WP Engine vs Rocket.net: guide for 2024

WP Engine vs Rocket.net: Final verdict

Looking over WP Engine vs. Rocket.net, it’s clear why both hosts are so popular. They have both hosted millions of
websites that run on WordPress for decades, building up a loyal customer base.

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  WP Engine (Overall grade: 8.6)
  
  presents itself as a highly reliable managed WordPress hosting provider. It offers a commendable uptime of 99.99% and ensures site performance with data centers globally distributed, offering reduced latency and improved reliability. Security is a strong suit for WP Engine with automated threat detection, advanced DDoS mitigation, and daily backups, all contributing to a secure and stable hosting environment. The platform’s advanced tools and features, such as WPGraphQL and Node.js, cater to developers and agencies alike. However, the cost might be a concern for smaller budgets or individual users, as WP Engine tends to be pricier, especially at higher tiers.
• 
  Rocket.net (Overall grade: 8.3)
  
  excels in website speed and performance thanks to its enterprise CDN and advanced caching mechanisms. It guarantees a solid uptime of 99% and includes extensive support features such as free migrations and daily backups. Rocket.net is particularly advantageous for high-traffic websites due to its edge locations and speed optimizations. Although it lacks some of the more granular control and advanced developer tools found in WP Engine, Rocket.net simplifies site management with a straightforward interface and excellent customer support. The overall value and competitive features make Rocket.net an attractive option for users seeking a streamlined and efficient hosting experience.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner WP Engine: A superior uptime and availability solution for WordPress hosting.

WP Engine demonstrates a high level of reliability with a 99.99% SLA and an exceptional uptime performance of 100% over a recent two-month period. The global data centers spread across various regions ensure reduced latency and improved site performance. The platform’s proactive security, daily backups, and automated updates maintain site availability and security. Their 24/7 uptime monitoring and top-notch customer support further enhance the user experience.

Rocket.net also stands as a strong competitor with a 99% uptime guarantee and impressive response times, thanks to its global edge locations and high-tech features like Enterprise CDN and a WAF. They provide extensive support and include beneficial options like free migrations and daily backups. Although Rocket.net offers unique advantages, WP Engine’s higher uptime performance and robust SLA give it the competitive edge in ensuring your site stays online and performs well.

🏆 Winner: Rocket.net: Outstanding website speed with advanced configuration and CDN.

When it comes to general performance, both WP Engine and Rocket.net offer exceptional services. WP Engine boasts fast page load times with EverCache® technology and provides a comprehensive CDN with over 200 points of presence. Its multiple data centers are globally distributed ensuring a broad server availability. Rocket.net, on the other hand, has an even quicker average Time to First Byte (TTFB) and extensive edge locations to guarantee faster access. Its enterprise CDN and full-page caching strategies make the performance top-notch from the get-go.

Website Speed

Rocket.net excels in website speed, with an average TTFB of ~83ms, significantly outperforming other hosts. WP Engine, despite its fast load times, has a higher TTFB at ~616ms. Rocket.net’s pre-configured optimizations mean minimal setup for speed out of the box, and its speed enhancements are reflected across customer reviews, reporting up to 800% TTFB improvement. Both hosts use the latest PHP versions and WP Engine is also optimized for Core Web Vitals which is beneficial for SEO.

Scalability

WP Engine provides scalable architecture and isolated resources to manage traffic spikes effectively. It also supports scalable traffic management, although details on automatic upgrades aren’t specified. Rocket.net’s scaling features are enhanced by its global edge locations and built-in optimizations, but again, specific details on automatic plan upgrades aren’t available. The cost for scaling can vary for both, and neither provides detailed pricing information for the scaling process upfront.

Winner WP Engine: Offers top-tier security features and superior customer satisfaction.

Technical security measures:

WP Engine and Rocket.net both provide robust technical security measures, but there are a few distinctions. WP Engine automates threat detection, blocking 72 million attacks daily, and provides Global Edge Security with managed WAF, advanced DDoS mitigation, and SSL. Rocket.net also includes an enterprise-level WAF, real-time malware protection via Imunify360, and forces all requests to HTTPS with unlimited free SSL certificates. Both hosting services support automatic updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes; however, WP Engine additionally offers visual regression test rollbacks for these updates. Overall, WP Engine’s more comprehensive approach to edge security gives it an edge.

