InMotion Hosting vs IONOS: Complete 2026 Comparison
In-depth comparison of these two hosting providers across pricing, performance, features, and support.
Overall Winner
InMotion Hosting
- Wins in 5 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Value, Best Support, Best for WordPress
- 3.9/5 overall rating
Category Winners
Best Price
IONOS
$1.00/mo vs $2.62/mo
Best Value
InMotion Hosting
Lower renewal markup (377% vs 1100%)
Best Performance
IONOS
99.99% uptime, 4.0/5 rating
Best Support
InMotion Hosting
Live chat, Phone, 24/7
Best for WordPress
InMotion Hosting
Optimized, Staging, WooCommerce
Best for Developers
InMotion Hosting
SSH, Git, Staging, Node.js
Best for Beginners
InMotion Hosting
Higher ease of use score (8.0/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $2.62/mo | $1.00/mo |
| Renewal Price | $12.49 | $12.00 |
| Renewal Markup | 377% | 1100% |
| Overall Rating | 3.9/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 2,513 | 37,965 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $31.44 | $12.00 |
| Second Year Cost | $149.88 | $144.00 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 90 days | 30 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | — | — |
| Minimum Contract | — | — |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 100 GB | 10 GB |
| Storage Type | NVME SSD | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Max Websites | 1 | 1 |
| Max Databases | — | — |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 | 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | — | — |
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | — | — |
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | Advanced | Advanced (SIEM, IDS/IPS) |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Daily (higher plans), Manual (basic plans) | Daily |
| Backup Retention | — | 6 days |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Phone, Live Chat, Email/Ticket, Knowledge Base | Phone, Live Chat, Email (Personal Consultant), Knowledge Base |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 9AM-9PM ET Monday-Friday (live chat/ticket 24/7) | 24/7 |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 5.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | — | 1 |
| Mailbox Size | — | 2 GB |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | InMotion CDN | IONOS CDN |
| Server Locations | Los Angeles, CA (US), Ashburn, VA (US), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Singapore | Frankfurt (Germany), Berlin (Germany), Paris (France), London (UK), Worcester (UK), Logrono (Spain), Las Vegas, NV (US), Newark, NJ (US), Lenexa, KS (US) |
| Server Location Count | 4 | 9 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | — | — |
| Brotli Compression | — | — |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | cPanel | IONOS Control Panel |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | BoldGrid Website Builder | IONOS MyWebsite |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | — |
| Migration Turnaround | — | — |
| Paid Migration Cost | — | — |
| Migration Quality | 5.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | — | ISO 27001 |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Support Quality | 4.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 3.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unlimited within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade | Unlimited bandwidth; no throttling or overage charges |
| Storage Overage | Hard limits apply; must upgrade plan | Must upgrade plan; file limits apply per contract |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | — | |
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2001 | 1988 |
| Headquarters | United States | Germany |
| Parent Company | Privately held (employee-owned, founded by Sunil Saxena and Todd Robinson) | United Internet AG |
| Green Hosting | — | — |
| Instant Activation | — | — |
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, Netherlands, Singapore | Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, United States, Canada, Mexico, Austria |
| Local Currencies | USD | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, MXN |
| Support Languages | English | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR, PCI DSS | GDPR, ISO 27001 |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.1/5 | 3.8/5 |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | 50,000 | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | — | — |
| Elasticsearch | — | — |
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | — | — |
| FTP Accounts | — | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | 12 months | 12 months |
| Money Back Exclusions | Month-to-month VPS/Dedicated plans only get 30 days; Domain registrations non-refundable; SSL certificates non-refundable; Add-on services non-refundable | Setup fees non-refundable; Additional domains non-refundable; Items paid in advance non-refundable; Package switchers not eligible; TOS violators not eligible |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Direct Debit |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | — |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed every 3 months) | DigiCert Wildcard SSL |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States | United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Mexico, Australia, United Kingdom |
| Priority Support Cost | — | $0.00 |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | — | — |
| Object Cache Type | NGINX proxy cache | IONOS Caching Plugin |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Tiered (based on product and volume) | Percentage |
| Commission Amount | Tiered commission based on hosting product and sales volume; 90-day cookie duration | Commission varies by product; 8 international markets available; free to join |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | — | |
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | — | |
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | — | $0.00 |
| Account Suspension Policy | AUP violations may result in content deletion, suspension, or termination; InMotion reserves right to delete material deemed inappropriate | TOS violations lead to suspension; unpaid balances referred to collection (no credit impact) |
| Malware Removal Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Business users needing US-based support; Users wanting 90-day money-back guarantee; WordPress users (optimized with staging); cPanel users; Users needing 4 global data center locations; Users wanting employee-owned company | European businesses (largest EU host); Users wanting 24/7 phone support; Short 12-month contracts (vs 36-48 month competitors); Free Wildcard SSL included; VPS users ($2/mo entry); Users preferring established BBB A+ company; Geo-redundant infrastructure needs |
| Avoid If | Budget-conscious at renewal time (5x markup); Need 24/7 phone support; Need low inode limits; Adult or adult-adjacent content; Need cheap monthly VPS plans | Need cPanel; Developers needing Node.js/Python; Adult or gambling content; Prefer transparent renewal pricing; Dislike proprietary control panels; Need caching/LiteSpeed performance |
| Known Issues | Renewal prices ~5x higher than promo ($2.62 → $12.49); Phone support limited to business hours (9AM-9PM ET M-F); Automated backups only on higher plans; Low inode limit (50,000) compared to competitors; 21% of Trustpilot reviews are 1-star; Domain renewal $19.99/yr is higher than competitors; Month-to-month VPS/dedicated only get 30-day refund | 2026 price adjustment announced (increases); No cPanel (proprietary panel only); PHP CLI version differs from hosting environment via SSH; Difficult cancellation process reported; Auto-renewal complaints; Control panel feels outdated; No Node.js/Python on shared hosting; Limited developer flexibility compared to cPanel hosts |
| Unique Selling Point | Employee-owned US host with 90-day money-back, US-based support, and 99.99% uptime | Europe's largest host with 99.99% uptime, free Wildcard SSL, and $2/mo VPS entry |
| Ideal Customer | US business wanting American support, long refund period, and BBB A+ rated company | European business needing 24/7 phone support, compliance certifications, and geo-redundancy |
| Best Alternative To | GoDaddy | GoDaddy |
| Primary Competitors | DreamHost, Bluehost, A2 Hosting | GoDaddy, OVH, Hetzner |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose InMotion Hosting if you...
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Want to run Node.js applications
- Need staging environments
- Are new to web hosting
Choose IONOS if you...
- Want to save money ($1.00/mo vs $2.62/mo)
- Want higher-rated hosting (4.0/5)
- Want more server locations (9 available)