- Choose Atlantic.Net if compliance (HIPAA, PCI, SOC 2/3) is a requirement, you want modular pay-for-what-you-use pricing, or you need a broader global data center footprint.
- Choose Liquid Web if you want fully managed WordPress or WooCommerce hosting, faster entry-level VPS pricing, or a brand with deep managed-hosting specialization.
- Starting price: Liquid Web from $5/mo (1GB VPS) vs Atlantic.Net from $10/mo (2GB VPS), though the two are not directly equivalent tiers.
Both Atlantic.Net and Liquid Web have been selling hosting since before most of their competitors existed, Atlantic.Net since 1994, Liquid Web since 1997, and both now compete for the same customer: a business that has outgrown shared hosting and needs real infrastructure with real support behind it. That is roughly where the similarity ends.
Search for a direct comparison between the two and you will mostly find Atlantic.Net’s own marketing page, which mentions Liquid Web exactly once and never puts a number next to it. This guide does the comparison Atlantic.Net’s own page will not: real pricing from both companies’ current rate cards, real infrastructure specs, and an honest answer on which one actually fits which kind of buyer.
Atlantic.Net vs Liquid Web at a Glance
| Factor | Atlantic.Net | Liquid Web |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida | Lansing, Michigan (brand family HQ in Atlanta, Georgia) |
| Data center regions | 8 (New York, London, San Francisco, Singapore, Toronto, Dallas, Ashburn, Orlando) | 10 (including Lansing, Phoenix, Amsterdam) |
| Starting VPS price | $10/mo (2GB / 1 vCPU / 50GB) | $5/mo (1GB / 1 vCPU / 30GB SSD) |
| Uptime SLA | 100% uptime SLA | 99.99% uptime guarantee |
| Billing model | Post-paid, hourly or 1/3-year commitment, modular add-ons | Flat monthly plans, promotional discounts on select tiers |
| Compliance | HIPAA, PCI, SOC 2, SOC 3, custom BAAs | HIPAA-ready environments available on request |
| Managed WordPress | Not a core focus | Yes, via Nexcess (part of the Liquid Web family of brands) |
| Support | 24/7/365, 30+ years experience | 24/7 live support, managed and self-managed tiers |
Company Background and History
Atlantic.Net started in 1994 as the Internet Connect Company, a dial-up and web hosting provider founded by Marty Puranik. It moved its primary operations to Orlando in 2003 and built a 25,000-square-foot data center there, then spent the next two decades expanding into dedicated servers, colocation, and increasingly compliance-focused cloud hosting. It remains privately held and serves customers in over 100 countries.
Liquid Web was founded in 1997 and built its early reputation on fully managed dedicated servers, later expanding into VPS, cloud, and, through acquisitions, managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting under the Nexcess brand. It now operates as part of a larger holding structure, the Liquid Web Family of Brands, which also includes StellarWP and Modern Tribe, under private equity ownership through One Equity Partners.
What Type of Hosting Does Atlantic.Net and Liquid Web Support?
This is where the two companies diverge the most, and it matters more than pricing for most buyers. Atlantic.Net has built a genuinely broad infrastructure catalog; Liquid Web has stayed narrower but gone deeper on one thing in particular: WordPress.
| Hosting Type | Atlantic.Net | Liquid Web |
|---|---|---|
| VPS Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated Servers | Yes, including bare metal | Yes, fully managed by default |
| Cloud Hosting | Yes, plus Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Yes, Cloud Dedicated tier |
| Managed WordPress | Not a dedicated product line | Yes, a core specialization |
| WooCommerce Hosting | No dedicated product | Yes |
| Magento Hosting | No dedicated product | Yes |
| GPU / AI Hosting | Yes, including an Inference Cloud platform | No dedicated GPU product line |
| Colocation | Yes | No |
| Block Storage | Yes, encrypted persistent storage | Included as part of server plans |
| Disaster Recovery / Backup | Yes, dedicated DR and backup service | Available as an add-on |
| HIPAA / PCI Compliant Hosting | Yes, a core specialization | Yes, HIPAA-ready on request |
| Managed Private Cloud | Yes | Yes, via Cloud Dedicated |
In practice, this means Atlantic.Net looks more like an infrastructure company that happens to serve compliance-heavy and AI workloads well, while Liquid Web looks more like a managed-hosting company that happens to also sell raw servers. Neither is wrong; they are simply built for different starting questions. If your question is “where do I run regulated data or a GPU workload,” Atlantic.Net’s catalog answers it directly. If your question is “who manages my WordPress site so I do not have to,” Liquid Web (through Nexcess) answers it more directly.
Pricing Comparison: VPS, Dedicated, and Managed Hosting
Both companies publish real rate cards rather than hiding pricing behind a sales call, which makes a direct comparison possible. Here is current VPS pricing from both, pulled directly from each company’s own pricing pages.
