Migrate WordPress to Cloudways (October 2026): Plugin, Managed or Manual

How this was checked

Every Cloudways step, limit and price below was read on October 15, 2026 from Cloudways' own support articles, blog and pricing pages, which are linked in the sources block. Prices were read from a US network location. We did not time a migration for this page, so there are no "it took 20 minutes" figures. Cloudways publishes none either; its article says the time depends on the size of the data.

The general migration craft comes from Rai Ansar's work: 700+ WordPress migrations with no downtime. The Cloudways-specific details are the part that changes, which is why they come from the vendor's documentation and carry dates. Where Cloudways' own pages disagree, this page says so.

Pick a route

Sources: Cloudways support articles dated March 27, 2026 (managed migration), June 29, 2026 (Migrator plugin) and July 24, 2026 (onboarding guide), read October 15, 2026.

How many managed migrations are free? Cloudways' pages give three different answers. The March 27 managed-migration article says WordPress and WooCommerce migrations are free "even when handled by Cloudways experts", while non-WordPress apps cost $99 each. The June 29 plugin article says "every Cloudways account includes one free managed migration". The pricing page says engineers will migrate your "first website" for free. Treat the first one as free and read the Application Migration add-on page in your account before you rely on a second.

The plugin works with both Cloudways Flexible (the server plans this page covers) and Cloudways Autonomous. Autonomous starts at $99/mo on the promo page and supports WordPress and WooCommerce only. WordPress Multisite is supported on Flexible only, per the plugin article.

Size the server before you launch it

The plugin copies everything, so the destination disk is the first hard limit. Cloudways' default pricing view (US, checked October 15, 2026) lists these DigitalOcean sizes. Cloudways describes DigitalOcean Premium as NVMe-backed and Standard as SSD-backed, so this NVMe view looks like the Premium tier. Its pricing FAQ and promo page separately say plans start at $11/mo, but the page text we could read did not give a clear RAM and disk spec for an $11 server, so we cannot say which size it is. Treat $11 as Cloudways' "starting at" price and size from the table, which lists complete specs.

Source: cloudways.com/en/pricing.php, default view, US, October 15, 2026. Prices exclude taxes. Cloudways bills hourly, in arrears, with invoices in the first week of the next month.

A worked example (illustrative numbers, not a measurement). A store has 22 GB of uploads and a 3 GB database. Files plus database come to 25 GB, which is the entire disk of the 1 GB size before you count the SQL dump, logs or any local backups. The next size up in that view is 2 GB / 50 GB at $28/mo, so plan the budget around $28, not around the entry price. Our rule of thumb is to pick the smallest size whose disk is at least 1.5 times files plus database. That ratio is ours, not a Cloudways figure. Cloudways charges $0.033/GB per server for offsite backup storage on top.

The eight steps at a glance

1. Back up the old site and list what lives outside WordPress. Take a full backup of the files and the database. Note the email accounts, server cron jobs, redirects and CDN settings the site depends on but WordPress does not store.
2. Lower the TTL on your A records. Set the TTL on the root and www A records to 300 seconds. Do it at least as long before cutover as the old TTL, which Cloudways' blog puts at 48 to 72 hours for safety.
3. Launch a blank WordPress app and choose the stack. Create a Cloudways account, launch a WordPress application on a server sized to your disk usage, and pick the Hybrid stack if the site relies on .htaccess rules.
4. Copy the site to Cloudways. Run the free Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin from the old site, request a managed migration from the Cloudways platform, or copy files and database yourself with rsync and WP-CLI.
5. Add the domain and test the copy before touching DNS. Add your domain to the app, make it primary, put a hosts-file entry on your own computer that points the domain at the server IP, and check pages, logins, forms and checkout while visitors still reach the old host.
6. Point the domain at the Cloudways server. After a final data sync, change the A records for the root domain and www to the server IP. Leave MX records alone and do not change nameservers.
7. Install the Let's Encrypt certificate and force HTTPS. Once the domain resolves to the Cloudways IP, install the free Let's Encrypt certificate for the root domain and www, then turn on HTTPS redirection.
8. Verify, then retire the old host. Confirm the live site is served from Cloudways and that nothing was written to the old server after your final sync. Restore a normal TTL, then cancel the old plan.

