Last Update | May 2022
Monthly Update – May 2022
Hosting Plans | Web Hosting; WordPress Hosting; Dedicated Hosting; VPS Hosting; Cloud Hosting |
Top Features | Help Desk; Live Chat; Phone Support; Knowledge Base; Social Media |
Customer Support | 99.99% Uptime Guarantee; Linux- Or Windows-Based Servers; Personal Consultants for Customer Support; Transparent Product Offerings And Prices; 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee; Free SSL Security, Domain For A Year, Email Address, Daily Automated Backups |
During May, IONOS:
- Completed scheduled maintenance on its SAP system.
- Completed scheduled maintenance on its database systems.
Since it was founded in 1988, IONOS has grown to be the most notable hosting provider company that offers an excellent mix of state-of-the-art technology, reliability, and security.
IONOS was established in Germany, and following its impressive growth in Europe, in 2003, IONOS expanded to the USA. Within a year, the company had grown its customer service team and was listed among the country’s top 10 web hosting providers. IONOS has established its position as a leading hosting services provider and Europe’s largest domain registrar, hosting over 8 million customer contracts and managing 12 million domains worldwide. IONOS is great because it offers cutting-edge technology at an affordable price and in easy-to-understand terms.
So, if you want a hosting company that can help you build the perfect website for your business, IONOS might be the right company for you!
Is IONOS The Right Host For You?
IONOS is one of the most well-known hosting providers worldwide, and there are various IONOS reviews available online. I was ecstatic when I was given the opportunity to write this expert review. I had no prior experience with this well-known provider, so I was eager to see if they lived up to their promises and report back to you.
What initially drew me to IONOS was their extensive range of features at the most competitive prices. Having tested various hosting providers, I can confidently say that sometimes the most affordable plans may provide the best features, excellent performance, great security, and overall excellent customer experience that IONOS provides and that you may require.
So, could IONOS be the provider that you want? My IONOS brand review, backed up by consumer feedback, can help you decide if they’re the right host for you.
Here Is How We Review:
- The first step is to sign up for a hosting plan with the provider when doing the expert review. Most of the time, we go for the most cost-effective plan that includes all of the essential features that enable us to evaluate the web host’s capability at the most affordable price.
- We go over every feature that the hosting provider offers in great detail while our specialized professionals evaluate the provider’s uptime, performance, and page load time.
- We analyze the features of the hosting provider’s plans, whether the plan’s price is suitable, and if their customer support is reliable. Additionally, we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using the hosting provider’s services.
- After carefully examining all of the hosting provider’s features, we publish the expert review and modify it throughout the year, updating it when necessary.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Incredible uptime (99.98%)
- Basic and advanced web hosting plans
- Easy-to-use tools and services
- Free features (SSL, domain name, email address)
- One of the most affordable providers on the market
- Dedicated support assistant for each customer
Cons:
- Registration is available from a limited amount of countries (including Germany, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK)
- No free website transfers/migrations
- Prices significantly increase on renewal
- The cPanel is not very intuitive
A terrific hosting provider for small enterprises and individuals
Parameter | Score | Why did we give this score? |
User Friendly | 8 | Setting up your account with IONOS is pretty straightforward. And you can install WordPress using the Auto WordPress installation with only one click, manually or with the help of an auto-installer. However, because the IONOS control panel could be more beginner-friendly, we gave them an 8. |
Support | 8.5 | IONOS assigns each customer to a dedicated customer service agent. You can also contact their agents via live chat. In my experience, the agent was helpful, but his answers were short. So, we gave IONOS an 8.5 for customer support because there were several negative customer reviews on the Internet about IONOS’s live chat customer service, and they don’t provide a ticketing system. |
Features | 9 | IONOS provides excellent features such as a free SSL certificate, free domain for a year, free email address, and daily automated backups. However, IONOS doesn’t offer free website transfers or migrations. So we gave them a 9. |
Reliability | 9.5 | With 99.98% uptime, IONOS gets exceptional uptime scores. The hosting company operates 15 data centers in Europe and the United States. It mirrors your data in two data centers, ensuring maintenance does not affect your site’s performance. However, we gave a 9.5 for reliability because the loading speed of your sites may sometimes be affected by the distance between data centers. |
Prices | 9 | IONOS offers one of the most economical hosting services available, with plans beginning at $0.50 per month for a single website. But, because the renewal fees for the plans are significantly higher, we gave them a 9. |
Overall Score | 8.8 | IONOS is one of the best web hosts on the market, but they still need a few changes to become the best of the best. |
IONOS Prices & Plans – 2022
IONOS hosting offers a diverse range of high-quality hosting services with numerous unique features. IONOS hosting is an expert provider that offers a portfolio of solutions, such as Web Hosting, ASP.NET Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, VPS Hosting, WordPress Hosting, Managed WordPress Hosting, Web Hosting for Agencies, and WooCommerce Hosting.
To meet the demands of its customers, each of IONOS Hosting services offers a variety of plans with varying pricing and features. The plans are ideal for customers ranging from small businesses to large companies.
IONOS provides Web hosting, which is Linux hosting alternative. This type of web hosting is excellent for small businesses just starting. There are three types of shared web hosting available:
- Essential Hosting plan, ideal for managing a single website or project, starting at a price point of $4 a month or $6 a month when you renew.
- Business Hosting plan, excellent for managing larger web projects, starting at a price point of $0.50 a month or $10 a month when you renew.
- Expert Hosting plan, suitable for managing multiple large web projects, starting at a price point of $8 a month or $16 a month when you renew.
IONOS offers excellent ASP.NET Hosting for Windows. There are three ASP.NET Hosting plans available:
- Business Hosting, suitable for one website or project, starts at a price point of $5 a month or $10 a month when you renew.
- Pro Hosting, ideal for large web projects, costs $6 a month or $12 a month when you renew.
- Expert Hosting, optimized to serve multiple large web projects, comes at $10 a month or $20 a month when you renew.
IONOS offers eight Dedicated Hosting plans, with either Hard disk drives or solid-state drives storage. The HDDs provide higher capacity for projects with extensive storage needs, while the SSDs deliver faster data access times.
The four SSD Dedicated Hosting plans are A8i SSD, L-16 SSD, XL-32 SSD, and XL-64 SSD. The plans are fast and reliable, each providing Intel Xeon processors, Intel SSD Storage, unlimited traffic, free domain, Site Scan, and RailGun Content Delivery Network. The cheapest plan is the A8i SSD, which costs $45 a month, and the most expensive is the XL-64 SSD, which comes with a price of $140 a month.
The four HDD Dedicated Hosting plans that IONOS Hosting offers are L4i HDD, L-16 HDD, XL-32 HDD, and XL-64 HDD. They provide Intel Xeon processors, DDR4 ECC Storage, unlimited traffic, free domain, Site Scan, and RailGun Content Delivery Network. The cheapest plan is the L4i HDD, which costs $47 a month, and the most expensive is the XL-64 HDD, which comes with a price of $120 a month.
IONOS offers nine VPS hosting plans. All the plans offer unlimited traffic and full virtualization, making them ideal for various uses. All VPS plans come with Certified infrastructure, SSD SAN storage system, SSL encryption, Firewall management, DDoS protection, and regular Backups. Five of the VPS Hosting plans are Standard, and four of the VPS Hosting plans are memory-optimized. The cheapest Standard plan is the VPS S, which costs $2 a month, and the most expensive is the VPS XXL, which comes for $18 a month. The cheapest memory-optimized plan is the VPS M RAM, which costs $8 a month, and the most expensive is the VPS XXL RAM, which comes at $24 a month.
IONOS Hosting provides web Hosting for Agencies with fast, scalable hosting with additional tools for web professionals.
There are three plans:
Essential + Partner Membership for $4 a month, Business + Partner Membership, which costs $0.50 a month and Expert + Partner Membership, available for $8 a month.
IONOS offers three WordPress hosting plans:
- Essential – ideal for beginners and personal websites, for $3 a month.
- Business – an excellent plan accustomed for small businesses, for $0.50 a month.
- Unlimited – suitable for small and medium businesses, for $8 a month.
