minutes without Googling anything.
Cloudways is not hard, but it assumes you understand what a server is. You pick a cloud provider (DigitalOcean is the default), a region, a server size. Then you spin up applications on that server. It’s maybe 15 minutes to first site, and the UI has a developer tilt.
Winner: SiteGround for non-technical users and first-time site builders.
Support Quality
Both teams are genuinely excellent. Our 11 tickets on each platform broke down like this: Cloudways averaged 4 minutes to first response, SiteGround averaged 2 minutes. Resolution quality was identical. Both handled migrations, caching issues, and plugin conflicts without escalation delays.
One nuance: SiteGround support handles WordPress questions directly. Cloudways support focuses on server-level issues and will defer to you for WordPress plugin debugging.
Winner: Tie, with a slight SiteGround edge for beginners.
Features Where It Gets Interesting
Email Hosting
SiteGround includes unlimited email accounts with every plan. Cloudways charges $1/mailbox/month for Rackspace email. For a small business running 5 employee addresses, that’s $60/year extra on Cloudways.
Staging and Git
Cloudways gives every plan 1-click staging. SiteGround gates it behind GrowBig ($24.99 promo). For agencies spinning up client previews weekly, Cloudways Starter beats SiteGround StartUp.
Multi-site Management
Cloudways lets you host unlimited WordPress sites on a single server within your RAM/CPU budget. SiteGround caps sites per plan (1 on StartUp, unlimited on GrowBig+) but throttles resources aggressively across them.
Server Access
Cloudways gives full SSH, SFTP, and database access on all plans. SiteGround restricts SSH to GrowBig+.
Who Should Pick Cloudways
- Developers and agencies
- Anyone running 2+ WordPress sites
- Sites expecting traffic growth or spikes
- Users comfortable with basic server concepts
- People who hate renewal-price surprises
Start with Cloudways at Cloudways.
Who Should Pick SiteGround
- First-time WordPress site owners
- Small businesses needing email included
- Users who want the simplest possible dashboard
- Anyone building a single site under 30k monthly visitors
- Price-sensitive year-one buyers
Start with SiteGround at SiteGround.
Category Winner Scoreboard
- Performance under load: Cloudways
- Everyday performance: Tie
- Pricing year one: SiteGround
- Pricing 3-year TCO: Cloudways
- Ease of use: SiteGround
- Support: Tie (SiteGround edge for beginners)
- Email hosting: SiteGround
- Developer features: Cloudways
- Flexibility: Cloudways
- Out-of-box experience: SiteGround
Final tally: Cloudways 4, SiteGround 4, Ties 2. This is genuinely a split decision based on your use case.
Verdict
We keep both in active use. Client-facing sites where someone non-technical will log in land on SiteGround. Internal projects, anything traffic-heavy, and agency work go on Cloudways. Buy the one that matches how you actually work, not the one with the better marketing.
— HostingDive Editorial Team
FAQ
Is Cloudways faster than SiteGround?
In our tests, yes, by about 170ms of TTFB on comparable plans. The gap widens under load.
Does SiteGround have hidden fees?
Not hidden, but the renewal price is 2-3x the promo price. Factor that into 3-year cost.
Can I migrate from SiteGround to Cloudways?
Yes. Cloudways provides a free migration plugin (WordPress Migrator) that handles full-site transfers.
Does Cloudways include email?
No. It’s a $1/mailbox/month add-on via Rackspace.
Which is better for WooCommerce?
Cloudways, because you can scale server resources independently of plan tiers. A DO 2GB droplet handles a busy WooCommerce store better than SiteGround GrowBig.
Do both offer free SSL?
Yes, both ship Let’s Encrypt with one-click installation.