Ionos vs OVH Cloud: guide for 2024

Ionos vs OVH Cloud: Final verdict

Looking over IONOS vs. OVHcloud, it’s clear why both hosts are so popular. They have both hosted millions of
websites that run on WordPress for decades, building up a loyal customer base.

• 
  IONOS (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  is well-regarded for its reliable performance, underscored by a 99.9% uptime guarantee and georedundant infrastructure. This ensures consistent website availability and data security. Additionally, IONOS provides comprehensive security measures including robust DDoS protection, daily backups, and free Wildcard SSL certificates. Their user-friendly admin panel, scalable performance levels, and competitive pricing make it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those looking for hassle-free managed WordPress hosting or ecommerce solutions. However, while IONOS excels in customer support and pricing, it can sometimes fall short in speed and ease of website management for more advanced users.
• 
  OVHcloud (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  presents itself as a strong contender, particularly with its extensive global data center network and strong focus on compliance and security. OVHcloud offers a broad spectrum of hosting types and competitive entry-level pricing, making it appealing for budget-conscious users. The provider stands out with its comprehensive compliance certifications, managed hosting services, and high availability features. However, despite improvements, historical uptime issues and less seamless customer support can be areas of concern. OVHcloud’s advanced tooling and developer-centric features cater well to more technical users, but the lack of straightforward live chat support and a consistent user interface may present challenges for beginners.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner IONOS: Superior uptime and extensive features for consistent web hosting.

IONOS guarantees an impressive 99.9% uptime reinforced by georedundant infrastructure. This means your data is mirrored in two data centers for seamless experience even during maintenance. IONOS also provides daily backups, robust DDoS protection, and a global CDN via Cloudflare to enhance load times. Their performance levels can be scaled as needed, and users are promptly notified if they reach their current plan’s limit. The Essential Plan starts at just $4/month and includes features like free Wildcard SSL certificates, 24/7 customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

While OVHcloud offers a global infrastructure with 43 data centers and 44 Points of Presence, their historical uptime issues are a concern. Despite recent improvements to a 99.962% uptime over a three-month period, it pales in comparison to IONOS’s georedundant infrastructure and reliable 99.9% uptime promise. OVHcloud does provide Anti-DDoS protection, automatic backups, and commendable load times, but their past performance casts a shadow over their otherwise competitive offerings.

In terms of customer support and additional features, IONOS offers PHP 8.2 support, a mobile admin app for easy management, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on most plans. OVHcloud’s automatic backups from up to 14 days prior and Anti-DDoS protection are beneficial, but they fall short in comparison to the comprehensive and consistent services provided by IONOS. With its superior features and consistent uptime, IONOS is the clear choice for reliable hosting.

🏆 Winner IONOS: Efficient and scalable hosting with excellent customer support.

When comparing general performance, IONOS offers a georedundant infrastructure with a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, ensuring data is mirrored in two data centers for uninterrupted hosting. Its dual platform technology, HTTP/2 protocol, and CDN via Cloudflare contribute to fast page load times. IONOS employs the latest PHP version with a JIT compiler and SSD storage for enhanced speed. For scalability, IONOS provides adjustable performance levels at $2 per additional level and offers a range of RAM and CPU resources depending on the plan. OVHcloud, priced at $13.19 per month, offers up to 8 vCores and 16 GB RAM, 500GB disk space, and includes a basic CDN. OVHcloud includes high availability, DDoS protection, firewall, and free SSL from Let’s Encrypt. Though OVHcloud has substantial resources, IONOS’ combined technologies and georedundancy give it a slight edge in performance reliability.

Website Speed

IONOS’ commitment to fast website speed is evident through its HTTP/2 protocol, Cloudflare CDN, and dual platform technology that hosts web servers and storage together. This setup, paired with SSD storage and PHP 8.2’s JIT compiler, ensures quicker load times for encrypted traffic. OVHcloud also provides good website speed with high-performance resources, a basic CDN, and SSD storage. However, IONOS’ well-rounded speed-enhancing features, such as multiplexing, header compression, and the latest PHP technology, offer a slight advantage in overall website performance.

Scalability

IONOS provides scalable performance management, allowing users to adjust performance levels as needed for $2 per level, with email notifications when limits are reached. It does not clarify if scaling happens automatically or requires plan upgrades, nor whether dedicated servers are available. OVHcloud offers a boost option to handle traffic spikes for $0.65/day, but there is no clear information about elastic scaling or the need to upgrade plans. OVHcloud includes a control panel and API for managing hosting products. Given the cost-effective performance adjustments and notifications for resource limits, IONOS offers a more intuitive scalability approach.

