If you're a web designer hosting websites for clients, I’d generally choose Cloudways over SiteGround—but there’s an important distinction:

SiteGround is better for simplicity. Cloudways is better for building a professional client-hosting business.

My recommendation

| siteground.com | cloudways.com --- | --- | --- Best for | Simple small-business sites | Designers/agencies with multiple clients Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Performance/control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Multiple client sites | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Technical complexity | Low | Medium Email hosting | Yes | Usually separate White-label/agency use | Good | Excellent Pricing model | Per hosting plan | Per server/resources My pick for a web designer | Good | 🏆 Best

Why I'd lean Cloudways

Cloudways is particularly attractive when you're managing 10, 20, 50+ client websites.

Its agency offering is explicitly designed around client portfolios: you can host multiple websites on one server, pay based on the server rather than each individual site, and scale resources as your portfolio grows. Cloudways also offers staging, cloning, backups, SSL, server-level security, and multiple infrastructure providers.

For example, Cloudways currently lets you choose infrastructure from DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud, while managing the server through the Cloudways interface.

That gives you a lot more room to build your own hosting operation.

The big advantage: you can separate clients

I'd structure it something like:

Your agency → Cloudways account → Server(s) → Client A website → Client B website → Client C website → Client D website

You can then charge clients something like:

• Website hosting: $30–$50/mo
• Maintenance: $50–$150/mo
• Hosting + maintenance + backups + updates: $100–$250+/mo

Your actual hosting infrastructure can cost substantially less than the combined recurring revenue.

That's where Cloudways becomes particularly interesting for a web designer.

Where SiteGround wins

SiteGround is much easier for the average client.

Its current plans include things such as SSL, CDN, daily backups, email, free migration, WordPress management, staging on higher plans, collaborators and white-label access.

For a designer who says:

"I build 5–10 WordPress websites a year and just want somewhere easy to put them." I'd seriously consider SiteGround.

It's very approachable, and you don't need to think much about server architecture.

The current GoGeek plan, for example, includes unlimited websites, staging, Git, private DNS and white-label access.

But there's one important Cloudways downside

Cloudways is not traditional shared hosting.

You're dealing with cloud servers and resource allocation. That gives you considerably more control, but you need to understand things like:

• server sizing
• PHP resources
• databases
• caching
• DNS
• backups
• bandwidth
• server/application separation

Cloudways does make this considerably easier than managing raw AWS/DigitalOcean yourself, but it is still more technical than SiteGround.

And pricing can become more complicated because Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go model and additional resources/add-ons can affect the bill.

The setup I'd use as a web designer

If you're serious about turning hosting into recurring revenue, I'd go:

🏆 Cloudways + DigitalOcean

For typical WordPress brochure/business websites, I'd start with Cloudways on DigitalOcean rather than jumping directly to AWS.

Then:

Cloudways → DigitalOcean server → Multiple WordPress sites → Cloudflare → automated backups → staging → client-specific WordPress installs

Cloudways currently advertises servers starting around $11/month for a 2GB/1-vCPU configuration, although actual cost depends on configuration/provider and any additional services.

That can make the economics very attractive when you're hosting multiple relatively low-traffic sites.

When I'd choose SiteGround instead

I'd pick SiteGround if:

• You have relatively few clients.
• You don't want to manage servers.
• Clients need email hosting bundled with the website.
• Your clients want to log into their own hosting account.
• You want the simplest possible support experience.
• You don't intend to make hosting a significant recurring-revenue product.

When I'd choose Cloudways

I'd pick Cloudways if:

• You're building a web-design/maintenance agency.
• You expect 10+ client sites.
• You want recurring hosting revenue.
• You want to consolidate many sites onto your infrastructure.
• Performance matters.
• You want staging/cloning and more control.
• You expect some clients to eventually need substantially more resources.
• You want the option to scale without migrating everything to another host.

So if you're asking me, "Which one should I build my web-design business around?" → Cloudways.

If you're asking, "Which one is easiest for me and my small-business clients?" → SiteGround.

One thing I'd change from the typical designer setup, though: don't put every client on one giant server. I'd group clients by traffic/importance and keep higher-value or high-traffic clients isolated. That gives you better performance, security and damage containment if one site has a problem.

If you tell me roughly how many client websites you expect to host (5, 20, 50, 100+) and whether they're mostly WordPress, I can give you a specific Cloudways server setup and show you how much you could charge clients vs. your actual hosting cost.

You're dealing with cloud servers and resource allocation. That gives you considerably more control, but you need to understand things like:

• server sizing
• PHP resources
• databases
• caching
• DNS
• backups
• bandwidth
• server/application separation

Cloudways does make this considerably easier than managing raw AWS/DigitalOcean yourself, but it is still more technical than SiteGround.

