Every website depends on its hosting, and it offers the framework on which everything else is built. Your site wouldn’t exist without hosting.
Web hosts come in a wide variety of forms today. Some offer free plans, while others charge hundreds of dollars per month. But how do you pick the ideal host for your requirements when so many options exist?
This article will help you decide between Hostinger and Ionos Hosting. Both companies provide excellent service and support, but which one is the best choice for you? This post will help you decide!
Who Is Hostinger?
Web hosting company Hostinger provides various hosting services, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and cloud hosting. Founded in 2004, Hostinger has grown into one of the largest web hosting companies in the world, with over 29 million customers in 178 countries.
Thanks to its many features, novice, and seasoned users will find Hostinger a great choice. For starters, its onboarding process is straightforward. Also, Hostinger has multiple server locations worldwide, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. Its speed is excellent, and its customer support is available 24/7 via chat.
However, there are some downsides to using Hostinger:
- Its support options are somewhat limited compared to other providers.
- Its performance can be inconsistent at times.
- Its cheapest hosting plan is quite limited in disk space and extras.
Hostinger Pros
Easy Onboarding
A user-friendly control panel provided by Hostinger makes setting up your hosting account a breeze. Hostinger also offers a wide range of tutorials and guides to help you get the most out of your hosting experience.
Multiple Server Locations
Hostinger provides multiple server locations worldwide, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. The company also offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so you can be sure your website will be up and running when needed.
Excellent Speed
Hostinger offers excellent speed and performance thanks to SSDs and LiteSpeed servers. The company also provides a free CDN service to further improve speed and performance.
24/7 Chat Support
Hostinger provides 24/7 chat support, so you can always get help when you need it. The company also has a knowledge base and ticketing system, so you can get answers to your questions even if chat is unavailable.
User-Friendly Control Panel
Hostinger’s control panel is user-friendly and easy to use, making it simple to manage your hosting account. The control panel also includes a wide range of features and tools, so you can customize your experience.
Hostinger Cons
Limited Support Options
Hostinger only offers 24/7 chat support and doesn’t have a phone line that you can use to contact them. This can be annoying if you need assistance after chat hours or if your problem is complicated and will take longer than a few minutes to solve.
Inconsistent Performance At Times
While Hostinger is generally fast and reliable, there have been some reports of inconsistent performance, with some users experiencing slow loading times or intermittent downtime. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if you consider using Hostinger for your website.
Limited Disk Space
Hostinger’s cheapest hosting plan only comes with 50 GB of storage. We recommend using the Premium shared hosting plan, as you get double the storage space and can host up to 100 websites.
Limited Extras
Hostinger doesn’t offer many extras beyond the basics of web hosting, so if you’re looking for features like unlimited email accounts or website builder tools, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
The Cheapest Hosting Plan Is Limited
Hostinger’s cheapest hosting plan is very limited in features and storage space. Though it isn’t that limited when you compare it with other hosting providers on the market, you may need to upgrade your plan pretty quick if you want to host more websites and need additional storage.
Hostinger Key Features
One-Click Install
Hostinger offers a one-click installer that makes it easy to get started with your new website. You can quickly launch your website with just a few clicks. The one-click installer is available for all popular CMSs, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Free Domain Names
If you choose a yearly plan with Hostinger, they’ll throw in a free domain name. This is a fantastic way to lower the cost of your new website.
Unlimited Free SSL Certificates
SSL certificates are necessary for both security and SEO. With Hostinger, you can get unlimited free SSL certificates for your website, and this is a great feature that not many web hosting providers offer.
Cloudflare Protected Nameservers
Cloudflare is a leading CDN and security provider. With Hostinger, you can access Cloudflare’s protected nameservers for free. This will help improve the speed and security of your website.
WordPress Staging Tool
The WordPress staging tool is a great way to test out new plugins or themes on your site without affecting the live site. This is a valuable tool for any WordPress user.
Who Is Ionos?
Ionos is a web hosting provider that offers a variety of plans for both individuals and businesses. Over 8 million people use the company’s services globally, and it has been in business since 1988. Ionos provides many features, including unlimited storage, bandwidth, email accounts, and a free domain name and SSL certificate. The company also provides 24/7 customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ionos Pros
Decent Loading Speed
Ionos offers a decent loading speed, which is vital for any website. The company uses a variety of technologies to help ensure that your site loads quickly, including caching and CDNs. In addition, Ionos offers a free SSL certificate to help keep your site secure.
