IONOS vs Carbonmade: Comprehensive comparison guide for 2024

Final verdict

IONOS vs Carbonmade presents a clear distinction between a versatile website builder and a specialized portfolio platform.

• 
  IONOS (Overall Grade: 6.9/10)
  
  is a comprehensive website builder and hosting platform that caters to a wide range of users, from small businesses to large enterprises. It offers a variety of customizable templates, robust ecommerce capabilities, and extensive marketing tools. IONOS excels in hosting quality, security, and AI capabilities, making it a reliable choice for users who need a versatile and secure platform for their online presence.
• 
  Carbonmade (Overall Grade: 4.4/10)
  
  is tailored specifically for creatives looking to showcase their work online. It provides an easy-to-use interface with customizable layouts, making it ideal for photographers, illustrators, and designers. While it lacks ecommerce functionalities and advanced marketing tools, Carbonmade shines in ease of use and design functionalities, offering a straightforward solution for creating professional portfolios without the need for coding skills.

Best for ecommerce

Verdict

: IONOS is a robust choice for ecommerce, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for building and managing online stores. Carbonmade, however, does not support ecommerce functionalities, making it unsuitable for users looking to sell products online.

• 
  IONOS
  
  : Known for its extensive ecommerce features, IONOS provides tools for store management, payment and shipping options, and product and inventory management. It is well-equipped to handle various ecommerce needs, from selling on social media platforms to managing a scalable online store. When comparing IONOS vs Carbonmade, IONOS stands out as the clear choice for ecommerce.
• 
  Carbonmade
  
  : Designed specifically for creatives, Carbonmade excels in providing customizable layouts for online portfolios. However, it lacks any ecommerce capabilities, making it unsuitable for users who need to sell products online.

Best for informational & business websites

Verdict

: IONOS is the better choice for creating informational and business websites due to its comprehensive features, ease of use, and robust hosting and security measures. Carbonmade, while excellent for creatives, lacks the versatility needed for broader business applications.

• 
  IONOS
  
  : IONOS scores 7.4 for informational and business websites, making it a strong contender in this category. It offers a wide range of customizable templates and drag-and-drop functionality, allowing users to create professional websites without coding knowledge. IONOS also provides reliable hosting services and ensures that websites are optimized for search engines, enhancing online visibility. Its comprehensive approach to speed optimization and extensive plugin support make it a versatile choice for various business needs.
• 
  Carbonmade
  
  : Carbonmade scores 5.9, indicating it is less suited for general informational and business websites. Designed specifically for creatives, Carbonmade excels in providing customizable layouts for online portfolios. It offers an easy and fast way to create and manage portfolios, featuring pre-designed templates and various tools tailored for showcasing creative work. However, its lack of plugins and integrations, along with limited hosting and security features, makes it less ideal for broader business applications.

Detailed comparison

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Winner: Carbonmade.

If you’re a creative professional looking for a platform that offers more tailored design features and flexibility, Carbonmade is the preferred choice.

IONOS offers a wide variety of templates and designs for their website builder. With over 200 templates to choose from, users can find a design that suits their needs and preferences. The templates are categorized into different industries and styles, making it easy for users to find the perfect design for their website. Additionally, IONOS regularly updates their template library, ensuring that users have access to the latest design trends. Whether you’re creating a personal blog or an ecommerce website, IONOS has a template for every type of website.

IONOS Themes

Compared to IONOS, Carbonmade does not have templates, the platform creates a personalized portfolio website based on the inputs of the users. Carbonmade offers a specialized platform for creatives to build personalized, professional portfolios with a wide range of features tailored to showcase their work effectively. The website builder supports responsive designs optimized for all devices, allows unlimited uploads of images and videos, including 4K content, and provides various premade blocks and layouts for customization without the need for external templates or platforms. Additionally, Carbonmade includes advanced features like gallery slideshows, gradient backgrounds, SEO optimization, and analytics to help users present their work in a dynamic and engaging way.

