Hostinger vs IONOS

Hostinger and IONOS both sell an AI website builder bundled with hosting, a domain and email. Hostinger, founded in Kaunas in 2004, offers one AI Builder with drag-and-drop and prompt-driven modes. IONOS, run by IONOS SE of Montabaur, Germany, is a large hosting company that also sells a builder, from its own data centres in the US and Europe.

Editor Sebastiaan Smits

Published Last reviewed How we review

Choose Hostinger if

you want a site drafted from a description, several sites on one plan and the lower renewal price, and are happy to prepay a 48-month term for the headline rate.

Read the Hostinger review

Choose IONOS if

you want a builder from a German-registered host with a personal consultant, a one-year term instead of four, and domain, email and hosting from one large provider.

Read the IONOS review

Hostinger and IONOS side by side

 HostingerIONOS
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
Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 30 September 2026) Premium: USD 2.99/month with 48 months prepaid (USD 143.52), renews at USD 10.99/month (hostinger.com US page) Starter: USD 6/month for a 1-year term, then USD 14/month (ionos.com US page); Germany: EUR 6/month for 6 months
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, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.

Where Hostinger and IONOS differ

Across the six points below, Hostinger has the edge on 1 point, IONOS on 1 point and 4 are 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

On the US sites, Hostinger's Premium plan lists USD 2.99 a month when you prepay 48 months (USD 143.52), renewing at USD 10.99. IONOS lists Starter at USD 6 a month and Plus at USD 1 a month for a one-year term, then USD 14 and USD 20. IONOS asks for a shorter commitment; Hostinger renews lower.

No clear winner on this point.

Building the site

Hostinger now offers one AI Builder with two modes: a manual drag-and-drop editor and an agentic mode that builds websites and web apps from prompts, with AI credits included even on Premium. IONOS's Starter offers simple design tools and an AI logo generator, adding AI text, image and website tools on Plus, and IONOS sells a separate chat-based App and Site Builder.

Edge: Hostinger

Data centres and sustainability

IONOS says it hosts in its own regional data centres in the US and Europe, and its German builder page cites Tier IV facilities, 100% green electricity and GDPR compliance. Hostinger lists data centres in France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the UK, plus the Americas and Asia, with all electricity matched by renewable sources. Both publish clear location and energy claims.

No clear winner on this point.

Company and contract

IONOS SE is registered in Montabaur, Germany, and traces its roots to 1&1, founded in 1988. Hostinger began in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 2004; under its terms, UK customers contract with Hostinger UK Limited, and customers in countries not listed separately, including EU countries, with Hostinger International Limited in Larnaca, Cyprus. Some other country groups contract with entities in Singapore or Luxembourg.

No clear winner on this point.

What comes with it

Hostinger's Premium plan covers up to three websites, two mailboxes per site and a custom domain, the last two free for the first year, and its Unlimited plan adds ecommerce. Every IONOS builder plan lists a free custom domain and a professional email address, with 10 GB of storage and a 2 GB mailbox on Starter. Both offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

No clear winner on this point.

Support

On Hostinger's Premium plan, support comes from its chatbot, Hostinger Agent, with priority round-the-clock expert support reserved for Unlimited and above. IONOS advertises a personal consultant you can talk to at any time, and its German page promises 24/7 expert support. For a buyer who wants a human adviser from the entry plan, IONOS is the stronger offer.

Edge: IONOS

When neither Hostinger nor IONOS fits

Neither is aimed at designers who want fine visual control; Framer centres on design and offers agents that write custom code for your site. A local business that wants something even simpler could look at Jimdo, which advertises an AI-built site online in under five minutes.

Hostinger vs IONOS: questions

It depends on the term. On the US sites, IONOS Plus costs USD 1 a month for the first year, then USD 20, while Hostinger Premium is USD 2.99 a month only when you prepay 48 months, then USD 10.99. Compare the upfront payment and the renewal price, not only the headline rate.

Hostinger lists data centres in France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as North America, Asia and Brazil. IONOS says it runs its own regional data centres in the US and Europe and is headquartered in Germany. Neither builder page names the location of an individual builder site.

Yes. Hostinger's builder plans include a custom domain and mailboxes free for the first year, and you can connect an existing domain instead. Every IONOS builder plan lists a free custom domain and a professional email address. Price the domain and mailbox renewals after the first year as well.

Sources

Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.

More head-to-head comparisons

Against the US incumbents