With so many web hosting companies on the market, it can be difficult to determine which one is the best fit for your website. In this article, we’ll compare the features and pricing of Bluehost and Cloudways to help you make an informed decision.
Overview & Features of Bluehost vs Cloudways
1.1 Overview:
Bluehost and Cloudways are two popular web hosting providers that offer different types of hosting services to businesses and individuals. Bluehost is a well-established web hosting company, founded in 2003 and currently hosting over 2 million websites worldwide.
Cloudways, on the other hand, is a relatively new entrant to the market, founded in 2011 and offering managed cloud hosting solutions to its customers.
While both Bluehost and Cloudways offer similar hosting services, they differ in terms of their pricing, features, and performance. In this comparison, we will take a closer look at the features of each web hosting provider to help you make an informed decision about which one is the best fit for your website.
1.2 Features:
Bluehost:
- Shared Hosting: Bluehost offers shared hosting plans, which are suitable for small websites and blogs that don’t require a lot of resources. These plans come with a free domain name, unlimited bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate.
- WordPress Hosting: Bluehost is a recommended web host by WordPress.org and offers specialized hosting plans for WordPress websites. These plans come with pre-installed WordPress, automatic updates, and advanced security features.
- VPS Hosting: Bluehost offers virtual private server (VPS) hosting plans for websites that require more resources and control. These plans come with root access, SSD storage, and customizable resources.
- Dedicated Hosting: Bluehost also offers dedicated hosting plans for websites that require the ultimate performance and security. These plans come with dedicated resources, root access, and a choice of operating systems.
- Performance: Bluehost offers reliable and fast hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and performance optimization tools such as Cloudflare CDN, HTTP/2, and PHP 7.
Cloudways:
- Managed Cloud Hosting: Cloudways offers managed cloud hosting solutions on popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, and Linode. These plans come with a choice of the operating system, customizable resources, and automatic scaling.
- Performance: Cloudways offers fast and scalable hosting with a 100% uptime guarantee, SSD storage, and built-in caching.
- Advanced Features: Cloudways offers advanced features such as server cloning, one-click backup and restore, staging environments, and Git integration.
- WordPress Hosting: Cloudways offers specialized hosting plans for WordPress websites that come with pre-installed WordPress, automatic updates, and advanced security features.
- 24/7 Support: Cloudways offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone, as well as a knowledge base and community forum for self-help.
Pricing Comparison: Bluehost vs Cloudways
2.1 Bluehost Pricing:
Bluehost offers a range of hosting plans at different price points to suit various needs and budgets. Here is a breakdown of Bluehost’s pricing:
- Shared Hosting: Bluehost’s shared hosting plans start at $2.95 per month for the Basic plan, which includes one website, 50 GB SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth. The Plus plan costs $5.45 per month and allows for unlimited websites, storage, and bandwidth. The Choice Plus plan costs $5.45 per month and includes additional features such as domain privacy and CodeGuard Basic backup.
- WordPress Hosting: Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans start at $2.95 per month for the Basic plan, which includes one website, 50 GB SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth. The Plus plan costs $5.45 per month and allows for unlimited websites, storage, and bandwidth. The Choice Plus plan costs $5.45 per month and includes additional features such as domain privacy and CodeGuard Basic backup.
- VPS Hosting: Bluehost’s VPS hosting plans start at $18.99 per month for the Standard plan, which includes 2 cores, 30 GB SSD storage, 2 GB RAM, and 1 TB bandwidth. The Enhanced plan costs $29.99 per month and includes 2 cores, 60 GB SSD storage, 4 GB RAM, and 2 TB bandwidth. The Ultimate plan costs $59.99 per month and includes 4 cores, 120 GB SSD storage, 8 GB RAM, and 3 TB bandwidth.
- Dedicated Hosting: Bluehost’s dedicated hosting plans start at $79.99 per month for the Standard plan, which includes 4 cores @ 2.3 GHz, 500 GB mirrored storage, 4 GB RAM, and 5 TB bandwidth. The Enhanced plan costs $99.99 per month and includes 4 cores @ 2.5 GHz, 1 TB mirrored storage, 8 GB RAM, and 10 TB bandwidth. The Premium plan costs $119.99 per month and includes 4 cores @ 3.3 GHz, 1 TB mirrored storage, 16 GB RAM, and 15 TB bandwidth.
Note: These prices are based on Bluehost’s current promotional offers and are subject to change.
2.2 Cloudways Pricing:
Cloudways offers managed cloud hosting solutions on popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, and Linode. Here is a breakdown of Cloudways’ pricing:
- DigitalOcean: Cloudways’ DigitalOcean plans start at $10 per month for 1 GB RAM, 1 core processor, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. The highest plan costs $80 per month for 8 GB RAM, 4 core processor, 160 GB storage, and 5 TB bandwidth.
