Some of the cheapest intro prices around, backed by an unusual amount of award-winning support.
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We last reviewed IONOS in October 2026. Prices come directly from IONOS's own plan pages, using the "Then only" renewal price on each card rather than the crossed-out list price. Company figures come from IONOS's About page. We cross-checked them against Website Builder Expert's February 2026 comparison. This is desk research: we did not buy a plan for this update.
Overview
IONOS traces back to 1&1, founded in Germany in 1988 and headquartered in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate. The company merged with cloud infrastructure provider ProfitBricks in 2018 and rebranded as 1&1 IONOS; it is part of United Internet and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. IONOS reports more than 6.2 million customers, 31 data centers and 4,300 employees, targeting small and mid-size businesses with web hosting, SSL, email and domain services bundled under one account.
Features of Ionos
Building a site with Ionos
For WordPress, pick a domain, run the 1-click WordPress install, and set up your admin profile. From there the AI Website Builder can generate a full draft site, copy and images included, from a short questionnaire, and an in-editor AI Assistant will write content on request. Non-WordPress users can instead use the no-code "MyWebsite" product, or the AI App and Site Builder for generating a custom app or tool from a text description. Day-to-day management runs through IONOS's own Website Cockpit dashboard rather than cPanel. Trusthost has not purchased a test account to walk through this flow first-hand.
Ionos pricing
Web Hosting
| Plan | Discount price | Regular price | Term | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential (100 GB, 1 email address) | $4.00/mo | $8.00/mo | 12 months | 50% |
| Starter (200 GB, 2 email addresses) | $6.00/mo | $10.00/mo | 12 months | 40% |
| Plus (350 GB, 4 email addresses) | $1.00/mo | $14.00/mo | 12 months | 93% |
| Ultimate (500 GB, 5 email addresses) | $10.00/mo | $18.00/mo | 12 months | 44% |
Hosting for WordPress
| Plan | Discount price | Regular price | Term | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start (25 GB, 1 email address) | $5.00/mo | $8.00/mo | 12 months | 38% |
| Grow (50 GB, 5 email addresses) | $1.00/mo | $12.00/mo | 12 months | 92% |
| Boost (75 GB, 10 email addresses) | $12.00/mo | $17.00/mo | 12 months | 29% |
VPS+ (intro price for 3 months)
| Plan | Discount price | Regular price | Term | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPS S+ (1 vCore / 2 GB) | $2.00/mo | $6.00/mo | 12 months | 67% |
| VPS M+ (2 vCores / 4 GB) | $5.00/mo | $14.00/mo | 12 months | 64% |
| VPS L+ (4 vCores / 8 GB) | $8.00/mo | $25.00/mo | 12 months | 68% |
| VPS XL+ (8 vCores / 16 GB) | $14.00/mo | $47.00/mo | 12 months | 70% |
| VPS XXL+ (12 vCores / 24 GB) | $20.00/mo | $68.00/mo | 12 months | 71% |
Deploy Now
| Plan | Discount price | Regular price | Term | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Membership | $0.00/mo | Not shown | — | — |
| Membership + static project | $2.00/mo | Not shown | — | — |
| Membership + PHP project | $7.00/mo | Not shown | — | — |
Ionos support
IONOS offers 24/7 support by phone, chat and email, and every account includes a personal consultant. The US support line is +1-484-424-7392. IONOS cites multiple Customer Service of the Year awards. We have not contacted support ourselves for this update.
Pros and cons
What is IONOS in 2026?
IONOS is a German web host that grew out of 1&1, founded in 1988, and is now part of United Internet. It reports more than 6.2 million customers, 31 data centers and 22 million domains under management. It targets small and mid-size businesses with web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS, email and domains under one account, with intro prices from $1/mo.
What do you get on an IONOS web hosting plan?
The four Web Hosting plans range from Essential (100 GB NVMe, 1 email address) to Ultimate (500 GB, 5 email addresses, malware scanning with automatic repair). Every plan includes a domain for the first year, SSL, daily backups, geo-redundancy and 1-click installs for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and other apps. IONOS states 99.99% uptime, and monthly billing with a one-month cancellation period is available if you don't want a 1-year term.
How good is IONOS support?
Support runs 24/7 by phone, chat and email, and every account gets a personal consultant, which IONOS markets as "Only at IONOS". The company cites multiple Customer Service of the Year awards. In Website Builder Expert's January 2026 test, IONOS's US server responded in 0.29 seconds, ahead of Hostinger and Bluehost.
What should you watch out for?
Renewals jump after the first year: Plus goes from $1 to $14/mo and WordPress Grow from $1 to $12/mo. The crossed-out prices on IONOS's plan cards are list prices, not renewal prices. Entry plans include only one email address, and shared hosting uses IONOS's own control panel rather than cPanel.
Is Ionos right for you?
Good fit if you want the lowest possible intro price with real inclusions (backups, SSL, professional email) at every tier, and you value having a named personal consultant alongside standard support.
Better to avoid if you want cPanel or a choice of data center on shared hosting, or if you are not prepared for the sharp jump in price once the first-year promo ends.
Frequently asked questions
