Hostinger vs IONOS: which one is better for you?
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If you’re comparing Hostinger and IONOS, you’re probably wondering which one offers better value for your website. Both providers are big names in the hosting world: Hostinger has been delivering affordable, high-speed hosting since 2004, while IONOS, which rebranded from 1&1 in 2018, has spent decades helping businesses across Europe establish their online presence.
To make it easier for you to decide between these two, I’ve created a detailed comparison guide. Below, you can find details on each provider’s pricing, performance, ease of use, security features, and customer support.
Hostinger vs IONOS 2025: overview
Hostinger and IONOS are both top web hosting services, yet each serves different needs. Hostinger is superior for personal websites, blogs, and small businesses because it offers affordable pricing and solid performance. In contrast, IONOS brings enterprise-oriented hosting with a focus on security, scalability, and a strong European presence.
| Hostinger | IONOS | |
| ⭐ Rating: | ||
| 💵 Price: | From $2.78/month | From $1/month |
| 📑 Uptime guarantee: | 99.9% | 99.99% |
| 🔥 Coupons: | Hostinger coupon 77% OFF | IONOS coupon 91% OFF! |
| Storage space (from): | 100 GB SSD | 10 GB SSD |
| ✂️ Free domain (first year): | Yes | Yes |
| 🔒 Free SSL certificate: | Yes | Yes |
| ➡️ Site migration: | Free unlimited migrations for WordPress and open-source sites | Manual migration or migration with the help of WordPress plugin |
| 💾 Automated backups: | Free (weekly) | Yes (daily) |
| 📧 Email accounts: | Free (up to 100 accounts) | 1 free account |
| 👨💻 24/7 live support: | Yes | Yes |
| 💰 Money-back guarantee: | 30-day | 30-day |
Pricing comparison: Hostinger offers more features for a lower long-term cost
Hostinger is the better long-term option thanks to its lower renewal rates. IONOS starts cheaper at $1.00/month for the first year, but it jumps to $12.00/month after that. Hostinger pricing starts at $2.78/month with predictability over a 4-year term, making it the more cost-effective choice if you want stable costs without surprises.
| Hosting type | Hostinger | IONOS |
| Shared hosting | From $2.78/month (first term) | From $1.00/month (first year) |
| WordPress hosting | From $2.78/month | From $1.00/month |
| VPS hosting | From $4.64/month | From $2.00/month |
| Cloud hosting | From $7.43/month | Prices depend on your needs |
| Dedicated hosting | Not available | From $48.00/month |
The unlimited websites and storage offered by IONOS on some plans make it ideal for agencies or managing multiple high-traffic sites. Hostinger's affordable WordPress and cloud hosting plans deliver more value for individuals and small businesses.
Both providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but Hostinger wins for overall affordability and its beginner-friendly tools.
Hostinger vs IONOS performance
Hostinger has established itself as one of the top hosting providers in 2025, offering excellent performance and ease of use, making it ideal for beginners. Meanwhile, IONOS remains a strong choice for Europe-based developers and agencies, thanks to its regional infrastructure and enterprise-level solutions.
As revealed during our in-house testing, Hostinger offers faster response times, and more efficient traffic handling. Unfortunately, IONOS performs well with everyday website loads but struggles under pressure when traffic spikes. Here’s a summary of Hostinger and IONOS performance metrics:
| Brand | Uptime guarantee | Response time | Speed |
| Hostinger | 99.9% | 176ms | 1.728s |
| IONOS | 99.99% | 914ms | 3.352s |
Hostinger has demonstrated faster response times and a better overall speed, while IONOS delivers the same uptime but falls behind when traffic increases. Overall, in terms of performance, if you want a fast and reliable site, Hostinger is the better host.
Uptime and response time
The Cybernews research team and I tested Hostinger and IONOS’s uptime and response times over several weeks to observe how each provider performs.
During our full Hostinger review, the host showed 100% uptime and lack of outages. It also exceeded its 99.9% uptime guarantee. Remember, maintaining 100% uptime indefinitely is unfeasible, but this proves that Hostinger's infrastructure is top-class. Its response time was just as impressive, averaging at just 176ms – much quicker than the 600ms industry average.
On the other hand, during our IONOS review, the host also exceeded its uptime guarantee, maintaining 100%. However, its response time averaged at 914ms, which is a lot slower than Hostinger. This reduces the smoothness when clicking through pages or interacting with content.
Website speed
To find out how fast Hostinger and IONOS load website content, we used our test websites and ran speed tests for both.
While testing, we focused on two key metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes to load the largest visible element. It should be under 2.5s for better ranking on Google.
- Fully Loaded Time when the entire page is fully interactive. It should be under 3s for a smooth experience.
Hostinger’s LCP was 1.728s, easily satisfying Google’s recommended limits. Its fully loaded time was even better at just 1.667s, meaning visitors can start using the site almost instantly.
IONOS recorded an LCP of 3.352s. This is a lot slower than Hostinger. Also, its fully loaded time was slower, taking 2.679s, which is not the best score.
