- 3-Day Trial Without Credit Card
- Dedicated cloud resources with automated SSL, firewalls, real-time monitoring, and daily backups with one-click restore — no shared hosting slowdowns.
- Support available 24/7/365 via Phone, Chat, Knowledge Base and Blog
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Annual plan includes a professionally built 4-page website at no extra cost
- Support available 24/7/365 via Chat, Phone, Email, Ticket
Quick Summary
Cloudways is the overall winner for developers, agencies, and growing sites that need flexible cloud infrastructure and genuine server-level control. It scored 99% on GTmetrix with a 119ms TTFB, supports unlimited apps per server, and spans 150+ data center locations across 50+ countries.
DreamHost wins on pricing ($2.89/month versus Cloudways’ $14/month minimum), ease of use, and a cleaner beginner experience. For anyone who has outgrown shared hosting or needs multi-site flexibility without paying per app, Cloudways is the stronger platform.
1. Prices and Plans Comparison
DreamHost Wins Entry Pricing, But Cloudways Delivers More Value Per Dollar for Multi-Site Use Cases
The starting price gap is significant. DreamHost’s shared hosting begins at $2.89/month, while Cloudways’ minimum on DigitalOcean is $14/month. For a single personal site on a budget, DreamHost is the obvious starting point.
DreamHost’s plans include a free domain for the first year, unlimited free SSL certificates, daily automated backups, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The higher shared tiers support up to 25 websites and scale up to VPS from $10/month.
Managed WordPress plans (DreamPress) start at $16.95/month for a single site and $29.99/month for 5 sites on the agency plan, which is a strong offer for studios managing multiple clients.
Cloudways does not offer shared hosting at all. It operates as a managed layer over five cloud providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode. You choose the provider and server size, and Cloudways handles the management.
The key pricing advantage appears at scale: unlimited apps on a single server means you can host 10 or 20 sites on one $14/month server rather than paying per site or per tier. Cloudways provides a 3-day free trial instead of a money-back guarantee, which gives less time to evaluate before committing.
2. Customer Support Comparison
Cloudways Connected Me to a Real Agent in Under 30 Seconds; DreamHost Routed Me to the Wrong Department
Cloudways Customer Support
I tested Cloudways support through live chat from inside the dashboard. I clicked “Need a Hand?”, selected Technical Help, then SSH/SFTP from the issue list.
My question was about sudo access restrictions after encountering a “user not in sudoers file” error.
The chatbot responded immediately with an accurate explanation: Cloudways restricts root and sudo access by design on managed hosting, and most server-level settings are adjustable through the dashboard instead.
I clicked “Get more help” and reached a real agent named Faraz in under 30 seconds. He confirmed the sudo restriction, explained the security reasoning behind the design decision, and sent a relevant Knowledge Base article. The answer was accurate and came without any delay or routing issues.
Cloudways does not offer phone support, a community forum, or a video guide library, which limits self-service options for users who prefer to solve problems independently before contacting support.
DreamHost Customer Support
I tested DreamHost via live chat by submitting a question about a VPS connection issue: ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT when trying to access a WordPress installation.
DreamHost shows estimated wait times per channel before you commit: ticket (~81 minutes), chat (~6 minutes), and callback (scheduled). I chose chat.
Within two minutes, agent Diego joined, but immediately realized I had been routed to the wrong department and transferred me to VPS support. The transfer added approximately 30 minutes to the process, pushing the total well beyond the 6-minute estimate.
Agent Rick A eventually joined and handled the technical problem effectively. He diagnosed a misconfigured DNS A record pointing to the wrong IP, showed me the dig output to confirm the issue, fixed the DNS mapping, and confirmed a server migration had completed. The technical quality was strong, but the routing friction and 30-minute wait after transfer were real friction points.
I also tested DreamHost’s ticket support with a backup retention question. Submitted at 11:15 AM, response arrived at 7:48 PM, approximately 8.5 hours later. The answer was accurate and included step-by-step restore instructions, but the turnaround is long for a straightforward question.
3. Hosting Features Comparison
Cloudways Offers Genuine Server-Level Control; DreamHost Bundles More Consumer-Friendly Tools
Cloudways Features
Cloudways is built for teams who want infrastructure flexibility without managing raw servers.
The most practical advantages are:
- Unlimited apps per server: host as many sites as the server’s resources support under a single monthly fee
- Vertical scaling: increase RAM and CPU instantly from the dashboard without migrating or rebuilding
- SSH, SFTP, and Git integration included on every plan
- Imunify360 firewall and malware scanning with Patchstack vulnerability monitoring
- Staging environments on select configurations
- Choice of five cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, Linode) and 150+ data center cities
- Automated backups with configurable frequency
What Cloudways does not offer:
- No email hosting by default (Rackspace available as a paid add-on)
- No free domain
- No website builder
- Advanced support tiers and Malware Protection are paid add-ons
DreamHost Features
DreamHost’s feature set is oriented toward site owners and WordPress users rather than infrastructure engineers.
