Finding the right web hosting provider for your site can be tricky.
Our comprehensive review on IONOS is here to save you from making the wrong decision and saving you time, effort and energy later!
My name is Garrett, and I know firsthand what happens if you pick the wrong hosting provider. I ran a successful digital agency that I sold in 2022, and we worked with (nearly) all the best web hosting providers.
The Tweak Your Biz team and I examined IONOS’ pros and cons, from shared hosting to managed WordPress hosting, so you have all the information you need to make an informed decision!
This IONOS hosting review thoroughly explains IONOS’ different hosting packages and features.
We set up a staging site on tybtestsite.com and tested Bluehost for:
- Hosting Types & Features
- Performance & Speed
- Ease of Use
- Pricing & Value
- Security
- Help & Support
- WordPress Features
- All extras
Let’s dive in!
IONOS Review From Our Experts
IONOS has been a leading web hosting and cloud services provider in the industry since 1988.
It’s currently one of Europe’s biggest providers and focuses on helping businesses to achieve success online by providing seamless and secure cloud hosting services.
IONOS is also one of the best dedicated hosting services of 2023.
Its range of services includes the following features:
- Advanced tools
- An intuitive user interface
- Features that help users get their websites up and running quickly
At a time when digital transformation is becoming increasingly important for businesses looking to stay competitive, IONOS offers its customers reliable resources to make sure their websites run smoothly 24/7. The company also offers various custom solutions tailored to specific customer needs.
With its innovative solutions, excellent customer service, and competitive pricing plans, IONOS is an ideal partner for businesses looking to launch or improve their online presence.
IONOS Pros and Cons
IONOS is one of the top contenders in the market regarding web hosting providers.
Their high-performance servers, unbeatable uptime guarantee, and 24/7 customer support make IONOS an ideal choice for webmasters looking to launch or improve their online presence.
IONOS also offers a wide selection of hosting plans to suit any budget or website size, from shared hosting to more specialized solutions.
So if you’re looking for a reliable web host to help your business grow and succeed, check out IONOS’ top pros and cons to see if it is right for you!
IONOS Pros
- 24/7 customer support
- Excellent uptime guarantee
- High performance and speed
IONOS Cons
- Pricing can be higher than other hosts
- Some features may be a bit complicated for beginners
IONOS Pricing & Plans
If you are unsure whether or not IONOS is the hosting provider for your business, we compared the similarities and differences between each type of hosting it provides to help you decide!
IONOS offers a range of shared hosting plans to suit the needs of any individual, from personal websites to eCommerce businesses.
This type of hosting is ideal for those who want the accessibility and affordability of shared hosting with some added features. The plans are easy to use, customizable, and include daily backups and recovery.
Once we launched our staging site, we compared each of IONOS’ shared hosting plans by speed & performance, uptime, feature, and extras.
Starter
For Ten Websites or Projects-
100 GB Storage
-
50 Databases
-
10 Websites
Plus
For Larger Web Projects-
Unlimited Storage
-
Unlimited Databases
-
Unlimited Websites
IONOS shared hosting provides high-speed performance and reliability.
The hosting services come with top-of-the-line servers that are powerful enough to handle heavy traffic and large files.
Additionally, IONOS provides an advanced caching technology that helps improve the loading speed of your website by reducing the amount of data exchanged between your web browser and the server.
However, your website’s performance will depend on its exact content and size.
So, how did our staging site perform?
- Grade: B
- Performance: 82%
- Largest Content Paint: 834ms
- Total Blocking Time: 337ms
- Cumulative Layout Shift: 0
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IONOS shared hosting provides a reliable web hosting solution with a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
During our 30-day testing, we experienced loading speeds that were consistent and reliable throughout the entire duration of the test.
We were also pleased to find out that IONOS’ uptime guarantee was true to its word, as it stayed at 99.9% or higher with minimal latency and no slowdowns or interruptions in service.
Web Hosting Plans
- Essential: $4 per month (for 12 months)
- Starter: $6 per month (for 12 months)
- Plus: $1 per month (for 12 months)
- Ultimate: $10 per month (for 12 months)
Plan Features
- Unlimited monthly web traffic
- Multiple hosting options, including shared, cloud, and dedicated hosting solutions.
- Unlimited disk storage space with all plans
- Managed WordPress hosting solutions available
- Free domain name registration with all yearly plans
- A comprehensive suite of site-building tools and apps
- 99.9% uptime guarantee for reliable performance
- 24/7 customer support via phone and email for technical assistance
- Secure data centers with cutting-edge technology and robust security protocols for optimal safety and privacy protection
- Custom control panel featuring an intuitive graphical user interface that allows you to easily manage your website settings with a few clicks of the mouse
SSL Included & Activated?
