Cloudways vs Bluehost
The most advertised budget host against flat-rate managed cloud. One is cheaper to start, the other keeps its price and runs your whole portfolio.
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Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting with no limit on sites.
Bluehost
The biggest name, not the best deal.
Our verdict
This one depends on what you are building. For a single basic website on a tight budget, Bluehost is honestly cheaper for years: its Starter promo runs about $4.99 a month against Cloudways flat $11, and even at renewal Bluehost sits at $11.99, barely above it. Over three years that is roughly $348 at Bluehost against $396 at Cloudways. What you give up is real. The Starter plan holds one site, the speed is ordinary, and the checkout keeps pushing upsells. Cloudways charges the same $11 whether you run one site or ten, on managed cloud servers that are genuinely faster, with no promo games and no renewal jump. Pick Bluehost if you just want the cheapest way to put one simple site online. Pick Cloudways the moment you have a second project or you care about speed, because there you are paying for a better machine instead of a bigger brand.
“Host unlimited sites and pay per server size: with multiple sites this is far cheaper than the competition. Slightly more technical, but the strongest price-to-performance you will find in managed hosting.”Editorial team, on Cloudways
“The most advertised name in hosting, and fine for a basic WordPress site. But the renewal price more than doubles and the upsells never stop. There are better deals on this list.”Editorial team, on Bluehost
Frequently asked questions
Is Bluehost cheaper than Cloudways?
For a single basic site, yes. Bluehost Starter runs about $4.99 a month in year one and $11.99 after, so over three years it is roughly $348 against $396 at Cloudways. Cloudways is flat at $11 and runs no promo.
What does Bluehost cost after the promo?
The Starter plan renews at $11.99 a month, more than double the intro price, and the checkout keeps pushing extra upsells.
When is Cloudways the better choice?
The moment you run more than one site or care about speed. Cloudways hosts unlimited sites per server on managed cloud, where the Bluehost Starter plan holds one.