VETTED SAAS
Head to head · Web Hosting

Cloudways vs DreamHost

Cloudways and DreamHost sit at opposite ends of the hosting market. Cloudways puts a managed layer over cloud servers from providers like DigitalOcean, trading some hand holding for real performance and control as you grow. DreamHost is straightforward, low cost shared and managed WordPress hosting with the longest money back guarantee in the business. We score both and explain which one fits your site.

Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated JUNE 2026·How we vet
★ Our pick
Cloudways
87 /100
vs
Challenger
DreamHost
81 /100
◂ Cloudways Advantage DreamHost ▸
Cloudways wins on raw performance, scaling and control · DreamHost wins on simplicity, low entry price and its 97 day money back guarantee.

These are affiliate links marked rel=“sponsored”. We may earn a commission if you buy · it never affects our scores or who wins. Disclosure.

How they score

Criteria Cloudways DreamHost Winner
Ease of use
80
86
DreamHost
Performance and speed
90
82
Cloudways
Support
85
80
Cloudways
Value for money
84
86
DreamHost
Scalability and control
92
78
Cloudways
Money back and refunds
78
92
DreamHost

Scores are our editorial assessment against the VettedSaaS rubric · not vendor supplied.

Choose Cloudways if…
+You want managed cloud performance you can scale on demand
+You run WooCommerce or high traffic sites that outgrow shared hosting
+You value choosing your cloud provider and server size
+You are comfortable without cPanel and want more control
Choose DreamHost if…
+You want simple, beginner friendly hosting at a low entry price
+You run starter, small business or portfolio WordPress sites
+You value the longest safety net, a 97 day money back guarantee
+You want free domain privacy and a registrar built in

Feature by feature

✓ full  ·  ∼ partial  ·  — none
Capability Cloudways DreamHost
Free SSL ✓ ✓
Free CDN ∼paid Cloudflare Enterprise add on ∼on DreamPress
Daily backups ✓configurable, paid storage ✓
Staging environment ✓ ∼DreamPress
Managed WordPress ✓ ✓DreamPress
cPanel control panel — ∼custom panel
Free domain first year — ✓annual plans
Money back guarantee ∼3 day trial, no refunds ✓97 days

Feature support verified as of June 2026 · check the vendor for current details.

Pricing, side by side

Intro rate per month · renewals differ
Cloudways Our pick
DO 1GB $11
DO 2GB $22
DO 4GB $50
DreamHost Challenger
Launch $2.89
Scale $9.99
DreamPress $14.99

Pricing as of June 2026 · Cloudways bills pay as you go by server size with no renewal jump and a 3 day trial instead of a refund; DreamHost intro rates need long terms and renew higher, with a 97 day money back guarantee on shared plans. Check the vendor for current pricing.

Keep exploring
Best Web Hosting Software Kinsta vs Cloudways Hostinger vs DreamHost Best Web Hosting for Ecommerce