How popular isCloudways?
In September 2026, people searched for Cloudways by name about 74,000 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 12.5% of all global managed WordPress hosting platform searches, placing Cloudways third out of eight platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about managed WordPress hosting platforms, Cloudways appeared in four of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the eight.
Cloudways is the third most searched of 8 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.
SiteGroundShare of searches 41.6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
BluehostShare of searches 34%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
CloudwaysShare of searches 12.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
WP EngineShare of searches 5.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
KinstaShare of searches 4.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
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Top managed WordPress hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cloudways was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Cloudways is the fourth most recommended of the eight.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- WP Engine5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- SiteGround4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Cloudways4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Kinsta4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Pressable3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Bluehost2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Flywheel0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Pagely0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about managed WordPress hosting platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which managed WordPress hosting platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best managed WordPress hosting platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best managed WordPress hosting platform for a WordPress site?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“managed wordpress hosting”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“wordpress site hosting”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Which managed WordPress hosting platforms compete with Cloudways?
Share of searches by month for SiteGround, Bluehost, Cloudways, WP Engine, Kinsta. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | SiteGround | Bluehost | Cloudways | WP Engine | Kinsta | Pressable | Flywheel | Pagely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 41% | 33.5% | 12.3% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 0.95% | 0.46% | 0.15% |
| Nov 2025 | 41.9% | 34.3% | 12.6% | 4.7% | 5% | 0.97% | 0.44% | 0.15% |
| Dec 2025 | 42% | 34.3% | 12.6% | 4.8% | 5% | 0.8% | 0.36% | 0.12% |
| Jan 2026 | 46.4% | 31% | 11.4% | 5.2% | 4.5% | 0.88% | 0.4% | 0.14% |
| Feb 2026 | 46.4% | 31% | 11.4% | 5.2% | 4.5% | 0.89% | 0.37% | 0.14% |
| Mar 2026 | 44.8% | 29.9% | 13.5% | 5.1% | 5.3% | 0.86% | 0.36% | 0.13% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.3% | 30.2% | 13.6% | 5.1% | 4.5% | 0.87% | 0.32% | 0.14% |
| May 2026 | 40.7% | 33.3% | 15% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 0.96% | 0.33% | 0.15% |
| Jun 2026 | 44.7% | 30% | 13.5% | 5% | 5.3% | 1% | 0.36% | 0.13% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.8% | 30% | 13.5% | 5% | 5.3% | 1% | 0.28% | 0.13% |
| Aug 2026 | 42% | 34.3% | 12.6% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 0.98% | 0.25% | 0.13% |
| Sep 2026 | 41.6% | 34% | 12.5% | 5.7% | 4.9% | 0.97% | 0.26% | 0.15% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 41.6% | 246K | 0% | -0.5 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 34% | 201K | 0% | -0.4 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 12.5% | 74K | 0% | -0.1 points | |
| 4, moved from 5th to 4th | 5.7% | 33.6K | +21.8% | +1 pointsmoved from 5th to 4th | |
| 5, moved from 4th to 5th | 4.9% | 29.1K | +0.94% | 0 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.97% | 5.8K | +0.35% | 0 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.26% | 1.5K | +4.8% | 0 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 0.15% | 900 | +21.6% | 0 points |
41.6%
Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.
2.
Bluehost34%
Held 2nd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
12.5%
Held 3rd. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
5.7%
Moved from 5th to 4th. 33.6K estimated branded searches, +21.8% vs prior month. Share +1 points.
5.
Kinsta4.9%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 29.1K estimated branded searches, +0.94% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.97%
Held 6th. 5.8K estimated branded searches, +0.35% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
7.
Flywheel0.26%
Held 7th. 1.5K estimated branded searches, +4.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
8.
Pagely0.15%
Held 8th. 900 estimated branded searches, +21.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Compare popularity between Cloudways and its closest rivals
Every comparison with Cloudways
20 comparisons
- Bluehost vs Cloudways
- Cloudways vs GoDaddy
- Cloudways vs Hostinger
- Cloudways vs Namecheap
- Cloudways vs SiteGround
- Amazon Web Services vs Cloudways
- Cloudflare vs Cloudways
- Cloudways vs Google Cloud
- Cloudways vs Hetzner
- Cloudways vs Linode
- Cloudways vs Microsoft Azure
- Cloudways vs OVHcloud
- Cloudways vs Vercel
- Cloudways vs Vultr
- Cloudways vs DreamHost
- Cloudways vs WP Engine
- Cloudways vs Kinsta
- Cloudways vs Pressable
- Cloudways vs Flywheel
- Cloudways vs Pagely
How has branded search demand for Cloudways changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
2 findings
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Cloudways worldwide held steady at 74K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cloudways’ share of searches among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide peaked at 15% in May 2026 and was lowest at 11.4% in January 2026.
How did search popularity change for managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, WP Engine overtook Kinsta to rank 4th among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide, with 5.7% of the searches.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Flywheel worldwide fell 44.2% over 12 measured months, from 2.7K to 1.5K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Kinsta worldwide fell 17.4% over 12 measured months, from 35.2K to 29.1K in September 2026.
How are Cloudways’ branded searches counted?
1 search term
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cloudways’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.
- cloudways
Who owns Cloudways?
Cloudways is owned by 
DigitalOcean. Brandwave also tracks DigitalOcean, owned by the same company, worldwide.
Do you work for Cloudways? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.
Where does Cloudways compete?
| Competitor set | Rank | Share of searches | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud hosting platforms | 7th of 8 | 0.57% | Show ranking |
| Web hosting providers | 8th of 10 | 0.57% | Show ranking |
| VPS hosting providers | 6th of 7 | 1.6% | Show ranking |
| Managed WordPress hosting platforms | 3rd of 8 | 12.5% | Shown above |
Is Cloudways your brand?
Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.