Quick Verdict

Cloudways and WP Engine represent different philosophies in premium WordPress hosting. Cloudways is a managed platform layer over cloud infrastructure (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean), you choose your provider, configure your server, and pay for actual resources used. WP Engine is fully managed WordPress hosting where everything is handled for you at a premium price. Technical teams choose Cloudways for flexibility and value. Businesses wanting zero server management choose WP Engine for its comprehensive managed service.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Pricing and Value

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways pricing starts around $11/month for a basic DigitalOcean server and scales based on actual resource usage. A robust setup handling significant traffic might cost $50-80/month. You're paying for cloud infrastructure plus Cloudways' management layer.

WP Engine starts at $20/month for Startup (limited visitors) and quickly scales to $77/month for Professional or $193/month for Performance plans. Enterprise pricing goes higher. The cost includes comprehensive management but restricts resource usage.

For equivalent performance, Cloudways typically costs 40-60% less than WP Engine. The savings compound for agencies hosting multiple sites.

Managed Experience

Winner: WP Engine

WP Engine is fully managed, automatic updates, security monitoring, daily backups, CDN, staging, and performance optimization all handled without intervention. You never touch server configuration. Their team handles the infrastructure so you focus on content.

Cloudways requires more hands-on management. While they handle server maintenance, you're still making infrastructure decisions: which cloud provider, what server size, when to scale. The control is valuable but demands attention.

For businesses wanting zero technical overhead, WP Engine delivers true managed hosting.

Developer Features

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways provides SSH access, Git deployment, staging environments, custom PHP configuration, and the ability to run non-WordPress applications. The platform layer doesn't restrict what you can do with your server.

WP Engine restricts server access for security and stability. No SSH, limited PHP customization, specific plugin restrictions. These limitations protect performance but frustrate developers wanting control.

For agencies and developers, Cloudways' flexibility enables workflows WP Engine prevents.

Performance

Winner: Tie

Both platforms deliver excellent WordPress performance. WP Engine's EverCache and global CDN provide fast page loads. Cloudways leveraging AWS or Google Cloud with proper configuration achieves comparable or better results.

The difference is how performance is achieved: WP Engine optimizes automatically, Cloudways requires correct configuration. Well-configured Cloudways can outperform WP Engine; default Cloudways may underperform.

Support Quality

Winner: WP Engine

WP Engine support is WordPress-specific and comprehensive. Their team handles WordPress issues, not just server problems. The support quality reflects enterprise positioning, issues get resolved by experts.

Cloudways support handles platform issues well but is less WordPress-specialized. Complex WordPress problems may require your own debugging. The support is good for infrastructure, not application-layer issues.

For non-technical teams, WP Engine support provides more complete coverage.

Flexibility and Control

Winner: Cloudways

Cloudways lets you choose your cloud provider (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode), size servers precisely, and host multiple applications. You're not locked into WordPress-only hosting.

WP Engine is WordPress-only with predefined plans. The simplicity is valuable but restricts options. You can't run other applications or precisely control resources.

For agencies hosting diverse client needs, Cloudways' flexibility is essential.

When to Choose Cloudways

Cloudways is the right choice when:

• Technical comfort exists: You or your team can manage server-level decisions
• Budget matters: Lower costs for equivalent performance
• Agency model: Multiple client sites with diverse needs
• Developer workflow needed: SSH, Git, custom configuration requirements
• Non-WordPress needs: Other applications alongside WordPress
• Scaling control wanted: Precise resource management

When to Choose WP Engine

WP Engine is the right choice when:

• Zero management wanted: Complete managed service, no technical overhead
• Enterprise requirements: Compliance, SLAs, enterprise support expectations
• Non-technical team: No developers or server administrators available
• Premium support valued: WordPress-specific expert assistance
• Simplicity priority: Predictable managed experience without decisions
• Budget flexibility: Higher cost acceptable for comprehensive service

Final Recommendation

Choose Cloudways if you have technical capability or agency needs. The flexibility, cost savings, and developer features enable workflows that WP Engine's managed approach prevents. Agencies particularly benefit from hosting multiple client sites on efficiently-sized infrastructure.

Choose WP Engine if you want true managed hosting without technical decisions. The premium pricing buys comprehensive management, expert support, and enterprise-grade reliability. For businesses without technical staff who need WordPress hosting handled completely, WP Engine delivers.

The choice reflects your technical capability and preference for control versus managed simplicity. Both deliver excellent WordPress hosting through different approaches.