Of course, how each host performs in your specific case will depend on where you’re located. Needless to say, server location is important, and Hostinger truly impressed me.
Hostinger has 8 data centers across the globe, including in the US, the UK, France, Brazil, and India. This is quite a good spread, since a broader server network means users in different areas can load websites quicker.
On the other hand, IONOS has servers in 5 countries: the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain. This works well for European and US audiences but is less ideal for global traffic.
Stress testing results
Traffic surges shouldn’t be a problem for established providers like Hostinger and IONOS. So, we simulated 50 virtual users (VUs) accessing each site at once (equivalent to 50,000 monthly visitors).
Hostinger passed the test with flying colors. Its response time stayed flat and stable as the number of visitors increased. We didn’t see any failures, slowdowns, or interruptions.
IONOS struggled with increasing traffic. Its response times spiked, and performance declined. So, we reduced the traffic to 10 VUs – about 10,000 monthly visitors – before IONOS stabilized. This is still satisfactory performance for smaller websites.
Hosting features and ease of use: Hostinger is more beginner-friendly with better tools
Hostinger is budget-conscious and friendly for non-tech savvy users. It provides intuitive tools and easy-to-use features for easy website management. In contrast, IONOS brings tools designed for larger-scale websites, but its interface isn’t as beginner-friendly.
Here’s a closer look at their dashboards, control panels, Wordpress tools, website builders, and extra management features.
Account management dashboard
I like that Hostinger’s dashboard is clean, responsive, and beginner-friendly. It displays key information like website performance, resource usage, and account details in an easy-to-read layout.
When you log in, you’ll see the main dashboard organized into sections like Websites, Domains, and Emails. You’ll find a search bar at the top for quick navigation – for finding tools without scrolling through endless menus.
Setting up the hosting account is a breeze. The onboarding process takes you through WordPress installation, SSL activation, and domain configuration. For example, you can quickly start a new website or migrate an existing one in a few clicks – no technical knowledge is required.
With IONOS’s dashboard, it’s certainly functional, but more complex. Granted, it covers the basics like domain registration, website setup, and email management. However, the IONOS interface lacks the simple organization of Hostinger’s dashboard. For example, you need to go through multiple steps to activate SSL or migrate websites. I found that navigating between tools with IONOS was less intuitive.
Ultimately, Hostinger’s modern dashboard offers a smoother experience for the less tech-savvy among us, whereas IONOS feels more suited for developers with technical needs.
Control panel comparison
Hostinger’s hPanel is very easy to use, even if you’ve never built a website before. It’s nice-looking and organized, with everything divided into sections like Files, Databases, Performance, Emails, and Security. It didn’t leave me scrolling around the area trying to find what I needed.
What I found really great about hPanel is the real-time performance monitoring. You can check your site’s resource usage, and it comes with LiteSpeed Cache built in to keep things running smoothly. Furthermore, if you’re using WordPress, there’s a whole section to handle updates, themes, and plugins in one place. Then, the staging environment is a pleasant surprise too, since you can test changes safely before they are made live.
When I moved on to test IONOS’s control panel, I saw that it uses Cloud Panel. It’s definitely more minimalistic, focusing on settings like network settings, backups, and security, but it’s not as user-friendly as hPanel. Say you want to manage emails – you’d have to do it in a completely separate area. In my opinion, this could have been designed better.
One final thing to note is that IONOS doesn’t use cPanel. So, if you’re moving from a cPanel-enabled host, it could be a bit tedious to manually set up everything, which isn’t great if you’re a beginner in this field. On the other hand, if you have experience with cPanel, hPanel will be very easy to get used to.
WordPress features comparison
When it comes to WordPress hosting, Hostinger makes everything a lot easier to manage. You’ve got 1-click WordPress installation, automatic core and plugin updates, and free site migration. Plus, it includes LiteSpeed Cache for faster load times. And if you’re looking to set up a site quickly, the AI Website Builder for WordPress can generate an entire site from a single prompt, complete with relevant text and images in under a minute.
Something else to underline here is Hostinger’s Kodee AI virtual assistant. This assistant is present 24/7 to help you with installing themes, optimizing performance, and troubleshooting issues.
IONOS also supports WordPress, but it takes a more manual approach. Sure, it offers daily backups and automatic core updates, but migrating your site requires a bit more work.
Also, without a built-in staging environment – something Hostinger can offer – updating can feel a bit riskier with IONOS. Yes, the WordPress assistant helps with the basics, but you won’t find advanced features like AI-generated layouts or tools to optimize site performance.
Web builders comparison
Hostinger’s AI-powered website builder is a great option for both beginners and small businesses. Its drag-and-drop interface makes site creation simple, even without prior experience. It includes:
- 150+ modern templates + customizable templates for portfolios, eCommerce stores, and business sites
- AI Heatmap that shows which areas of your site attract the most attention
- AI-powered text generation for quick content creation, including blog posts and product descriptions
- SEO optimization tools to improve search engine visibility
- Mobile editing to adjust site layouts directly from your smartphone
Meanwhile, IONOS offers a more basic website builder geared toward small businesses. Though it includes AI-generated text and simple design tools, it lacks advanced options like a heatmap or content generation beyond text. Its template selection is limited, and the design feels rigid, making it less suitable for users who want more customization or visual flexibility.