And pricing can become more complicated because Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go model and additional resources/add-ons can affect the bill.

For a web designer managing multiple client websites, choosing between SiteGround and Cloudways comes down to a fundamental trade-off: convenience and managed hand-holding (SiteGround) versus scalability, performance isolation, and cost-efficiency at scale (Cloudways).

Both run on top-tier cloud infrastructure (like Google Cloud), but their workflow, client-management models, and pricing structures are worlds apart.

SiteGround: The Plug-and-Play Choice

SiteGround functions like a traditional, highly polished shared/cloud-hybrid host with a custom, user-friendly control panel (Site Tools).

• Pros for Designers:
  • Incredible Ease of Use: Setup takes minutes. It’s truly plug-and-play, meaning less time troubleshooting server configurations and more time designing.
  • Client Handover & Collaboration: You can easily add clients as collaborators or transfer ownership of a site/account to them cleanly.
  • Staging & Git: Offers simple one-click staging environments and basic Git integration.
  • Elite Support: SiteGround’s 24/7 support is famously fast, polite, and deeply knowledgeable about WordPress issues.
• Cons for Designers:
  • Per-Site Pricing Pain: SiteGround’s lower-tier plans limit you strictly by visitor counts and disk space, and renewal rates jump significantly after the first year. If you host multiple clients on separate accounts, costs scale up quickly because you are paying per package.
  • Resource Sharing: On standard plans, you are on shared infrastructure. If one client gets a massive traffic spike, it can affect performance across other sites on that server partition.

Cloudways: The Scalable Powerhouse

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform . Instead of giving you a cPanel/shared space, they sit on top of cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud) and manage the server layer for you.

• Pros for Designers:
  • True Resource Isolation: Every server you spin up is dedicated. Client A’s viral traffic will never crash Client B’s site.
  • Scale Multiple Sites on One Server: This is the agency/designer sweet spot. You can host 10, 20, or 30 low-to-medium traffic client sites on a single $14–$28/month DigitalOcean/Vultr server on Cloudways, drastically increasing your profit margins on hosting retainers.
  • Speed & Performance: Out-of-the-box caching (Breeze, Redis, Varnish) is exceptionally fast, and you can scale server RAM/CPU with a single click as a client grows.
  • Team & Client Management: Robust server-level and application-level access controls make it easy to give developers or team members specific permissions.
• Cons for Designers:
  • Steeper Learning Curve: It’s more of a "developer's playground". If something breaks at the server level (DNS, advanced PHP limits, SSL edge cases), you need to know your way around or rely on Cloudways ticketing.
  • No Built-in Email: Cloudways doesn’t host native email inboxes. You have to set up external email routing (like Google Workspace or Rackspace) for your clients, which adds an extra setup step.

Head-to-Head Comparison for Web Designers

The Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

• Choose SiteGround if: You are a solo designer just starting out, you only manage a handful of high-paying retainer clients who require hands-off maintenance, and you value being able to chat with a support agent who fixes things instantly at 2:00 AM.
• Choose Cloudways if: You are scaling your design business, want to bundle hosting into a monthly care plan to generate recurring revenue, and want blazing-fast isolated servers where you aren't penalized per-site.

To help narrow this down further:

• How many client websites are you currently managing or planning to launch this year?
• Do you prefer to resell hosting to your clients as a monthly recurring revenue stream, or do you want clients to pay the host directly?

As a web designer, choosing between SiteGround and Cloudways comes down to your business model, how you prefer to handle client billing, and your technical comfort level. Both are top-tier, but they serve completely different workflows.

SiteGround: The "Hands-Off & Beginner-Friendly" Route

SiteGround uses a customized, intuitive control panel and manages almost everything behind the scenes on shared/cloud-hybrid infrastructure.

• Pros for Designers:
  • Incredible Ease of Use: Extremely beginner-friendly. Setting up WordPress, SSL certificates, and staging environments takes clicks.
  • Exceptional Support: Known for fast, helpful 24/7 live chat support that can bail you out of minor WordPress issues quickly.
  • Client Handover: It’s very easy to transfer an entire site ownership to a client's own SiteGround account once the project is done.
• Cons for Designers:
  • Shared Hosting Limits: On lower plans, you are on shared infrastructure, meaning heavy-traffic client sites can get squeezed or throttled.
  • Steep Renewal Rates: Introductory pricing jumps significantly after the first year, which can shock clients if they take over billing.
  • Less Scalability/Control: Harder to fine-tune server-level resources or manage multiple isolated applications cleanly.

Cloudways: The "Scalable & Agency-Growth" Route

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform. Instead of hosting sites directly, they sit on top of cloud infrastructure providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud, giving you dedicated resources.