Atlantic.Net VPS Pricing (General Purpose Tier)
| Plan | RAM | vCPU | Storage | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3.2GB | 2GB | 1 | 50GB | $10 |
| G3.4GB | 4GB | 2 | 80GB | $20 |
| G3.8GB | 8GB | 4 | 160GB | $40 |
| G3.16GB | 16GB | 6 | 320GB | $80 |
| G3.32GB | 32GB | 8 | 640GB | $160 |
Liquid Web VPS Pricing (Compute-Optimized Tier)
| Plan | RAM | vCPU | Storage | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB | 1GB | 1 | 30GB SSD | $5.00 |
| 2GB | 2GB | 1 | 60GB SSD | $11.00 |
| 6GB | 6GB | 2 | 120GB SSD | $22.00 |
| 12GB | 12GB | 4 | 320GB SSD | $67.00 |
| 32GB | 32GB | 8 | 640GB SSD | $89.50 |
Liquid Web undercuts Atlantic.Net at the entry level, its 1GB plan is roughly half the price of Atlantic.Net’s smallest tier, but the gap narrows and sometimes reverses at higher tiers, since Atlantic.Net’s General Purpose line scales in flatter, more predictable increments. Atlantic.Net also bills post-paid with hourly, 1-year, and 3-year commitment options, while Liquid Web runs flat monthly plans with select promotional discounts on specific tiers.
Neither company’s VPS line is the cheapest option on the market. If raw budget VPS pricing is your only criterion, our VPS hosting comparison covers providers that start well under $5/month.
Dedicated Server Pricing
Dedicated servers are harder to compare directly, since neither company sells a truly equivalent entry-level configuration. Liquid Web starts lower on paper, but Atlantic.Net’s cheapest listed tier ships with far more RAM and cores included.
| Provider | Starting Price | Entry Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid Web | $169/mo | Intel Xeon, 16GB RAM, 2x480GB SSD (RAID 1), 5TB bandwidth |
| Atlantic.Net | $233/mo | 64GB RAM, 12 vCPU, 400GB SSD |
Liquid Web also offers a lighter managed dedicated entry point starting around $77.50/month on an introductory term (renewing near $155/month), which undercuts Atlantic.Net’s dedicated line for buyers who do not need the higher-spec starting configuration. Both companies discount meaningfully on longer commitment terms, so treat these as on-demand or short-term reference prices rather than the final number on a multi-year contract.
Performance and Infrastructure
Liquid Web operates 10 global data centers and has built its brand specifically around managed hosting performance, with a stated 99.99% uptime guarantee and a 10 Gbps network on VPS plans. Atlantic.Net operates 8 global data center regions and backs its plans with a 100% uptime SLA, a stronger contractual guarantee on paper, though real-world uptime for both providers is generally strong and rarely the deciding factor between them.
The more practical infrastructure difference is onboarding speed. Atlantic.Net’s post-paid, self-service model with hourly billing allows near-instant provisioning. Liquid Web’s account setup, particularly for managed and compliance-focused plans, has been reported to take several days to fully provision, since it often involves manual account verification and configuration steps.
HIPAA and Compliance Hosting: Which Is Better
This is where Atlantic.Net has built a genuinely deep specialization. It holds SOC 2 and SOC 3 certifications, offers HIPAA-compliant hosting with customizable Business Associate Agreements, and has marketed compliance-ready infrastructure for over a decade, with dedicated plans for healthcare, legal, and financial workloads. Liquid Web also offers HIPAA-ready hosting environments with a signed BAA, and has run HIPAA-audited infrastructure for a long time as well, but compliance is one product line among several rather than the company’s primary specialization.
If HIPAA compliance is a hard requirement for your project, both providers can sign a BAA, but Atlantic.Net’s modular, compliance-first structure tends to fit dedicated healthcare and legal use cases more precisely. For a broader field of HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosts, including how each stacks up on pricing and technical safeguards, see our HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosting guide.
Managed Services and Support
Liquid Web’s core identity is managed hosting: its support team handles server management, security patching, and troubleshooting as a standard part of most plans, and its Nexcess subsidiary extends that into fully managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting specifically, a different tier entirely from the free WooCommerce hosting plans that struggle to meet WooCommerce’s real resource requirements. Atlantic.Net takes a more modular approach, letting customers apply managed services selectively rather than bundling everything into a fixed, higher-priced package, which suits teams that only need help with specific parts of their stack.
Both offer 24/7 support. The practical difference is philosophy: Liquid Web sells a managed experience by default, while Atlantic.Net sells infrastructure with management available à la carte.
Customer Reviews and Reputation
Independent review platforms tell a slightly different story than either company’s own marketing, and they are worth checking before either specific feature comparison above.
| Platform | Atlantic.Net | Liquid Web |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.0/5 (129 reviews) | 4.0-4.5/5 (2,777 reviews) |
| G2 | 4.9/5 (17 reviews) | 4.2/5 (102 reviews) |
The gap in review volume matters as much as the scores themselves. Liquid Web has a much larger sample size across both platforms, suggesting a bigger, more established customer base, while Atlantic.Net’s near-perfect G2 score comes from a small enough group of reviewers that it should be weighted cautiously. Common praise for both centers on responsive, knowledgeable 24/7 support; common complaints mention occasional reliability incidents at Atlantic.Net (including a reported multi-hour data center outage) and higher pricing relative to competitors at Liquid Web.