Operational security measures:

Both providers ensure ongoing operational security with continuous monitoring and proactive threat detection. WP Engine stands out with 24/7 live team monitoring, proactive security alerts, and domain status reporting. Rocket.net offers real-time security reporting and always-on protection, scanning every request to the website. While both services provide brute force protection and automated bot protection, WP Engine adds layers of unique features like automated core WordPress updates, two-factor authentication, daily backups, and platform-level protection. The superior customer support with a 97% satisfaction rate further enhances WP Engine’s operational security profile.

Compliance and certifications:

WP Engine holds SOC-2 compliance, ensuring it meets standards for Security and Availability Trust Services Categories, and is ISO 27001-2013 certified for managing an information security system. Rocket.net, on the other hand, ensures both PCI and GDPR compliance for every WordPress install. WP Engine also offers PCI vulnerability scanning, though results may vary due to customized components. Both providers are committed to regulatory adherence, enhancing their credibility and trustworthiness.

🏆 Winner
WP Engine: Offering top-notch managed WordPress hosting with extensive features and high customer satisfaction.

When comparing WP Engine and Rocket.net, both have their strengths, particularly in user-friendliness and advanced customization abilities. WP Engine excels with seamless tools for site management like daily and on-demand backups, and advanced developer tools such as WPGraphQL and Node.js Frontend. They also provide free automated migration plugins for easy setup. Rocket.net, though not offering a free domain, impresses with features like one-click staging and secure file management, making it ideal for users looking for ease of access and simplified database management. The major edge of WP Engine lies in its higher tier plans that cater richly to enterprise needs with globally distributed content delivery and proactive security features. Rocket.net’s simplicity in interface and robust security measures like brute-force protection and malware protection make it suitable for small to medium businesses prioritizing security and ease of management.

A significant differentiator is WP Engine’s value-added services like daily backups and premium support with custom onboarding, making it a top choice for serious businesses. In contrast, Rocket.net’s offerings include full-page caching and image optimization, which are beneficial for maintaining high-speed performance. Both provide free SSL certificates, but WP Engine edges out with more comprehensive performance guarantees and versatile developer tools. High customer satisfaction scores further boost WP Engine’s appeal, suggesting a reliable and well-supported hosting platform.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both WP Engine and Rocket.net offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Email services at neither WP Engine nor Rocket.net provides dedicated email hosting services directly integrated into their platforms. They do not offer transactional email capabilities or support for setting up email campaigns. Users will need to look at third-party services like Google Workspace, Outlook, or Zoho for their email needs, as these hosting providers primarily focus on optimizing WordPress site performance, security, and advanced manageability.

🏆 Winner Rocket.net:Scoring slightly higher overall, Rocket.net offers a wide range of flexible plans with competitive features and prices.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

When comparing WP Engine and Rocket.net’s pricing plans, Rocket.net offers more comprehensive and competitive features, such as PHP workers and a higher visitor count, which offers superior value per dollar. WP Engine provides several plans with extensive WordPress features such as EverCache® and Genesis blocks but tends to be pricier at higher tiers. Rocket.net’s introductory pricing of $1 for the first month, and two months free on annual commitments, provide great initial savings. Both providers guarantee 99.99% uptime and include extensive security features, SSL certificates, and CDN services, but Rocket.net’s overall higher visitor allowances and more expansive backup retention periods slightly outshine WP Engine.

Enterprise plans

WP Engine’s Custom Plan starts at $600/month and requires potential customers to contact sales for precise specifications, which allows for tailored solutions such as advanced DDoS protection or dedicated onboarding. In comparison, Rocket.net’s Enterprise tiers, with prices ranging from $649 to $2599 per month, offer defined specs including CPU cores, RAM, bandwidth, and longer backup retention periods of 30 days. Rocket.net also includes added benefits like a private Slack channel and enterprise phone support, demonstrating a more transparent and detailed approach at even higher scales.

🏆 Winner Rocket.net: Efficient setup and premium features for a seamless hosting experience.

WP Engine offers a proprietary admin panel designed specifically for WordPress users. It provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface that caters to both technical and non-technical users. The control panel includes features like one-click staging, SSL certificate management, and detailed analytics. WP Engine focuses on simplifying site management and includes advanced developer tools such as Git Push and SSH Gateway. The platform settings help optimize security and performance, making the admin panel a comprehensive solution for WordPress site administrators.

