Ionos vs Green Geeks: guide for 2024

Ionos vs Green Geeks: Final verdict

Looking over IONOS vs. GreenGeeks, both providers offer compelling features and reliable performance but cater to slightly different needs.

• 
  GreenGeeks (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  focuses on eco-friendly hosting with a wide range of features and user-friendly management tools. Their hosting includes unlimited web space, fast speeds with SSD storage, and an emphasis on green energy, making them an appealing choice for environmentally-conscious users. Notably, GreenGeeks offers exceptional uptime and reliable server response times, further supported by a strong set of security measures including free SSL, AI-powered WAF, and proactive network monitoring. For multimedia-rich websites, such as those hosting large amounts of data or high-traffic WordPress sites, GreenGeeks provides excellent performance and scalability.
  
• 
  IONOS (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  offers a diverse array of hosting solutions, including dedicated servers and advanced compliance support, making it ideal for high-traffic and enterprise-level websites. With a 99.9% uptime guarantee, georedundant infrastructure, and scalable performance levels, it ensures robust reliability. Users benefit from advanced security features like a wide range of SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and daily backups. Additionally, IONOS offers a personal consultant for tailored support and a $55 credit for marketing services, adding value to their service, particularly for agencies and businesses needing dedicated advisors. While both hosting providers have strong points, GreenGeeks’ focus on eco-friendliness and ease of use gives it a slight edge.
  

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

Section 1: Winner GreenGeeks

🏆 Winner GreenGeeks: Exceptional uptime performance with consistent server response times.

GreenGeeks demonstrated a flawless 100% uptime during various tests, showcasing its reliability. With a solid server response time of 0.302 seconds, it provides a seamless browsing experience. Its diverse data centers in the US, Canada, Netherlands, and Singapore offer options for better performance near target audiences.

IONOS provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee and uses georedundant infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted hosting. Daily backups, DDoS protection, and a Cloudflare CDN further enhance its reliability. Scalable performance levels and a free Wildcard SSL certificate add value, alongside a 24/7 customer service.

🏆 Winner
GreenGeeks: Both IONOS and GreenGeeks offer superior hosting solutions, but GreenGeeks edges out slightly due to its strong emphasis on eco-friendliness and impressive performance across various plans. IONOS boats a 99.9% uptime with georedundant infrastructure, SSD storage, and a CDN powered by Cloudflare. GreenGeeks also provides fast speeds with SSD storage, utilizes LiteSpeed WebServer, and includes a free CDN. Both hosts offer global data centers, but IONOS’s focus on Cloudflare and dual platform technology ensures quicker load times, while GreenGeeks provides 300% green energy match to suit eco-conscious users.

Both IONOS and GreenGeeks offer superior hosting solutions, but GreenGeeks edges out slightly due to its strong emphasis on eco-friendliness and impressive performance across various plans. IONOS boats a 99.9% uptime with georedundant infrastructure, SSD storage, and a CDN powered by Cloudflare. GreenGeeks also provides fast speeds with SSD storage, utilizes LiteSpeed WebServer, and includes a free CDN. Both hosts offer global data centers, but IONOS’s focus on Cloudflare and dual platform technology ensures quicker load times, while GreenGeeks provides 300% green energy match to suit eco-conscious users.

Website Speed

Comparing website speeds, IONOS provides fast page load times through its HTTP/2 protocol, SSD storage, and PHP 8.2 with JIT compiler. GreenGeeks similarly offers blazing fast speeds with LiteSpeed WebServer, LS Cache Plugin, and the latest PHP version. Both hosts utilize SSDs for faster read/write speeds and CDN to minimize latency. GreenGeeks uses HTTP/3 over HTTP/2, giving it a slight edge in modern web content delivery.

Scalability

Both IONOS and GreenGeeks offer scalable solutions, but with different approaches. IONOS features adjustable performance levels, costing $2/month per additional level and offers email alerts when nearing limits. It’s not clear if GreenGeeks scales sites automatically. GreenGeeks plans are flexible, allowing users to upgrade as needed while including features like on-demand backups in higher-tier plans. The cost of scaling on GreenGeeks is determined by upgrading to a higher plan. We don’t have information on dedicated servers for these hosts.

🏆 Winner IONOS: Comprehensive security features and advanced compliance support.

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

Technical security measures:

IONOS provides a wide range of SSL certificates including DV, OV, and EV for different security needs, while GreenGeeks offers Wildcard SSL Certificates and free SSL from Let’s Encrypt. Both services support multiple PHP versions, but IONOS extends support from PHP 4.0 to the latest versions like PHP 8.2 and 8.3, and includes a JIT compiler and OPcache for improved performance. IONOS offers advanced DDoS protection and firewall rules via the Cloud Panel, while GreenGeeks adds AI-powered WAF and proactive network security monitoring.

