1&1 IONOS Review [Updated 2023]

1&1 IONOS got its start in Europe but has since expanded to serve more than 8 million global customers and host more than 12 million domain names.

Part of the United Internet Group, 1&1 IONOS relaunched in 2018 after merging with the successful ProfitBricks cloud infrastructure service.

The end result is a web hosting company that’s perfectly poised to serve everyone from first-time site owners and small businesses to rapidly scaling corporations in need of powerful virtual and dedicated server options.

Web hosting beginners will especially appreciate the company’s dedication to a comprehensive user experience. In addition to affordable shared and WordPress hosting, 1&1 IONOS customers can quickly deploy the company’s custom drag-and-drop site builder or ecommerce store creator.

Marketing tools abound to grow your presence, including for a local business listing on online directories, Google Adwords management, email marketing, and search engine optimization.

More experienced customers will find a comfortable hosting home in the various 1&1 IONOS cloud solutions. In addition to somewhat-more-obscure services like S3 object storage, Kubernetes-as-a-Service, or specialized cloud app configurations, the company offers the cloud in managed or unmanaged varieties, plus enterprise-grade Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service options.

Whichever level of hosting you choose, 1&1 IONOS provides you with a personal consultant — a central point of contact available directly by phone, email, or chat who understands your needs. Be sure to consider 1&1 IONOS for your hosting needs.

• FREE domain and SSL, plus daily backups
• Drag-and-drop site builder and starter kit
• Gain exposure with $100-worth of ad credits
• Packages cater to businesses & personal use
• FREE custom SEO and marketing tools

1&1 IONOS’s Cheap Hosting 

If budget is the main factor on your mind when searching for your next web host, search no more.

Also Read: DreamHost Reviews

1&1 IONOS has an impressive range of robust web hosting and website building packages for what may be the best price we’ve ever seen in the world of hosting.

Even better, there are no hidden fees or upsells at checkout — finally, a place in the web hosting world where “what you see is what you get” doesn’t apply to just site builders.

All 1&1 IONOS plans come with a free domain name registration, or existing site transfer, with permissions to use (essentially) as much storage space and databases as you need.

While some hosting shoppers may view the lack of “truly” unlimited features to be a knock on 1&1 IONOS, we actually prefer that the host is upfront about exactly what resources are available — and, trust us, you’ll have plenty of resources to work with.

Starting a 1&1 IONOS website from scratch is simple. With the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite Builder and ecommerce store creator, you can easily choose a template, drag and drop various elements of your site, and customize it to your brand or personal preference.

For a bit more control, the company gives you more than 70 cloud applications that can be installed with just one click. For cost-conscious customers, whether you’re looking for a website builder, WordPress host, or a place to launch your online store, you can’t go wrong with one of the 1&1 IONOS budget-friendly plans.

The company includes all of the web hosting essentials and makes it simple to upgrade at any time, with expert support available to help at every step along the way.

• $1/month for 12 months
• No hidden costs – pay just $12 at checkout
• Easy setup and 24/7 expert support
• FREE domain or transfer, plus FREE SSL certificate
• Unlimited storage and databases with most plans

1&1 IONOS’s Dedicated Hosting

If you need blazing-fast speed, optimum uptime, top-notch flexibility, and full control over the fate of your website the dedicated servers from 1&1 IONOS have you covered.

The company offers an assortment of entry-level, performance-focused, and business-class server options. 1&1 IONOS currently operates more than 90,000 servers within 10 geo-redundant datacenters, and the hardware features top-notch Intel Atom and Xeon processors.

The company’s hands-on approach to perfecting datacenters ensures high levels of uptime and supremely reliable server networks, boasting up to 1 Gbit/s connectivity, unlimited traffic, and HTTP/2 support.

Although experienced dedicated server customers might prefer a large cloud environment with root access enabled, rookies and busy entrepreneurs who would prefer to spend their time elsewhere will appreciate the intuitive 1&1 IONOS control panel included with each machine; no server admin is required, meaning you can focus on your projects instead of monotonous maintenance.

Users can monitor their dedicated server performance through a web browser, but we also love how 1&1 IONOS offers mobile access to the control panel via apps for both iOS and Android.

Unlike many other dedicated server providers, 1&1 IONOS gives customers per-minute billing options.

Offering a wealth of dedicated server options to meet any budget or performance needs, 1&1 IONOS customers benefit from easy system management, and top-notch security, and personalized support — basically everything you can hope to get from a dedicated server provider.

