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Side-by-Side Comparison

Cloudways vs DreamHost — Detailed Comparison

VS

Trying to choose between Cloudways and DreamHost? Here is where each one wins, and which fits your project.

Mohamed Abdelaal By Mohamed Abdelaal, Founder & Lead Hosting Analyst Our pick: Cloudways 100% independent Updated June 2026
Top Pick
4.8
From $11.00 /mo
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4.5
From $1.99 /mo
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Quick Verdict: Cloudways wins

Cloudways wins for developers and performance-focused users who need managed cloud infrastructure with global reach and advanced caching. DreamHost wins for budget-conscious beginners and WordPress users who value simplicity, a money-back guarantee, and established reliability.

Mohamed Abdelaal Reviewed by Mohamed Abdelaal Founder & Lead Hosting Analyst

At a Glance

Both hosts excel in uptime and support, but differ significantly in architecture, pricing, and target audience.

Winner Visit Cloudways
Visit DreamHost
Overall Rating
4.8
4.5
Starting Price
$11.00/mo
$1.99/mo
Money-Back
N/A
97 days
Uptime
99.99%
100%
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
Yes (All Plans)
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
Free SSL
Free Migration
Yes (1st migration free)
Yes (WordPress 1-click)
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
DreamHost Custom Panel
24/7 Support

Provider Profiles

2011 Malta

Cloudways (founded 2011, Malta-based) is a managed cloud platform connecting DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud. It targets developers and agencies who want enterprise infrastructure without server administration.

User Friendly 4.8
Support 4.8
Features 4.8
Reliability 4.8
Pricing 4.8
  • 3-Day Free Trial — No Credit Card Required
  • 3 Cloud Providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud
  • Lightning Stack (Nginx + Varnish + Redis + PHP-FPM)
  • Object Cache Pro Included Free (4GB+ servers, $95/mo value)
  • Cloudways Autonomous (auto-scaling)
1996 USA

DreamHost (founded 1996, USA-based) is a veteran shared and managed hosting provider officially recommended by WordPress.org. It suits small businesses, bloggers, and non-technical users seeking simplicity and long-term reliability.

User Friendly 4.5
Support 4.5
Features 4.5
Reliability 4.5
Pricing 4.5
  • 97-Day Money Back Guarantee (Industry's Longest)
  • WordPress.org Officially Recommended
  • 100% Uptime Guarantee with Service Credits
  • NVMe SSD Storage on All Plans (10x Faster)
  • Free Domain Privacy for Life

1 Features

Cloudways offers advanced managed cloud features; DreamHost provides broader hosting types but simpler tooling.

Winner
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
Yes (All Plans)
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
Free SSL
Free Domain
Free CDN
Free Migration
Yes (1st migration free)
Yes (WordPress 1-click)
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
DreamHost Custom Panel

Cloudways Round winner

Includes Lightning Stack (Nginx + Varnish + Redis), Object Cache Pro free on 4GB+ servers, one-click vertical scaling, auto-scaling via Cloudways Autonomous, and choice of three enterprise cloud providers.

DreamHost

Provides 24 plans across shared, VPS, dedicated, WordPress, and website-builder hosting; includes custom control panel, daily backups, and DDoS protection, but lacks advanced caching layers.

And the features winner is Cloudways Cloudways' managed cloud stack with built-in performance optimization (Varnish, Redis, Object Cache Pro) outmatches DreamHost's standard feature set for high-performance needs.
Visit Cloudways

2 Pricing & Plans

DreamHost starts at $1.99/month but locks in aggressive introductory rates; Cloudways begins at $11/month with transparent, scalable pricing.

Winner
Starting Price
$11.00/mo
$1.99/mo
Number of Plans
Money-Back
N/A
97 days

Cloudways

Entry point $11/month (DigitalOcean), pay-as-you-go billing, 12 cloud plans; no money-back guarantee but offers 3-day free trial with no credit card required; backups cost extra at $0.033/GB.

DreamHost Round winner

Entry point $1.99/month (introductory, shared hosting); 24 total plans; 97-day money-back guarantee; higher renewal rates; annual billing significantly cheaper than monthly.

And the pricing & plans winner is DreamHost DreamHost's $1.99 entry price and industry-leading 97-day guarantee appeal to budget shoppers, though Cloudways offers better long-term value for serious users.
Visit DreamHost

3 Performance

Both claim exceptional uptime; Cloudways emphasizes raw performance while DreamHost focuses on reliability and NVMe across the board.

Winner
Uptime Guarantee
99.99%
100%
Data Centers
60
2
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
Yes (All Plans)
LiteSpeed
No (Apache + Nginx + Varnish)
Uptime score
99.99%
100%

Cloudways Round winner

99.99% uptime; Lightning Stack with Nginx, Varnish, Redis, and PHP-FPM; NVMe on DigitalOcean Premium; vertical scaling for instant performance boosts; 60+ global data centers.

DreamHost

100% uptime guarantee with service credits; NVMe SSD on all plans; limited to 2 USA-only data centers; daily automated backups included; no advanced caching layers.

