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Our verdict on IONOS
IONOS is our #2 web host for 2026 and the lowest-priced host in our top 10. At $1.00/month through our special deal, its Plus plan gives you unlimited websites, 350 GB of fast NVMe storage, a free domain for the first year, free wildcard SSL and free daily backups, backed by 24/7 phone and chat support.
Formerly known as 1&1, IONOS has been in business since 1988 and is Europe’s largest web host, managing more than 22 million domains. The main trade-off is a small number of email accounts on lower plans, but for sheer value it’s very hard to beat.
Best for
- Anyone on a tight budget
- Running several websites on one plan
- Small businesses and blogs
- Sites that need lots of storage
Not ideal for
- Teams that need many email accounts on a starter plan
- Anyone shopping only on renewal price
IONOS pros & cons
Pros
- $1.00/month special price, the lowest in our top 10
- Unlimited websites and 350 GB of NVMe storage
- Free domain for the first year, plus free wildcard SSL
- Free daily backups and data recovery
- 24/7 support by phone, chat and email
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- In business since 1988, with 22M+ domains managed
- Excellent
rating
Cons
- Renewal prices are higher than the intro rate
- Plus plan includes only 4 email accounts
- Fewer extras included as standard than some rivals
IONOS at a glance
Key specs for the Plus plan we feature, which gives the most value for the money.
- Featured plan
- Plus, $1.00/mo
- Storage
- 350 GB NVMe SSD
- Websites
- Unlimited
- Bandwidth
- Unmetered
- Free domain
- Yes, first year
- SSL certificate
- Free wildcard SSL
- Site builder
- Free
- Backups
- Free daily backups
- Email accounts
- 4 (2 GB each)
- Databases
- 250 MariaDB
- Control panel
- IONOS control panel
- Uptime guarantee
- 99.99%
- Support
- 24/7 phone, chat & email
- Money-back guarantee
- 30 days
- Setup fee
- Free
Key features explained
Huge room to grow. The Plus plan we feature lets you host unlimited websites on 350 GB of fast NVMe storage, with unlimited traffic, so you’ll never pay extra because your site gets popular. You also get a free domain name for the first year and a free wildcard SSL certificate that secures your main domain and all its subdomains.
Quick to build. WordPress, Joomla and Drupal install in one click, and the free site builder can get a basic, store or blog site online within minutes of signing up. Developers get SSH, SFTP, Git, WP-CLI and a choice of PHP versions.
Protection included. IONOS backs up your files and databases every day for free and can restore them if something goes wrong. DDoS protection, malware scanning and 250 databases round out a plan that’s hard to beat for $1.00/month.
IONOS plans & pricing
IONOS offers several shared hosting tiers. Every plan includes unlimited websites and traffic; moving up adds more storage, databases, email accounts and server power.
Starter
Best for a simple site or blog
- Unlimited websites
- 200 GB NVMe storage
- 100 databases
- 2 email accounts
- Free daily backups
Plus
Best value for most sites
- Unlimited websites
- 350 GB NVMe storage
- 250 databases
- 4 email accounts
- Free CDN and 5x server resources
Ultimate
Best for busy or business sites
- Unlimited websites
- 500 GB NVMe storage
- 500 databases
- 5 email accounts
- Advanced malware scan with auto repair
How IONOS’s pricing compares
IONOS keeps its tiers easy to compare: every plan includes unlimited websites and traffic, so you’re really just choosing how much storage and server power you need. Starter suits a simple site, Plus adds more storage, databases and a free CDN, and Ultimate gives busy sites the most power and advanced malware repair. You can upgrade at any time.
At $1.00/month through our special deal, IONOS Plus is the cheapest plan in our top 10, costing about two-thirds less than the $3.21 average of the other nine hosts. It undercuts popular names like Bluehost ($1.99), Namecheap ($2.28) and GoDaddy ($5.99), while giving you far more storage than most of them.
Speed & reliability
Faster-than-average page loads. In our testing, sites hosted on IONOS loaded faster than average and its reliability was excellent, helped by industry-leading network connections and a huge global infrastructure.
IONOS runs more than 100,000 servers across 31 datacenters in the US, Europe and Asia. Sites live on fast NVMe SSD storage with HTTP/2 and fast compression, and the Plus plan adds a content delivery network (CDN) and five times the server resources of the entry plan.
Its datacenters are ISO 27001 certified for data security and geo-redundant, meaning your site is mirrored across separate locations. That’s why IONOS can offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee, one of the strongest in our top 10.
Security that keeps your site online
Every plan includes DDoS protection, malware scanning and a free wildcard SSL certificate to keep visitor data encrypted. Daily backups of your files and databases mean you can recover quickly if anything ever goes wrong, and two-factor login helps keep your account safe.