• Explore server deals to find the best rates
• High powered modern AMD and Intel processors
• Unlimited traffic and 1 Gbit/s network connectivity
• 8-minute deployment with full API control
• Auto backups, DDoS protection, and RAID-1 storage

1&1 IONOS’s VPS Hosting

For an all-star player in the game of web hosting flexibility, look no further than the low-cost options from 1&1 IONOS.

The company’s vServers are a powerful VPS option that includes dedicated resources and unlimited traffic. Customers will receive generous allotments of memory, computing cores, and high-speed SSD storage for rates much lower than many competitors.

We appreciate the company’s flexibility in offering a wide range of Linux and Windows operating systems, along with the root access to completely control applications and other configurations. Users can use the Plesk Onyx control panel to manage server operations securely and efficiently.

The 1&1 IONOS VPS network is powered by VMware virtualization and redundant SAN storage, backed by Intel Xeon E5 processors and SSDs.

For those looking for other virtualized hosting options, 1&1 IONOS boasts numerous managed and unmanaged cloud services. Ranging from object storage to container orchestration, we especially appreciate the pre-configured environments that are optimized to specific application performance needs.

Want your WordPress or Magento site to fly? Look into 1&1 IONOS cloud hosting. Experienced developers comfortable with root access will enjoy hourly-billed IONOS Cloud environments, while cloud hosting newbies will prefer the managed, Platform-as-a-Service option.

Large companies can build customized, future-proofed environments via the 1&1 IONOS Infrastructure-as-a-Service package. No matter your selection, 1&1 IONOS smooths the on-ramp for cloud services adoption, promising that servers will launch in just 55 seconds.

In addition to the ridiculously low introductory prices, keep an eye out for additional discounts for your first month that enable you to sample upgraded tools without a long-term commitment.

• $2/month for 12 months. No hidden fees
• Try it FREE via 30-day money-back guarantee
• Full root access and API
• 10GB to 240GB SSD, Linux or Windows
• No throttling or traffic restrictions, ever

1&1 IONOS’s WordPress Hosting

You’re not alone if you’re looking for fine-tuned optimizations and security enhancements specifically tailored around WordPress.

Hundreds of hosts are clamoring to offer the best services for the world’s most popular content management system, and 1&1 IONOS is among the select group leading the way.

The company offers all the essentials you would expect from a provider that emphasizes shared hosting simplicity, while still including the features that particularly resonate with more technical WordPress users.

First, a setup assistant gets you started with just a few clicks, offering countless options to customize and grow your WordPress site through theme and plugin suggestions.

From there, the company’s powerful infrastructure — boasting NGINX web server, SSD storage, modern PHP, and 2GB of guaranteed memory — delivers your site with speed.

1&1 IONOS secures WordPress sites by automatically updating the CMS for you, along with providing DDoS protection and optional SiteLock security.

The managed platform takes care of all tedious management tasks, and site owners will appreciate the personal consultant that is on standby to answer any WordPress questions via phone, email, or chat.

All in all, starting and sustaining a WordPress site with 1&1 IONOS couldn’t be easier. From a free domain and simple startup to the company’s robust support systems, the company offers everything you need to launch a WordPress website with ease.

• Just $1/month for 12 months with no hidden costs
• Free domain registration and up to 500 email accounts
• Setup wizard helps with installation, suggests themes, and installs plugins
• FREE automatic WP updates and DDoS protection
• SSD drives, NGINX, and guaranteed RAM for page load speed

1&1 IONOS’s Website Builder 

If you’re in need of a one-stop shop for designing and launching a website, you should be pleased to hear that 1&1 IONOS offers its own custom website building tools for both desktop and mobile devices.

In addition to a free domain and email address, along with unlimited storage space, the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite platform includes all the essentials for starting a site from scratch.

With MyWebsite packages, you can quickly and easily create a custom website — without any coding or programming knowledge.

As if the low introductory rate wasn’t impressive enough, 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite packages come with a free 30-day trial period so you can be certain that this easy-to-use solution is the right one for you.

The company’s drag-and-drop site editor features tons of high-quality, customizable templates. Your site will automatically be optimized for smartphones and tablets, and 1&1 IONOS offers apps to integrate interactive, professional elements into your site, including photo galleries, online scheduling, customer reviews, social media widgets, and maps.

For those who are more pressed for time, you can quickly spin up a one-page website or employ 1&1 IONOS design experts to create up to five custom pages with images and SEO-optimized text.

