Hostinger vs IONOS
Hostinger and IONOS both sell a website builder bundled with hosting, domain and email, at the low end of the market. Hostinger, from Lithuania, leads with AI site generation and one simple package. IONOS, from Germany, is a hosting company first, running its own data centres with ISO 27001 certification. New small sites suit Hostinger; buyers weighing infrastructure suit IONOS.
Choose Hostinger if
you need a site online this week, want AI to draft it, and want builder, hosting, email and a first-year domain in one inexpensive purchase, having priced the renewal.
Read the Hostinger reviewChoose IONOS if
the hosting matters as much as the builder: you want a German provider with certified data centres on renewable energy, and room to add domains and other hosting products later.
Read the IONOS reviewHostinger and IONOS side by side
| Hostinger | IONOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Hostinger International | IONOS SE |
| Headquarters | Kaunas, Lithuania | Montabaur, Germany |
| Founded | 2004 | 1988 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Lithuania) | EU (Germany) |
| Where the data sits | EU data centres (Netherlands, Lithuania, France) | Germany, UK, Spain |
| Pricing | From about €3/month on multi-year plans; renewal higher | From about €1/month |
| Free tier or trial | 30-day money-back guarantee | Free tier options |
| Certifications and checks | Not stated in our data | ISO 27001, 100% renewable energy |
| Source code | Closed source | Closed source |
| Usually replaces | Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy | Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy |
| Position in our Website Builders guide | #2 of 13 | #4 of 13 |
Both are listed in our European Website Builders guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries; how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where Hostinger and IONOS differ
Across the four points below, Hostinger has the edge on 1 point, IONOS on 2 points and one is a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Entry price and renewal
IONOS starts from about €1 a month for entry offerings. Hostinger advertises from about €3, a rate that requires a multi-year commitment and rises considerably at renewal. IONOS's introductory pricing also renews higher, according to our AI website builder review, so price the second contract with both. On the advertised starting point IONOS is lower.
Edge: IONOS
Building the site
Hostinger pairs AI website generation with a drag-and-drop editor, so a business can describe itself and adjust the draft. IONOS's builder is one product among many at a company serving everyone from domain buyers to cloud customers, and its design experience is rated behind the specialists. Neither offers the design control of Framer, but Hostinger's is the more guided start.
Edge: Hostinger
Data centres and certification
IONOS runs data centres in Germany, the UK and Spain on 100% renewable energy with ISO 27001 certification, described as the strongest compliance and sustainability position among the builders here. Hostinger uses EU data centres in the Netherlands, Lithuania and France, which gives intra-EEA processing, but our data lists no certification for it. IONOS is ahead on documented assurances.
Edge: IONOS
What else comes with it
Both bundle the builder with hosting, email and domains from one vendor. Hostinger adds a free domain for the first year and e-commerce on higher plans. IONOS adds domain services and digital identity, with more upselling than builder-first vendors and support that varies by product line. The bundles are close enough that the better one depends on what you need next.
No clear winner on this point.
When neither Hostinger nor IONOS fits
Neither gives much design freedom, and neither lets you export a working site. If the design is the point, Framer's visual editor and custom React components go much further, and a local business that wants a guided site in minutes is better matched by Jimdo.
Hostinger vs IONOS: questions
IONOS advertises the lower entry price, from about €1 a month against about €3 for Hostinger. Hostinger's rate needs a multi-year commitment and renews considerably higher, so the first-year figure is not the ongoing cost. Compare what each charges in the second contract period before deciding.
Hostinger runs EU data centres in the Netherlands, Lithuania and France. IONOS hosts in Germany, the UK and Spain, on 100% renewable energy with ISO 27001 certification. Both companies are EU-established, Hostinger in Lithuania and IONOS in Germany, so processing can stay inside the EEA; with IONOS, confirm which region you are assigned.
Not easily. None of the builders in our website builders category lets you export a working site, and Hostinger's review says there is no real export path if you leave. Treat the subscription as rent on the site existing, and keep your own copies of text and images.