- Linode: Cloudways’ Linode plans start at $12 per month for 1 GB RAM, 1 core processor, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. The highest plan costs $90 per month for 8 GB RAM, 4 core processors, 192 GB storage, and 4 TB bandwidth.
- Vultr: Cloudways’ Vultr plans start at $11 per month for 1 GB RAM, 1 core processor, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. The highest plan costs $84 per month for 8 GB RAM, 4 core processors, 160 GB storage, and 4 TB bandwidth.
- AWS: Cloudways’ AWS plans start at $36.51 per month for 1.75 GB RAM, 1 core processor, 20 GB storage, and 2 GB bandwidth. The highest plan costs $274.33 per month.
Customer Service & Support
3.1 Bluehost Support:
Bluehost provides customer support via phone, live chat, and email. Their customer service team is available 24/7 to assist customers with any issues they may encounter. Bluehost also has a knowledge base with helpful articles and tutorials to help customers troubleshoot common problems on their own.
Customers can access support by logging into their Bluehost account and clicking on the support tab. From there, they can choose the type of support they need, such as technical support, billing support, or sales support. Bluehost also offers a help center with frequently asked questions, video tutorials, and other resources to help customers.
Overall, Bluehost’s customer service is highly regarded by many customers for its responsiveness and helpfulness. The company has won numerous awards for its customer support, including the Best Web Hosting Award from PCMag.
3.2 Cloudways Support:
Cloudways offers customer support via live chat, ticketing system, and phone. The support team is available 24/7 to help customers with any issues they may encounter. Cloudways also has a knowledge base with helpful articles and tutorials to help customers troubleshoot common problems on their own.
Customers can access support by logging into their Cloudways account and clicking on the support tab. From there, they can choose the type of support they need, such as technical support, billing support, or sales support. Cloudways also offers a community forum where customers can ask questions and get help from other Cloudways users.
Overall, Cloudways’ customer service is highly regarded by many customers for its responsiveness and helpfulness. The company has won numerous awards for its customer support, including the Great User Experience Award and the Rising Star Award from FinancesOnline.
Pros & Cons of Each Provider
4.1 Pros of Bluehost:
- Good uptime: Bluehost boasts an uptime of 99.99%, ensuring that customers’ websites are always up and running.
- Affordable pricing: Bluehost offers competitive pricing plans, starting as low as $2.95 per month, making it accessible to individuals and small businesses.
- User-friendly interface: Bluehost’s cPanel is intuitive and easy to use, making it simple for customers to manage their websites and hosting.
- 24/7 customer support: Bluehost’s customer support team is available 24/7 to assist customers with any issues they may encounter.
- One-click WordPress installation: Bluehost makes it easy to install WordPress with just one click, saving customers time and effort.
4.2 Cons of Bluehost:
- Additional fees: Some features, such as site backups and domain privacy, require an additional fee, which can add up quickly.
- Limited storage: Bluehost’s basic plans come with limited storage, which may not be sufficient for larger websites or businesses.
- Aggressive upselling: Bluehost is known for aggressively upselling its customers on additional features and services, which can be annoying and overwhelming for some customers.
4.3 Pros of Cloudways:
- Multiple cloud hosting providers: Cloudways allows customers to choose from multiple cloud hosting providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean, giving customers more flexibility and options.
- Excellent performance: Cloudways boasts excellent website performance, with fast load times and high uptime.
- Scalability: Cloudways allows customers to easily scale their hosting as their website or business grows.
- Multiple server locations: Cloudways has server locations all over the world, making it easy for customers to choose a location that is closer to their target audience.
- Pay-as-you-go pricing: Cloudways offers pay-as-you-go pricing, allowing customers to only pay for the resources they use.
4.4 Cons of Cloudways:
- Limited customer support: Cloudways’ customer support team is not available via phone, which may be frustrating for some customers.
- More technical: Cloudways is geared towards more technical users and may not be as user-friendly for beginners.
- No email hosting: Cloudways does not offer email hosting, which means customers must find another provider to handle their email needs.
- Extra fees for some features: Some features, such as backups and domain registration, require an additional fee, which can add up quickly.
Conclusion: Which is better, Bluehost or cloudways
Bluehost vs Cloudways: Which Web Hosting Provider is Best?
Both Bluehost and Cloudways offer unique features and pricing plans that make them suitable for different types of websites. Before deciding which one is right for you, it’s important to consider the features, pricing, and customer service that each provider offers. Take the time to research both of these web hosting options to make an informed decision and get the most value for your money.