Cloudways vs Rocket.net
Cloudways
Flexible managed cloud hosting where you pick the provider and control the cost.
Publishers using it: 2 · incl. Spotlight Media
Rocket.net
AI-native managed CMS hosting optimized for high-performance content delivery.
Publishers using it: —
Last verified Oct 19, 2026
At a glance
- Cloudways scores 3.2/5 and Rocket.net scores 3.1/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent hosting benchmark, both assessed on the same 6 criteria.
- The widest gaps are security & compliance (Cloudways 3.2, Rocket.net 2.2) and support & migration (Cloudways 3.3, Rocket.net 4.0); they are within 0.3 on 1 of 6 criteria.
- Cloudways is built for small and mid-market publishers; Rocket.net for mid-market and enterprise.
- On total cost of ownership Cloudways scores 3.8 and Rocket.net 3.5 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 2 publishers use Cloudways and 0 use Rocket.net.
- Scores last verified 19 Oct 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
Cloudways is stronger on security & compliance (3.2 vs 2.2) and platform & developer workflow (3.9 vs 3.2).
Rocket.net is stronger on support & migration (4.0 vs 3.3) and scale & traffic-spike resilience (4.2 vs 3.8).
Which one fits
Choose Cloudways if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight security & compliance and platform & developer workflow heavily — Cloudways leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose Rocket.net if…
- You publish at mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You weight support & migration, scale & traffic-spike resilience and performance & delivery heavily — Rocket.net leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to Cloudways and Rocket.net in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.5Amazon Web ServicesGlobal hyper-scale infrastructure for bespoke digital publishing stacks.Read review
- 2.9Hostzop CloudRegional managed infrastructure and Tier 3 data center services.Read review
- 3.6PantheonWebOps platform for WordPress, Drupal and Next.js portfolios that need governance at scale.Read review
- 2.9PressableEnterprise-grade managed CMS hosting backed by industry-leading infrastructure.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.
Cloudways · 2
Rocket.net · 0
No publisher adoption verified yet.
Head to head
| Criterion | Cloudways | Rocket.net |
|---|---|---|
| Performance & delivery22% of capability | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Scale & traffic-spike resilience20% of capability | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| Platform & developer workflow17% of capability | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Security & compliance17% of capability | 3.2 | 2.2 |
| Uptime SLA & remedies14% of capability | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Support & migration10% of capability | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| Capability45% of composite | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 3.8 | 3.5 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | Cloudways | Rocket.net |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Entry cost | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Implementation cost | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| Ongoing cost | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Cloudways pricing
Plans from ~$14/mo; pricing tracks chosen cloud provider.
Rocket.net pricing
Starter $30/mo ($25/mo billed annually), $1 first month; Enterprise $649–$2,599/mo.
What users say
Cloudways
17 positive · 18 neutral · 32 negative
Rocket.net
6 positive · 17 neutral · 3 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.
Cloudways scores 3.2 and Rocket.net scores 3.1 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Hosting for Media Publishers benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/cloudways/rocket-net, verified Oct 19, 2026)
Common questions
How do Cloudways and Rocket.net differ?
Cloudways is stronger on security & compliance (3.2 vs 2.2) and platform & developer workflow (3.9 vs 3.2). Rocket.net is stronger on support & migration (4.0 vs 3.3) and scale & traffic-spike resilience (4.2 vs 3.8). 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, Cloudways or Rocket.net?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — Cloudways scores 3.8/5 and Rocket.net scores 3.5/5. 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.
Share:
Both tools are scored in Best Hosting for Media Publishers. See alternatives to Cloudways or alternatives to Rocket.net.
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.