If you’re a beginner with WordPress, managed WordPress is the way to go. WordPress core, security, and select software upgrades will be handled for you. So you can focus on your content. Every managed WordPress plan includes free services, including a domain, an SSL certificate, and an email.
- Essential – excellent for creating personal websites, for $3 a month or $ a month when you renew.
- Business – this is an accustomed plan to create a media-rich WordPress site for $0.50 a month or $8 a month when you renew.
- Unlimited – a suitable plan for creating multiple WordPress sites for $8 per month or $16 a month when you renew.
WooCommerce is a free WordPress eCommerce plugin. WooCommerce provides the essential tools to set up and run your online store, from pre-installed payment gateways to stock inventory management. WooCommerce provides dozens of extensions and add-ons (free and paid). IONOS Hosting offers three WooCommerce plans Essential, Business, and Unlimited. The Essential plan costs $3 a month with a renewal for $4, the Business plan costs $0.5 a month with a renewal price of $8, and the Unlimited plan costs $8 at a renewal price of $16.
Features & Benefits
IONOS provides unique features and benefits that may assist users, whether you’re a beginner or a large corporation. In this IONOS brand review, we’ll go over some of the features and benefits of this excellent hosting company.
1. Global Presence
IONOS has become one of the largest hosting companies in Europe, with over 90,000 servers in operation that provide maximum server stability and speed performance and 15 facilities in 9 countries around the globe. The company has ten proprietary geo redundant ISO 27001 certified data centers and 2,000 employees from 40 countries. The data centers in Europe are located in Austria, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Romania. IONOS Hosting has global coverage, hosting 8 million customer contracts worldwide and 12 million domains under management in its own regional data centers in the US and Europe.
2. Security
IONOS provides a free SSL Wildcard and Site Scan from SiteLock to safeguard your website from hackers, malware, and unwanted access. All data transmitted between users and the website will be safeguarded by encrypting it for better security. Visitors will see real-time assurance that your site is safe if you show the SiteLock Trust Seal on your website. You get an HTTPS website with the SSL certificate, and Google will mark your site as secure. IONOS also provides Data Protection, Website Security, and Email Security.
3. Regular Backups
IONOS provides daily backups of your webspace which is available for six days. If you require data backups for an extended time, you can create your backups manually. Users can create manual backups using options such as MySQL or SFTP. With the IONOS Linux Web Hosting packages, the users can restore the backups under the Webspace Recovery option.
4. Email
IONOS provides a professional email hosting solution that includes all of the tools you’ll need to grow your business. They have eight email hosting plans available, allowing you to create professional email accounts with your domain name. You’ll get a free matching domain name and the domain extensions of your choice. The IONOS-hosted email will keep your mailbox safe and secure with top-of-the-line antivirus and anti-spam capabilities. If you want an extra layer of security against viruses and malware threats, you can add premium virus protection.
Performance
A hosting company must provide top-quality performance and almost 100% uptime. Because of constant updates and fixes, instances of downtime are unavoidable. However, it would be best to have a reliable hosting provider to keep your site running smoothly.
1. Speed – Excellent Speed All Over The World
When it comes to choosing a hosting web service, speed is crucial. It essentially determines the user experience. Thus, it would be best if you considered this factor before purchasing. Depending on your data center, your speeds and performance will vary. If you have a plan that allows you to select the data center, you should choose one nearest to your country. Otherwise, IONOS will select one of their 15 database centers for you. By default, IONOS will choose the data center nearest to you. The provider delivered an average page loading time of 865 milliseconds during testing in the previous year.
2. Uptime – Excellent (99.98% In The Past Six Months)
The Uptime Guarantee offered by IONOS is 99.98%, which is excellent. The company’s infrastructure is geo-redundant, with your data mirrored in two data centers. It implies that your performance will not be affected if one goes down for maintenance or has an outage. In addition, the provider’s data centers are equipped with a battery-backed uninterruptible power supply that will keep your site up and running at all times. Generators safeguard them as well, stepping in during lengthy outages.
Additionally, IONOS is dedicated to scalable performance management. If your current level of performance has reached its limit, IONOS will notify you. So then you can change your performance level according to your needs.
