Rocket.net vs WP Engine
We give Rocket.net a 2.0 GPA and WP Engine a 1.6, out of 4.0. Rocket.net grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Rocket.net
Managed WordPress hosting served through Cloudflare Enterprise
WP Engine
Managed WordPress hosting sized by sites and monthly visits
How we grade them
| 2.0GPARocket.netFair | 1.6GPAWP EngineWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against the other managed WordPress hosts. Starter is $25 a month billed yearly, so two years cost $600, about $25 a month, the middle of that group. Monthly is $30 after a $1 first month, and it says renewals aren't raised. | DGraded against the other managed WordPress hosts. Essential's first year is $336 billed yearly and the renewal isn't stated. At the $35 monthly rate the second year is $420, so about $756 over two years, $31.50 a month, the dearest of that group. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. The first month on monthly billing is $1, which is cheap but not free, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. The yearly price is a first-year promotion for new customers, not a way to try it. |
| Features | BCloudflare Enterprise CDN and firewall, a real-time malware scanner, daily backups kept 30 days, staging, automatic updates, free WP Rocket and WP Umbrella licenses and free migrations. Nothing in the managed WordPress job is missing. | CManaged WordPress and PHP updates, backups kept at least 30 days, staging, EverCache, a Cloudflare CDN and SSH. The gaps the listing names: on Essential the managed firewall and AI plugin updates are paid add-ons, and sites share servers. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. Caching and security come set up, so there are fewer plugins to fiddle with, but you're still moving and running a WordPress site. | CNo app store rating to go on. Updates and backups are handled for you, but plans sized by visits and a list of add-ons take some working out. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web dashboard with no app on record, plus an official MCP server covering the whole API, and Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT connected from its AI panel. | BA web portal with no app on record, plus a hosting API with per-user credentials, and Cloudflare, NitroPack, Advanced Custom Fields and Amazon SES on the integration list. |
| Best for | fast WordPress sites with visitors worldwide | agencies building and handing over WordPress sites |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Rocket.net and WP Engine. How we grade
Price against what you get
Rocket.net starts at $25 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WP Engine starts at $35 a month and scores 2.3.
Rocket.net scores higher and starts $10 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Rocket.net for less, and 5 score higher than WP Engine for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Rocket.net starts at $25 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 monthly, first month $1). WP Engine starts at $35 per month for 1 site, billed monthly; $336 for a first year billed yearly.
- Rocket.net also covers malware protection.
At a glance
| Rocket.net | WP Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $25 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 monthly, first month $1) | $35 per month for 1 site, billed monthly; $336 for a first year billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Rocket.net | WPEngine, Inc. |
| Price read from | rocket.net | wpengine.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Rocket.net
- WordPress sites with traffic spread across many countries
- Site owners who want caching and security handled without plugins
- Developers who want to run hosting from an AI agent or their IDE
WP Engine
- Businesses that want WordPress kept updated and backed up for them
- Agencies building client sites and transferring them on launch
- Developers who want staging, SSH and an API on managed hosting
Worth knowing
Rocket.net
- It hosts WordPress only and does not include email; the pricing page points to Google Workspace for mail.
- Storage beyond the plan is billed at $2 per GB and bandwidth at $0.08 per GB, unless you move up a plan.
- Enterprise plans with dedicated CPU and RAM start at $649 a month through sales and are excluded from the 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Visitors are unmetered, but each plan caps the number of WordPress sites, storage and bandwidth.
WP Engine
- Yearly billing is a first-year promotion for new Essential customers ($336 for one site); the page says renewal pricing is subject to change and does not state it.
- Essential runs on shared servers; isolated resources and the 99.99% uptime SLA start with Business at $400 a month, sold through sales.
- AI plugin updates, uptime monitoring, NitroPack page-speed tuning and the managed firewall are paid add-ons on Essential.
- Plans are sized by estimated monthly visits, storage and bandwidth, and overage charges may apply.
