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The most visible cloud hosting platforms in United Kingdom, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from United Kingdom in English · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

AI: how the engines answer the board's questions; Search: Google's top 10 for the questions' demand keywords; All: both combined. How the Heralded Score works.

Leader

AWS

54%of answers name it

Most cited source

amazon.com

33citations

From ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Cloudways

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Google AI Overviews, not on Google AI Mode, Gemini and ChatGPT

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
11 Railway US New entry 21 , range 11–34
21
  • : score 21 · #11
 12% 9% None First reading
12 SiteGround BG New entry 21 , range 3–49
21
  • : score 21 · #12
 9% 5% First reading
13 InMotion Hosting US New entry 17 , range 0–70
17
  • : score 17 · #13
 1% 1% First reading
14 Cloudflare Pages US New entry 16 , range 5–37
16
  • : score 16 · #14
 13% 2% None First reading
15 IONOS DE New entry 16 , range 2–46
16
  • : score 16 · #15
 6% 3% None First reading
16 Hostinger LT New entry 14 , range 3–44
14
  • : score 14 · #16
 8% 5% First reading
17 Fly.io US New entry 14 , range 4–31
14
  • : score 14 · #17
 9% 4% None First reading
18 Akamai Linode US New entry 13 , range 3–38
13
  • : score 13 · #18
 9% 4% First reading
19 Cloudflare Workers US New entry 11 , range 4–36
11
  • : score 11 · #19
 12% 0% None First reading
20 Rackspace Technology US New entry 11 , range 0–51
11
  • : score 11 · #20
 1% 0% None First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

This month's moves

First reading. No comparable previous month yet.

Biggest risers

No clear rise.

Biggest fallers

No clear fall.

New entries

147 new entries

Drop-outs

No drop-outs.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
11 hetzner.com Brand site 6.7% 2 of 4 1 1
12 microsoft.com Brand site 6.7% 2 of 4 4 Not read
13Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
14Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
15 liberationtek.com Vendor site 5.0% 1 of 4 1 13
16Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
17Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
18Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
19Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
20 slashdot.org Media 3.3% 1 of 4 3 Not read

The questions, and who wins each

QuestionLanguageWins it
What’s the best cloud hosting platform for startups? English AWS, DigitalOcean and Google Cloud, tied
Cloud hosting for small online stores English Hostinger and SiteGround, tied
How can a startup keep its app online without interruptions? English AWS
How do I host an online store that’s getting more visitors? English AWS, Cloudways, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud and WP Engine, tied
In-house server or cloud hosting for startups? English No brand recommended
Dedicated server or cloud hosting for small online stores? English Cloudways and SiteGround, tied
Alternatives to dedicated server hosting for online stores English No brand recommended
Alternatives to on-premises servers for a small business’s apps English No brand recommended
I run a small startup and need cloud hosting with predictable monthly costs English DigitalOcean
I have an online store with seasonal traffic and am looking for flexible cloud resources English Google Cloud

Each engine's top three

Method

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured