InMotion Hosting vs IONOS (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
IONOS is our pick, scoring 6.7/10 against 6.1/10 for InMotion Hosting on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10). Neither InMotion Hosting nor IONOS lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
IONOS
6.7/10
German hosting and cloud provider offering shared web hosting, VPS, dedicated servers and public cloud services for small businesses through to enterprises.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.1/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $13.99/mo Self-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $14/mo Self-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Automatic Backups | ||
| Content Delivery Network | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Dedicated Servers | ||
| Free SSL Certificates | ||
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Shared Hosting | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
InMotion Hosting vs IONOS cost by team size
| Team size | InMotion Hosting | IONOS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | $14/moSelf-Managed VPS 4 vCPU | Contact for pricing |
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 InMotion Hosting and IONOS suit
| Audience | InMotion Hosting | IONOS |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancers | 6/10Low entry plans and a 90-day refund window help freelancers, but the steep renewals and multi-year terms reduce the value. | 7/10Low introductory prices and unlimited websites on hosting plans suit freelancers running several client sites. |
| Developers | 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. | 7/10Root-access VPS plans plus a cloud platform with an API, SDKs and Terraform support developer workflows. |
| Small Business | 8/10Reviewers describe it as a dependable, service-first host for small businesses that value uptime and migration help over the lowest price. | 8/10Cheap bundles of hosting, a domain and email with 24/7 support are aimed squarely at small businesses. |
| Agencies | 7/10Pro plans host up to 40 sites, and InMotion runs reseller hosting, a reseller VPS and an agency partner program. | Not rated |
| E-commerce | 6/10Dedicated WooCommerce hosting and dedicated-resource VPS plans are offered, but storefronts that need low latency in Asia-Pacific are not served. | Not rated |
| Enterprise | Not rated | 6/10IONOS Cloud offers managed Kubernetes, managed databases and EU data sovereignty, but its ecosystem is smaller than the hyperscalers'. |
| IT Teams | 6/10Dedicated servers with Premier Care and the managed OpenStack private cloud target teams moving off hyperscalers, VMware or on-premises hardware. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose InMotion Hosting
Our data shows no clear advantage over IONOS.
Why choose IONOS
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Integration score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
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.
IONOS
Pros
- Shared hosting renews at a modest $8 to $18 a month and includes daily backups, unlimited traffic and a wildcard SSL certificate
- VPS+ plans include root access, DDoS protection, a firewall and unlimited traffic from $2 a month as an introductory price
- The IONOS Cloud platform covers managed Kubernetes, S3-compatible object storage and managed databases, with a Terraform provider
- Data centers in the US, UK, Germany, Spain and France, plus GDPR and data-sovereignty commitments, suit EU buyers
- Some users say 24/7 support responds quickly and is technically knowledgeable
Cons
- The introductory price can rise sharply at renewal (the Plus plan goes from $1 to $14 a month)
- Reviews and complaints repeatedly mention aggressive auto-renewal and cancellations that are hard to complete
- The control panel is described as dated
- The lowest shared hosting plan has no CDN and only one email account
- Ratings are mixed, with a G2 average of about 3.5 out of 5
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
IONOS scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 6.7/10 against 6.1/10 for InMotion Hosting. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for InMotion Hosting and 8/10 for IONOS.
No, neither InMotion Hosting nor IONOS lists a free plan.