🏆 Winner OVHcloud: Offering a vast array of compliance certifications and robust security measures.

Both IONOS and OVHcloud, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Both IONOS and OVHcloud offer strong technical security features, but they differ in several aspects. IONOS provides various types of SSL certificates, including DV, OV, and EV, with up to 256-bit encryption and a site seal for enhanced trust. In contrast, OVHcloud offers free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates and two types of Sectigo SSL at additional prices. Both providers offer DDoS protection, but IONOS also includes advanced features like malware scanning and automatic removal. Regarding PHP versions, IONOS supports numerous older versions and the latest releases, while OVHcloud does not specify which PHP versions are supported.

Operational security measures:

IONOS focuses on constant monitoring through intrusion detection and prevention systems and provides daily backups with up to six days of recovery. They also offer georedundant data centers to ensure data protection. On the other hand, OVHcloud automatically includes firewall protection and provides backup and restore options with varying restoration points. Both providers emphasize secure access methods, with IONOS offering SSH and SFTP access, while OVHcloud provides detailed statistics and logs for trackable security.

Compliance and certifications:

IONOS complies with GDPR requirements and implies secure transactions through robust SSL certificates, though PCI compliance is not specifically mentioned. On the other hand, OVHcloud surpasses with a wide range of certifications and regulations, including GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO standards, and various other country-specific requirements. This comprehensive compliance makes OVHcloud stand out in terms of meeting diverse regulatory standards.

Winner: OVHcloud: Managed hosting with comprehensive features and flexible plans.

When evaluating IONOS and OVHcloud, both providers excel with distinct advantages. IONOS offers a solid 99.9% uptime guarantee and a georedundant infrastructure, ensuring reliable performance and scalability. The inclusion of a Wildcard SSL certificate and daily backups provide an enhanced security layer. However, website builder ease-of-use is a critical consideration; while both offer 1-click installations for popular CMS tools, IONOS’s Managed WordPress hosting adds value with automatic updates, malware scanning, and caching plugins. Additionally, IONOS’s free domain for the first year and inclusion of a professional email add significant appeal to budget-minded users.

OVHcloud, on the other hand, distinguishes itself with managed hosting that takes on infrastructure, monitoring, and security patches responsibilities. Its 1-click CMS installation, similar to IONOS, simplifies building and managing sites using WordPress, PrestaShop, Drupal, or Joomla. Furthermore, OVHcloud’s unlimited monthly traffic and multi-site management capabilities cater well to users with multiple web projects. While OVHcloud doesn’t offer free domains, the various plans’ robust storage options and email services—extending to 1000 emails on higher tiers—underscore its strengths. Both providers feature anti-DDoS protection and scheduled automatic backups, but OVHcloud stands out with detailed statistics and logs for in-depth tracking of website activity.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both IONOS and OVHcloud offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

IONOS provides a professional email with even the basic plans, suitable for personal and small-business communications. It also supports transactional emails and basic hosting needs. OVHcloud elevates email hosting by offering up to 1000 email addresses on higher-tier plans, supporting larger organizations. Neither provider mentions reselling third-party services like Google Workspace or Zoho, focusing instead on their native email hosting solutions.

🏆 Winner OVHcloud: With competitive pricing and feature-rich plans, OVHcloud stands out as a reliable choice for different hosting needs.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

The comparison between IONOS and OVHcloud reveals varying strengths in their hosting plans. IONOS offers competitive pricing with feature-rich plans, delivering ample storage, free domains, email services, and enhanced security. OVHcloud, with a slightly higher rating, provides a range of affordable options, particularly with its Starter Web Hosting plan at just $1.04/month. OVHcloud’s unique offering of separate performance boosts and extensive email support across all plans makes it a formidable contender in the hosting market.

Enterprise plans

IONOS provides a higher value for enterprises in terms of unlimited features, high-security measures, and enhanced resources with its Plus and Ultimate Plans. OVHcloud, with its Performance Web Hosting plan, offers extensive storage and email support, along with an impressive performance boost option catering to high-demand enterprises. Both platforms offer robust services tailored for large-scale business needs.

🏆 Winner
OVHcloud: Superior in its streamlined setup and advanced tooling options.

IONOS utilizes a custom admin panel that is user-friendly and straightforward, especially for non-technical users. Its WP Assistant for WordPress hosting significantly simplifies the setup process, offering a guided experience that includes customizable updates and access to a variety of free plugins and themes. Features like Click & Build allow users to install applications like TYPO3, Joomla, Drupal, and PrestaShop with minimal effort, making it convenient for all user levels. The admin panel also provides scalable performance options and email notifications, which makes it easy to manage site performance.