• Pros for Designers:
  • True Scalability & Performance: Dedicated server resources mean a spike on one client site won't drag down another. Pages load lightning-fast.
  • Great for Agencies (Pay-as-you-go): You can host dozens of small client sites on a single server, paying one predictable monthly fee, and easily markup the cost for a recurring monthly retainer (care plans).
  • Staging & Git Integration: Fantastic developer workflows with easy cloning, server-level caching (Bust/Varnish), and isolated environments.
• Cons for Designers:
  • Higher Learning Curve: Requires a bit more technical know-how regarding DNS, server IPs, and email setup (Cloudways doesn’t include free native email inbox hosting like SiteGround does).
  • Support Tiers: Standard 24/7 chat is good, but advanced server troubleshooting sometimes requires paid support add-ons.

Head-to-Head Verdict for Web Designers

• Choose SiteGround if: You prefer an all-in-one platform where you can easily transfer the bill to the client upon launch, you don't want to mess with server configs, and you value hand-holding customer support.
• Choose Cloudways if: You want to bundle hosting into a monthly maintenance package for your clients, manage multiple sites under one unified server, and require higher performance and growth flexibility.

To help narrow this down, tell me:

• Are you planning to hand off billing to your clients or keep them on your own server as a monthly retainer?
• How many client websites are you managing right now?

If you're a web designer managing websites for clients, I’d choose SiteGround for most freelancers/small agencies, and Cloudways when performance, scalability, and server-level control become important.

My verdict

| SiteGround | Cloudways --- | --- | --- Best for | Designers, freelancers, small agencies | Agencies with growing/high-traffic sites Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WordPress | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Server control | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ White-label | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client handoff | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Technical complexity | Low | Medium Hosting resale | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ My pick for most designers | 🏆 Yes | For advanced needs

Why I'd lean SiteGround

For a web designer, hosting management shouldn't become a second job.

SiteGround's agency/reseller setup is particularly attractive because you can manage multiple client sites from one account, isolate sites from each other, give clients limited access, use white-label Site Tools, and transfer sites/billing between accounts.

Their current GoGeek/reseller offering also includes things designers actually care about: staging, backups, SSL/CDN, collaborators, white-label access, private DNS, and site isolation.

That's a very good combination if you're building primarily:

• WordPress brochure sites
• Small-business websites
• Restaurant/service-business sites
• Local-business websites
• Landing pages
• Standard WooCommerce stores
• Sites with moderate traffic

In other words, the typical $2k–$10k client website.

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When Cloudways is the better choice

Cloudways becomes more compelling when you're building an agency with larger or more demanding websites.

Cloudways sits on top of cloud providers such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS and Google Cloud, giving you considerably more flexibility in choosing and scaling infrastructure.

Its agency platform is designed around managing multiple client sites, with centralized management, staging, automated backups, role-based access, scaling, monitoring and the ability to run multiple applications on a server.

I'd choose Cloudways if you're dealing with:

• High-traffic WordPress sites
• WooCommerce stores
• Membership sites
• Large databases
• Clients running paid advertising
• Sites with traffic spikes
• Web applications/custom PHP
• Clients who need serious scalability
• 20–100+ sites where infrastructure optimization matters

The big advantage is that you're essentially getting managed cloud infrastructure without having to become a full-time Linux/server administrator.

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The important distinction

Think of them this way:

SiteGround = "I want hosting to be easy."

Cloudways = "I want hosting to be powerful and scalable."

For a designer, I'd rather spend my time designing, building, getting clients and maintaining sites than worrying about server configuration.

That's why SiteGround wins for me for the average freelance web designer.

But there's one exception...

If your business model is:

"I build websites and then charge clients $50–$200/month for hosting + maintenance." Then I'd take a much closer look at SiteGround's reseller/agency offering.

SiteGround explicitly supports white-label hosting, custom hosting packages, client access, private DNS and recurring hosting revenue.

That makes it very easy to turn hosting into a recurring-revenue product rather than simply passing the hosting bill through to the client.

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What I'd do if I were starting a web-design business today

I'd probably structure it like this:

1–10 client websites: → SiteGround GoGeek

10–50 normal WordPress websites: → SiteGround GoGeek or Cloud

High-traffic / WooCommerce / demanding clients: → Cloudways

50+ sites / agency with technical expertise: → Cloudways + carefully sized cloud servers

And I wouldn't necessarily put every client on the same hosting solution. You can standardize your normal clients on SiteGround and move your demanding clients to Cloudways when their needs justify it.

One thing I'd avoid

Don't choose based primarily on the introductory price.

SiteGround currently advertises very aggressive introductory pricing, but the renewal prices are substantially higher. SiteGround Cloudways is more infrastructure-oriented, so the comparison is better made on total monthly cost per client, resources, management time, and what you can charge the client, rather than the headline promotional price.

