Cloudways vs SiteGround
The agency-value battle fought on two completely different pricing shapes: per-server unlimited economics versus per-plan managed quality (with the category’s most notorious renewals).
| Cloudways | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing shape | Per server, unlimited sites | Per plan/tier, site and visit ceilings |
| Entry | $14/mo + extras (backups, CDN) | ~£2.99 intro → £11–25+/mo renewal |
| At 20 client sites | One ~$50–100/mo server, typically | Multiple plans or cloud tier |
| Ops comfort needed | Some — you manage a server panel | Little — concierge-ish managed |
| Support | Capable, utilitarian | Fast, genuinely polished |
| UK region | London (multiple providers) | London |
Where Cloudways wins — and where SiteGround wins
Cloudways
- Unit economics at 10+ sites are unmatched in this pair
- Pay-as-you-go — no contract, no renewal trap
- Real cloud choice with resources you can see and scale
SiteGround
- Far less operational responsibility for non-technical teams
- Better support experience and white-label on higher tiers
- Cleaner for clients who will touch the panel themselves
Our verdict
At 20 client sites the honest annual difference can exceed a thousand pounds in Cloudways’ favour — if someone competent owns the server. If nobody technical will ever look at the panel, SiteGround’s managed simplicity is worth its renewal premium: just model it at year-two prices, never intro ones.
How we compare: assessments draw on vendor documentation, published pricing, product testing where noted, and our published methodology. Prices are indicative entry-level figures — confirm current plans with vendors. We may earn commission from links on this page; it never affects our verdicts.