WordPress.com vs Rocket.net (March 2025)

Now that WordPress.com is offering website plans that include hosting, are they a better option than the other managed WordPress hosting options? In this comparison of WordPress.com vs Rocket.net, we take a detailed look at Automattic’s WordPress.com hosting plans against one of the best choices for fast, premium managed WordPress hosting, Rocket.net. Which one is should you choose? Let’s take a look.

WordPress.com vs Rocket.net: Details


Automatic WordPress Installation	Easy One-Click WordPress Installs
Global Edge Caching	Enterprise Grade Servers
Global CDN	Edge Technology CDN
Free Website Migration	Unlimited Free Migrations
Staging (Business & Commerce Plans)	Website Staging with All Plans
Automatic Data Backups	Automatic and On-Demand Data Backups
99.999% Uptime Guarantee	99.99% Uptime Guarantee
Priority Support (Business & Comm Plans)	Ultra-Responsive Support

WordPress.com vs Rocket.net: Differences

Advantages of Choosing WordPress.com over Rocket.net:

Lower Cost for Individual Website Owners
Easier to Use
Free Premium Themes Included
No Traffic Limitations

Advantages of Choosing Rocket.net over WordPress.com:

Faster Website Speeds
More Responsive Live Chat Support
More Developer Tools Included
More Cost-Effective for WordPress Agencies
Enterprise-Level Security with All Plans
Includes WP Rocket Caching Plugin
30 Day Money Back Guarantee

WordPress.com vs Rocket.net: Features

Rocket is geared towards those site owners that want ultra-fast, secure, and enterprise performance hosting. WordPress.com is tailored more for a wider array of website owners for personal, business, and eCommerce sites. They do also have their WordPress VIP for enterprise situations, however those plans are far more expensive and not part of this comparison.

With their Business and Commerce plans, WordPress.com includes the advanced features you need for more serious WordPress hosting, including global edge caching, global CDN, high-frequency CPUs, website staging, security scanning, and more. Note that you don’t get these features with the cheaper Personal and Premium plans at WordPress.com.

Rocket includes premium WordPress hosting features with all of their hosting plans. They include enterprise-grade servers, enterprise CDN, full-page caching, over 275 worldwide Edge Locations, enterprise firewall and security, Imunify360 scanning and patching, and responsive expert support.

We’re impressed with the features included by both of these hosts, but Rocket gets the edge here.

WordPress.com vs Rocket.net: Website Speed and Performance

With their optimized WordPress environment and other features mentioned earlier, Rocket is one of the very best web hosts when it comes to website speed and performance. Core web vitals were especially good in our testing. Website performance and structure were perfect.

WordPress.com also impressive with their website speed and performance—also implementing edge caching and a global CDN. While this category was a bit closer than we thought it would be, Rocket is the winner here. See our sample speed test results below.

WordPress.com vs Rocket.net: Customer Support

Rocket is also the winner in the customer support category. We had good experiences interacting with the support teams from both Rocket and WordPress.com. However, with Rocket, you get real live chat support up front. Response times are excellent and the support agents were always professional and helpful.

With WordPress.com, you initial go through automated chat. If you need further assistance, you can put in your request and you are contacted later via email. In our experience it took at least a few hours for a response. With the Business and Commerce WordPress.com plans, you do get priority support. However, we still give the advantage to Rocket here.

WordPress.com

Started Business: 2005
BBB Rating: A+
Data Center Location:Data Centers: Global

Price: $4 mo. – $45 mo. (Enterprise Plans also available)
Unlimited Bandwidth: Yes
Unlimited Storage: No
Email: Yes
Host Multiple Domains: No

Hosting Interface: WordPress Dashboard
Server Uptime: 99.999%
Full Refund Period: 14 Days
Dedicated Hosting Available: No

Advantages of Choosing WordPress.com:

You can try it risk free for 14 days.
Included Premium WordPress Themes
Guided Website Creation
Unrestricted Bandwidth
Global Edge Caching
Seamless Website Staging to Production
Expert support staff.
Automated Datacenter Failover

Choose WordPress.com if:

You’re newer to WordPress.
You want easier website creation.
You only need one site hosted.
You want unrestricted bandwidth and site visitors.

> Choose WordPress.com

Rocket.net

Started Business: 2020
BBB Rating: A+
Data Center Location: North America, Europe, Asia, Australia

Price: $25 mo. – $166 mo.
Unlimited Bandwidth: No
Unlimited Storage: No
Unlimited Email: No
Host Multiple Domains: Yes (Except Starter Plan)

Hosting Interface: Rocket Dashboard
Server Uptime: 99.99%
Full Refund Period: 30 Days
Dedicated Hosting Available: Yes

Advantages of Choosing Rocket.net:

Edge Technology for Faster LCP
Enterprise Edge CDN
Faster Responding Live Chat Support
User-Friendly Dashboard
WP Rocket Plugin Included
Immunity360 Protection
Real Time Scanning and Protection
Faster Website Propagation

Choose Rocket.net if:

You want a faster website.
You want live chat support.
You need enterprise hosting.
You’re a WordPress Agency.
You’re a WordPress developer.

> Choose Rocket.net

How Does WordPress.com Compare with Other Web Hosts?

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How Does Rocket.net Compare with Other Web Hosts?

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Rocket.net vs SiteGround
It’s an interesting matchup as Rocket focuses more on premium, higher end hosting solutions, while SiteGround is positioned as a more budget-friendly WordPress solution…

Rocket.net vs WP Engine
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Rocket.net vs WPX Hosting
Both of these WordPress Hosting providers deliver outstanding website speed and performance. But, speed isn’t the only factor to consider when choosing a managed hosting provider…

Recommendation

If you’re more of a newbie or less experienced with WordPress, then we would recommend choosing WordPress.com. Creating your website is easier and you still get great website performance.

However, in this comparison Rocket is the winner. Rocket provides faster website performance, more premium WordPress hosting features with all plans, and includes faster responding live chat support. For the better overall managed WordPress hosting experience, Rocket is the way to go.

Enterprise applications and WordPress agencies in particular are better off with Rocket in our opinion. You get more value for the money when you need WordPress hosting for multiple websites. See our Review Ratings below.

Winner