Bottom line: SiteGround is my recommendation for a web designer; Cloudways is my recommendation for a web-development agency.

If you tell me roughly how many client websites you expect to host (e.g. 10, 25, 50, 100) and whether they're mostly WordPress, I can also break down exactly which SiteGround/Cloudways plan I'd use and what I'd charge each client per month.

If you’re a web designer hosting websites for clients, I’d generally choose Cloudways over SiteGround—but there’s an important exception.

My recommendation

| Cloudways | SiteGround --- | --- | --- Best for | Agencies & freelancers | Small businesses & simple sites Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ Multiple client sites | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Server control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ Email hosting | ❌ Separate | ✅ Included Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pricing model | Pay for cloud resources | Hosting plan Long-term agency use | Excellent | Good

Cloudways gives you managed cloud infrastructure on providers such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, Google Cloud and Linode, with dedicated server resources and scaling options.

SiteGround is much more of an all-in-one managed hosting experience. Its plans include things like email, SSL, CDN, backups, caching, WordPress management and support. Its GoGeek plan also includes staging, Git, private DNS and white-label access.

For a web designer, I'd lean Cloudways

The biggest reason is how you can structure your client business.

Imagine you have 15 clients:

• Client A — $100/month hosting/maintenance
• Client B — $75/month
• Client C — $125/month
• etc.

With Cloudways, you can put multiple relatively small WordPress sites on a cloud server and manage them from one platform. You're essentially selling managed hosting + maintenance, while Cloudways handles much of the server administration.

Cloudways also gives you dedicated cloud resources rather than the shared-hosting model used by SiteGround's standard plans. Independent 2026 comparisons generally find Cloudways stronger for agencies/developers, while SiteGround is easier for less technical users.

Where SiteGround actually wins

I'd choose SiteGround if your typical client is:

• A local business
• A 5–20 page brochure website
• A small WordPress site
• Someone who wants email hosting included
• Someone who may need to call/chat with support themselves
• A client who doesn't need much server customization

SiteGround is extremely convenient because so much is bundled together. Its current GrowBig plan, for example, supports unlimited websites and includes staging, backups, caching, email, SSL and other WordPress tools.

And SiteGround actually has an agency hosting program specifically designed around client sites, including collaborators, site ownership transfers and white-label functionality.

The big thing I'd watch with SiteGround

Renewal pricing.

The current promotional pricing looks fantastic—GrowBig is advertised at $4.99/month—but the listed renewal price is $29.99/month. GoGeek is currently $7.99/month promotional and renews at $44.99/month.

That's not necessarily bad, but it's something you need to account for when you're selling hosting to clients.

Cloudways uses a pay-as-you-go model, with the cost depending on the cloud provider/server configuration and any add-ons you use.

What I'd do if I were building a web-design business

I'd actually structure it like this:

Small/simple client → SiteGround

Growing/high-traffic client → Cloudways

Agency with 10+ WordPress clients → Cloudways

WooCommerce/ecommerce → Cloudways

Performance-sensitive site → Cloudways

Client wants email + website in one place → SiteGround

You want to sell recurring hosting/maintenance → Cloudways

One more important consideration

Don't make the mistake of choosing hosting based purely on "which is faster?"

For a web designer, the more important question is:

Which hosting platform makes it easiest for me to manage 20–50 client websites profitably? That's where Cloudways becomes much more interesting.

I'd also consider separating domain ownership, hosting, email and website maintenance rather than putting everything under your agency account. That makes client handoffs dramatically easier if a client ever leaves.

Bottom line:

🏆 Cloudways = my pick for a professional web designer/agency. 🥈 SiteGround = my pick for simplicity and smaller clients. If you tell me roughly how many client websites you expect to host (5, 10, 25, 50+) and whether they're mostly WordPress/Elementor, I can map out the most profitable Cloudways vs SiteGround setup—including what you'd charge each client per month and your potential hosting margin.

As a web designer, choosing between SiteGround and Cloudways comes down to balancing ease of management against performance, scalability, and resource control . Both are industry favorites, but they cater to entirely different agency workflows and client types.

SiteGround: The Hands-Off, Client-Friendly Option

SiteGround operates on a custom-built, user-friendly control panel that abstracts away all server-level configurations. It is essentially traditional shared/cloud-hybrid hosting made sleek and fast.

