IONOS Hosting Review: Can It Still Perform? [2026]

IONOS at a Glance

IONOS Pros, Cons, & Things That Could Be Better

IONOS offers shared, VPS, cloud, and even dedicated servers, catering to a wide range of businesses and projects. Yet, it’s best suited for small businesses, freelancers, and agencies that want enterprise-grade tools at SMB prices. Its real standout is affordable scalability and professional tools that most budget hosts don’t offer.

Another pro of IONOS’ service is just how well it performs for such a low price. I can attest that IONOS’ uptime and site loading speeds are pretty good, and you can get many months’ worth of IONOS hosting for what other hosts typically charge for a single month – or less. So, what’s not to love?

Well, as with any service, there are always some cons. In the case of IONOS, you’re looking at less-than-impeccable customer support. Renewal costs can also add up once the promotional period ends, so it’s important to plan ahead. Another issue is the limitation on emails. No matter the cost of the plan, you only get one email account. Additionally, there’s no free site migration, so you’ll be doing that heavy lifting on your own.

That said, IONOS still measures up to the competition, ranking highly among the top hosts. Those looking for extra support will also be happy to know IONOS offers website design, as well as custom cloud computing (build-your-own virtual data center) services.

I’ve tested out IONOS’ most popular plan myself. Read my full review to see if this provider is a good fit for you.

Solid IONOS Hosting Features – Especially on Shared Web Hosting Plans

IONOS is suitable for beginners and first-time website owners who want a fairly wide range of features for a low starting price – you shouldn’t need to pay for any add-ons when you sign up for a plan. IONOS’ shared hosting plans include useful features, such as CDN integration, daily backups, and plenty of storage.

If you need better performance or additional resources, IONOS has various plan tiers to fit different needs. It also has more powerful types of hosting setups (dedicated, VPS, cloud) that offer better performance. With IONOS, you can change over, upgrade, or downgrade as needed.

Free Domain Name & SSL Certificate

With IONOS’ shared hosting, dedicated servers, Mail Business email hosting, and MyWebsite Now builder hosting plans, you get a free domain name for a year. This only includes .us, .ca, .com, .net, .org, .info, .me, .biz, and .online domain extensions. Typically, registering one could cost you the same as IONOS’ lowest annual introductory offer, so this feature adds significant value.

Domain privacy is also included, which hides your registration data from public records. Unfortunately, VPS and cloud-based hosting plans – that you’d likely be using to build multiple sites – don’t include free domain names. But IONOS offers fair pricing on domain name registration.

In addition, all IONOS plans come with free DigiCert Wildcard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, which allow you to secure your primary domain name as well as any subdomains you set up – like “subdomain.maindomainname.com.”

Automatic Daily Backups

The majority of IONOS’ hosting plans (except cloud and VPS hosting) come with free automatic daily backups. In most cases, you don’t need to do anything to set these up either. As soon as there’s a site and data to back up, it will do so automatically. Backups are also kept for 6 days.

You can navigate to the Webspace Backup menu via the search bar in the IONOS dashboard menu to find your backup files. Higher-tier IONOS WordPress hosting plans (both managed and unmanaged) also come with 12 months of free daily Jetpack backups, which is normally a paid add-on when you use the free version of Jetpack.

Agency Partner Program

As an agency, you can sign up for IONOS’ Agency Partner Program for free to get access to various useful perks. Membership includes dashboard access from which to manage all of your client projects – from hosted sites to email accounts.

You’ll also get access to several benefits, including free software trials, product credits, expert support, and a verified listing on the IONOS Agency Partner Network.

The real value here is lead generation: verified partners can list their services in the IONOS directory and get found by new clients. On top of that, the centralized dashboard cuts out hours of admin work, so agencies and freelancers can focus on billable tasks. For small businesses, that mix of visibility and efficiency is what sets IONOS apart from more “basic” hosting providers.

IONOS Website Builder & Design Services

As an optional paid extra, you can either enlist IONOS’ design team or use its in-house MyWebsite Now to design your website. MyWebsite Now is an easy-to-use, no-code site builder similar to Wix or WordPress.com. It includes responsive, industry-specific templates, drag-and-drop editing, and thousands of free stock images to give your site a professional look without added design costs.

Where MyWebsite Now stands out is the AI assistance: instead of starting from scratch, you enter a few business details, and it will create your fully customizable website with images and text. For SMBs, this means getting online faster, cutting design costs, and avoiding weeks of trial and error. Built-in AI text and image tools also help you refresh content or launch campaigns quickly, so you can focus on running your business rather than designing a website.