🏆 Winner: Carbonmade

. With a score of 8.3, Carbonmade excels in ease of use, particularly for creatives looking to showcase their work online. Its straightforward drag-and-drop interface and customizable layouts make it accessible even for those without coding skills. IONOS, scoring 7.8, also offers a user-friendly experience with its intuitive interface and essential features, but it may not be as specialized or as easy to use for portfolio creation as Carbonmade.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Carbonmade

. Both platforms provide comprehensive learning resources, but Carbonmade’s focus on video tutorials and a detailed help center specifically tailored for creatives gives it an edge. IONOS offers versatile resources suitable for a broader audience, including beginners and advanced users, but Carbonmade’s targeted approach makes it more effective for its user base.

IONOS is a robust choice for ecommerce, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for building and managing online stores. It includes features like store management, payment and shipping options, and product and inventory management. Carbonmade, however, does not support ecommerce functionalities, making it unsuitable for users looking to sell products online.

IONOS ecommerce features:

• Store Management
• Marketing Tools
• Payment and Shipping options
• Products and Inventory management

Carbonmade ecommerce features:

Carbonmade does not provide any ecommerce features.

Ecommerce themes & templates

IONOS offers a variety of ecommerce themes and templates designed to help businesses set up their online stores efficiently and effectively. Their online store builder supports a range of ecommerce needs, from selling on social media platforms to managing a scalable ecommerce website without any coding or design skills required.

Carbonmade does not offer any ecommerce themes or templates.

Product page customization

IONOS provides extensive customization options for product pages. Users can adjust the design and layout, ensuring that product images, descriptions, and specifications are displayed according to individual preferences. Additionally, IONOS allows for the setup and management of product options and variations, such as size and color, enabling customers to select their preferred version of a product.

Carbonmade does not support product page customization as it lacks ecommerce capabilities.

Payment processing

IONOS supports a wide variety of third-party payment processors, including PayPal, Stripe, and Square, without charging direct fees for payment processing. Users can choose from an extensive list of payment options to suit their business needs and customer preferences, enhancing the flexibility and security of online transactions.

Carbonmade does not have payment processing capabilities.

In summary, IONOS is well-equipped for ecommerce with its extensive features and customization options, while Carbonmade is not designed for ecommerce and lacks the necessary functionalities.

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Winner: IONOS

. IONOS, with a score of 7.8, provides an intuitive website builder equipped with AI assistance, designed for users to quickly create professional-looking websites without needing coding skills. This platform offers customizable templates, AI-generated content, and is optimized for mobile use, ensuring a responsive design across all devices. With features that cater to both basic and advanced website needs, including eCommerce capabilities, IONOS aims to simplify the web creation process.

Carbonmade’s editor, scoring 7.6, is designed for creatives to build personalized, professional online portfolios without requiring coding knowledge. Its editor provides responsive design across devices, 4K video support, unlimited image and video uploads, and premade blocks for customization. The platform also includes unique features such as private portfolios, a before/after block, gallery slideshows, and a talent pool to connect with other creatives and potential clients.

Mobile editor/app

🏆

Winner: IONOS

. When it comes to mobile editing capabilities, neither IONOS nor Carbonmade offers a dedicated mobile editor app. However, IONOS provides limited editing abilities through a mobile browser, allowing users to make basic adjustments to their websites on the go. This feature, although not as robust as a dedicated app, still offers some level of convenience for users needing to make quick changes.

Carbonmade, on the other hand, does not offer any mobile editing options, which can be a significant drawback for users who need to manage their portfolios while away from their desktops. This lack of mobile editing capabilities limits the flexibility and accessibility of the platform.

In summary, IONOS receives a higher rating due to its limited mobile editing capabilities via a mobile browser, while Carbonmade falls short in this aspect, offering no mobile editing options at all.

Overall Result

:

Carbonmade wins

. Carbonmade scores 7.2, offering a trial version that allows users to test all features, making it easier for creatives to evaluate the platform thoroughly. IONOS scores 6.5, providing a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows users to test premium features but lacks a traditional trial version.

IONOS offers a range of plans with significant discounts for annual subscriptions, while Carbonmade provides more affordable options tailored for creatives.

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Winner: IONOS

IONOS offers a comprehensive range of hosting services with a 99.99% uptime guarantee and multiple data centers across the EU and USA. Carbonmade, while providing managed hosting with unlimited storage, does not disclose uptime statistics or data center locations, making IONOS the more reliable choice for hosting quality.