Customer support
Fast, friendly and knowledgeable. IONOS really shines in support. In our checks, live chat answered in just seconds, and agents were among the friendliest we’ve dealt with: patient, knowledgeable and quick to solve problems.
IONOS offers 24/7 support by phone, live chat and email, with US-based agents for US customers. Whichever way you reach out, help is quick, and agents can walk you through anything from pointing a domain to setting up WordPress.
If you prefer to figure things out yourself, the IONOS help center has a large library of tutorials and technical guides. We’ve found a quick search there often answers common hosting questions in minutes.
Ways to get help
- Phone, 24/7: talk to a real person any time
- Live chat, 24/7: answers in seconds
- Email support: for detailed or technical requests
- Help center: tutorials and step-by-step guides
Ease of use
IONOS makes it easy to get a site online, even if you’re new to hosting. Sign-up is straightforward, WordPress and other popular apps install in one click, and the free site builder can have a basic, store or blog site live within minutes.
Few hosts we’ve tested make getting a WordPress blog running so simple. With thousands of themes and plenty of add-ons available, even a complete beginner can build a professional-looking site.
The control panel
IONOS uses its own control panel rather than cPanel. It’s clean and modern, with your hosting, domains, email and SSL certificates all managed from one dashboard, and clear menus that make common tasks easy to find.
From the panel you can install WordPress and dozens of other apps in seconds, manage files and databases, set up email and check your site’s traffic with built-in analytics. Many beginners find it even easier to use than cPanel.
IONOS rating breakdown
We score every host on the same 10 criteria. Here’s how IONOS earned its 9.6.
What IONOS customers say
Service & customer support
“Support was available 24/7 and resolved my issue within minutes. The platform includes a wide range of tools that meet all my needs, and I appreciate the strong security, including two-factor authentication.”
Helped me pay another way
“Needed to make an immediate payment since I keep my credit cards locked. There was no "pay now" button in the account which I find really strange. Only the option to store the card, which like I said, I keep locked. She helped to have a PayPal link created so I could pay for the product. Took about 15 minutes. You really should have a pay now option on the billing page. Thanks”
No fuss, low prices
“IONOS hosting is a reputable company. My business site is small and doesn’t require a lot of resources, but no fuss here with the service or support. Prices are low also!”
Happy camper
“They made it easy for a complete novice to get a website live. Support was a click away and a few seconds later someone was there to assist. Thanks again!”
Very good hosting
“Very good hosting, with minimal downtime and fast page processing. A+”
Help for a novice site builder
“Just sending another acknowledgment for the support, as always excellent, fast and friendly. Over the last few days Shawn C and Chris B were most helpful in areas I would be lost in.”
No worries on this one
“I can vouch that they are a well-established host. Got me set up in minutes and the site is bulletproof so far. Easy control panel also.”
Support is really good
“Being with them for a good while, I will give my 2 cents worth. Support is really good and uptime is incredible. Don’t expect any long support wait at all if you need it. Highly recommended.”
IONOS alternatives
Not sure IONOS is the one? These are the other top hosts on our list.
9.8Our top pick overall, with a free domain, site builder and backups, plus 24/7 in-house support since 1996.
9.5Fast LiteSpeed hosting for up to 3 websites, with a free domain, an AI website builder and 24/7 support.
9.3Host up to 10 websites with a free domain, SSL, Cloudflare CDN and backups, plus month-to-month billing.
IONOS FAQs
Is IONOS good for beginners?
Yes. WordPress and other popular apps install in one click, the free site builder needs no coding, and 24/7 phone and chat support is there if you get stuck.
How much does IONOS cost?
Through TopWebHosts, the IONOS Plus plan is $1.00/month, the lowest price in our top 10. That’s an introductory price for your first term; like most hosts, IONOS charges more when the plan renews, so check the renewal rate at checkout.
Is IONOS the same company as 1&1?
Yes. IONOS is the new name for 1&1, which has been in the hosting business since 1988. It’s now Europe’s largest web host.
Does IONOS include a free domain?
Yes. IONOS hosting plans include a free domain for the first year, with extensions like .com, .net, .org and .us, plus a free wildcard SSL certificate.
Does IONOS use cPanel?
No. IONOS uses its own control panel, which manages your hosting, domains and email in one place. Most beginners find it simple to use.
Does IONOS have a money-back guarantee?
Yes. IONOS offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its hosting plans.
Does IONOS offer phone support?
Yes. IONOS offers 24/7 support by phone, live chat and email, plus a large online help center.
Is IONOS fast and reliable?
Yes. IONOS stores sites on NVMe SSD drives in ISO 27001-certified, geo-redundant datacenters, and backs its hosting with a 99.99% uptime guarantee.
