I don't think one is morally superior to the other, but there are trade-offs.

With bash, cron, rsync, and a vps, one is using stable, long-lived tools that usually come with Linux, are vetted and patched automatically, and are familiar in the sense that those same tools can be used for all sorts of tasks, not just frontend development. There is also the argument that the only remote piece controlled by the service provider is a vps which still gives you lots of control and flexibility with minimal lock-in.

I prefer somewhere in the middle of the two extremes, but I see more appeal to the "old" approach than you allude to.