Cloudways and NameHero are 2 main hosts I recommend on my blog, so who’s faster/better?
Cloudways is typically faster than NameHero because it’s cloud hosting with Redis Object Cache Pro and NVMe SSDs on Vultr High Frequency. They also use Cloudflare Enterprise which has a ton of features to improve TTFB like Argo Smart Routing, prioritized routing, and image optimization. However, it costs more than NameHero between hosting, premium cache plugin (i.e. FlyingPress), email hosting (since Cloudways doesn’t have it, I use Google Workspace), and Cloudflare Enterprise costs $5/mo. That’s the setup I recommend if speed is top priority. Some people say they’re more “techie” but launching a server and connecting your domain isn’t hard.
NameHero is usually more affordable since everything is built-in. They use LiteSpeed servers which means you’ll use LiteSpeed Cache + QUIC.cloud CDN which is one of the fastest setups (especially on a budget). There’s no need to pay for email hosting, premium cache plugin, and QUIC.cloud has a free version of their CDN (but it only uses 6 PoPs while the paid plan has 75). NameHero has both shared and managed cloud hosting on cPanel. Their support is US-based and so are most of the data centers (with one in the Netherlands). Main cons are high renewal prices on shared plans and limited data centers. For shared hosting, I generally recommend their Turbo Cloud plan which costs around $8/mo with 3 CPU cores, 3GB RAM, and NVMe SSDs.
| Cloudways | NameHero | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting Type | Cloud | Shared |
| Server | Apache | LiteSpeed |
| Storage | NVMe | NVMe (on Turbo Cloud+) |
| CDN | Cloudflare Enterprise | QUIC.cloud |
| Object Cache | Redis Object Cache Pro | Redis (free) + memcached |
| Cache Plugin | Breeze | LiteSpeed Cache |
| Data Centers | 44 | 4 |
| Dashboard | Custom | cPanel |
| Email Hosting | x | ✓ |
| WooCommerce | Yes (use 2GB+ server) | Yes (use managed cloud) |
| Migrations | 1 free then $25/site | Free |
| Support | Mixed opinions | Excellent |
| TrustPIlot Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Pricing | Monthly + 30% off 3 months (but costs more) | Yearly (cheap intros for 1-3 years, then high renewals) |
1. Hosting Type – Cloudways Is Cloud, NameHero Is Shared
The biggest difference is Cloudways is cloud hosting which is faster than shared. While NameHero uses LiteSpeed, it’s still shared hosting (not sure why they say “cloud” on shared plans). Which means NameHero’s good for small static/hobby sites, but if it’s a business or WooCommerce site, you’re better off at Cloudways or NameHero’s managed cloud hosting.
When you sign up for Cloudways, you’ll launch a server from 5 different cloud providers with Vultr High Frequency and DigitalOcean (who acquired Cloudways) being the most popular. I used Vultr HF for 3 years and always had a fast site/TTFB (see screenshot of GTmetrix report).
2. Server – Cloudways Uses Apache, NameHero Uses LiteSpeed
NameHero uses LiteSpeed servers on all plans which is faster than Apache on Cloudways. LiteSpeed server + LiteSpeed Cache + QUIC.cloud CDN is one of the fastest setups on a budget and gives you a less chance of CPU spikes since LiteSpeed handles 2x the capacity of Apache. But, you also have to take into account other reasons for high CPU usage and speed technology. While this gives NameHero an advantage, just because they use LiteSpeed doesn’t mean they’re faster. It is a plus considering you don’t need to buy both a cache plugin/CDN like on Cloudways.
3. Storage – Vultr HF And NameHero Turbo Cloud Use NVMe SSDs
NVMe storage is faster than SATA SSDs.
It’s a big reason why I recommend Vultr HF on Cloudways or NameHero’s Turbo Cloud plan since both plans use NVMe storage. Lower NameHero plans don’t use it, so if you’re going with them, use the Turbo Cloud plan or higher. Below is a test from Rocket.net comparing SATA SSDs vs. NVMe benchmarked using the WordPress Hosting Benchmark plugin (NVMe is much faster).
