Is Cloudways faster than HostGator?

Usually, because the server is yours and the stack is tuned for WordPress. The gain depends on the server size you choose and on the site itself.

What happens to my HostGator email?

It stays at HostGator until that plan ends, then it is gone. Move the mailboxes first; it is part of our checklist.

Do I need to manage the server myself?

Cloudways handles updates and security for the stack. You choose sizes and settings, which is far less than an unmanaged VPS asks of you.

Move WordPress from HostGator to Cloudways

This move is a change of kind, not just of company. HostGator is shared cPanel hosting; Cloudways rents you a managed cloud server from DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode or AWS and runs the stack for you. You get a server to yourself. You also get decisions you did not have to make before.

What is different

Server: on Cloudways you pick the cloud provider and the size. Start small; resizing later is a few clicks.
Email: Cloudways does not include mailboxes. HostGator does. If your mail is at HostGator, it needs a new home before you cancel.
Panel: cPanel is gone. Cloudways has its own platform with per-application settings, staging and one-click SSL.
Backups: Cloudways takes server backups on a schedule you set. HostGator's backups are not guaranteed on most plans, so take your own before leaving.
PHP: set per server on Cloudways, with a newer default than HostGator usually runs.

Step by step

Take a full cPanel backup at HostGator and download it.
Create the server and application on Cloudways, then run the free Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin from the HostGator copy.
Test the site on the Cloudways temporary address and match the PHP version.
Move mailboxes to a mail provider, or to Cloudways' paid email add-on, and copy old mail across.
Enable the free SSL certificate once DNS points at Cloudways, and switch DNS with a lowered time-to-live.
Cancel HostGator hosting after mail and traffic have settled. Keep the domain if it is registered there.

What you now own

Cloudways patches the operating system and runs the stack, but server size, caching choices, PHP settings and backup frequency are now yours. The default settings are fine for most sites; a store or a busy site benefits from tuning once it is moved, which is a separate, smaller job.

When to hand it to us

The migrator plugin handles a clean, mid-sized site. Hand it to us when mail is at HostGator, when the site is large or a store, when HostGator has already limited the account, or when you want the server tuned on day one. The move has a fixed price and a two-day promise, with no downtime at the switch.

Questions people ask

Is Cloudways faster than HostGator?: Usually, because the server is yours and the stack is tuned for WordPress. The gain depends on the server size you choose and on the site itself.
What happens to my HostGator email?: It stays at HostGator until that plan ends, then it is gone. Move the mailboxes first; it is part of our checklist.
Do I need to manage the server myself?: Cloudways handles updates and security for the stack. You choose sizes and settings, which is far less than an unmanaged VPS asks of you.