Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs InMotion Hosting (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is our pick, scoring 7.9/10 against 6.1/10 for InMotion Hosting on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Integration score (10/10 vs 5/10). For 10 users, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is free, against $14/mo for InMotion Hosting; only Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
7.9/10
Amazon's public cloud platform, with over 200 pay-as-you-go services for compute, storage, databases, networking and AI, used by startups through large enterprises and governments.
InMotion Hosting
6.1/10
US-based independent web host selling cPanel shared and WordPress hosting, VPS, dedicated and bare-metal servers, and a managed OpenStack private cloud for small and growing businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.9/10 | 6.1/10 |
| Integration | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $13.99/mo Self-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free plan | $14/mo Self-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| Features | ||
| Content Delivery Network | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Free SSL Certificates | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Managed WordPress | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs InMotion Hosting cost by team size
Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree plan | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| 5 users | FreeFree plan | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| 10 users | FreeFree plan | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| 25 users | FreeFree plan | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
| 50 users | FreeFree plan | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Amazon Web Services (AWS) and InMotion Hosting suit
Amazon Web Services (AWS) fits developers better; InMotion Hosting fits small business better.
| Audience | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 5/10It is affordable at low usage, but complex billing and setup can overwhelm non-technical small teams. | 8/10Reviewers describe it as a dependable, service-first host for small businesses that value uptime and migration help over the lowest price. |
| Developers | 9/10The full API, CLI and SDK tooling and the breadth of services suit engineers, though the learning curve is steep. | 7/10Self-managed VPS includes root and SSH access, a Docker-ready image and a choice of AlmaLinux, Debian or Ubuntu, and shared plans support Git, Python, Node.js and Ruby. |
| Agencies | Not rated | 7/10Pro plans host up to 40 sites, and InMotion runs reseller hosting, a reseller VPS and an agency partner program. |
| E-commerce | Not rated | 6/10Dedicated WooCommerce hosting and dedicated-resource VPS plans are offered, but storefronts that need low latency in Asia-Pacific are not served. |
| Enterprise | 10/10Enterprise and Unified Operations support tiers and a broad compliance and service range are aimed at large organisations. | Not rated |
| Freelancers | Not rated | 6/10Low entry plans and a 90-day refund window help freelancers, but the steep renewals and multi-year terms reduce the value. |
| Government | 8/10AWS runs dedicated GovCloud regions, which have their own support pricing. | Not rated |
| IT Teams | Not rated | 6/10Dedicated servers with Premier Care and the managed OpenStack private cloud target teams moving off hyperscalers, VMware or on-premises hardware. |
| SaaS Companies | 9/10Multi-region infrastructure and managed services support running production SaaS workloads. | Not rated |
| Startups | 8/10The free plan credits and pay-as-you-go billing let startups begin cheaply and scale, which G2 reviewers note. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Has a free plan (InMotion Hosting does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $14/mo
- Higher Integration score (10/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for developers (9/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose InMotion Hosting
- Higher Cost score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Pros
- The service catalogue is unusually broad, with over 200 services across 38 regions, so most infrastructure needs can be met on one platform.
- EC2 has a 99.99% region-level SLA with credits of up to 100%, and instances unavailable for more than six minutes in an hour are not billed for that hour.
- The free plan gives up to $200 in credits, and more than 30 always-free services let new teams experiment at low cost.
- Support scales from a $29 minimum up to dedicated Enterprise and Unified Operations tiers for mission-critical workloads.
- G2 rates it 4.4 across more than 17,000 reviews, and reviewers praise its scalability and global reach.
Cons
- Reviewers widely cite a steep learning curve across the console and services.
- Usage pricing is complex and can produce unexpected bills unless spend is monitored closely.
- Paid support is billed as a percentage of total AWS spend, so support costs rise with usage.
- A July 2025 billing console bug showed customers estimated charges in the billions, which hurt trust in its cost tooling.
InMotion Hosting
Pros
- The 90-day money-back guarantee is much longer than the 30 days typical among shared hosts.
- The company is independent and founder-led, not owned by Newfold or EIG, and runs its own hardware in Los Angeles, Ashburn and Amsterdam.
- Self-managed VPS plans give dedicated, non-burstable vCPU and RAM, root access, and unmetered bandwidth from the 8 vCPU tier.
- Shared WordPress plans are generous: up to 40 sites and 300GB NVMe on Pro, with staging, Git and Multisite included.
- A single vendor covers the full path from shared hosting to a managed OpenStack private cloud with published tier prices.
Cons
- Renewals are steep. Shared plans roughly triple after the intro term, and VPS renewals run 1.9 to 2.7 times the intro rate.
- The lowest advertised prices need two- or three-year commitments.
- Reviewers call the control panel dated and overly complicated, and one tester waited over an hour for live chat.
- Phone support is limited to higher-tier plans and business hours, and self-managed VPS support covers only hardware and network.
- Servers are Linux-only with no Windows option, and there are no Asia-Pacific data centers yet.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Web Services (AWS) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.9/10 against 6.1/10 for InMotion Hosting. The largest gap is in Integration: 10/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and 5/10 for InMotion Hosting.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $14/mo on its Self-Managed VPS 4 vCPU plan for InMotion Hosting, billed monthly.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan; InMotion Hosting does not list one.
InMotion Hosting is the better fit for small business: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS).