Key inclusions at all tiers:
- Liftoff AI website builder that generates a WordPress site from a description
- Unlimited free SSL certificates
- Daily automated backups with 14-30 day retention depending on plan
- Traffic analytics dashboard and AI-powered error log analysis
- AI business tools bundle (Business Planner, Content Creator) across all plans
- Free domain for the first year
- SSH access even on shared hosting
- 100% uptime guarantee
What DreamHost does not offer:
- cPanel (uses a custom panel)
- Vertical resource scaling
- Email hosting beyond a free trial period on standard plans
- Multi-region data center selection for shared hosting
4. Website Performance Comparison
Cloudways Wins Performance with 119ms TTFB and 99% GTmetrix on a Real-World Site
Cloudways Performance Results
Cloudways scored 99% performance and 96% structure on a content-built site. Metric by metric:
- TTFB 119ms: The server responded in under 120 milliseconds. Under 200ms is considered excellent, and 119ms demonstrates backend optimization that most shared hosts cannot replicate
- LCP 925ms: The largest visible element loaded in under a second, comfortably within Google’s Good threshold of 2.5s
- TBT 1ms: The page was effectively non-blocking. Visitors could interact immediately after content appeared
- CLS 0: Zero layout shift throughout the entire load sequence
- Fully loaded 5.5s: The extended total load reflects media and plugin weight on the test site, not a server bottleneck. The TTFB and LCP tell the more accurate infrastructure story
DreamHost Performance Results
DreamHost scored 87% performance and 95% structure. Metric by metric:
- TTFB 804ms: The most significant gap in this comparison. The server took over 800 milliseconds before beginning to deliver content, nearly seven times slower than Cloudways’ 119ms
- LCP 1.6s: Within Google’s Good threshold but more than 600ms slower than Cloudways’ 925ms
- TBT 78ms: Moderate JavaScript blocking, though the page becomes usable within a reasonable window
- CLS 0: Perfect visual stability, matching Cloudways on this metric
- Fully loaded 2.3s: Faster than Cloudways’ total load time, but this reflects a lighter test page rather than a server speed advantage
The 804ms TTFB is the most significant finding. A slow TTFB cascades into every subsequent metric because all content delivery waits on that initial server response.
For database-heavy WordPress sites or any dynamic content, DreamHost’s shared hosting infrastructure shows its limitations clearly in this test.
5. Ease of Use Comparison
DreamHost’s Cleaner Dashboard and Pre-Built AI Tools Make It More Accessible for Beginners
Registration Process
Cloudways Registration
Signing up for Cloudways starts with a free trial button that requires no credit card.
After entering name, email, and password, I had to complete several dropdowns about hosting experience, monthly spend, and use case.
Cloudways then asked for additional verification details, including a LinkedIn profile, website URL, and phone number. The process felt designed for developers and agencies rather than first-time users. Once verified, dashboard access was immediate.
DreamHost Registration
DreamHost’s signup follows a clean three-step flow shown in a progress bar: Pick a Plan, Choose a Domain, Secure Checkout.
The Secure Checkout page clearly showed my selected plan, the optional MySQL VPS add-on (not pre-selected), and billing options including credit card and Google signup.
A 30-day money-back guarantee badge stayed visible throughout. The entire process from homepage to confirmed account took approximately five to seven minutes with no technical gatekeeping.
Dashboard and Interface
Cloudways Dashboard
Cloudways opens on a developer-focused interface with tabs for Servers, Applications, Team, and Projects. Clicking into a server reveals controls for monitoring, vertical scaling, security, and backups.
The depth is useful for technical users who know what Nginx, Apache, and MySQL configurations mean. A beginner landing here for the first time would face an orientation challenge before finding where to launch their site.
DreamHost Dashboard
DreamHost opens with a clean left-sidebar navigation covering Home, Websites, Domain Names, WordPress, Mail, Pro Services, and Servers. The main area shows service-specific shortcuts, quick stats, and setup guidance without competing promotional banners.
Promotional content for domain sales and upgrade prompts does take up screen space, but the organization is logical, and nothing essential is buried.
The Liftoff AI builder and guided WordPress installer are accessible within two clicks of login.
WordPress Setup
Cloudways WordPress Setup
- Navigate to the Applications tab in the dashboard
- Click “Add Application”
- Select your existing server from the dropdown
- Choose WordPress from the application list
- Confirm and wait a few minutes for deployment
The process is automated once you reach it, but requires understanding server concepts first: you need to know which server you are deploying to, what PHP version is appropriate, and how to connect a domain after deployment.
DreamHost WordPress Setup
- Click WordPress in the left menu, then Install WordPress
- Select a domain from the dropdown
- Choose between Liftoff AI builder or Custom Installation
- If Custom: select site purpose, plugins, and admin email
- Click Confirm Install
DreamHost’s Liftoff builder generates a themed, functional WordPress site from a few inputs, including eCommerce-ready layouts with Ecwid pre-configured.
The Custom path gives control over plugin selection and directory placement. Both paths complete in two to three minutes. No server knowledge is required at any step.