IONOS Features at a Glance

My Hosting Experience With IONOS

Getting started with IONOS doesn’t take long – nor did I find the process particularly complex. Filling in your details, paying, and setting up a website should only take around 30 minutes or less (depending on your site’s complexity). You don’t need to be tech-savvy either, as both the IONOS control panel and supported content management system (CMS) platforms are easy to navigate and use.

Creating a New Account With IONOS

The IONOS hosting signup process is a straightforward 4-step affair. First, select your hosting type, then head to your cart, fill in your details, and pay. You can pay with PayPal and major cards, including American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

IONOS limits its upsells, except for recommending HiDrive Business cloud storage and the Site Scan & Repair tool from SiteLock. None of these suggested add-ons – that come with discounted annual subscriptions or 30-day free trials – were preselected.

Of course, I only tested the IONOS Plus shared web hosting plan, so the signup process may differ slightly for other plans. For example, selecting a domain from IONOS will add a few extra steps to the process.

However, I experienced a minor issue inputting my street address when asked to add my billing info. The form repeatedly cut off the end of my address and automatically filled in the wrong city name. Only clicking on the Choose another country button (which took me away from the page) mitigated this issue. If I hadn’t discovered this workaround, I wouldn’t have been able to proceed with payment at all.

After paying, IONOS automatically creates your account and guides you through the selection of a CMS or website builder.

Connecting a Domain and Installing WordPress

IONOS offers both unmanaged and managed WordPress hosting. Plus, even if you choose another hosting plan – such as the standard IONOS shared web hosting plan – you still get access to a single-click installation of WordPress among other less popular CMSs and builders.

When logging into your IONOS dashboard for the first time, you’ll be prompted to get your website set up. I chose a premium shared web hosting plan from IONOS, which allows you to install multiple CMSs, not just WordPress. As such, WordPress wasn’t automatically set up as it may be on a WordPress-specific plan from IONOS.

To install WordPress on my plan, I had to scroll down the list and click Start Now next to WordPress. Conveniently, your free IONOS domain name (included with most plans) is automatically linked to whichever CMS you choose. If you wish to add a third-party domain, you have to do this yourself by using the IONOS setup wizard. Or, you can ask the IONOS support team for help.

Other Ease of Use Features

IONOS App Center

Aside from WordPress and the paid IONOS MyWebsite Now builder, you have the choice of other options. You can navigate to all the CMS options in the IONOS App Center. Here you can easily and quickly install TYPO3, Joomla, PrestaShop, Drupal, OpenCart, Contao, and more.

IONOS Dashboard Menu Search Bar

Navigating the IONOS dashboard is very easy, thanks to its intuitive search bar. Not only does it suggest related tools and settings pages, but it brings up the most relevant Help Center article as well. You can access the right tools or help in one place and in one go without fumbling around an unfamiliar dashboard menu, saving you time and unnecessary stress.

One-Click Installations

You can quickly and easily install over 70 applications from your dashboard with IONOS’ one-click app installer. Choose from popular apps such as WordPress or Joomla and you can have them up and ready to use in a matter of minutes. When setting up your online project, this feature takes out a good bit of the work and worry – especially if you’re new to hosting or don’t have time to configure the software on your own.

Expect Spotless Performance Thanks to IONOS’ Geo-Redundant Servers

IONOS-hosted sites outperform in terms of site loading times and uptime. Resilient geo-redundant servers, uninterruptible battery supply, and backup generators help to prevent instances of downtime.

During my tests (read about how we conduct tests here), my IONOS-hosted test site never went down and provided impeccable loading speeds. IONOS actually partners with various data centers in Germany, France, the UK, Spain, and the US. This network ensures its service delivery is almost spotlessly consistent – both locally and globally. For small businesses, this means your site will feel just as fast for a customer in New York as it does for one in Berlin.

GTmetrix

IONOS scores highly for site loading speeds, as proved by these GTmetrix test results. I can’t really ask for more from the host regarding performance. You’ll also note my IONOS-hosted test site performed consistently across peak and non-peak periods, only deviating by half a second or so.

What makes these results stand out is how they compare to other popular hosts. During testing, Bluehost pages often took 4+ seconds to load during peak hours, while SiteGround hovered around the 2–2.5 second mark. By contrast, IONOS stayed consistently in the 1–1.5 second range. For small businesses, that’s the difference between a smooth checkout and a frustrated customer leaving your site.

