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Guides · MIGRATE
Shared hosting to Cloudways migration in 2026: the upgrade path for WordPress
Some prices quoted in this guide are out of date. It is being rebuilt on our price index; for current prices use the comparison pages, which show when each price was checked.
Migrating from a shared host (Bluehost, HostGator, GoDaddy, SiteGround, InMotion, DreamHost) to Cloudways is one of the most common performance upgrades WordPress site owners make. The reasons are consistent: shared hosting is slow at renewal pricing, support quality has declined at every major shared host over the last five years, and Cloudways' managed layer on top of a real cloud VPS delivers meaningfully faster page loads at similar or lower cost after renewal.
Prices as of 2026-09-22.
Cost comparison
Shared hosting looks cheaper at the intro rate, and often is at year one. It usually renews at 2-3x the intro price, at which point Cloudways is comparable or cheaper. Verify your renewal price on your provider's dashboard.
| Shared host tier (typical) | Renewal | Cloudways equivalent | Delta at renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluehost Choice Plus | ~$18/mo | DO 1 GB ($14) or DO 2 GB ($28) | -$4 to +$10 |
| HostGator Baby | ~$14/mo | DO 1 GB ($14) | $0 |
| SiteGround GrowBig | ~$25/mo | DO 2 GB ($28) | +$3 |
| GoDaddy Deluxe | ~$18/mo | DO 1 GB ($14) | -$4 |
At entry Cloudways plans, you're paying the same or less than shared hosting renewal, with significantly better performance.
What you gain
- Real dedicated resources. No noisy neighbours from shared PHP-FPM pools.
- Genuinely fast page loads. TTFB from 1-2s on shared hosting to 200-400ms on Cloudways is typical.
- Real support. Cloudways' support is competent Linux engineers, not first-line ticket routers.
- Real staging environment. One-click staging on every plan.
- Automatic backups with easy restore. Not the "backups are extra" line item shared hosts push.
- SSH and WP-CLI access. Shared hosts often disable or heavily restrict these.
- PHP version choice. Update independent of your host's schedule.
What you give up
- cPanel/Plesk. Cloudways has its own admin panel; the transition curve is a few hours.
- Multi-site "unlimited hosting". Cloudways prices per server, not per unlimited-sites-on-shared-PHP-FPM. If you were running 20 low-traffic sites on shared hosting, you'll need a larger Cloudways server or fewer sites.
- Email hosting. Shared hosts typically bundle email. Cloudways doesn't. Move to Google Workspace ($6/mo per user) or Fastmail.
Step-by-step
Cloudways offers free managed migration for the first site on your new account. This is the fastest path.
1. Sign up for Cloudways
Pick the DO 1 GB ($14/mo) tier for a small site or DO 2 GB ($28/mo) for anything with real traffic. Sign up at cloudways.com.
2. Request the free migration
- Cloudways dashboard → Applications → Add Application → "Migrate my WordPress site."
- Provide your shared host's admin URL, admin credentials, and FTP credentials.
- Cloudways will complete the migration in 24-48 hours.
If the shared host restricts credential sharing (SiteGround does this on newer accounts), you have to use the DIY method below.
3. DIY migration (if the free service can't be used)
Use the WordPress Migrator plugin. Same as our Cloudways to Kinsta guide but in reverse (target is Cloudways not Kinsta).
4. Test on the temporary Cloudways URL
Full smoke test:
- Homepage.
- Login.
- Comments (if enabled).
- Contact forms.
- WooCommerce checkout (if applicable).
- Any custom email delivery.
5. Move DNS
Drop TTL to 300s 24 hours before cutover. Change A records to Cloudways' IPs. SSL provisions automatically.
6. Move email if needed
Shared hosting often bundles email. Cloudways doesn't. Sign up for Google Workspace or Fastmail before you cut DNS so mail routing switches cleanly.
7. Cancel shared hosting
Download a final backup. Cancel. Keep the backup for 60 days as insurance.
Common gotchas
Email deliverability. If you were sending mail through shared hosting's SMTP, switch to SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES on the WP side. Cloudways doesn't handle outbound email; you'll fail to send password resets otherwise.
cPanel-specific features. Anything that depended on cPanel (WHMCS integration, cPanel backup scripts, cPanel-based DNS management) needs re-tooling.
Cloudflare or CDN configuration. Cloudways lets you enable Cloudflare Enterprise as an add-on ($5/mo). If you were using free Cloudflare, keep using free Cloudflare — the DNS setup mostly stays the same, just point at Cloudways IPs.
Site slowness during first hours. Post-migration, the Cloudways stack needs a few page loads to warm caches. If you migrate at 3am your time, users won't notice.
Related guides
- Cloudways pricing decoded — the full price breakdown.
- Best hosting for a WordPress site — the wider set of options.
- Best managed WordPress hosting — alternatives if Cloudways isn't the right fit.
- Cloudways vs Kinsta 2026 — the two managed-WP options compared.
Prices as of 2026-09-22.