IONOS includes and activates SSL with all of its web hosting packages.
This ensures that your website is always secure and encrypted, allowing customers to feel safe when visiting your site.
IONOS shared hosting is incredibly easy to use, and users of all skill levels can quickly get their websites up and running.
It provides an intuitive cPanel that gives users full control over managing and configuring all elements of their website in one place.
With a straightforward setup process, users will be ready to start customizing their site within minutes.
Overall, we at Tweak Your Biz found that general web hosting with IONOS is an excellent option for businesses of all sizes, especially beginners.
Its plans are feature rich and come bundled with various applications, unlimited storage space and bandwidth, daily backups and recovery, and free domain registration.
Plus, IONOS offers competitive prices that make finding the right package for your budget easy.
IONOS VPS Hosting Review
IONOS Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a great choice for any website owner looking for powerful and reliable hosting.
VPS hosting is perfect for larger websites that require more resources and cannot be supported by shared hosting plans.
Here we reviewed each of IONOS VPS hosting plans to help you decide if it is right for your needs!
IONOS VPS Hosting Speed Review
IONOS VPS hosting offers high-speed performance with various features designed to ensure maximum performance.
Its hosting plans include plenty of storage and RAM, so operations remain smooth and efficient even under heavy loads.
With dedicated server resources, users can enjoy maximum speed while browsing the web and streaming content.
These are the results we received when testing IONOS’ VPS hosting on our staging site:
- Grade: B
- Performance: 78%
- Largest Content Paint: 716s
- Total Blocking Time: 315ms
- Cumulative Layout Shift: 0
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IONOS VPS Hosting Uptime Review
IONOS VPS Hosting is renowned for its highly reliable uptime with minimal downtime.
As previously mentioned, the service guarantees a 99.9% uptime, which was reflected in our results on our staging site.
IONOS VPS Hosting Features
(Standard) Web Hosting Plans
- VPS S: $2 per month
- VPS M: $4 per month (for six months)
- VPS L: $8 per month (for six months)
- VPS XL: $2 per month (for six months)
- VPS XXL: $18 per month (for six months)
Plan Features
- Choice of Linux distributions, including CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu
- Customizable resources with up to 32 CPU cores and 256 GB RAM
- Flexible storage options, including SSDs, for increased performance
- Easy scalability for expanding as your business grows
- Load balancing for optimal speed and reliability
- Advanced security measures like DDoS protection and IP whitelisting
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 customer support from experienced technicians
- Simple management with a customizable dashboard and API access
- Access to additional software like cPanel and Plesk for easy website hosting setup
- Easily customize your hosting environment with one-click installs of popular applications like WordPress, Joomla!, and Magento
SSL Included & Activated?
IONOS provides SSL encryption with all of their VPS web hosting plans. This ensures that all data transmitted between your website and visitors’ browsers are secure and cannot be intercepted by third parties.
IONOS also offers a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate with all of their plans, which makes it easy to get started with SSL encryption.
How Easy Is IONOS VPS Hosting To Use?
IONOS VPS hosting is relatively easy to use, even for users with limited technical knowledge.
The hosts provide a cPanel that makes it easy to manage your website and customize its settings.
Additionally, IONOS provides helpful tutorials and support if you ever need assistance.
IONOS VPS Hosting Our Final Take
We found that IONOS’s VPS hosting plans offer great value and are ideal for businesses of all sizes.
With loads of features, easy scalability, and advanced security measures, IONOS is well-equipped to provide reliable hosting services at an affordable price.
Additionally, its knowledgeable customer support team is on hand 24/7 to assist you with any technical issues or questions you may have.
IONOS Dedicated Hosting Review
IONOS dedicated hosting is a popular web hosting service that offers reliable, high-performance services to businesses.
This type of hosting is great for businesses that require greater control over their hosting environment and have the resources to manage it in-house.
Let’s find out how IONOS’ dedicated hosting did on our testing site!
IONOS Dedicated Hosting Speed Review
IONOS dedicated hosting offers some of the highest speeds available on the market.
Its servers are hosted on multiple data centers located worldwide, ensuring that customers can always access a fast and reliable connection.
With its advanced processor technology and state-of-the-art hardware, IONOS can provide an ultrafast experience that can quickly satisfy even the most demanding user requirements.
But how did IONOS dedicated hosting perform on our testing site?