• Pros for Designers:
  • Incredibly Beginner-Friendly: Client handoff is easy because the SiteGround dashboard and Site Tools are intuitive. You can easily add collaborators or transfer ownership of a site to a client’s own account with a few clicks.
  • All-in-One Convenience: Email hosting, free SSLs, daily backups, staging environments, and their proprietary caching plugin (SG Optimizer) work right out of the box with zero setup.
  • Superb Support: Their customer support is fast, friendly, and specialized in WordPress/WooCommerce troubleshooting.
• Cons for Designers:
  • Steep Renewal Rates: Introductory pricing is cheap, but renewal rates jump significantly.
  • Resource Caps: On lower plans, you are still on a shared environment. If a client's site traffic spikes or they run a heavy WooCommerce store, you will be forced to upgrade.
  • Lacks Advanced Control: You cannot tweak server-level parameters (like changing PHP memory limits beyond basic selectors, configuring custom caching layers like Redis/Varnish manually, or scaling RAM independently).

Cloudways: The High-Performance, Scalable Powerhouse

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform. Instead of hosting you on their own servers, they deploy and manage cloud servers for you on top-tier infrastructure like DigitalOcean, AWS (Amazon Web Services), or Google Cloud.

• Pros for Designers:
  • Blazing Fast Performance: Cloud-based architecture means dedicated resources. Paired with their Breeze caching and Varnish/Redis integration, page speeds and TTFB (Time to First Byte) consistently beat out SiteGround.
  • True Scalability: If a client goes viral or launches a massive e-commerce sale, you can scale your server resources (RAM, CPU) vertically with a single click in minutes without migrating hosts.
  • Great for Managing Multiple Sites: You can host as many websites on a single server as the server resources allow, making it much more cost-effective if you bundle hosting into your monthly retainer packages for multiple clients.
• Cons for Designers:
  • No Native Email: Cloudways doesn't include free cPanel-style email hosting. You have to set up external business email (like Google Workspace or Elastic Email), which adds an extra step for clients.
  • More Technical: While it is "managed," you are dealing with concepts like server applications, IP addresses, and configuring server-level caches. Client handoff is trickier because giving a non-technical client root or application access is riskier.

Head-to-Head Comparison for Web Designers

The Verdict: Which should you choose?

• Choose SiteGround if: You build standard business/brochure sites, prefer a completely hands-off hosting environment, want email included, and prefer to transfer the hosting bill and account directly to the client upon launch.
• Choose Cloudways if: You build high-performance or WooCommerce websites, want to bundle hosting into a lucrative monthly maintenance/care plan for your clients, and need raw speed and server scalability that won't choke when traffic grows.

To explore their current plans and environment setups, you can check out SiteGround Hosting Plans or look over the infrastructure options on the Cloudways Platform.

If you want to narrow this down further, tell me:

• What kind of websites do you primarily build (simple brochure sites vs. heavy WooCommerce/membership sites)?
• Do you plan to resell hosting to clients as a recurring revenue stream, or do you want them to pay for it directly?

If you’re a web designer managing multiple client websites, I’d generally pick Cloudways over SiteGround—but there’s an important exception.

My quick verdict

| SiteGround | Cloudways --- | --- | --- Best for | Simple WordPress/client sites | Professional client portfolio Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Multiple client sites | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scaling | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Developer control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ White-label/reselling | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Email hosting | Yes | No Server flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cost efficiency at scale | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My pick for a web designer | Good | 🏆 Best

🏆 I'd choose Cloudways for a web-design business

cloudways.com is specifically designed around the agency/client model. You can put multiple client websites on a server, manage them from one dashboard, create staging environments, control client/team access, and scale the server as your portfolio grows. Cloudways also lets you choose infrastructure from providers including DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, and Vultr.

The big advantage is how you can structure your business:

Client websites → Cloudways → one centralized hosting operation → you manage everything → client gets access only to their website. That is a much better model once you're managing, say, 10–50+ websites.

Cloudways also charges based on the server rather than per website, so you can add multiple sites to a server as long as the resources are sufficient.

Where SiteGround wins

siteground.com is actually very good for designers, especially if you want the simplest possible managed WordPress experience.

SiteGround gives you:

• Collaborator access
• Staging
• Git/SSH/WP-CLI
• Automatic WordPress updates
• Backups
• CDN
• White-label options
• Client/site ownership tools
• Hosting packages you can configure for clients

Its Cloud plans also allow granular client access and custom hosting packages.

And there's one major difference: SiteGround includes email hosting, while Cloudways generally expects you to use a separate email provider. SiteGround's standard hosting plans include email accounts.

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The decision I'd make depending on your business

If you're building 1–10 small business websites

SiteGround.

It's incredibly convenient. You don't have to think much about servers, and the WordPress tooling is excellent.

For example, a typical setup could be:

SiteGround GrowBig/GoGeek → several client WordPress sites → you manage them → clients get collaborator access.

That's a very easy business model.