Step by step

1. Back up the old site and list what lives outside WordPress

Take a full backup of files and database with your host's snapshot tool or a backup plugin, and download a copy. Cloudways' onboarding guide also tells you to keep a recent backup of the site and database until the move is confirmed. Then write down everything the site uses that WordPress does not store. Email routing (MX records), server-level cron jobs, redirects set in the old host's panel and CDN or firewall settings are the usual items. Each one appears in the table further down.

If the old site has frontend password protection, HTTP authentication or a maintenance-mode plugin, switch it off first. Cloudways' plugin article lists those as the things that block the Migrator, and says to re-enable them afterwards.

2. Lower the TTL on your A records

This is the step that makes the cutover quick, and it has to happen early. Resolvers around the world hold your old record until its TTL runs out, so lowering the TTL only helps once the old TTL has expired. If the record's TTL is 86,400 seconds (24 hours), wait a full day after lowering it. Cloudways' blog suggests dropping to 300 seconds about 48 to 72 hours before the move. Cloudways' support articles themselves use "Automatic or 3600" as the TTL on the new records. The full schedule is in the DNS cutover checklist.

3. Launch a blank WordPress app and choose the stack

In the Cloudways platform go to Servers and launch a new server with a WordPress application. Pick the provider, the size from the table above and the region closest to your visitors. Cloudways says a new server with an app is ready in 5 to 10 minutes. Write down the application URL (wordpress-xxxxx.cloudwaysapps.com), the server IP, the database name and the master SFTP credentials from the Access Details tab. You can also add the app to an existing server.

Stack choice. Cloudways offers two stacks. The Hybrid stack runs NGINX and Apache and honours .htaccess files. The Lightning stack runs NGINX only and does not read .htaccess, so custom redirects, rewrite rules, security restrictions and some plugin features can stop working after the move. Cloudways recommends choosing Hybrid before you migrate if the site depends on .htaccess. It specifically flags subdirectory Multisite networks.

You can open a Cloudways account and use the 3-day trial, which needs no credit card, per the pricing page. This is an affiliate link and the price does not change. The current promotion is covered on the Cloudways coupon page.

4. Copy the site to Cloudways

Route A: the Migrator plugin

1. On the old site go to Plugins, Add New, search for Cloudways WordPress Migrator, install and activate it.
2. The wizard opens by itself. If you close it, open Cloudways Migrate in the wp-admin sidebar. Enter your email and accept the terms.
3. Choose the platform (Flexible or Autonomous), then enter the destination site URL (the temporary Cloudways app URL), the SFTP host (the server IP), the database name, and the master SFTP username and password. Cloudways' onboarding guide lists SFTP port 22 as the default.
4. Answer the yes/no options: HTTP authentication on the destination, extra root directories to copy, extra database tables to copy, and whether the source site is protected.
5. Click Migrate. The email address you gave receives progress updates.

Cloudways says the time depends on the amount of data, and we found no published size cap. If the new site looks stale afterwards, purge the Varnish cache from the platform before you conclude anything is wrong. Log in to the migrated site and confirm users, roles and content arrived. Cloudways notes that new admin credentials for the app appear under Access Details.

Route B: a managed migration

In the platform go to Add-ons (shown as Integrations in the newer interface), open Application Migration and choose Submit Your Application. Pick the destination app, the connection method (SSH, SFTP, FTP, cPanel or a downloadable backup) and the source details. You can list checks for the engineers to run, such as login or add to cart, and ask for HTTPS redirection. Cloudways' guide says an engineer contacts you within 48 hours, and that existing data on the target app is overwritten.

Route C: manual copy with rsync and WP-CLI

Use this for very large media libraries or a stalled plugin run. WP-CLI is pre-installed on Cloudways servers. The application folder name matches the database name, and the web root is public_html inside it. Do not copy the old wp-config.php: the blank app already has one with the right database credentials.