- Grade: B
- Performance: 77%
- Largest Content Paint: 1.0s
- Total Blocking Time: 290ms
- Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.01
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IONOS Dedicated Hosting Uptime Review
IONOS Dedicated Hosting offers top-of-the-line uptime reliability and performance.
The service uses the latest technologies to ensure that websites and applications stay up and running at all times.
On our testing site, IONOS dedicated hosting consistently maintained an uptime of 99.9%. We experienced no downtime with this service throughout our testing period.
IONOS Dedicated Hosting Features
(SSD) Web Hosting Plans
- L-16 SSD: $70 per month (for three months)
- XL-32 SSD: $110 per month (for three months)
- XL-64 SSD: $140 per month (for three months)
Plan Features
- High-performance servers with Intel Xeon processors, up to 5.2GHz clock speed, and DDR4 RAM up to 64GB
- Choice of Windows or Linux operating systems
- Dedicated IP address for added security and control over your server
- Option to add additional storage in the form of either SAN (Storage Area Network) or NAS devices
- Full root access for maximum control over your hosting environment
- Free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt for extra website security
- 24/7 monitoring and technical support from an experienced team of experts
- Advanced network security options, including firewalls, DDOS protection, and intrusion detection systems
- Flexible backup options that can be scheduled or activated on demand
- Automatic software updates for peace of mind and greater efficiency when managing your server environment
- Integrated caching services such as Memcached, Redis, Apache Solr, and Apache Cassandra to boost website performance and optimize resources usage
- Cloud backup solutions with multiple levels of redundancy for increased data safety and availability
- Scalable web hosting solutions that can be easily adjusted depending on the size and needs of your project
SSL Included & Activated?
SSL is both included and activated in all dedicated hosting plans.
How Easy Is IONOS Dedicated Hosting To Use?
IONOS dedicated hosting is incredibly easy to use, making it a great choice for those who don’t want to worry about the technical side of running a website.
It comes with an intuitive user interface, user-friendly cPanel, and comprehensive support options so you can get help whenever needed.
With IONOS dedicated hosting, you can easily provision and manage your entire server from one centralized platform. Plus, they offer one-click installation and setup in just minutes!
IONOS Dedicated Hosting Our Final Take
Our take on dedicated IONOS hosting is that it offers great value for customers who need extra power and control over their web hosting.
Dedicated servers give users a single physical server with all its resources and computing power dedicated to them, allowing them to have more control over their hosting environment and the ability to scale up as needed without disruption.
With dedicated IONOS hosting plans, customers get access to powerful hardware such as Intel Xeon processors, SSDs, large RAM sizes, and high-bandwidth connections.
Additionally, customers can choose from a wide range of operating systems, including Linux distributions or Windows-based solutions.
IONOS WordPress Hosting Review
IONOS WordPress hosting offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, affordability, and scalability.
This hosting type is best for active WordPress users who want to avoid managing their websites manually and want a solution that’s optimized for WordPress.
Continue reading to discover how IONOS WordPress hosting did on our testing site.
IONOS WordPress Hosting Speed Review
IONOS WordPress hosting offers excellent performance levels, making it a great choice for those needing reliable website performance.
Using only the most up-to-date technology, IONOS utilizes advanced caching and content delivery networks to ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently.
Our speed tests revealed that IONOS could deliver page loads in under 2 seconds on average, highlighting its reliable performance and excellent scalability for businesses and websites with higher traffic needs.
Here are our GTmetrix test results:
- Grade: B
- Performance: 80%
- Largest Content Paint: 734ms
- Total Blocking Time: 276ms
- Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.01
IONOS WordPress Hosting Uptime Review
IONOS WordPress hosting offers a high uptime, which is essential for businesses that always require their website to be online.
Our staging site confirmed IONOS’ 99.9% uptime guarantee claim.
IONOS WordPress Hosting Features
WordPress Hosting Plans
- Start: $2 per month (for 12 months)
- Grow: $1 per month (for 12 months)
- Boost: $6 per month (for 12 months)
Plan Features
- Unlimited storage, so you can store as many photos, videos, music files, and documents as needed
- Daily backups to keep your data safe and secure
- Easy one-click installation of WordPress, so you can get up and running quickly
- A drag-and-drop website builder that makes creating a website easy
- Automated malware scanning to protect your site from malicious content
- Enhanced security with SSL encryption and two-factor authentication
- Integrated SEO tools to help optimize your website for search engines
- Access to premium themes to give your site a professional look and feel
- Comprehensive support options including phone, email, online chat, forums, and tutorials
- A 24/7 monitoring system to ensure optimal performance of your website at all times
- Customizable control panel with a variety of user roles and permissions settings
SSL Included & Activated?