Atlantic.Net Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Deep HIPAA, PCI, and SOC compliance specialization | Higher entry-level VPS pricing than Liquid Web |
| Modular, pay-for-what-you-use billing | Less focus on managed WordPress/WooCommerce specifically |
| 8 global data center regions, fast self-service provisioning | Marketing content is one-sided when it comes to naming competitors |
| 100% uptime SLA | Storage/memory/compute-optimized tiers get expensive quickly at scale |
Liquid Web Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Lower entry-level VPS pricing | Onboarding and account provisioning can take several days |
| Strong managed WordPress/WooCommerce option via Nexcess | Compliance is available but not the company’s core specialization |
| 99.99% uptime guarantee, established managed-hosting reputation | Fewer data center regions than Atlantic.Net |
| 24/7 managed support included on most plans | Now part of a larger private-equity-owned brand portfolio, which can mean less individual brand focus |
Which Should You Choose?
- Running a HIPAA, PCI, or otherwise regulated workload: Atlantic.Net’s compliance specialization and modular BAAs make it the more purpose-built choice.
- Running managed WordPress or WooCommerce: Liquid Web, through Nexcess, is more directly built for this than Atlantic.Net.
- Want the cheapest possible entry-level VPS: Liquid Web’s $5/month tier undercuts Atlantic.Net’s smallest plan.
- Want predictable, modular billing without being locked into a management bundle: Atlantic.Net’s post-paid, à la carte model fits better.
- Need infrastructure across the widest global footprint: Atlantic.Net’s 8 regions edge out, though both providers cover the major markets most businesses need.
- Want a fully hands-off managed experience by default: Liquid Web’s support model is built around this from the start.
- Running GPU or AI inference workloads, or need colocation: Atlantic.Net has a dedicated product line for this; Liquid Web does not.
- Weighing pure review volume and track record at scale: Liquid Web’s much larger Trustpilot and G2 review base points to a more established customer footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atlantic.Net cheaper than Liquid Web?
Not at the entry level. Liquid Web’s smallest VPS plan starts at $5/month versus Atlantic.Net’s $10/month starting price. At higher tiers the gap narrows, and Atlantic.Net’s modular, pay-for-what-you-use billing can work out cheaper for buyers who do not need a full managed bundle.
Which is better for HIPAA compliance, Atlantic.Net or Liquid Web?
Both providers will sign a Business Associate Agreement and offer HIPAA-ready infrastructure. Atlantic.Net has built a deeper specialization around compliance specifically, with SOC 2, SOC 3, and PCI certifications alongside HIPAA, and markets dedicated plans for healthcare and legal workloads, making it the more purpose-built option for regulated industries.
Does Liquid Web offer managed WordPress hosting?
Yes. Liquid Web offers managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting primarily through its Nexcess brand, which is part of the same company family. Atlantic.Net does not have an equivalent managed WordPress specialization.
How old are Atlantic.Net and Liquid Web as companies?
Atlantic.Net was founded in 1994 and Liquid Web in 1997. Both are long-established hosting providers with more than two decades of operating history, which is unusually long for the hosting industry.
Which has better uptime, Atlantic.Net or Liquid Web?
Atlantic.Net advertises a 100% uptime SLA while Liquid Web guarantees 99.99% uptime. On paper Atlantic.Net’s guarantee is stronger, though in practice both providers deliver reliable uptime and this is rarely the deciding factor between them.
Is Liquid Web still an independent company?
Liquid Web now operates as part of a larger holding structure known as the Liquid Web Family of Brands, which also includes Nexcess, StellarWP, and Modern Tribe, under private equity ownership through One Equity Partners. Atlantic.Net remains privately held and independently operated.
Which provider is faster to set up, Atlantic.Net or Liquid Web?
Atlantic.Net’s post-paid, self-service billing model generally allows faster, near-instant provisioning. Liquid Web’s account setup, especially for managed or compliance-focused plans, has been reported to take several days due to manual verification and configuration steps.
Final Verdict
Atlantic.Net and Liquid Web are both credible, long-established hosting providers, but they are not really built for the same buyer. Atlantic.Net’s strength is compliance and modular, predictable billing, the kind of setup a healthcare practice, legal SaaS platform, or financial services company reaches for when regulatory requirements are non-negotiable. Liquid Web’s strength is managed hosting depth, particularly for WordPress and WooCommerce through Nexcess, and a lower entry price for teams that want infrastructure without configuring it themselves.
If you are choosing based on compliance needs, start with Atlantic.Net. If you are choosing based on managed WordPress specifically, or want the cheapest entry-level VPS between the two, start with Liquid Web. Either way, get the actual quote for your specific workload before committing, since both companies’ pricing shifts meaningfully once you move past entry-level tiers. If neither quite fits and you want a wider field of options, see our roundup of Atlantic.Net alternatives, covering four more providers beyond Liquid Web.
