9 Best Rackspace Alternatives for Cloud Hosting & Email [#1]

Rackspace is a cloud computing company that provides cloud, email hosting, and other IT services.

It was founded in 1998 and now has over 300,000 customers across 150 countries.

The company’s services are available to businesses and individuals, with different plans and prices that can be customized based on your needs.

Although Rackspace may be a good fit for many companies, it may not be the best choice for you.

That’s why you should look at other cloud hosting providers, so that you can find the best one for your needs.

In this article, we’ll review some of the most popular alternatives to Rackspace Email and Cloud hosting. 

We will also compare their pricing, features, and other vital factors to help you choose the exemplary service for your business.

TL;DR:

What are the most cost-effective Rackspace alternatives?

Ans: If you are looking for a quick answer, the best alternatives to Rackspace Email and Cloud servers are:

• Nexcess ($49/ mo) – Best overall cloud alternative
• Cloudways ($10/ mo) – Cheapest cloud option
• WP Engine ($20/ mo) – Managed WordPress host
• Google Workspace ($6 /mo) – Best Overall email alternative

But if you want to know more about each hosting provider, keep reading.

10 Best Rackspace Alternatives and Competitors

Here’s a list of the ten best Rackspace competitors and alternatives, including cloud servers, managed WordPress, Dedicated, and email hosting.

1. Nexcess
2. Cloudways
3. WP Engine
4. Kinsta
5. DreamHost
6. Google Workspace
7. Microsoft 365
8. Zoho Workplace
9. IceWarp

1. Nexcess

Best Rackspace cloud alternative (managed)- starts at $49/ mo

Nexcess is one of the top alternatives to Rackspace cloud hosting, offering excellent service and performance at an unbeatable price.

They’ve been in the hosting business for over a decade, and their customer service is second to none.

In addition to managed cloud hosting, they also offer other hosting services, including dedicated servers, managed WordPress, Magento, Drupal, etc.

They also have an excellent reputation for security, which is often a key selling point for new customers. 

Some top-notch security features include 24/7 server monitoring and alert response, PCI certification for compliance, proactive patching and updates, daily backups, etc.

The support team is top-notch, with 24/7 live chat and email support. And you can always check out their extensive knowledge base to get the necessary answers.

What’s more, they’re affordable too. Their plans can work for both small and large businesses.

Nexcess’s Cloud Features:

• Top-notch hosting to scale cloud applications faster
• Developer-friendly environments
• A full-stack application platform backed by Redis server technology
• Free Cloud migrations, done in no time at all
• Autoscaling and load balancing to ensure reliability
• SSL certificates, firewalls and other security tools
• 24/7/365 support from cloud hosting experts

Nexcess’s Cloud Pricing:

Nexcess offers six monthly plans ranging from $49 to $849. The main differences between the plans are their storage capacity, bandwidth, and the number of domains allowed. 

Plus, there’s a 30-day money back guarantee, so you’re free to try out the platform and see how well it works for your business.

Here’s their pricing breakdown:

• XS plan ($49/ mo) – 11 sites, 50 GB storage, 1 TB bandwidth, 25+ PHP workers 
• S plan ($99/ mo) – 16 sites, 75 GB storage, 2 TB bandwidth, 50+ PHP workers 
• M plan ($179/ mo) – 21 sites, 125 GB storage, 3 TB bandwidth, 75+ PHP workers 
• L plan ($299/ mo) – 31 sites, 400 GB storage, 5 TB bandwidth, 100+ PHP workers 
• XL plan ($549/ mo) – 41 sites, 600 GB storage, 8 TB bandwidth, 125+ PHP workers 
• XXL plan ($849/ mo) – 51 sites, 800 GB storage, 10 TB bandwidth, 175+ PHP workers 

2. Cloudways

Cheapest Rackspace cloud alternative – starts at $10/ mo

If you’re looking for a cheaper Rackspace cloud alternative, Cloudways is a great choice.

Cloudways is an all-in-one cloud hosting management platform that gives you complete control over your application stack – from servers and networks to databases, file storage, and DNS management.

Cloudways allows you to host modern applications on top of the following cloud providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), DigitalOcean, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Vultr, and Linode.

You can choose the service provider based on your application requirements or choose a provider based on cost-effectiveness.

Cloudways has several features that make it a great choice as a Rackspace cloud alternative.

The following are some of the key benefits of Cloudways:

• Unlimited Application Installation
• Team Management
• Dedicated Firewalls
• 24/7 Real-time Monitoring
• Automated Backups
• Staging Environment
• Optimized With Advanced Caches
• Developer friendly tools
• Regular Security Patching
• SSH and SFTP Access

Furthermore, Cloudways offers servers in several locations worldwide, including America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; in other words: anywhere your business might want to reach customers.

The company also offers 24/7 support via live chat and a ticketing system.