Extra hosting management features
Hostinger goes beyond the basics with a robust selection of tools to simplify hosting management. Its AI-powered Kodee assistant helps with tasks like WordPress installation, plugin management, and performance optimization. Other useful features include:
- Free automated site migration – move sites without technical input
- AI SEO assistant – suggests improvements to help your site rank better
- Automatic daily or weekly backups – depending on the chosen plan
- Account sharing and access control – manage who can access your site
- AI-powered image background remover – for professional, clean visuals on product pages
- CSV product upload – add multiple products to an e-commerce site quickly
IONOS offers essential tools like domain management, email account setup, and basic site monitoring. Its Cloud Panel is straightforward but lacks extras like AI site optimization or interactive heatmaps. But, it clearly lacks the advanced AI-driven tools seen with Hostinger.
Hostinger vs IONOS security: Hostinger offers advanced security at no extra cost
Both Hostinger and IONOS cover secure web hosting fundamentals, but Hostinger adds advanced security features across all plans at no extra cost. IONOS offers strong protection, but some premium security features are reserved for the higher-tier plans.
Here’s how they compare:
- SSL certificates. Hostinger gives you free SSL certificates. IONOS offers a wildcard SSL, which covers the main domain and all its subdomains.
- Backups. Hostinger offers you weekly backups on its entry plans and daily backups on higher-tier plans. IONOS goes a step further with daily backups for all plans and stores copies for up to 6 days – quite generous for a budget host.
- DDoS protection. Both have DDoS protection, but Hostinger adds a free content delivery network (CDN) to reduce attack risks and improve loading speeds globally.
- Malware and security monitoring. Hostinger includes a malware scanner, two-factor authentication (2FA), and a secure access manager. IONOS provides the Site Scan, which checks for malware daily and monitors spam risks and blocklist statuses.
- Extra security features. Hostinger’s secure access manager and domain privacy protect you against spam and unauthorized access. IONOS stores user data across two data centers for extra redundancy, reducing the risk of data loss.
Customer support comparison: Hostinger provides you with more options
Both Hostinger and IONOS provide 24/7 support. Hostinger offers live chat, email, a ticketing system, and AI-powered assistance, while IONOS provides live chat and phone support but lacks email and ticket-based support.
| Support option | Hostinger | IONOS |
| 24/7 live chat | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Phone support | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Email support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| AI assistant | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Ticketing system | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Knowledge base | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Hostinger’s live chat is quick and reliable, but response times can vary depending on demand. Also, Hostinger’s Kodee AI is a big plus – use it for troubleshooting and general hosting guidance without the help of an agent. And if you need extensive help, Hostinger has a ticketing system that tracks ongoing issues efficiently.
What’s unique for IONOS is its phone support, which Hostinger lacks, so you can speak with a live, human customer support agent. However, IONOS falls behind in terms of other options. Its live chat response time is slow sometimes, plus there’s no email or ticket system. Complex issues need to be taken care of either via chat or phone.
Hostinger vs IONOS: final recommendations
Hostinger emerges as the clear winner overall, offering the best balance of affordability, performance, and user-friendly features. Its easy-to-use interface, fast speeds, and advanced security make it ideal for beginners, small businesses, and users requiring a hassle-free hosting experience. Hostinger’s affordable pricing and robust support options, including its AI-powered assistant, set it apart from the competition.
IONOS offers solid performance and specific advantages for larger businesses or experienced developers – such as phone support and more advanced security. But, our testing found that it falls short for most users due to features and overall ease of use. IONOS works for customers with technical knowledge or those who need infrastructure that can handle more complex, large-scale projects.
In my view, people looking for value and simplicity should pick Hostinger. That said, IONOS brings phone support and strong security to the table.
Hostinger vs IONOS FAQ
What is the difference between Hostinger and IONOS?
Hostinger is more beginner-friendly, with a more simplistic interface, AI-powered tools, and better website performance overall. IONOS is tuned for experienced users or enterprises, with a stronger infrastructure and phone support.
What is the disadvantage of Hostinger?
Hostinger lacks phone support and doesn’t offer dedicated hosting. Its VPS options are more suited for smaller to mid-level sites. Some of Hostinger’s features – like daily backups – come only in higher-tier plans.
Is Hostinger the best hosting provider?
Hostinger is my top choice for web hosting because of its affordability, reliable performance, and user-friendly interface. However, the best web hosting service depends on your specific needs. That’s why it’s important to consider what matters most to you.
Is IONOS a good service?
Yes, IONOS is a business-focused option. The company has decades of experience in the field and offers strong security, daily backups on all plans, and phone support.
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