# 1. On the OLD server: dump the database
mysqldump --single-transaction -u OLD_DB_USER -p OLD_DB_NAME > site.sql

# 2. Copy uploads, themes and plugins to the Cloudways app (master credentials)
rsync -avz --progress wp-content/ \
  master@SERVER_IP:applications/APP_FOLDER/public_html/wp-content/

# 3. Copy the dump to private_html (not web-readable), then import from public_html
scp site.sql master@SERVER_IP:applications/APP_FOLDER/private_html/
ssh master@SERVER_IP
cd applications/APP_FOLDER/public_html
wp db import ../private_html/site.sql

# 4. Only if the URL changes (domain, or http to https), preview first
wp search-replace 'http://old.example' 'https://www.example.com' --skip-columns=guid --dry-run
wp search-replace 'http://old.example' 'https://www.example.com' --skip-columns=guid

# 5. Remove the dump
rm ../private_html/site.sql

Two details trip people up. The table prefix in the app's wp-config.php must equal the prefix in your dump, or WordPress shows the install screen. And --skip-columns=guid matters because WordPress treats post GUIDs as permanent identifiers. WP-CLI documents the flag and its own examples use it.

5. Add the domain and test the copy before touching DNS

In the app, open Domain Management, add your domain (adding the root domain adds www automatically) and use Make Primary. A Cloudways article from 2024 says adding your domain updates it in the WordPress database automatically. Check Settings, General for the WordPress and Site Address anyway. Then use Cloudways' hosts-file method: copy the server IP from Servers, Master Credentials, and add a line mapping it to your domain, with and without www, in the hosts file on your own computer. Your browser now loads the Cloudways copy while every other visitor still gets the old host. Remove the line once DNS has changed.

• Home page, a post, a category page and the images on each.
• wp-admin login, a page edit and a media upload.
• Every form, with a test submission that must arrive in an inbox.
• For a store: cart, checkout with a test payment, order emails and the account area.
• Page source or the browser console for http:// asset URLs that will warn on HTTPS.

6. Point the domain at the Cloudways server

Cloudways is plain about this: migrating does not point your domain anywhere, and until you change DNS, visitors keep reaching the old host. Orders, comments and posts created there in the meantime are not on the new copy. Freeze changes on the old site (or put it in maintenance mode), run a final sync with the plugin or the manual commands above, then create or edit two A records at your DNS provider: @ and www, both pointing at the server IP. A CNAME from www to the root domain also works. Change records, not nameservers, because a nameserver switch drops every record you did not recreate, MX included.

7. Install the Let's Encrypt certificate and force HTTPS

In the app go to SSL Certificate, choose Let's Encrypt, enter the root domain and www, and install. The domain must already resolve to the server. Cloudways' installation article lists the live, correctly pointed domain as a prerequisite. Let's Encrypt allows five certificates per domain per week according to Cloudways, so wait for DNS to resolve rather than retrying. If Cloudflare or another proxy sits in front, Cloudways says to disable its protection until the certificate is deployed, then purge its cache. Certificates last 90 days and Cloudways renews them 30 days before expiry when auto-renewal is on. After installing, enable HTTPS redirection.

8. Verify, then retire the old host

Check that the domain resolves to the Cloudways IP from a network that is not your own (a mobile connection works), that the padlock shows, and that a new test order or comment lands on Cloudways. Cloudways says not to cancel the old account until the DNS change has finished and the latest data is confirmed on the new server. Raise the TTL back to a normal value such as 3600 afterwards. We keep the old plan for about a week as a rollback margin. That is our suggestion, not a Cloudways rule.

What breaks, and the fix

Sources: Cloudways Migrator plugin article (June 29, 2026), post-migration checklist blog (March 13, 2026), Breeze article, WordPress cron blog (February 20, 2026) and the WP-CLI handbook, read October 15, 2026.

DNS cutover checklist

Sources: Cloudways post-migration checklist blog (March 13, 2026), onboarding guide (July 24, 2026) and take-your-website-live article, read October 15, 2026.

What the move costs

The migration itself is free through the plugin. The server is the cost. On October 15, 2026 the Cloudways promo page showed Flexible plans "starting from $11" reduced to $6.60 with 40% off, for four months, with unlimited free migrations for WordPress and WooCommerce. It applies to new customers who upgrade from the free trial and cannot be combined with other codes. The page's own countdown reads September 16, 2026, a date already past, while the offer text is still live, so confirm the discount on your checkout screen. We have not verified that the promotion applies through our affiliate link. The page says the code is applied automatically at checkout when you start from its signup button. Details are on the Cloudways coupon page.