If you're building 10–100+ client websites

Cloudways. 🏆

This is where I think Cloudways becomes more compelling.

You can consolidate sites onto appropriately sized servers instead of treating every website as a separate hosting account. Cloudways specifically markets this model to agencies and supports centralized management, role-based access, staging, backups, scaling, and reselling.

If you're selling hosting as a recurring service

Cloudways or SiteGround Cloud.

This is a different question from simply "where should I host my sites?"

You could charge something like:

Website Hosting & Maintenance — $99/month And include:

• Hosting
• SSL
• Backups
• WordPress/plugin updates
• Security
• Uptime monitoring
• Minor maintenance
• Monthly report

Your actual hosting cost can then become a relatively small component of the recurring revenue.

Both companies support this type of agency/reseller model. SiteGround's Cloud offering lets you create custom hosting packages and granular client access, while Cloudways explicitly supports agencies reselling hosting.

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One thing I'd change about the usual SiteGround vs Cloudways comparison

Don't compare SiteGround shared hosting vs Cloudways and conclude that SiteGround is necessarily "slower."

SiteGround's Cloud hosting is a much more serious product. It runs on Google Cloud, provides dedicated resources, autoscaling, staging, Git/SSH/WP-CLI, backups, CDN, and client-management capabilities.

So I'd think about it as:

SiteGround GrowBig/GoGeek → inexpensive, easy, excellent for small/medium client sites

SiteGround Cloud → premium managed agency hosting

Cloudways → flexible managed cloud infrastructure for an agency that wants to scale

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What I'd do if I were starting a web-design agency today

I'd probably use Cloudways + Cloudflare + Google Workspace/Microsoft 365.

I'd keep domains separate from hosting.

I'd keep email completely separate from hosting.

And I'd sell clients a monthly maintenance/hosting package rather than giving every client a hosting account that you have to manage individually.

For example:

Your agency

→ Cloudways → Client A website → Client B website → Client C website → Client D website → Client E website

Then as you grow:

→ Server 1: small brochure sites → Server 2: larger/high-traffic sites → Server 3: WooCommerce/ecommerce sites

That gives you considerably more control over your margins and infrastructure.

Bottom line:

🥇 Cloudways — my choice for a professional web designer/agency managing a growing portfolio. 🥈 SiteGround — my choice if simplicity, WordPress convenience, and email hosting are more important than infrastructure flexibility. One caveat: Cloudways' current pricing/promotions and available infrastructure options change, so I'd base the final choice on how many sites you expect to host and their traffic, rather than the introductory price.

If you tell me roughly how many client websites you have now (and expect within 1–2 years), I can give you a recommended Cloudways server size + estimated monthly cost + how much to charge each client.

For a web designer managing client websites, the "best" choice between SiteGround and Cloudways depends heavily on your technical comfort level , how you want to bill your clients , and the scale of your business.

Both are top-tier platforms, but they operate on completely different philosophies: SiteGround is a streamlined, all-in-one shared/cloud hybrid built for ease, while Cloudways is a managed cloud platform built for raw performance, scalability, and developer control.

1. Performance and Speed

• SiteGround: Excellent out-of-the-box speeds running on Google Cloud infrastructure with their custom SuperCacher plugin and free CDN. It is fast without needing any configuration.
• Cloudways: Superior, highly consistent raw performance. Because you choose your underlying cloud provider (DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud) and get dedicated server resources with advanced caching (Varnish, Redis, Memcached), heavy or high-traffic client sites won't slow down due to "noisy neighbors" on shared hardware.

2. Ease of Use & Client Management

• SiteGround: Features a proprietary, highly polished user dashboard. It is exceptionally beginner-friendly. Adding collaborators, transferring website ownership to a client when finished, and setting up staging environments takes just a couple of clicks.
• Cloudways: Uses its own custom console to manage servers rather than traditional cPanel. It is intuitive if you know your way around a server, but it has a steeper learning curve for non-technical designers. Transferring ownership means either giving the client access to your master billing or migrating the application to their separate Cloudways account.

3. Pricing & Billing Structure

• SiteGround: SiteGround pricing starts very cheap on introductory promos, but renewal rates jump significantly (often tripling after the first year). You host multiple sites on a single account (GrowBig or GoGeek plans), making it easy to bundle hosting into a monthly retainer for your clients.
• Cloudways: Cloudways pricing operates on a transparent pay-as-you-go, hourly/monthly model with no sudden renewal price shocks. You pay per server. If you host 10 small client sites on one $14/month DigitalOcean server, your profit margin on client maintenance plans can be massive.

4. Support and Reliability

• SiteGround: Famous for its 24/7 live chat and phone support. The support reps are deeply knowledgeable about WordPress and application-level troubleshooting.
• Cloudways: 24/7 live chat is responsive, but they are limited to server-level issues. If a client breaks their site with a bad plugin update, Cloudways support won't debug the WordPress code for you (though they offer paid advanced support add-ons).