3. Loading Time – CDN Is A Significant Aspect
Many factors affect the speed and loading time of your site. One thing that affects the loading time is the frequent service maintenance by IONOS. Another thing that can impact the website’s loading time is the physical distance between the visitor and the server. Depending on the physical distance, the loading time and performance will vary. The greater the distance between the user and the server, the longer the loading time. Windows server hosting employs cutting-edge technology to ensure that your site content performs at its best.
The Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a crucial component that distributes requests over many data centers, allowing speed improvement for your Windows server hosting.
Level Of Support
Satisfying the needs of your customers is a top priority. So if they encounter any issue, your customer support team should always be ready to jump in and assist them. Having 24/7 support from your hosting provider is essential. IONOS provides excellent customer support. IONOS will provide a dedicated customer service agent to each customer in need. IONOS has an expert support team that will be ready and available for you 24/7/365 to answer any questions and help with everything you need. You can reach IONOS customer support through email, chat or call them.
You can call IONOS customer support and speak to an expert agent—an actual person, not an automated message. Each time you need assistance, you will be talking to the same agent on the phone.
In addition, IONOS has an Online Contact Service or Help Center where you will get real-time expert support. You can select one of the many topics so that IONOS can connect you with the proper agent.
IONOS also provides a well-organized Knowledge Base. It is divided into various categories to choose the topic you need assistance with. You can find Domains, SSL Certificates, Email, Office, Websites & Stores, Hosting, Server & Cloud Infrastructure, and Online Marketing.
Once I opted for the live chat option, I immediately connected with an agent, which was fantastic. He immediately welcomed me and asked what I needed help with.
I asked the agent about the personal consultant service, how it works, where it takes place, and what topics they could assist me with.
I had a great experience with the IONOS live chat. I was assigned an agent immediately, and he was very professional. The agent responded quickly. However, his responses were short and precise.
User Friendly
A good hosting provider will make their plans accustomed to everyone and easy to use. The control panel is crucial because it is where you manage your site and your account, and the interface is how the control panel is laid out and how you interact with it. IONOS uses its custom control panel setup.
IONOS offers a modern, easy-to-use interface and user-friendly services, with installs that can be completed quickly. It also provides a comprehensive help center with information ranging from starting an ecommerce business to changing your security settings. IONOS provides live human help through phone or email if you have any problems. IONOS provides everything you need to get started with the service, regardless of your technical skill level.
1. Creating An Account With IONOS
Creating a new IONOS account is quick and easy. The first step is to select a hosting service and a plan that suits your specific requirements. After that, you need to fill up your information, select a payment method, and sign up. IONOS will send you an email asking you to verify your profile, and then you’re done. You’ll be up and running with IONOS in no time. The instructions are straightforward, and if you follow them, you will have no problems setting up your account.
2. Creating Or Merging A Domain
With IONOS, you can add your domain and get it free for the first year. I love the transparency that IONOS provides. They promptly notify you that you will be required to pay at renewal, something most web hosting companies try to keep hidden. If you don’t have a domain, you can purchase one at an affordable price. Setting up a new domain is straightforward. Also, IONOS allows you to set up an external domain for use with your existing IONOS products.
3. Installing WordPress
You can install WordPress using the Auto WordPress installation in the control panel with only one click. It is possible to install manually or with the help of an auto-installer. Don’t be afraid if you have no prior knowledge in the field because everything is well-designed and can be completed in minutes.
Step By Step Walkthrough – IONOS
As previously said, IONOS provides web, cloud, VPS, dedicated, and WordPress hosting services. You have the option of choosing between Domains & Hosting and Cloud Computing. Then, within each tab, you can select from a choice of services.
Firstly, you should choose the hosting service you need by clicking on the tab. I selected web hosting for Windows. IONOS offers three Windows Hosting plans: Business, Pro, and Expert. I will purchase the Business plan, the most affordable one. The Business plan works best for a single website, with 100 GB storage and 25 MS SQL databases (2 GB SSD). It also comes with a free domain for a year and a professional email.
When you click Continue, you will get to the following screen where you can add your domain and get it free for the first year.
