Arcadia vs Cloudways: WordPress Hosting Compared (2026)

Flat £5.99/month, no visitor limits, no contracts versus $14/month intro pricing.

  1. Home
  2. Arcadia vs Cloudways

Quick Verdict

Cloudways is a well-known WordPress host. Arcadia Servers is UK-based with every site running in an isolated environment with its own CPU and RAM, flat-rate pricing from £5.99/month, no visitor limits, and no renewal price hikes. Cloudways starts at $14/month (Pay-as-you-go, can vary with cloud provider rates). Below is an honest breakdown of where each platform wins.

At a Glance

Feature Arcadia Servers Cloudways
Starting Price £5.99/month From $14/month (DigitalOcean 1 GB)
Renewal Price Same price every month Pay-as-you-go, no traditional hike
Visitor Limits None None (resource-based limits apply)
Contracts None, cancel anytime None, pay-as-you-go
Server Location UK-based DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Linode, Vultr
Dashboard Arcadia Dashboard (custom) Cloudways console
Backups Weekly automated and manual on-demand On-demand and scheduled
Free SSL Yes (auto-renewing) Yes

Where Cloudways Wins

  • Choice of underlying cloud provider including DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Linode and Vultr
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing with no traditional renewal hikes
  • Strong for agencies managing multiple client sites
  • Team collaboration features for agency workflows
  • More granular server configuration and scaling options

Where Arcadia Wins

  • Simpler setup with no cloud infrastructure knowledge required
  • UK-based, GDPR-friendly
  • Truly flat monthly pricing with no bandwidth billing surprises
  • Better for non-technical users wanting managed WordPress to just work
  • Consistent managed WordPress experience without cloud complexity

Who Should Choose Arcadia

  • Non-technical users who want managed WordPress without cloud infrastructure knowledge
  • UK and EU businesses prioritising GDPR-compliant hosting
  • Teams wanting simple predictable pricing without bandwidth billing or cloud complexity
  • Businesses that do not need multi-cloud flexibility or agency team tooling

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cloudways easier to use than Arcadia?

Cloudways is developer-friendly and excellent for technical teams and agencies. For non-technical users, Arcadia's managed WordPress approach is considerably simpler. There is no need to select a cloud provider, configure server sizes, or manage infrastructure.

Does Cloudways have hidden bandwidth charges?

Cloudways includes a bandwidth allowance based on the selected server plan. The DigitalOcean 1 GB plan includes 1 TB of bandwidth, enough for most sites. Arcadia charges a single flat monthly fee with no bandwidth billing.

Is Arcadia better than Cloudways for UK and EU businesses?

For businesses prioritising EU data residency and GDPR compliance, Arcadia is UK-based with European infrastructure. Cloudways can also host in EU regions, but the server selection adds complexity for non-technical teams.

Can I migrate from Cloudways to Arcadia?

Yes. Arcadia handles site migrations at no extra cost. Your domain stays wherever it is registered.

Get started from £5.99/month

No visitor limits. No renewal price hikes. No contracts. UK-based.

See Plans and Pricing Talk to Us First