Summary Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

• Choose SiteGround if: You want a hassle-free experience, rely heavily on 24/7 live chat support to bail you out of app-level fixes, prefer an intuitive client-transfer workflow, and don't mind managing tiered account renewals. It’s ideal for solo designers and small agencies starting out.
• Choose Cloudways if: You want predictable long-term pricing, top-tier loading speeds for heavy/e-commerce client sites, server-level isolation, and the ability to pack multiple client sites onto a single scalable server to maximize your recurring revenue. It’s ideal for scaling agencies and designers with intermediate technical skills.

If you'd like to narrow this down further, tell me:

• How many client sites are you managing right now (or planning to launch this year)?
• Do you prefer to bundle and bill clients directly for hosting as part of a maintenance retainer, or do you want clients to pay the host directly?

As a web designer, choosing between SiteGround and Cloudways comes down to a fundamental trade-off: convenience and managed hand-holding versus scalability, raw performance, and server control.

Both are top-tier choices, but they fit completely different workflow models for managing client websites.

SiteGround: The Plug-and-Play Choice

SiteGround is a traditional, premium shared/cloud host running on Google Cloud infrastructure, wrapped in a custom, highly polished control panel (Site Tools). [1]

• Pros for Web Designers:
  • Beginner-Friendly Client Handover: If you plan on handing the hosting control panel over to your clients post-launch, SiteGround's dashboard is intuitive and hard to break.
  • Collaborator Tools: You can easily add clients or team members as collaborators to specific sites without giving them access to your entire billing profile.
  • Staging & Git: Offers simple one-click staging environments and Git integration for pushing updates.
  • Exceptional Support: Their 24/7 live chat support is fast, friendly, and handles WordPress issues competently. [1]
• Cons for Web Designers:
  • Renewal Shock: Introductory pricing is low, but renewal rates jump significantly. Pitching this ongoing cost to smaller clients can sometimes be a tough sell.
  • Resource Limits: Strict limits on file inodes and visitor counts per plan mean high-traffic client sites will be forced to upgrade tiers rapidly.
  • Less Flexibility: You are locked into their server environment, caching architecture, and PHP limits. [1]

Cloudways: The Scalable Powerhouse

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform . Instead of giving you a slice of a shared server, they sit on top of top-tier cloud infrastructure providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud) and manage the server configuration for you. [1]

• Pros for Web Designers:
  • Pay-As-You-Go & Predictable Pricing: No surprise multi-year renewal spikes. You pay hourly or monthly for the exact server size you spin up.
  • Unmatched Performance & Speed: Independent testing frequently shows Cloudways outperforming SiteGround in response times (TTFB) and heavy traffic loads because resources aren't bottlenecked by typical shared hosting constraints.
  • Unlimited Sites per Server: You can host as many client sites on a single Cloudways server as the RAM and CPU can handle, making it vastly more profitable if you bundle hosting into a monthly retainer for clients.
  • Staging & Cloning: Exceptional server cloning and individual application staging features that make testing redesigns risk-free.[1]
• Cons for Web Designers:
  • No Built-in Email: Cloudways doesn't provide free native email hosting. You have to set up external business email (like Google Workspace or Elastic Email), which adds an extra step for clients.
  • Steeper Learning Curve: It requires a basic understanding of server management, DNS configurations, and file permissions.
  • Support Tiers: Standard support is great, but advanced technical troubleshooting sometimes requires ticket escalation. [1]

Side-by-Side Comparison for Designers

The Verdict: Which should you choose?

To help narrow this down, tell me:

• Are you planning to manage the hosting yourself and bill your clients monthly, or do you want to hand the account over to them?
• Roughly how many client websites do you currently manage or plan to launch this year?

If you’re a web designer managing websites for clients, I’d lean Cloudways overall—but SiteGround is better if you want maximum simplicity and low-touch management.

Here’s how I’d look at it from an agency/freelancer perspective.

Quick verdict

| SiteGround | Cloudways --- | --- | --- Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Multiple client sites | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Client/agency management | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Staging & cloning | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Technical control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ White-label/client access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Predictable simplicity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Value for growing agency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🏆 My pick: Cloudways

For a web designer who might eventually manage 10, 20, 50+ client websites, Cloudways is the more attractive architecture. You can choose your underlying cloud provider, create multiple applications, clone sites/servers, use staging, scale resources, and manage multiple projects from one platform.

For example, Cloudways currently offers managed servers through providers including DigitalOcean and Vultr, with plans starting around $11/month for a 2GB/1-vCPU configuration.