🏆 Winner: IONOS

While both IONOS and Carbonmade offer tools for building websites, IONOS has a more comprehensive approach to speed optimization, making it the better choice for users prioritizing website performance.

IONOS offers a robust set of tools and strategies for optimizing website speed. These include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript optimization, image and multimedia optimization, caching, WordPress optimization, and the use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). These strategies help ensure that websites built with IONOS load quickly and perform well, regardless of the user’s location. IONOS also places a strong emphasis on improving Core Web Vitals, focusing on metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

On the other hand, Carbonmade does not provide specific information on its speed optimization features or strategies. While it offers customizable layouts and templates for creatives to showcase their work, it lacks the detailed speed optimization tools and strategies that IONOS provides. This makes IONOS the better choice for users who prioritize website performance and speed optimization.

🏆 Winner: IONOS.

IONOS scores 6.5, offering a range of over 100 plugins to enhance website functionality, including ecommerce capabilities, social media integration, and SEO optimization. Carbonmade, with a score of 0, does not support any plugins or integrations, focusing solely on simplicity for online portfolio creation.

IONOS’s ability to extend website features through various plugins makes it a more versatile choice for users looking to add more functionalities to their websites.

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Overall Winner: IONOS

. IONOS excels with its extensive marketing tools, making it a robust choice for businesses looking to enhance their online presence. Carbonmade, while user-friendly for creatives, lacks many essential marketing features.

🏆 Winner: IONOS

. In the IONOS vs Carbonmade comparison, IONOS takes the lead with its 24/7 customer support availability. Users can reach out to IONOS support at any time via phone, ensuring immediate assistance. This round-the-clock support is crucial for users who may encounter issues at any time of the day.

Carbonmade, on the other hand, offers support primarily through a ticket-based system. While response times are generally quick, users do not have access to live support, which can be a drawback for those needing immediate help. Despite this, Carbonmade’s email support is efficient, with most inquiries being resolved within a few hours.

🏆

Winner: IONOS

. IONOS stands out with its robust security measures, including end-to-end encryption, two-factor authentication, and secure file storage protocols. These features ensure that user data is well-protected, making it a reliable choice for users who prioritize security.

Carbonmade, while emphasizing the security of personal information through physical, electronic, and managerial safeguards, does not provide detailed website security measures. This makes it less suitable for users who need comprehensive security for their websites.

🏆 Winner: IONOS

. IONOS, with a score of 7.2, leverages AI to enhance the website creation process significantly. Its AI capabilities include personalized design recommendations, automatic content generation, and SEO optimization. These features make it easier for users to create professional and visually appealing websites without extensive technical knowledge.

Carbonmade, with a score of 0, does not offer any AI capabilities. It focuses on providing a straightforward and user-friendly platform for creatives to showcase their work, but it lacks the advanced AI tools that IONOS provides.

🏆 Winner: IONOS

. When it comes to managing users, IONOS and Carbonmade offer different levels of flexibility.

• IONOS permits multiple users for website editing, though it lacks detailed information on user roles and permissions.
• Carbonmade, on the other hand, allows only one user to manage and edit a website, making it less suitable for collaborative projects.

User Management Scores:

• 
  IONOS:
  
  3.1
• 
  Carbonmade:
  
  2.8

Additional Features

User Feedback

As IONOS is primarily a hosting provider with a website builder as an additional product, most reviews focus on its hosting services. Users have mixed experiences with IONOS 1&1 Websites & Shops. While praised for its great packages, personalized support, and streamlined interface for IT professionals, some encounter issues with backend functionality and find customer service representatives too pushy. Despite occasional short outages, the overall reliability and responsiveness of the service are appreciated by users.

Users appreciate Carbonmade for its ease of use, modern design templates, and no-code platform, which simplifies creating professional portfolios. However, some express a desire for a freemium plan and note limitations in customization and mobile site loading times. The platform is highly recommended for creatives, particularly illustrators and graphic designers, for its variety of design options and efficient customer service. Despite concerns over pricing, the overall sentiment is positive, with users finding value in Carbonmade’s ability to showcase their work effectively and streamline portfolio management.

FAQ