And the performance winner is Cloudways Cloudways' managed performance stack (Varnish + Redis + Object Cache Pro) and 60+ global data centers deliver superior speed and scalability for high-traffic sites.
Visit Cloudways

4 Customer Support

Both offer 24/7 support, but differ in channels and accessibility.

Winner
24/7 Support
Phone Support
Callback (paid)
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
DreamHost Custom Panel
Email Send Limit
N/A — Rackspace required ($1/mailbox)
500/hour per domain

Cloudways

24/7 live chat only; no phone support; free migration handled by Cloudways engineers; premium support tier available (paid).

DreamHost Round winner

24/7 live chat and ticket support; phone support available via callback (paid); established support reputation from 27+ years in business.

And the customer support winner is DreamHost DreamHost's longer track record and multi-channel support (despite paid phone tier) provide more reassurance for non-technical users.
Visit DreamHost

5 Ease of Use

Cloudways abstracts server complexity; DreamHost prioritizes beginner-friendly simplicity across hosting types.

Winner
Control Panel
Cloudways Platform
DreamHost Custom Panel

Cloudways

Cloudways Platform (proprietary, cloud-focused UI) hides server management; one-click scaling and deployment; steeper learning curve for traditional hosting users but simple for cloud-native workflows.

DreamHost Round winner

Custom DreamHost control panel designed for beginners; consistent across all hosting types; 1-click WordPress migration; no server management required on shared plans.

And the ease of use winner is DreamHost DreamHost's unified, beginner-focused panel and WordPress.org endorsement make it more accessible to non-developers.
Visit DreamHost

6 Privacy & Security

Both include free SSL and modern protections; Cloudways emphasizes data choice, DreamHost emphasizes privacy.

Winner
Free SSL
Free CDN
NVMe SSD
Yes (DigitalOcean Premium)
Yes (All Plans)

Cloudways Round winner

Free SSL on all plans; hosted on secure enterprise cloud providers (AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean); user controls data location; no email data tied to host (external Rackspace).

DreamHost

Free SSL on all plans; free DDoS protection; 100% uptime guarantee with credits; free domain privacy for life; no email hosting on Starter plan (paid add-on).

And the privacy & security winner is Cloudways Cloudways' multi-cloud infrastructure and data portability offer stronger security and privacy control than DreamHost's single-region setup.
Visit Cloudways

7 Server Locations

Cloudways dominates with global presence; DreamHost is limited to USA.

Winner
Data Centers
60
2
Headquarters
Malta
USA

Cloudways Round winner

60+ data centers across DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud (global coverage: North America, Europe, Asia, Australia).

DreamHost

2 data centers in USA only; no international options.

And the server locations winner is Cloudways Cloudways' 60+ global data centers enable low-latency access worldwide; DreamHost's USA-only infrastructure cannot match this reach.
Visit Cloudways

Final Verdict: Cloudways vs DreamHost

And the overall winner is Cloudways
Visit Cloudways

Why choose Cloudways

  • Managed cloud with zero server admin — focus on your app, not infrastructure.
  • 60+ global data centers across AWS, GCP, and DigitalOcean for low-latency performance.
  • Lightning Stack + Object Cache Pro free (worth $95/month) boost site speed dramatically.
  • Pay-as-you-go and vertical scaling — pay only for what you use and scale instantly.
  • 3-day free trial with no credit card required.
Visit Cloudways

When to consider DreamHost

  • You're new to hosting or non-technical and want simplicity above all.
  • You run a small WordPress blog or brochure site with modest traffic.
  • You need the longest money-back guarantee to test risk-free.
  • You want affordable, established hosting with strong WordPress integration.
Visit DreamHost

Alternatives to Consider

5.0

30-Day Money-back Guarantee

Visit Review
4.8

45-Day Money Back Guarantee (Shared) / 7-Day (VPS)

Visit Review
4.7

60-Day Money Back Guarantee (Industry-Leading)

Visit Review
4.7

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

Visit Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Does either host include email hosting?

Cloudways does not offer native email — you must add Rackspace mailboxes at $1/mailbox/month. DreamHost includes email on most plans except the Shared Starter (paid add-on at $1.67/month). Neither is a strong email solution.

What's the real cost difference after the first year?

DreamHost's $1.99/month is an introductory rate that renews much higher on monthly billing; annual renewal is lower but still significantly more than the teaser. Cloudways' $11/month pricing is transparent and consistent, making long-term budgeting clearer.

Which is better for WordPress?

DreamHost is WordPress.org officially recommended and includes 1-click WordPress migration; it's ideal for beginners. Cloudways offers superior performance (Varnish, Redis, Object Cache Pro) and is better for high-traffic or commercial WordPress sites that need speed.

Can I scale my site easily on either platform?

Cloudways excels with one-click vertical scaling (add RAM/CPU instantly) and auto-scaling via Cloudways Autonomous. DreamHost requires manual plan upgrades and does not offer dynamic scaling, making it less flexible for traffic spikes.

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