Server Management
Cloudways Server Management
Cloudways gives real server-level control from a single panel: manage Nginx, Apache, and MySQL services, monitor CPU and RAM in real time, add SSH keys, launch a browser-based SSH terminal, and scale vertically without touching the application.
This is exactly what technical users need, but it requires knowing what these components do and when to adjust them.
DreamHost Server Management
DreamHost’s server management page shows RAM and disk usage graphs, lets you toggle between Apache and NGINX as the HTTP server, configure proxy settings, and transfer all users and domains to a new VPS from a single button.
The interface is significantly simpler than Cloudways because DreamHost’s managed VPS abstracts direct command access.
For non-technical users, this is an advantage. For developers who want SSH at root level, it is a limitation.
6. Privacy and Security Comparison
Cloudways’ Imunify360 Plus Patchstack Monitoring Covers More Threat Vectors Than DreamHost’s Default Stack
Cloudways Security
Every Cloudways server includes Imunify360 by default: dedicated firewall, brute-force blocking, bot mitigation, and real-time malware scanning without any extra configuration.
Patchstack vulnerability monitoring runs alongside it, watching WordPress plugins and themes for known CVEs and alerting before exploits can be used. Fail2ban handles IP-level intrusion blocking. Let’s Encrypt SSL installs in one click.
What is included by default:
- Imunify360 firewall and malware scanning on all servers
- Patchstack WordPress vulnerability monitoring
- Fail2ban IP-level intrusion blocking
- 1-click Let’s Encrypt SSL
- IP whitelisting from the dashboard
- Automated backups with configurable scheduling
What costs extra:
- Advanced Malware Protection (active removal service)
- Cloudflare Enterprise CDN integration
- Priority and Advanced support tiers
DreamHost Security
DreamHost covers baseline security on all plans: unlimited free SSL certificates, DDoS protection, daily automated backups with 14-30 day retention, a WAF, and SSH access across all plans. Two-factor authentication protects account access.
Free domain privacy prevents personal contact information from appearing in public WHOIS records.
The limitation is malware scanning. DreamShield, DreamHost’s active malware scanner, is only included on the Growth and Scale shared hosting plans. The entry-level Launch plan has no proactive malware monitoring.
There is also no vulnerability monitoring for WordPress plugins or themes, and no equivalent to Imunify360’s real-time threat detection at the infrastructure level.
7. Server Locations Comparison
Cloudways’ 150+ Locations Across 50+ Countries Is a Category All Its Own
Cloudways Server Locations
Cloudways expanded its infrastructure in early 2026 to more than 150 locations across 50+ countries by aggregating the networks of five cloud providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, and Linode.
You choose both the provider and the specific city at signup.
If your audience shifts or latency tests show a better option elsewhere, you can clone the server to a different data center from the dashboard without a support ticket.
DreamHost Server Locations
DreamHost operates exclusively within the United States, with data centers in Ashburn, Virginia and Hillsboro, Oregon.
There are no European, Asian, South American, or Australian origin servers.
For sites targeting non-US audiences, DreamHost recommends integrating Cloudflare CDN as a workaround to serve cached content from edge locations closer to international visitors. For dynamic WordPress pages that cannot be cached, requests still route to a US origin server regardless of visitor location.
Cloudways vs DreamHost: The Bottom Line
Cloudways is the overall winner for developers, agencies, and any site that has grown beyond shared hosting’s performance and flexibility ceiling. The 119ms TTFB versus DreamHost’s 804ms is the single most important data point in this comparison: every visitor to a Cloudways-hosted site waits less than a seventh as long for the server to begin responding.
Add unlimited apps per server, vertical scaling, Imunify360 with Patchstack monitoring, 150+ global data centers, and a 99.99% uptime guarantee, and Cloudways is a genuinely different class of infrastructure.
DreamHost earns a direct recommendation for personal sites, solo bloggers, and small business owners who want to get online quickly without server management overhead.
| Category | Winner | Why |
| Pricing | DreamHost | $2.89/mo entry with free domain and 30-day MBG vs Cloudways’ $14/mo minimum and 3-day trial |
| Customer Support | Cloudways | Real agent in under 30 seconds vs DreamHost’s routing issue that turned a 6-minute estimate into 30+ minutes |
| Hosting Features | Cloudways | Unlimited apps per server, vertical scaling, Git integration, and Imunify360 vs DreamHost’s consumer-focused single-site stack |
| Website Performance | Cloudways | 119ms TTFB and 99% GTmetrix vs DreamHost’s 804ms TTFB and 87% score |
| Ease of Use | DreamHost | AI builder, 3-step signup, and site-focused dashboard vs Cloudways’ infrastructure-first interface |
| Privacy and Security | Cloudways | Imunify360 on every plan plus Patchstack vulnerability monitoring vs DreamHost’s malware scanning only on Growth+ plans |
| Server Locations | Cloudways | 150+ cities across 50+ countries vs DreamHost’s 2 US-only data centers |
Cloudways is the better overall choice