IONOS WordPress hosting plans include SSL encryption, daily backups, and automated malware scanning.
How Easy Is IONOS WordPress Hosting To Use?
IONOS WordPress Hosting is incredibly easy to use, even for novice web developers.
Its cPanel provides users with an intuitive interface for creating posts, uploading media, and managing plugins. It also includes step-by-step tutorials to guide them through the site-building process.
IONOS WordPress Hosting Our Final Take
We found that IONOS’s WordPress hosting plans offer great value and are packed with features to help you get the most out of your website.
Their easy-to-use tools, simple scalability, and 24/7 customer support make them an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes.
IONOS Customer Support Review
IONOS is a reliable and dependable hosting service provider, and its customer support team reflects this commitment. The team is available 24/7 by phone in over 10 languages, so customers can get help whenever needed.
The service also has live chat customer support and a Help Center with helpful resources and tutorials.
IONOS Security Review
IONOS is a leading provider of web hosting services and offers comprehensive security measures to ensure the safety and security of its customers’ data.
It protects customer data by using a combination of:
- Persistent firewalls
- Automated malware scanning
- Advanced encryption technology
Out of all the hosting types offered by IONOS, the dedicated server solution offers the most robust security features.
IONOS Free SSL
IONOS does not offer free SSL certificates. Instead, the service offers a range of different pricing models to purchase an SSL certificate, starting at $20 per year.
These certificates are designed to ensure that all information exchanged between two computers remains private and secure.
After testing IONOS SSL certificates on our staging site, we can confirm that it offers robust encryption and authentication to protect sensitive data despite the price value.
IONOS Professional Email Review
IONOS offers professional email services that provide users with powerful features and options.
The service allows customers to create customized domain names, manage multiple accounts, secure user data with sophisticated encryption, and set up automated backups for their emails.
Additionally, IONOS offers a range of advanced administration tools, such as email filtering and rules-based routing.
IONOS Website Builder Review
IONOS Website Builder is a powerful and intuitive website-building tool designed to make it easy for anyone to create a professional-looking website.
It offers users various features and customizations, from drag-and-drop functionality to professionally designed templates. It makes it possible for even the least tech-savvy individuals to quickly set up a beautiful and functional site.
With IONOS Website Builder, users can choose from hundreds of pre-designed templates, customize them easily, upload media, and add content with just a few clicks.
Is IONOS Good for Business?
IONOS is an excellent choice for businesses looking to host their website, email accounts, and other online services.
Its Shared, VPS, Dedicated, and WordPress hosting plans are feature-packed with plenty of storage space, automated backups, and various other helpful features.
IONOS Final Verdict
Overall, IONOS proved to be one of the best web hosting providers for businesses of all sizes. The main area it was lacking was its speed.
However, the team at Tweak Your Biz and I found that it had an intuitive interface, powerful features, and 24/7 customer support, making it the ideal choice for those looking to set up a website quickly.
IONOS Alternatives
If you’re still unsure about IONOS’ performance, consider one of its competitors instead!
Hostinger
Hostinger is a popular hosting platform often compared to IONOS. However, it has fewer features for businesses and enterprises than IONOS.
Additionally, Hostinger’s customer service is not as robust or responsive as IONOS’s, so those needing help may not receive it.
Hostinger has some advantages over IONOS in terms of pricing and ease of use, but its lack of features and service makes it less attractive than IONOS in some aspects.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is an excellent alternative to IONOS for those looking for reliable and affordable web hosting providers.
A2 Hosting offers similar features unlimited storage and bandwidth, an easy-to-use control panel, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, all at competitive prices.
Compared to IONOS, A2 Hosting is generally cheaper, with more features in each plan, and provides higher levels of customer support plus 24/7 technical support.
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IONOS FAQ
IONOS is a web hosting and cloud solutions provider offering powerful tools and services to help businesses create custom websites, store data in the cloud, or manage their domains.
IONOS offers various web hosting solutions including shared, VPS, dedicated, and WordPress hosting plans. The service also provides custom domain names, professional emails, and daily backups and recovery.
IONOS guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers reliable performance with its hosting solutions. The service also provides advanced security measures to keep customer data safe and secure.
IONOS offers a range of features and tools, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking for reliable hosting solutions. The service also provides 24/7 customer support to help customers with any issue they may have. Additionally, IONOS offers various pricing models to suit different budgets.
