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Head-to-head · OpenStack Hosting

Catalyst Cloud vs Rackspace OpenStack Flex

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Catalyst Cloud #5 in OpenStack Hosting 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Catalyst Cloud
Rackspace OpenStack Flex #8 in OpenStack Hosting 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Rackspace

Catalyst Cloud leads on 0 checks, Rackspace OpenStack Flex on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCatalyst Cloud · 8.9/10

Catalyst Cloud scores higher on our rubric for openstack hosting: 8.9 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #8.

Rackspace OpenStack Flex leads on regions available: 3 versus 1.

Catalyst Cloud is the better fit for openStack users wanting broad managed services. Rackspace OpenStack Flex is the better fit for managed public cloud with 24x7 support.

  • Catalyst Cloud fits best

    OpenStack users wanting broad managed services

  • Rackspace OpenStack Flex fits best

    Managed public cloud with 24x7 support

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Side by side

Feature Catalyst Cloud 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Rackspace OpenStack Flex 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.6
Ranking #5 in OpenStack Hosting #8 in OpenStack Hosting
Best for OpenStack users wanting broad managed services Managed public cloud with 24x7 support
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price — $0.0001/GB usage-based
Free plan — —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux, Windows Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7 Tickets, Live chat, Phone, Docs · 24/7
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Catalyst Cloud 2/3 · Rackspace OpenStack Flex 2/3
Managed control plane ✓ ✓
Bare-metal instances Not checked yet Not checked yet
GPU instances ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Public Public
Regions available 1 3 (best)
Storage types block storage, object storage, image service Capacity, Performance, Standard, HA-Standard, HA-Performance, Object Storage
Identity options OpenStack Keystone IAM, role-based permissions, TOTP MFA, application credentials Keystone credentials, username, API key
Our review
Pros
  • OpenStack-compatible clients, APIs and command-line tools
  • Compute, replicated storage, networking, IAM and TOTP MFA
  • Managed private cloud for OpenStack, Kubernetes, Ceph and Swift
  • Managed OpenStack infrastructure with monitoring and lifecycle management
  • GPU, memory-optimized, and general-purpose VM options
  • Web, API, CLI, networking, storage, and 24x7 support access
Cons
  • Public-cloud compute pricing is usage-based and excludes GST
  • The cheapest listed compute flavor is available only in nz-por-1
  • Its infrastructure focus is centered on New Zealand regions
  • No free plan for evaluating the service
  • Usage-based pricing can require detailed resource planning
  • Multi-tenant public cloud may not suit dedicated infrastructure needs
Our verdict

Catalyst Cloud provides New Zealand-based public cloud infrastructure and platform services for IT professionals and organisations. The service covers OpenStack-based compute, image, block storage, object storage, networking, load…

Read the review →

Rackspace OpenStack Flex is a managed, multi-tenant public OpenStack infrastructure service for organizations running virtual machines, containers, databases, and cloud-native applications. It combines compute, configurable private…

Read the review →
  1. Catalyst CloudOpenStack Hosting 8.9Paid
  2. Rackspace OpenStack FlexOpenStack Hosting 8.6Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Catalyst Cloud — where it wins

    • OpenStack-compatible clients, APIs and command-line tools
    • Compute, replicated storage, networking, IAM and TOTP MFA
    • Managed private cloud for OpenStack, Kubernetes, Ceph and Swift

    Where it doesn't

    • Public-cloud compute pricing is usage-based and excludes GST
    • The cheapest listed compute flavor is available only in nz-por-1
    • Its infrastructure focus is centered on New Zealand regions

  • Rackspace OpenStack Flex — where it wins

    • Managed OpenStack infrastructure with monitoring and lifecycle management
    • GPU, memory-optimized, and general-purpose VM options
    • Web, API, CLI, networking, storage, and 24x7 support access

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan for evaluating the service
    • Usage-based pricing can require detailed resource planning
    • Multi-tenant public cloud may not suit dedicated infrastructure needs

More comparisons

All OpenStack hosting comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update