Affordable For Beginners
Ionos is among the most reasonably priced web hosting companies, making it an excellent choice for those launching their first website.
Free SSL Certificate
As mentioned above, Ionos offers a free SSL certificate to help keep your site secure. This is important for any website, especially if you sell products or services online.
Free 24/7 Support
Ionos offers free 24/7 support to all customers, no matter what plan they are on. This is important for any website owner, as you never know when you might need assistance.
DDoS protection
Ionos also offers DDoS protection to all customers, which can help protect your site from attacks.
Ionos Cons
Essential Hosting Plan Is Limited
The Essential hosting plan from Ionos is minimal. For starters, it only comes with 10 GB of storage space, which is not nearly enough for most websites, especially if you have any media on your site. Additionally, the Essential plan only allows you to create 1 website and 10 databases and also only gives you access to basic CPU & MEM resources. You’ll have to upgrade to a more expensive plan if you need more.
Not That Suitable For Beginners
Ionos is not the most user-friendly hosting provider out there. Their control panel is not as intuitive as some other providers and can confuse beginners. Additionally, their customer support options are limited (you can only contact them via phone, which is a callback). Ionos is probably not the right provider for you if you’re a beginner who needs hand-holding.
Control Panel Is Limited Compared To Most Providers
Ionos’ control panel is pretty limited compared to most other hosting providers. We found the control panel to be somewhat limited in functionality and can also be slow occasionally, which can be annoying if you don’t like waiting around. If you’re looking for a host with a robust control panel, Ionos is probably not the right choice for you.
Has A Lot Of Hidden Costs
Ionos has a lot of hidden costs that can add up quickly. For example, they charge $10/month for backups (which should be included in your hosting plan) and $20/year for each additional SSL certificate you add to your account (which is also typically included in other plans with other providers). The most annoying thing we’ve found about Ionos is that if you’re looking to use a free SSL certificate like Let’s Encrypt, you won’t be able to use it on your website, as Ionos don’t allow free SSL certificates to be installed on their hosting platform. Instead, you have to keep buying new SSL certificates from Ionos for each additional new website. These hidden costs can quickly add up, making Ionos one of the more expensive hosting providers if you’re using them long-term.
Lack Of Support Options(Only Phone Support Available)
Ionos’ lack of support options can be frustrating for customers. While they do offer 24/7 phone support, they do not provide any sort of ticketing system or email support. If you have an issue with your site outside of regular business hours, you will have to wait until someone is available to help you via phone. This can be frustrating if you’re used to having access to support at all hours of the day via ticketing or email systems.
Ionos Key Features
Mobile Admin App
The Mobile Admin App from Ionos is a great way to manage your website on the go. This app lets you easily view your website’s stats, create and edit content, and even manage your email accounts. Both iOS and Android devices can use this app.
Back-Up And Restore
Ionos offers a great backup and restore feature that allows you to easily create backups of your website’s data. Additionally, you can set up automatic backups to run every day, every week, or every month. A few clicks will allow you to quickly restore your website if needed.
Wildcard SSL And Site Scan
Wildcard SSL is a great security feature that allows you to secure all subdomains of your website with one certificate. Ionos also offers a site scan feature that helps you identify potential security threats to your website.
Cloudflare CDN
The Cloudflare CDN is a great way to improve the performance of your website by caching its content on servers around the world. For users who are based far from your server, this can help shorten the time it takes for your pages to load.
PHP 8.1 and JIT Compiler
The JIT compiler can help enhance the performance of your website by compiling PHP code into machine code that can be executed more quickly. This can help reduce the amount of time your website takes to load.
Hostinger vs. Ionos: Performance
Uptime And Reliability
Hostinger offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, while Ionos promises a 99.9% uptime as well. In our testing, both providers delivered on their promises, and we didn’t experience significant downtime with either host.
Website Loading Speed
Both Hostinger and Ionos offer fast loading speeds. However, Hostinger is slightly quicker, with an average loading time of just under 800 ms. Ionos is not far behind, with an average loading time of around 850 ms.
In terms of performance, we have found Hostinger to be slightly more reliable, with better page loading times.