Cloudways pricing:

Cloudways pricing is based on the platform you choose. You can pay only for what you use, so you’re never locked in or paying for something you don’t need.

Cloudways offers a 3-day trial without needing to provide your credit card information, so you can try it out before committing.

Here’s their pricing breakdown on different platforms:

3. WP Engine

Best Managed WordPress Hosting – starts at $20/ mo

If you’re looking for a Rackspace alternative, consider WP Engine. It’s a managed WordPress host designed to meet the needs of high-traffic websites.

WP Engine offers many of the same features as Rackspace, including a free SSL certificate, CDN, an intuitive dashboard and more.

However, WP Engine also has some additional features that make it a great alternative to Rackspace:

• Maximized speed & performance
• Proactive security with threat blocking
• Automated WordPress & PHP updates
• Customizable themes & workflow tools
• Effortless 1-click staging and backup
• Dev, Stage, Prod Environments

The WP Engine also provides a free migration tool that allows you to move your WordPress site from another host without losing any content or having downtime.

On top of that, the company’s support team is available 24/7 to help with any issues you may have.

There are also hundreds of articles and video tutorials covering all aspects of WordPress – so no matter your skill level or expertise, you’ll be able to use it like a pro!

Overall, WP Engine is one of the best hosting providers for WordPress sites.

WP Engine Pricing:

WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting company. Their basic plan costs $20 per month, but the price can go up to $193 for the highest hosting tier.

4. Kinsta

Best for High-Traffic WooCommerce Sites – starts at $30/ mo

If you’re looking for a Rackspace alternative for your WordPress hosting needs, Kinsta is a great choice.

Kinsta offers some of the best performance and reliability in the industry, thanks to custom-built infrastructure which allows them to optimize their servers for WordPress.

They use the Google Cloud Platform, the same technologies used by Google for its products. This allows Kinsta to deliver super-fast page load times and a fast-loading experience for your visitors.

They also offer a wide range of features and options to help you get the most out of your WordPress site. These includes:

• Free migrations
• Cloudflare enterprise grade protection
• Automatic daily backups
• Hack and malware removal
• PHP 8.0 and HTTP/3 support
• Automatic database optimization
• Performance monitoring tools
• Developer tools
• 35 global data center locations

But what makes them unique is their ability to scale automatically, which means they will only use resources you need at any given time.

This helps to keep your costs low and provides you with a better experience overall.

Their tech support is also top-notch, with a dedicated team that includes engineers, developers and technicians.

They are always available 24/7 to help you with any problems or issues arising while using their service.

Kinsta Pricing:

Kinsta offers ten different plans, and their entry-level plan starts at $35/mo.

The different plans offer different amounts of storage space and bandwidth so that you can choose the right one for your needs.

Related articles,

• Best Kinsta Alternatives
• Kinsta vs SiteGround

5. DreamHost

Best All-in-One Hosting Solution – starts at $2.59/ mo

DreamHost is one of the most popular hosting providers in the world. They are based in Los Angeles, California, and host over 2 million domains for their customers.

DreamHost offers many different hosting plans, including shared hosting, WordPress, VPS hosting, Cloud Computing, and dedicated server hosting.

Their most popular plan is the DreamPress hosting option, a WordPress-optimized hosting solution that includes one-click installs of many popular plugins and themes.

Like most Rackspace alternatives, DreamHost offers a free domain name with all their hosting plans.

Their hosting plans also include all the standard features you’d expect from a quality web hosting provider, including:

• Unlimited disk space
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Free website builder with hundreds of templates
• One-click installs for WordPress
• Free email accounts
• Tools for developers
• Free SSL certificate

DreamHost’s customer service is among the best in the industry.

The company offers 24/7 support through various channels, including support tickets, phone and live chat—all packed with helpful tips for new and experienced users.

DreamHost Pricing:

DreamHost is an all-in-one hosting solution for your websites.

They offer everything you need to get started, from domain name registration and cloud servers to website design.

Related articles,

• Best DreamHost Alternatives
• Bluehost vs DreamHost vs SiteGround

Best Rackspace Email Hosting Alternatives 

If you’re looking for an alternative to Rackspace’s email hosting service, here are some options you might consider:

6. Google Workspace

Best Rackspace email alternative – starts at $6/ mo

Google Workspace is an excellent alternative to Rackspace Email hosting.

Google Workspace is a cloud-based productivity suite that can give you all the benefits of email hosting without the hassle or cost.

It’s built on Google’s infrastructure, so it has the same security level as your Gmail account and other tools. It’s also got a robust set of features, including

• Custom email for your business
• Phishing and spam protection that blocks more than 99.9% of attacks
• Up to 24 hours of Video and voice conferencing
• Digital whiteboarding
• Drive Secure cloud storage
• Chat Team messaging
• Ad-free email experience Tools

The best part is you can access your Google Workspace email anywhere, even on your phone.

It also has a built-in calendar to schedule meetings and events without leaving the app.