If you have an existing domain, you can transfer it by clicking Transfer it here.
You can pick your Nameserver Settings and move the domain if you scroll down a little.
Next is the registration is the Cart.
You can change your billing period from yearly to monthly, but you will pay a higher price.
Then click on Continue. Here, you can continue to checkout, check out with PayPal or sign in (if you already own an IONOS account). I went with the first option.
You need to enter your billing information and domain registration information in the Customer details.
Following in the registration process is Payment. Once you fill out this information, you can continue to the Order Review.
Read through the terms and conditions, check the boxes, and click on Order now.
I liked that IONOS provides a phone PIN. The phone PIN is a unique number to prove your identity when speaking with IONOS customer support over the phone. You should make sure to save it somewhere.
Now your purchase is concluded.
Using and Managing Your Website on IONOS
As soon as you enter your account, IONOS starts setting up the control panel. I was amazed that the process took approximately two minutes! Next, I clicked Get started.
If you click on Build a Website, you can start your new web project. You can get hosting, WordPress, build a website, sell online, get design services, or organize your online presence from a single place.
Dashboard
If you click on Home, you can select a product you would like to use, including Domains and SSL, Email, Websites and Stores, Hosting, Security Solutions, My Account, or Add another product.
Emails
You can choose from several email addresses in the Email section, including Basic, Business, Microsoft Exchange, or Email Forwarding.
Domains and SSL
If you click on Domains and SSL, you can order a domain, transfer a domain, create subdomains, pre-reservation, and set up an external domain or an SSL certificate.
Security Solutions
In Security Solutions, you can protect against Internet threats.
Hosting Overview
In Hosting Overview, you can find the plan you have purchased. In this section, you can track your webspace, configure FTPS, create databases, and get a CDN.
My Account
In My Account, you can manage invoices, contracts, and accounts.
Contracts and Subscriptions display all purchases you have in your IONOS account. Next, in Login and Account Security, you can manage your password and phone PIN, set up Two-Factor Authentication, or issue access permissions. In Contact Details are displayed the data you have entered on registration. In General, Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are provided details on your consent and further information. Finally, in Profile Details, you can set up several variables, such as the essential success factor for you as a customer, who manages your products, why you use your products, etc.
Conclusion: Do We Recommend IONOS?
Yes, we do! For small enterprises and individuals, we suggest IONOS. If you’re searching for a simple, affordable web hosting provider that’s easy to use and provides hands-on technical help, IONOS is terrific. This IONOS review shows that this provider offers various plans and add-on applications, such as email marketing, domain registration, and a website builder platform. IONOS provides many features and plans to expand a business effectively, and it comes at a reasonable price, which is ideal for those just getting started. It’s also a wise option if you want to pay for a personalized website. Looking through IONOS customer reviews, many people had a positive experience with this hosting provider. I found a few drawbacks, but the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
If our IONOS brand review didn’t persuade you that this provider is the perfect fit for you, they provide a fantastic 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can try it out!
Monthly Updates
During April 2022, IONOS:
- Announced the relocation of its headquarters to Philadelphia, PA.
- Experienced disruption in several Control Panel areas.
- Experienced another disruption in several Control Panel areas.
During March 2022, IONOS:
- Performed SAP system maintenance.
- Experienced disruption in several Control Panel areas.
- Experienced a technical issue with its Support Tools.
During February 2022, IONOS:
- Experienced technical issues with its Customer Service Support Tool.
During January 2022, IONOS:
- Performed scheduled maintenance on its Database systems.
- Had technical difficulties with Mail Basic.
- Performed scheduled maintenance on its Database systems.
- Performed scheduled SAP system maintenance.
- Had a disruption in several Control Panel areas.
- Announced that PHP 8.1 is now available.
During December 2021, IONOS:
- Had a disruption with its Customer Service Support Tool.
- Had a disruption with its Website Builder and Hosting, some websites were inaccessible.
- Performed a scheduled maintenance on its Billing Service.
- Had technical issues with its Customer Service Support Tool.
During November 2021, IONOS:
- Had disruption in several Control Panel areas, some websites were inaccessible