Cloudways vs WP Engine — Which is Better in 2026?
WP Engine is significantly more expensive (127% more). In our testing, Cloudways consistently outperformed on speed. We compared pricing, support, uptime, and features so you can choose with confidence.
Last verified: June 2026
Our Quick Verdict
Cloudways wins overall with a 4.6/5 rating vs 4.5/5. It is best for Developers, Agency, WordPress. The other option — WP Engine — is a better fit if you need WordPress or Agency.
Ratings Comparison
| Category | Cloudways | Winner | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 4.6/5 | Winner | 4.5/5 |
| Speed | 4.7/5 | Winner | 4.6/5 |
| Support | 4.4/5 | Winner | 4.6/5 |
| Uptime | 4.7/5 | Winner | 4.8/5 |
| Value | 4.5/5 | Winner | 3.8/5 |
| Features | 4.6/5 | Winner | 4.7/5 |
| Security | 4.5/5 | Winner | 4.7/5 |
| Ease of Use | 4.2/5 | Winner | 4.5/5 |
Features Comparison
| Feature | Cloudways | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free Domain | ✕ | ✕ |
| Free Migration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Money-Back | None | 60 days |
| Storage Type | SSD | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | 50GB |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Founded | 2012 | 2010 |
Pros & Cons
Cloudways
Pros
- ✓Choose your underlying cloud provider
- ✓Pay-as-you-go — no annual lock-in
- ✓Built-in CDN, Redis, and Varnish cache
- ✓Free SSL and automated backups
- ✓One-click staging environments
- ✓PHP-FPM and Nginx Varnish stack
Cons
- ✕No phone support
- ✕No email hosting included
- ✕Pricing scales with cloud server size
- ✕Not ideal for non-technical beginners
WP Engine
Pros
- ✓60-day money-back guarantee
- ✓Free StudioPress Genesis themes
- ✓Automated daily backups and one-click restore
- ✓Excellent developer tools (SSH, WP-CLI, Git)
- ✓Global CDN included on all plans
- ✓Deep WordPress security hardening
Cons
- ✕Expensive compared to shared hosting
- ✕WordPress-only platform
- ✕Restrictive plugin list (some plugins blocked)
- ✕Visitor overage charges can be costly
Performance Comparison
In our testing, Cloudways consistently outperformed WP Engine on page load speed, scoring 4.7/5 and 4.6/5 respectively. Cloudways uses SSD storage with data centres in USA, EU, while WP Engine relies on SSD storage with locations including USA, UK. Cloudways guarantees 99.99% uptime, and WP Engine offers 99.99% uptime.
Pricing Breakdown
Cloudways starts at $11.00/month, making it more affordable than WP Engine ($25.00/month) — a 127% price difference. Over 12 months, that's $168 in savings by choosing Cloudways. Cloudways has no standard refund policy; WP Engine offers a 60-day guarantee.
Support Comparison
Cloudways offers support via live chat, ticket with a support rating of 4.4/5. WP Engine provides live chat, ticket support, rated 4.6/5. WP Engine has the edge on support responsiveness and quality in our evaluation.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Cloudways if you need:
- Developers
- Agency
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
Not ideal for:
Beginners, Email hosting users
Choose WP Engine if you need:
- WordPress
- Agency
- WooCommerce
Not ideal for:
Beginners, Budget users, Non-WordPress sites
Our Verdict
After testing both platforms, we recommend Cloudways for most users. The ratings are close (4.6 vs 4.5), so your decision should come down to your specific use case.
Our Testing Methodology
ArdentSupport evaluates hosting providers across eight weighted criteria: overall value, page load speed, customer support quality, uptime reliability, feature depth, security posture, and ease of use. Ratings reflect real-world performance data, industry reputation, public SLAs, and first-hand support interactions. Prices are verified at time of publication. We update this comparison when provider data changes.