4. CDN – Cloudflare Enterprise vs. QUIC.cloud
Cloudways offers Cloudflare Enterprise for $5/month per domain. On NameHero, you should really be using QUIC.cloud CDN because (it’s also good) and designed to work with LiteSpeed.
Which one’s better?
It’s hard to beat Cloudflare Enterprise. They have a much larger network of 270+ PoPs with powerful features like Argo Smart Routing, Mirage/Polish for image optimization, prioritized routing, load balancing, and full page caching (which is coming very soon to Cloudways). That’s why Cloudflare Enterprise typically costs well over $200 if you buy it directly through Cloudflare.
QUIC.cloud CDN is definitely one of the better WordPress CDNs, but I would put Cloudflare Enterprise above it. QUIC is setup through LiteSpeed Cache and has full page caching, image optimization, HTTP/3, and 75 PoPs. It’s also needed for certain page/image optimizations to work in LiteSpeed Cache. However, the free plan only uses 6 PoPs while the paid/standard plan uses all 75 PoPs + DDoS protection. So if you’re using NameHero, definitely consider the paid plan which is still very cheap compared to other CDN at $.02 – $.08/GB. NameHero has a great tutorial on setting it up or you can also use my QUIC.cloud tutorial which also has instructions.
5. Object Cache – Redis Object Cache Pro On Cloudways Wins
Cloudways had Redis Object Cache Pro for free.
NameHero has Redis and memcached depending on which PHP version you’re using. Not that most people know what any of the table means, but Redis Object Cache Pro is faster than the free version of Redis. It’s also specifically good for WooCommerce/dynamic sites, although I use it on my blog too. Great database caching which can be activated in your Cloudways dashboard.
NameHero also has options for Redis + Memcached. You would install the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, then in the settings, go to Cache → Object → Enable Memcached or Redis. To pass the connection test, activate the Redis or Memcached extension in your cPanel (read instructions).
6. Cache Plugin – Cloudways Breeze vs. LiteSpeed Cache
On NameHero, you’ll use LiteSpeed Cache while you’ll use either FlyingPress (what I recommend) or WP Rocket on Cloudways – not Breeze since it lacks many optimizations.
LiteSpeed Cache is arguably the best cache/optimization plugin since not only is it free, but it uses server-level caching and does an excellent job with core web vitals. On Cloudways, I used FlyingPress (by Gijo Varghese from WP Speed Matters) which is actually faster than WP Rocket.
This is one reason I say the “LiteSpeed setup” is the fastest setup on a budget. You shouldn’t need to pay for a cache plugin since LiteSpeed Cache is already one of the fastest you can use.
| Breeze | WP Rocket | FlyingPress | LSC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server-side caching | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Remove unused CSS | x | Inline | Separate file | Separate file |
| Critical CSS | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Host fonts locally | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preload images | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Fetchpriority resource hint | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Lazy render HTML elements | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lazy load background images | x | Inline | Helper class | Helper class |
| Exclude images from lazy load | x | By URL | By number | By URL |
| Self-host YouTube placeholder | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Add missing image dimensions | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduled database cleanups | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Control preloading | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Advanced cache control | x | x | x | ✓ |
| ESI (edge side includes) | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Gravatar cache | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Limit post revisions | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Price | Free | $49/year | $42/year | Free |
| Tutorial | View tutorial | View tutorial | View tutorial | View tutorial |
7. Data Centers – Cloudways Has 40 More Locations
Choosing a data center close to your visitors reduces TTFB if you don’t plan on a CDN. With features like full page caching (i.e. QUIC.cloud’s HTML caching) and Argo Smart Routing on Cloudflare Enterprise, choosing a close data center to your visitors has become less important.
But if it matters, NameHero has 4 data centers (3 in the US, 1 in the Netherlands). Cloudways has 45 data centers between all 5 cloud hosts, however there are only 22 between DO and Vultr.
Cloudways Data Centers:
NameHero Data Centers:
| Lansing, Michigan (USA) (3x) | Kansas City, Missouri (USA) |
| Phoenix, Arizona (USA) | Amsterdam (Netherlands) |
8. Dashboard – Cloudways Custom Dashboard vs. NameHero cPanel
NameHero’s cPanel is easier than Cloudways’ custom dashboard, but it’s still not hard.