UptimeRobot

When monitoring my IONOS-hosted website, UptimeRobot reported no instances of downtime for the full week of tests. Plus, no negative events or incidents. My site was stable, responsive, and consistently available to visitors throughout the week.

Sucuri Load Time Tester

You can’t actually select a specific server location for your hosting plan during or after sign-up. However, there’s probably no need to due to IONOS web hosting plans featuring geo-redundant server infrastructure. IONOS has data centers located on both the East and West Coast, so my IONOS website performed particularly well across the US.

While some hosts see big latency differences between continents, IONOS kept load times consistent. This means a US-based agency serving EU clients, or a European retailer selling to Americans, won’t see big slowdowns. My IONOS site also loaded satisfactorily in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan – which is rare. If you need to reach far-flung audiences, you can also activate the Cloudflare CDN to improve global performance.

Unfortunately, IONOS’ Support Service Falls Flat

Like many other otherwise respectable hosting providers, IONOS disappoints in the customer support department. Its 24/7 phone support seems to be the only channel that works. It has live chat support, but it’s often unavailable, so I can’t offer up any insights into its quality. When logged into my account dashboard, I also couldn’t access any of the additional mysterious IONOS support channels hinted at.

With the local IONOS phone support lines in various countries, you can get help when you need it. Unfortunately, calling isn’t free – no toll-free lines here.

You’re given a phone PIN when creating your IONOS account. However, things weren’t off to a good start when I did call in, as my PIN wasn’t recognized by the agent.

Though friendly, the support agent seemed less than knowledgeable about my query. The call ended up with them finally suggesting they’d defer it to a manager and email me back (my suggestion, or I would have been on hold for a while).

On the plus side, the 24/7 IONOS phone support claim rang true, as the agent picked up 3 minutes after I dialed into the US line very late. For fun, I also decided to test another country’s IONOS support line (a 5-minute wait this time) to see if this line was also routed to the same support center. By the sound of it, yes, it appears to be – with the same issues. Difficulty recognizing my PIN and a lack of technical knowledge again resulted in me paying for extra call minutes.

A plus of IONOS support? You do get your own personal IONOS support consultant. They’re not only available for troubleshooting but also to give you advice on how to get the most out of your hosting, explain technical jargon, and even share reports on your site’s performance.

Unlike generic call centers, your consultant becomes a single point of contact who learns your business and is available by phone, email, or chat during business hours. That kind of ongoing, personalized support is something most budget hosts don’t even attempt to offer. However, you have to activate this feature via the IONOS dashboard, and our team has found consultants can sometimes be difficult to reach.

Alternatively, the Help Center is full of FAQs, articles, tutorials, and self-help guides to help you solve basic issues without needing to call in. However, the lack of IONOS ticket or live chat support is a letdown – especially for the time-strapped or call-avoidant.

IONOS Is Competitively Priced, but Renewal Costs Require Planning

IONOS offers some of the lowest introductory rates you’ll find anywhere, especially on its shared and WordPress hosting plans. Even its cheapest Essential shared hosting plan includes everything most small businesses need: a free domain, SSL, daily backups, 1-click WordPress install, and professional email. It can work if you only need a simple site, but most users will quickly outgrow it. That’s why I recommend the Plus shared hosting plan for the best value.

.

IONOS is now only $1.00 per month!

Sign up for an annual plan and enjoy the savings.

572 users used this coupon!

Get Deal

If you outgrow shared hosting, IONOS also has affordable VPS, cloud, and even dedicated server options. The savings don’t drop off when you upgrade – VPS and cloud plans can be as low as entry-level shared hosting, and dedicated servers with HDD storage are also competitive. More advanced users can also explore IONOS’ cloud computing service, which lets you build a custom cloud data center and test it free for 30 days.

The only thing to watch is renewal pricing. IONOS’ promotional rates apply only to the first 12 months, and extras such as your free domain will renew at the same time. Because the annual discounts are so steep, the jump at renewal can feel quite shocking if you’re not ready for it. Still, even at regular prices, IONOS is competitive with providers like SiteGround or HostArmada. It also backs its hosting with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

But if you prefer long-term savings, you can try Hostinger, as it locks in its discounted rates for up to four years. See our in-depth Hostinger review for more details.