That makes it particularly appealing when you want to treat hosting as part of your web-design business, rather than simply buying hosting for individual websites.

Where SiteGround wins

SiteGround is much easier for the average client.

Its standard hosting includes things such as SSL, CDN, daily backups, email, migrations, caching and 24/7 support. Its GrowBig and GoGeek plans also include staging, while GoGeek adds things such as white-label access and priority support.

That makes SiteGround excellent if your typical clients are:

• Local businesses
• Restaurants
• Contractors
• Professional services
• Small ecommerce sites
• Brochure/marketing sites
• Businesses getting relatively modest traffic

You can essentially say:

"I'll build your website, host it, and take care of everything." And SiteGround makes that relatively painless.

Where Cloudways becomes more interesting

Imagine you have 25 WordPress clients.

With Cloudways, you can organize applications/projects, clone sites, create staging environments, integrate Git, and scale server resources when necessary.

That's a much more developer/agency-oriented workflow.

It also gives you more architectural flexibility than traditional shared hosting. You're essentially putting your clients' websites on managed cloud infrastructure rather than simply putting everything into a conventional shared-hosting account.

That's the biggest reason I'd choose Cloudways as a web designer.

But there's an important catch

Cloudways is not necessarily cheaper for every client.

Its current Flexible plans start around $11/month for a small DigitalOcean configuration, but your actual cost rises as you select more resources, backups, add-ons, etc.

Meanwhile, SiteGround's advertised introductory pricing is extremely low—although its current published renewal prices are considerably higher. For example, GrowBig is advertised at $4.99/month initially and $29.99/month on renewal.

So don't compare the introductory prices directly.

The setup I'd use as a web designer

If I were building a small-to-medium web design business today, I'd consider this model:

Client website → Cloudways → you manage hosting → client pays you monthly

For example:

Website build: $2,000 Hosting/maintenance: $75–150/month Includes: hosting + backups + updates + security + small maintenance allowance

Now hosting becomes a recurring revenue stream, rather than something you simply hand over to the client.

Cloudways is particularly well suited to this model because its platform is designed around multiple applications, teams, projects, staging, cloning and server management.

One alternative you shouldn't overlook

Interestingly, SiteGround Cloud is much more compelling for agencies than regular SiteGround shared hosting.

Their current Cloud offering starts at $100/month and includes unlimited websites, dedicated resources, automated scaling, white-label access, client roles, staging, Git, backups, CDN and priority support.

So I'd actually break the decision down like this:

• 1–10 relatively simple client websites: SiteGround
• 10–50+ WordPress/client websites: Cloudways
• Agency with serious hosting requirements and $100+/month budget: SiteGround Cloud or Cloudways
• High-traffic WooCommerce/ecommerce: Cloudways
• You don't want to deal with servers: SiteGround
• You want more control and scalability: Cloudways
• You want to resell/manage hosting as part of your agency: Cloudways

My recommendation for you

If you're serious about becoming a web designer and hosting your clients' websites as an ongoing service, I'd choose Cloudways.

I'd start with a relatively modest server, put several low-traffic WordPress sites on it, establish your backup/security/maintenance workflow, and increase server resources as the portfolio grows.

SiteGround would be my choice if your priority is "make this ridiculously easy and don't make me think about infrastructure."

One more thing: don't automatically put every client on the same server. For higher-value or higher-traffic clients, I'd isolate them on their own server/application architecture so one client's traffic spike or problem doesn't become everyone else's problem.

If you tell me roughly how many client websites you expect to host (e.g. 5, 20, 50+) and whether they're mostly WordPress, I can map out the exact Cloudways vs SiteGround setup and what I'd charge each client per month.

But there's an important catch

Cloudways is not necessarily cheaper for every client.

Its current Flexible plans start around $11/month for a small DigitalOcean configuration, but your actual cost rises as you select more resources, backups, add-ons, etc.

Meanwhile, SiteGround's advertised introductory pricing is extremely low—although its current published renewal prices are considerably higher. For example, GrowBig is advertised at $4.99/month initially and $29.99/month on renewal.

So don't compare the introductory prices directly.

The setup I'd use as a web designer

If I were building a small-to-medium web design business today, I'd consider this model:

Client website → Cloudways → you manage hosting → client pays you monthly

For example:

Website build: $2,000 Hosting/maintenance: $75–150/month Includes: hosting + backups + updates + security + small maintenance allowance

Now hosting becomes a recurring revenue stream, rather than something you simply hand over to the client.

Cloudways is particularly well suited to this model because its platform is designed around multiple applications, teams, projects, staging, cloning and server management.

One alternative you shouldn't overlook

Interestingly, SiteGround Cloud is much more compelling for agencies than regular SiteGround shared hosting.