Step 1: In your Cloudways dashboard, the first thing you’ll do is launch a server. Select an application (WordPress or WooCommerce) and name your app/server. Select a cloud host (DigitalOcean and Vultr HF are good). Select your server size (1GB is fine for small sites or 2GB+ for large/WooCommerce sites). Select the data center closest to visitors and click Launch Now.
Step 2: Now we’ll connect your domain name. Cloudways doesn’t offer domains, so you’ll probably use GoDaddy or Namecheap. First, add it in Applications → Domain Management.
Step 3: Update DNS records. In NameCheap, go to Dashboard → Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Add New Record. The A Record value is the Public IP found in “Access Details” in Cloudways. The CNAME is your domain name. Use the same formatting as below. Here are GoDaddy’s instructions (or find instructions for whatever domain registrar you use).
Cloudways has a video on this:
Step 4: Install free Let’s Encrypt SSL (Applications → SSL Certificate) and enable auto renewal.
Step 5: Go to Servers → Manage Services and enable Redis/Varnish. Then go to Settings & Packages and upgrade your PHP version, MariaDB version, and install Redis. These are a few small tweaks in the CW dashboard which can significantly improve your website’s performance.
Step 6: Login to your website (find your WP login details under Applications → Access Details).
That’s it! You can always reach out to their live chat support if you need help.
The Cloudways dashboard has 3 main tabs: Servers (where you manage server settings), Applications (where you manage your WordPress application), and Add-ons (shown as the 9 dots where you can request a migration, setup Cloudflare, or get access to Astra Pro themes).
9. Email Hosting – Cloudways Doesn’t Offer It (NameHero Does)
NameHero provides free email hosting while Cloudways doesn’t.
Instead, Cloudways offers email hosting through Rackspace for $1/email per month (but many people including me use Google Workspace). It’s good to keep web hosting and email separate in case you switch hosts in the future – and because email hosting takes up resources + storage.
10. WooCommerce – Make Sure Your Server Is Powerful Enough
If you have a WooCommerce site, you should either be using NameHero’s managed cloud hosting or a decent server size (at least 2GB) on Cloudways. WooCommerce should never be used on shared hosting (it demands too many resources) including NameHero’s shared hosting.
11. Migrations – Both Will Migrate Your Website For Free
Cloudways offers 1 free migration then $25/site. To request it, login to your Cloudways dashboard and go to Addons → Application Migration. NameHero offers a free migration too.
12. Support – NameHero’s Is Slightly Better
Cloudways’ support has mixed reviews. I’ve used it 20+ times and always found them fast and helpful, but some people say otherwise either because they’re too technical or mess things up even more. Since their support reviews are so mixed, you should probably find this out yourself.
NameHero’s support is US-based and people I’ve seen in Facebook Groups say they’re solid (which has been my experience too). They keep records of support feedback and post it publicly on their website. They also have a phone number while Cloudways only does live chat + tickets.
13. TrustPilot Rating – Both Are Around 4.6/5
These can change over time, but they’re usually above average.
14. Pricing – Cloudways Costs More
With Cloudways, you’re looking at:
- $13/mo (1GB Vultr HF server)
- $6/mo (Google Workspace)
- $5/mo (Cloudflare Enterprise)
- $3.5/mo (FlyingPress or WP Rocket)
- Total = $27.5/mo
NameHero is $7.58/mo (Turbo Cloud plan) + $01. – $.04/GB (QUIC.cloud paid plan) which is much cheaper. However, NameHero requires you to sign up for 1-3 years while Cloudways is monthly pricing and 3-day trials. Here’s a 30% off 3 months promo if you want to try them out.
If you use NameHero, look at the features to see what each plan comes with:
Is Cloudways better than NameHero?
Cloudways is cloud hosting with more control of your server (but more techie), while NameHero offers shared/cloud hosting with cPanel and LiteSpeed. Cloudways is more expensive, but arguably faster especially when using their Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
Is Cloudways or NameHero faster?
Cloudways is faster than NameHero's shared plans with Redis Object Cache Pro, Cloudflare Enterprise, and NVMe SSDs on Vultr High Frequency. Both Cloudways and NameHero offer cloud hosting, so comparing those is more fair.
Cheers,
Tom