Rocket.net, on the other hand, provides a custom-built WordPress control panel that is straightforward and highly accessible. It is tailored to simplify WordPress site management, featuring real-time CDN and WAF analytics, user management, and secure file management options. The one-click access to key functionalities such as staging, phpMyAdmin, and user accounts makes it very user-friendly. The performance insights and pre-integrated security measures ensure that users have all the necessary tools at their fingertips to manage their sites efficiently.

Both WP Engine and Rocket.net offer excellent migration tools, but their approaches differ slightly. WP Engine provides a free Automated Migration plugin that simplifies the process, along with a detailed Manual Migration Checklist for more complex scenarios. They also have 24/7 support to assist during migrations. Rocket.net goes a step further by offering unlimited free WordPress migrations handled entirely by their team, ensuring minimal downtime and seamless transition. This hassle-free service gives Rocket.net an edge in the migration department.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. WP Engine offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Rocket.net also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner WP Engine: A versatile and detailed user management system with extensive role definitions.

When comparing WP Engine and Rocket.net in managing user roles, WP Engine clearly offers more comprehensive and granular options. WP Engine provides diverse user roles such as Owner, Full, and Partial users, each with specific permissions, which enhances detailed control over user activities. Conversely, Rocket.net keeps things simpler with selective control panel access to particular WordPress sites, geared towards straightforward user role management. Both platforms allow adding users and setting permissions, but WP Engine’s approach to role capabilities, including billing and technical contacts, presents a more layered and customizable framework.

WP Engine’s user management interface is well-structured within its User Portal. The platform allows users to invite, edit, or remove account and environment users directly from dedicated sections. Rocket.net also provides a user-friendly interface for managing users through its control panel, where you can add site-specific users and manage their access conveniently. Both platforms offer intuitive navigation, but WP Engine’s detailed checklist for environment-specific access under Partial user roles offers a higher degree of specificity and control.

Both WP Engine and Rocket.net integrate effective access control measures, albeit in different ways. WP Engine supports a more intricate hierarchy of user roles and responsibilities, ensuring that various administrative tasks are appropriately delegated. This platform also maintains a comprehensive activity log, allowing for transparent tracking of user activities. Rocket.net, on the other hand, focuses on selective site-level access and the ability to handle an unlimited number of users with custom login controls. WP Engine is suited for organizations requiring detailed access control, while Rocket.net’s approach is easily scalable for agencies managing multiple client sites.

WP Engine user roles table:

Rocket.net user roles table:

🏆 Winner Rocket.net: Rocket.net provides top-tier customer support with multiple communication channels and rapid response times.

WP Engine and Rocket.net both offer around-the-clock customer support, ensuring assistance is available whenever needed. WP Engine provides 24/7 access through phone and live chat for all clients and offers premium support for advanced troubleshooting. An extensive knowledge base and a user portal are available for users to manage their accounts and find self-help resources. However, email support is not explicitly mentioned but can be accessed through their user portal.

Rocket.net, on the other hand, stands out with its fast response times and multiple support channels, including phone, live chat, email, ticket system, and a private Slack channel for Enterprise customers. Customers laud Rocket.net’s support for being quick and highly effective, emphasizing the high satisfaction rates due to their prompt and expert assistance. Free migrations, including WooCommerce, and dedicated enterprise support elevate Rocket.net’s service to a league of its own.

WP Engine vs Rocket.net: User feedback

WP Engine receives high praise for its exceptional customer support, user-friendly dashboards, and seamless integration with WordPress. Users consistently highlight the platform’s robust security features, automatic backups, and fast website performance. However, many reviews also point out that the service is costly compared to other hosting options, which might not suit smaller budgets or individual projects. Some issues with shared server performance and the costly nature of add-ons were also mentioned, but overall, WP Engine is considered a premium service worth its price for those who can afford it.

Users highly praise Rocket.net for its superior support, user-friendly interface, and top-notch security features. The integration with Cloudflare Enterprise and the inclusion of an Enterprise CDN are standout benefits, saving users money and reducing the need for additional plugins. Customers appreciate the platform’s powerful features, including staging areas, manual backups, and integrated file management. While feedback is overwhelmingly positive, a minor suggestion includes the addition of more analytic tools.

WP Engine vs Rocket.net: FAQ