Somewhat interestingly, 1&1 IONOS redirects customers to a separate website builder if they’re looking to sell products online. The company’s ecommerce builder easily integrates with Amazon, eBay, and Google, covering a wide range of integrated payment and shipping methods.

That being said, we are quite enamored with the comprehensive features included in these plans.

• No coding skills necessary with MyWebsite Creator
• Free domain name included or transfer your existing site
• Social media and business widgets add functionality
• Professional templates with pre-filled text and images
• Multilingual support and tools for SEO and email marketing

1&1 IONOS’s Features

Free Domain and MyWebsite Site Builder

• Nearly all plans come with a free domain name registration and ample amounts of storage, subdomains, and email accounts. 1&1 IONOS websites are completely customizable, featuring one-click installations for popular applications like WordPress.
• Alternatively, you can build a site without installing software using the company’s drag-and-drop site builder, featuring several packages available with the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite option.
• Easily install popular web applications. Experts will suggest popular plugins and extensions for your specific site, and they’ll provide guided installations for configuring your content management system.

Tons of Scalable Cloud Options

• Choose a pre-defined starting configuration, with available sizes ranging from “M” to “XXL,” for affordable and easy entry into the cloud. Choose your ideal scripting language, web server, and database to perfectly fit your site’s needs.
• The 1&1 IONOS Cloud allows users to deploy in 55 seconds or less, with load balancing to distribute traffic and ensure optimal performance for your website. Adjust your resources at any time to match the demands of your traffic.
• Even though 1&1 IONOS relies on by-the-minute billing — ensuring you only pay for what you need — the company’s management portal enables you to start or stop resources at any time. If you don’t configure resources, you don’t pay for them. No minimum contract terms or commitments.

Specialized SEO and Marketing Tools

• With rankingCoach, 1&1 IONOS shines an SEO spotlight on your site, ensuring it is more visible to your audience and search engines. Text and videos walk you through clearly defined tasks, no matter which content management system you use. Constant keyword analysis ensures you receive helpful feedback that drives results.
• The company’s email marketing plans offers a streamlined way to integrate subscription forms and build engaging messages that resonate on all devices. 1&1 IONOS software enables you to monitor campaigns in real time and run A/B testing to fine-tune your strategies, ensuring your marketing efforts are kept efficient and effective.
• Pay-per-click advertising may seem like rocket science, but 1&1 IONOS will allow you to leverage the company’s expertise and resources. Gain exposure almost immediately and connect with millions of potential customers as the company researches keywords, writes ads, and manages campaigns. They’ll monitor and optimize your keywords for increased relevance.

Top-Notch Performance and Security

• 1&1 IONOS offers managed server packages with optional performance enhancements in addition to the full slate of web hosting features. Managed hosting customers receive unlimited traffic and 100% SSD storage that delivers speeds up to 10 times faster than HDDs.
• 1&1 IONOS datacenters, located across the US and Europe, feature advanced hardware, and around-the-clock monitoring. With external connectivity speeds exceeding 300 gigabits per second, you’re sure to have quick and easy access to applications. Redundant storage networks, automatic backups and updates, as well as firewalls and DDoS protection ensures everything is designed for maximum security.
• With proactive protection, malware scanning with SiteLock, and file recovery systems, 1&1 IONOS offers you all the options for defending your site against catastrophe. The company’s optional Railgun CDN from Cloudflare provides optimum security and performance for your site, especially when paired with a free SSL certificate.

Reliability & Support

1&1 IONOS boasts supremely reliable uptime rates, thanks to geo-redundant datacenters, mirrored storage, and fault-tolerant networks. The company’s security offerings include SiteLock vulnerability scanning and DDoS protection, along with robust monitoring and firewall tools. In addition to top-notch security features, with premium upgrades available, 1&1 IONOS offers automatic backups and data recovery features should disaster strike. Most impressively, however, is the company’s dedication to one-on-one personal support. Every plan pairs you with a dedicated consultant that you can reach directly by phone, chat, or email during regular business hours. They’ll learn your business, suggest specific optimizations, and help you troubleshoot any issues that may arise. If problems crop up in the middle of the night, 1&1 IONOS staffs local support teams that can help 24/7/365.

1&1 IONOS Includes:

24/7/365 Customer Support via, Phone, Chat, and Email, Plus a 99.99% Uptime Guarantee and Personal Consultant.