IONOS Web Hosting
Ultra-affordable shared web hosting with aggressive introductory pricing and 24/7 expert support
IONOS is a long-established hosting provider (founded 1988) offering shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers. Known for extremely low entry prices starting at $1/month, though renewal rates increase significantly. Features include 1-click app installation, free SSL certificates, daily backups, and 24/7 multilingual support.
How we scored it
A weighted average of the 4 dimensions below, each judged 0–10 from published pricing, vendor documentation and independent user feedback. We do not run hands-on tests, and no vendor has any say in a score.
2 further dimensions are not scored for this product yet, so they are left out of the average rather than counted as zero. How the score works.
What it actually costs
Intro pricing shown — see the renewal note for what you'll pay after the introductory term. We don't hide the second-act price.
WordPress Grow
50 GB SSD storage, 5 email addresses, AI site building tools
What to check before you rent IONOS Web Hosting
Infrastructure is cheap to start and expensive to leave. These four questions decide what it costs you over three years rather than three months.
The renewal, not the intro price
Introductory pricing is normal in this category and the renewal is the price that matters. Check the renewal rate on IONOS Web Hosting’s own pricing page before the first term ends, not after.
What the commitment buys
Longer terms carry the lowest headline rate and the least room to change your mind. Price the shortest term you would actually be comfortable with, then decide whether the discount is worth the lock-in.
The cost of leaving
Moving a site or a workload is the hidden switching cost: migration time, DNS and TLS changes, and whatever egress the provider charges to hand your own data back. A provider is only cheap if leaving is.
What is actually metered
Bandwidth, storage, backups and support tiers are usually the lines that grow, not the base plan. Find the ceiling on each before you commit, because that is where the bill moves.
These are the checks we apply across hosting, in the same order, so two pages can be compared line for line.
How much does IONOS Web Hosting really cost?
Our calculation from the vendor's published prices — not a figure the vendor advertises.
One price covers the account whatever the team size, so cost per person falls as the team grows. Flat-rate plans with introductory pricing for 12-month terms; renewal rates increase significantly after first year
| Team size | Per month | Per year | Over 3 years | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $1 | $12 | $36 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 5 people | $1 | $12 | $36 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 10 people | $1 | $12 | $36 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 50 people | $1 | $12 | $36 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
Based on the Essential plan at $1 a month. First 12 months at the introductory rate, then the published renewal rate.
- Pricing has not been verified against the vendor's page since this data was collected.
Work out your own cost
- Flat rate — the price does not change with team size.
- Billed annually at $4 per month equivalent.
IONOS Web Hosting against the field
The highest-scoring alternatives in the same category, compared on the figures we hold for all of them.
| IONOS Web HostingThis page | Kinsta | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReviewCost score | 6.8/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Cheapest plan | Essential | — | — |
| From | $1.00/mo | $35.00/mo | $1.99/mo |
| Renews at | $8.00/mo | Not published | Not published |
| Biggest strength | Exceptionally aggressive introductory pricing ($1/month entry points) makes getting started very affordable | Exceptional website speed performance consistently ranked at the top of managed WordPress hosts with sub-200ms time-to-first-byte | Exceptionally competitive introductory pricing starting under $3/month attracts budget-conscious users |
| Biggest drawback | Renewal rates jump dramatically after Year 1 (2-4x introductory prices), causing budget surprises and long-term cost concerns | Premium pricing starting at $35/month makes it 3–10 times more expensive than budget shared hosting, unsuitable for hobby sites or tight budgets | Steep renewal rates: introductory pricing jumps 3–5× at term end (e.g., $2.69→$10.99); renewal shock is the single most common user complaint |
Prices are the published figures at the time of writing and change often. Renewal pricing is shown where the vendor publishes it. See how we review.
What people ask about IONOS Web Hosting
Straight answers to what buyers actually ask, drawn from the documentation and published user reports.
Is the $1/month IONOS price real, or is it a gimmick?
How does IONOS performance compare to other budget hosts?
Can I use my own SSL certificate?
What happens if I need to cancel?
Page history
- Published
- 13 September 2026
- Last updated
- 1 October 2026
Pricing on this page has not yet been checked against the vendor’s own page.