Google Workspace pricing:

Google Workspace pricing is $6 to $18 per user per month.

This includes a business email, Google Drive storage, a calendar and other Google Apps. 

7. Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a Rackspace email hosting alternative that provides various productivity-enhancing tools.

The company offers a low-cost business plan with customizable features that can be tailored to the needs of your business.

With Microsoft 365, you get every tool you need for running your business in one place: email, calendar, file storage and sharing, video conferencing and more.

You can also manage business documents however you want —from Word and Excel to PowerPoint and OneNote. The software is web-based, meaning you can access it anywhere with an internet connection.

Some of the more incredible features of Microsoft 365 include the following:

• Teamwork and communication
• Web and mobile versions of Office apps
• File storage and sharing
• Tools to build and manage your business
• Advanced threat protection
• PC and mobile device management

But what makes Microsoft 365 so great is that it’s not just a suite of tools but an ecosystem.

If you’re already using Microsoft’s products, like Windows 11 or Office 365 for enterprise, then Microsoft 365 will integrate seamlessly with them.

Microsoft 365 Pricing:

The cost of Microsoft 365 is $6 to $22 per month, depending on the number of users.

8. Zoho Workplace

Zoho Workplace is an excellent alternative to Rackspace Email Hosting. It has many of the same features and benefits, and it’s also a perfect option for small businesses that want to get started with cloud-based email hosting.

Zoho Workplace offers all the standard features you’d expect from an email hosting service: you can create unlimited accounts, set up domains, set up aliases for each account, set up auto-responders, and more.

It also has some additional features that make it a better choice than Rackspace Email Hosting:

• Online Web Conferencing Tool
• Native apps for iOS and Android
• Corporate Social Network
• Powerful Control Panel
• Clean, feature-rich UI
• Easy and free Migration

In addition to email hosting, Zoho Workplace includes other business-related features such as a calendar, CRM and project management.

This service is for you if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution to help you manage your business from start to finish!

Zoho Workplace Pricing:

Zoho Workplace offers two pricing plans: Workplace Standard and Workplace Professional.

Workplace Standard is $3/User/Month billed annually.

Workplace Professional is $6/User/Month billed annually.

9. IceWarp

IceWarp is one of the top alternatives to Rackspace Email hosting.

It’s a reliable, scalable and secure server-based email system with many features.

It’s the all-in-one cloud service that businesses of any size can use to manage their email communications with customers and employees.

You can easily create new accounts, forward mail between versions, set up automatic replies for non-existent addresses etc.

Like Rackspace, it offers a large number of features and managed services to help you run your business more effectively, including:

• Hosted email
• Cloud storage
• Online Documents
• Real-Time Collaboration
• TeamChat
• File Sharing
• Desktop Apps
• FTP Access Other tools
• White Label (for ISPs and enterprise customers)

In addition, IceWarp offers advanced anti-spam protection that can identify and block spam emails before they reach your inbox.

All in all, IceWarp is a solid email hosting solution that offers a wide range of features and services to help you run your business more effectively.

IceWarp Pricing:

IceWarp offers four types of plans: Lite, Standard, Standard+, and Pro.

FAQ: Rackspace Competitors and Alternatives

Q1: Who are Rackspace competitors?

Ans: Rackspace competitors are companies that provide similar services as Rackspace. The most popular competitor for Rackspace is Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, and Google Cloud.

Q2: What happened to Rackspace?

Ans: Rackspace has confirmed that it has been hit by a ransomware attack that has left a number of its customers without access to email.

The company said it is working hard to restore services, with the hopes of having them back up and running as soon as possible.

Q4: How is Rackspace different from AWS?

Ans: Rackspace and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are both providers of cloud computing services, but they differ in their offerings and approach.

AWS is a large, multi-faceted cloud platform that offers a wide range of services, including infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS). 

Rackspace, on the other hand, focuses primarily on managed services, providing expertise and support for customers using AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud platforms. 

Rackspace’s target customers are mainly medium to large businesses, who want to outsource some of their IT operations and focus on their core business.

Q5: What are the best alternatives to Rackspace cloud hosting?

Ans: There are a number of cloud hosting services that can be used as alternatives to Rackspace. These include: Nexcess, Cloudways, and DreamHost.

Q6: What are some good alternatives to Rackspace email hosting?

Ans: There are many email hosting services that offer similar service and features to Rackspace. Here are some alternatives to consider: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Zoho Workspace.

Q7: What are some good, affordable alternatives to Rackspace dedicated hosting?

Ans: If you want a dedicated server that’s affordable and reliable, you should consider the following options: Nexcess, DreamHost, and A2 Hosting.

Q8: What are the best alternatives to Rackspace WordPress hosting?

Ans: There are many great options for WordPress hosting, including: Nexcess, Cloudways, WP Engine, Kinsta and Dreamhost. These providers offer a great WordPress experience, fast and secure hosting and awesome support.

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