List-price arithmetic on the two figures printed on cloudways.com/en/promo-code.php (US, October 15, 2026); taxes excluded. It assumes the promotion is live at your checkout, and Cloudways does not state this total itself. The $11 plan's RAM and disk are not confirmed, so a site that needs a larger server will cost more.

Skip this if

• The site is small, fast enough and cheap where it is. Over 36 months the entry Cloudways server costs $396 at list price (36 × $11), or $378.40 after the 40% promotion. Hostinger Premium was showing 48 months for $143.52 on its US page the same day, which is $107.64 over 36 months, though its renewal rate is $10.99/mo. That is about $270 less over three years for a single modest site. Our Hostinger pricing page has the plan limits and the renewal math. The prices converge only when the cheap term ends, so that renewal date is the natural time to move if you want Cloudways.
• You want email in the same bill. On Cloudways mailboxes are an add-on at $1.50 each per month.
• You do not want to deal with DNS, SSL, cron and caching yourself. Cloudways is managed hosting, but you still choose the cloud, server size and stack. A managed migration removes the copy work, but you still own the cutover. See Cloudways alternatives for hosts where the provider handles more.
• Your store is in its busiest week. Cloudways' own warning about orders landing on the old server during the DNS window is the risk. Move after the sale, not before it.

Cloudways migration FAQ

Is migrating WordPress to Cloudways free?

The Migrator plugin is free and, per Cloudways' managed-migration article, unlimited for WordPress and WooCommerce. A managed migration by Cloudways engineers is also free for WordPress and WooCommerce, though its pages differ on how many you get, so treat one as free. You pay for the server, which starts at $11/mo (US, checked October 15, 2026).

How long does the migration take?

Cloudways publishes no figure. Its article says the time depends on the amount of data being moved. A managed migration starts with an engineer contacting you within 48 hours. DNS adds its own wait: Cloudways' blog says most visitors reach the new server within 30 to 60 minutes at a 300-second TTL, and up to 24 to 48 hours at 86,400 seconds.

Will my site go down during the move?

It does not have to. The old site keeps serving visitors until you change the A records, and you test the copy beforehand with a hosts-file entry. The risk is data written to the old server after your final sync, such as orders or comments, so freeze changes and sync again just before the switch.

Do I have to change my DNS?

Yes. Cloudways says migrating does not point your domain to the new server. Change the A records for the root domain and www to the Cloudways server IP, or use a CNAME from www to the root. Do not change nameservers unless you will recreate every record, since that removes MX records.

When can I install the free SSL certificate?

After the domain resolves to the Cloudways server. Cloudways' installation article lists correctly pointed DNS as a prerequisite, and the free Let's Encrypt certificate renews automatically. If a proxy such as Cloudflare is in front, disable its protection until the certificate is issued.

What if the Migrator plugin stops or fails?

First check that password protection, HTTP authentication and maintenance mode are off on both sites, as Cloudways' article directs. If it still stalls on a large site, use the manual route: rsync the wp-content folder, import a database dump with wp db import and run wp search-replace only if the URL changed. We found no size limit published for the plugin.

Should I cancel the old host straight away?

No. Cloudways says to keep the old account until the DNS change is complete and the latest data is confirmed on Cloudways. We keep it for about a week as a rollback margin.

Bottom line

For a typical WordPress site the plugin route is free and the work is mostly DNS discipline: pick the stack, size the disk, lower the TTL early, test with a hosts-file entry and install SSL only after DNS resolves. If the site is small and the current host is cheap, the arithmetic above says staying put is reasonable. Visit Cloudways to start the free trial. The link is an affiliate link and we earn a commission if you sign up.

What to read next

• Cloudways coupon: the current published offer and eligibility.
• Cloudways alternatives.
• Hostinger pricing: intro, renewal and three-year cost.
• Best managed WordPress hosting.
• Cloudways vs Hostinger.