Amazon Web Services vs Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess)
Amazon Web Services
Global hyper-scale infrastructure for bespoke digital publishing stacks.
Publishers using it: 5 · incl. Yahoo Finance
Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess)
Expect more expertise from your host
Publishers using it: —
Last verified Nov 11, 2026
At a glance
- Amazon Web Services scores 3.5/5 and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) scores 2.7/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent hosting benchmark, both assessed on the same 6 criteria.
- The widest gaps are uptime sla & remedies (Amazon Web Services 3.2, Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) 2.0) and performance & delivery (Amazon Web Services 4.6, Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) 3.8); they are within 0.3 on 2 of 6 criteria.
- Amazon Web Services is built for enterprise publishers; Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) for small, mid-market and enterprise.
- On total cost of ownership Amazon Web Services scores 2.6 and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) 2.9 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 5 publishers use Amazon Web Services and 0 use Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess).
- Scores last verified 11 Nov 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
Amazon Web Services is stronger on uptime SLA & remedies (3.2 vs 2.0), performance & delivery (4.6 vs 3.8), security & compliance (4.8 vs 4.1) and scale & traffic-spike resilience (4.8 vs 4.2).
Which one fits
Choose Amazon Web Services if…
- You publish at enterprise scale.
- You weight uptime SLA & remedies, performance & delivery and security & compliance heavily — Amazon Web Services leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) if…
- You publish at small, mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You weight support & migration heavily — Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) leads on it in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to Amazon Web Services and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.2CloudwaysFlexible managed cloud hosting where you pick the provider and control the cost.Read review
- 2.9Hostzop CloudRegional managed infrastructure and Tier 3 data center services.Read review
- 2.9PressableEnterprise-grade managed CMS hosting backed by industry-leading infrastructure.Read review
- 3.1Rocket.netAI-native managed CMS hosting optimized for high-performance content delivery.Read review
All 12 scored tools are in Best Hosting for Media Publishers.
Who uses them
Publishers we have detected running each tool, from ads.txt, site code and published case studies. Agencies, brands and vendors are excluded.
Amazon Web Services · 5
Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) · 0
No publisher adoption verified yet.
Head to head
| Criterion | Amazon Web Services | Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) |
|---|---|---|
| Performance & delivery22% of capability | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Scale & traffic-spike resilience20% of capability | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| Platform & developer workflow17% of capability | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| Security & compliance17% of capability | 4.8 | 4.1 |
| Uptime SLA & remedies14% of capability | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| Support & migration10% of capability | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Capability45% of composite | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 2.6 | 2.9 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | Amazon Web Services | Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Entry cost | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Implementation cost | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Ongoing cost | 2.5 | 3.5 |
Amazon Web Services pricing
Highly complex pay-as-you-go model with costs based on granular resource consumption, data egress, and managed services.
Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) pricing
Managed WordPress and WooCommerce from $9/mo; Managed Magento from $37.74/mo; higher tiers priced by configurator.
What users say
Amazon Web Services
6 positive · 6 neutral · 12 negative
Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess)
3 positive · 6 neutral · 6 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
Amazon Web Services scores 3.5 and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) scores 2.7 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Hosting for Media Publishers benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/amazon-web-services/nexcess, verified Nov 11, 2026)
Common questions
How do Amazon Web Services and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) differ?
Amazon Web Services is stronger on uptime SLA & remedies (3.2 vs 2.0), performance & delivery (4.6 vs 3.8), security & compliance (4.8 vs 4.1) and scale & traffic-spike resilience (4.8 vs 4.2). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Web Services or Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess)?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — Amazon Web Services scores 2.6/5 and Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess) scores 2.9/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (6 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best Hosting for Media Publishers. See alternatives to Amazon Web Services or alternatives to Liquid Web Managed WordPress (formerly Nexcess).
Weighing a third option? Add a tool to this comparison.
Where to next
Related comparisons
Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best Hosting for Media Publishers.