Key features
Rocket.net
- Cloudflare Enterprise CDN and firewall
- Every site is served through Cloudflare Enterprise with its web application firewall switched on, and a server-side scanner checks files for malware in real time.
- Daily backups and staging
- Backups run automatically each day and are kept for 30 days. Free staging environments let updates be tested before they reach the live site.
- Bundled plugin licenses
- Plans include WP Rocket for caching and WP Umbrella for monitoring and maintenance at no extra charge.
- AI panel and MCP server
- Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT can be connected to any site for content, SEO and code work, and an official MCP server covers the whole Rocket.net API.
- Automatic updates and activity log
- WordPress core, plugin and theme updates can run automatically, and an activity log records changes made on each site.
- Free migrations and support
- Sites are moved over free from any host, and support by live chat and tickets is open 24/7 on every plan.
WP Engine
- Managed WordPress updates
- WordPress and PHP are updated for you, with security patching and plugin risk scans by WP Engine's security team.
- Backups and one-click staging
- Automatic and on-demand backups are kept for at least 30 days, and staging and development copies of a site can be pushed live in one click.
- EverCache and Cloudflare CDN
- WordPress-tuned server caching and a global CDN run by Cloudflare are included on every plan, with SSL that renews by itself and SSH access.
- WP Engine API
- A hosting API, switched on from the user portal with per-user credentials, scripts account tasks such as listing accounts, adding users and creating backups.
- Transferable sites and themes
- Agencies can build a site and hand it to a client's account, and every plan includes 10 premium themes and Genesis Blocks.
- AI plugin updates
- An add-on on Essential and included on Business, it updates plugins and themes, checks the result with visual regression tests and rolls back if anything breaks.
Plans
Rocket.net
Starter$25
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
10 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth and unmetered visitors. On monthly billing the first month is $1, then $30 a month.
Pro$50
per month for 3 sites, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
20 GB storage and 100 GB bandwidth. On monthly billing the first month is $1, then $60 a month.
Business$83
per month for 10 sites, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
40 GB storage and 300 GB bandwidth. On monthly billing the first month is $1, then $100 a month.
Expert$166
per month for 25 sites, billed annually ($200 billed monthly)
50 GB storage and 500 GB bandwidth for people managing several client sites. First month $1 on monthly billing.
Agency Tier 1$83
per month for 10 sites, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
50 GB storage, 200 GB bandwidth and the Agency Toolkit. Nine higher tiers run up to 200 sites at $1,333 a month, billed annually.
WP Engine
Essential, 1 site$35
per month for 1 site and 25,000 visits, billed monthly
10 GB storage and 75 GB bandwidth. Billed yearly, the first year is $336 ($28 a month), a promotional price for new customers.
Essential, 3 sites$65
per month for 3 sites and 75,000 visits, billed monthly
15 GB storage and 150 GB bandwidth. Billed yearly, the first year is $624.
Essential, 10 sites$130
per month for 10 sites and 100,000 visits, billed monthly
20 GB storage and 240 GB bandwidth. Billed yearly, the first year is $1,248.
Essential, 30 sites$330
per month for 30 sites and 400,000 visits, billed monthly
50 GB storage and 550 GB bandwidth. Billed yearly, the first year is $3,168.
Business$400
per month and up, billed annually
Isolated resources for 400,000 to 800,000 visits, phone support, managed migrations and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Rocket.net
- Other savings
First month for $1 on monthly billing
Every plan billed monthly costs $1 for the first month, then its regular rate, such as $30 a month for Starter. Rocket.net says renewals are not raised.
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Paying yearly gives two months free on any plan: Starter drops from $30 to $25 a month and Pro from $60 to $50.
WP Engine
- Other savings
First year of Essential billed yearly at 20% off
New customers paying yearly for Essential get the first year for $336 with one site, against $35 a month billed monthly. The offer does not apply to renewals.