Hostinger vs. Ionos: Plans And Pricing
Hostinger offers a wide range of plans to suit different budgets and needs. Its cheapest plan, Single Shared Hosting, starts at just $1.99/month, while its most expensive plan, Business Cloud Enterprise Hosting, costs $29.99/month. Hostinger also offers WordPress and VPS Hosting.
Ionos also has a wide range of plans to choose from. Its cheapest plan, Essential Hosting, starts at $4.00/month and goes up to $100+ per month if you’re looking for more advanced solutions like dedicated and VPS hosting. At the time of writing this article, Ionos is running an offer on their Business Shared Hosting plan at $0.50/month, which is ridiculously cheap compared to most competitors. For this plan, you would pay $6 for your first year of hosting!
Just note that the Web hosting providers change their pricing often, and at the time of writing this article, Hostinger and Ionos are running these offers, which will probably change in the future. We recommend heading to both of their websites to get updated pricing on their hosting plans.
So, which provider offers better value for money? In our opinion, it depends on your needs and budget. Ionos is the better option if you’re trying to find the most affordable solution. However, if you’re looking for more features and flexibility, then Hostinger is the better option.
Hostinger vs. Ionos: Which Provider Offers Better Value For Money?
- Hostinger’s cheapest hosting plan is more feature-rich than Ionos’s essential hosting plan. For example, you get unlimited free SSL certificates, Managed WordPress tools, a WordPress acceleration plugin, a 1-click installer, and a few more features. You also get free weekly backups which are essential in the rare scenario something goes wrong with your website.
- While Ionos may seem cheaper upfront, over the long term, it will cost you more to host your websites with Ionos than Hostinger due to the sheer amount of upsells that Ionos uses on its customers. Hostinger might be slightly more expensive upfront, but the number of features you get heavily outweigh the few extra dollars you pay.
We would definitely have to give this round to Hostinger as they offer you better value for money. When you compare Hostinger to some of the other more prominent hosting providers on the market, like Siteground, Bluehost, Hostgator, and so on, their prices are really affordable, and they even outperform most of them. This is something that we are really impressed about when it comes to Hostinger.
Hostinger vs. Ionos: Security
Both Hostinger and Ionos offer decent security features to protect your website. However, Hostinger has a few more advanced features that make it a better choice for security-conscious users.
Hostinger’s plans come with unlimited free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt if you want to host multiple websites with Hostinger. This is important because it encrypts communication between your website and visitors’ browsers, making it more difficult for hackers to intercept data. Additionally, Hostinger offers Cloudflare-protected nameservers on all plans, adding an extra layer of protection against DDoS attacks and other threats. Also, Hostinger offers free daily backups, while Ionos charges an additional monthly fee for daily backups.
Ionos offers a free SSL certificate and DDoS protection, but Hostinger still outclasses Ionos in the security category. So if you’re looking for the most comprehensive security package, Hostinger is the better option.
Hostinger vs. Ionos: Customer Support
Hostinger offers 24/7 chat support, while Ionos only offers phone support. Hostinger’s customer support is much more responsive and helpful, and they can provide assistance with a wide range of issues. Ionos’ customer support is limited, and they often cannot provide adequate assistance. We also are not big fans of the callback feature with Ionos, as sometimes your assigned account manager is unavailable, and you may have to wait a day or two before speaking with him, which can be annoying if you have a more urgent issue. Overall, Hostinger wins this category, as we have found Hostinger’s customer support team to be slightly more helpful than Ionos.
The Verdict: Hostinger Is The Undoubted Winner
Hostinger is the clear winner regarding performance, features, customer support, and value for money. While Ionos may be a decent option for beginners, its limited features and hidden costs make it less appealing in the long run. Ionos might be a better choice if you’re just starting out and are looking for a more budget-friendly option. Their upfront costs are probably the lowest in the industry.
Here’s a quick summary of why Hostinger is the better choice:
- Easy onboarding and user-friendly control panel
- Multiple server locations for better speed and reliability
- Excellent speed and uptime
- 24/7 chat support
- Free domain names, SSL certificates, and WordPress staging tool
- One-click install for popular applications
Hostinger is the way to go if you need a dependable and affordable web hosting provider.
Conclusion
Hostinger is the undisputed winner if you’re looking for a trustworthy and reasonably priced web host. Although Ionos may be a better option for some users, it doesn’t offer the same value for money as Hostinger. With Hostinger, you get more features and resources for your website, along with excellent speed and uptime. Their customer support is also available to help you with any issues.