OVHcloud’s Control Panel also offers a simplified and centralized interface designed for both technical and non-technical users. The panel allows for easy installation of popular CMS tools such as WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla, and Drupal with just one click. FTP Explorer, FTP Client, and SSH options provide flexibility for users who need to move website files manually. Additionally, OVHcloud offers managed hosting, where the provider handles infrastructure, monitoring, and security patches, thereby allowing users to focus more on their website content and less on technical backend tasks.

When comparing migration tools, IONOS provides efficient tools to help users migrate their sites, though specific details regarding automation or manual options are less emphasized. Its personal consultant and 24/7 support can also assist with the migration process. On the other hand, OVHcloud offers features like automatic backups and restoration from various points in time, which can be invaluable during site migration. Though the cost aspect of these services remains unspecified, OVHcloud’s tools offer a more streamlined migration experience.

Both IONOS and OVHcloud offer extensive help resources to their users. IONOS provides a comprehensive Help Center, 24/7 customer support via multiple channels, and access to a personal consultant for personalized guidance. OVHcloud also offers a well-documented help center with multilingual guides, a community space for peer support, and a partner program for additional benefits. Both providers have strong support systems, but IONOS’ inclusion of personal consultants gives it a slight edge in direct, person-to-person assistance.

🏆 Winner OVHcloud: Comprehensive and scalable user management.

IONOS offers a structured approach to user role management, allowing users to be assigned multiple roles with customizable permissions. This flexibility lets administrators tailor access levels and ensure security by defining specific permissions. By default, the Administrator role comes with full access, but additional roles can be created, modified, and assigned to multiple users. In contrast, OVHcloud also provides extensive user and role management capabilities, leveraging OpenStack users to define specific actions on the infrastructure. OVHcloud stands out with its ability to group several roles together for a single user and defining access through user/password for OpenStack API interactions, accommodating unlimited users without additional costs.

The user interfaces provided by IONOS and OVHcloud are user-friendly and robust, streamlining user management for admins. IONOS employs a Cloud Panel where roles and their respective permissions can be easily viewed, created, cloned, and modified. This panel ensures that all pertinent information, such as role status, descriptions, and creation date, is conveniently displayed. OVHcloud offers a Control Panel through which users can not only create and manage roles but also generate configuration files for various tools. The interface is designed to provide full access and rights management features efficiently, suiting both human and automated interactions.

Effective access control measures and scalability are essential for both hosting providers as they manage growing user bases. IONOS emphasizes assigning permissions during role creation with an option to customize further, ensuring security and precise access control. As user needs grow, the ability to clone roles and use quick selection for permission groups stands out as a practical feature. OVHcloud, on the other hand, shines in managing an unlimited number of users with its OpenStack integration, offering defined access through roles. OVHcloud’s approach in defining roles and updating them as needed ensures the infrastructure remains secure and adaptable to increasing user demands.

IONOS user roles table:

OVHcloud user roles table:

🏆 Winner IONOS: IONOS offers comprehensive 24/7 support with multiple contact options and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

IONOS offers extensive customer support features, including 24/7 availability across phone, chat, and email, along with the option for a personal consultant. Their support is award-winning and includes a helpful community and help center. They also provide a 30-day money-back guarantee, making their service appealing for those who want dependable and continuous assistance.

OVHcloud, meanwhile, offers multiple tiers of support with varying costs and response times. Standard support is limited to working hours, with more immediate assistance requiring premium plans, which can be expensive. While email and ticket support are available for all levels, telephone support and promised live chat remain limited. There is no straightforward money-back guarantee, which could be a concern for some users.

Ionos vs OVH Cloud: User feedback

The user feedback on the hosting provider is highly mixed. Some customers appreciate the affordability and ease of use, particularly for startups, and praise the good customer support and convenient packages. However, many others criticize the company’s unreliable service, outdated user interface, and poor handling of issues, including severe downtime and inadequate customer support. There are also concerns about deceptive business practices and difficulty with account management, leading to significant dissatisfaction among long-term users.

User feedback for this hosting provider reveals a stark contrast in experiences. On one hand, users appreciate the competitive pricing, diverse range of services, multiple datacenter locations, and solid server performance when issues do not arise, reflecting a favorable cost-benefit ratio. On the other hand, many users criticize the provider’s customer service, highlighting slow response times, inadequate technical support, and unresolved billing discrepancies, with some experiencing significant delays and lack of assistance in critical situations. Overall, while the hosting services can be robust and reliable, the customer support and service delivery times need considerable improvement.

Ionos vs OVH Cloud: FAQ