Operational security measures:

IONOS features daily backups with up to six days of data recovery, malware scanning, and automatic malware removal. Conversely, GreenGeeks also provides daily backups and free malware cleanups if a website gets hacked. IONOS has georedundant data centers and 24/7 technical support with a personal consultant, while GreenGeeks provides advanced security measures for WooCommerce stores and zero-day vulnerability fixes. In terms of access protocols, both offer SSH and SFTP, but GreenGeeks additionally integrates a free CDN and offers a free dedicated IP with the Premium plan.

Compliance and certifications:

IONOS ensures full GDPR compliance and suggests robust measures for secure transactions but doesn’t specify PCI compliance. GreenGeeks implies adherence to industry standards for GDPR and PCI compliance, though details are not specified. IONOS further strengthens its service with ISO-certified data centers, reflecting high regulatory standards, a certification not noted for GreenGeeks.

🏆 Winner GreenGeeks: An eco-friendly hosting solution with robust performance and features.

When choosing between IONOS and GreenGeeks, it’s useful to compare specific features and offerings. Both providers offer a range of plans that include free domain registration for the first year and SSL certificates. IONOS stands out with its all-in-one dual platform technology, combining web servers and storage for optimal performance. It also includes a $55 credit for Fiverr services and a personal consultant for support. These can be appealing to users looking for additional, personalized assistance and marketing support. However, IONOS lacks a native website builder, which might require users to rely on external platforms or more manual setup processes.

GreenGeeks, on the other hand, focuses heavily on ease of use and environmental responsibility. They offer a free website migration and auto-updates for WordPress, making it user-friendly for those who prefer minimal technical intervention. Their plans include a built-in caching and daily backups for security and performance. Additionally, GreenGeeks emphasizes their 300% green energy match and tree planting initiative, which can appeal to environmentally-conscious users. Their Pro and Premium plans include on-demand backups and WordPress Repair Tool, providing extra layers of maintenance flexibility.

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 GreenGeeks 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:

Both IONOS and GreenGeeks offer robust email hosting, including professional email services bundled with hosting plans. IONOS provides a dedicated section for email hosting with known reliability and no hidden fees. GreenGeeks offers an unlimited number of email accounts, making it highly scalable for businesses needing extensive email capabilities. Neither provider seems to advertise features like transactional emails or integrations with third-party email services like Google Workspace or Zoho.

🏆 Winner
GreenGeeks: An eco-friendly hosting provider with competitive pricing and impressive features.

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.

When comparing the pricing plans of IONOS and GreenGeeks, it’s clear that both providers offer a wide range of options tailored to different user needs. IONOS has a more varied selection in terms of shared hosting, with their Essential Plan starting at $4/month and extending to the Ultimate Plan at $9/month. They also offer managed WordPress hosting with unique features like SiteAnalytics and Fiverr credits. On the other hand, GreenGeeks presents a more competitive initial pricing structure with their Lite WordPress plan at $2.95/month and tiers going up to $8.95/month, all while offering unique advantages such as a 300% Green Energy Match and multi-user access. Both providers offer substantial freebies like free domains for the first year and SSL certificates, but GreenGeeks excels with additional green energy initiatives and comprehensive backups.

Enterprise

Ionos vs Green Geeks: Ease of setup

Evaluates the ease of setting up and migrating websites on the hosting
platform.
Score Components:

• Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
  either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee.
• Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
  standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
  technical and non-technical users.
• Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
  features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
  configuration.
• Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
  help center resources, including articles and tutorials.

8.5

8.9

🏆 Winner GreenGeeks: GreenGeeks wins with an efficient WordPress setup and notable green energy initiatives.

IONOS features a custom admin panel that emphasizes user-friendliness. It allows users to access various configurations and install applications like TYPO3, Joomla, Drupal, and PrestaShop via the Click & Build feature. With the WP Assistant, it’s particularly accessible to those using WordPress, guiding even non-technical users through the setup process. The customizable updates and plugins available in its managed WordPress hosting further ease management tasks.

GreenGeeks employs the widely used cPanel interface, which is praised for its accessibility. Users familiar with cPanel will find it simple to navigate. Even for newcomers, the intuitive design makes managing domains, email accounts, and databases straightforward. The extensive tutorials provided by GreenGeeks ensure that both technical and non-technical users can handle the administration of their sites effectively.

Both hosting providers offer tools for site migration. GreenGeeks provides free WordPress migration services, simplifying the transition process. The procedure involves submitting a request within their support section. On the other hand, IONOS also supports site migration through its services, ensuring minimal downtime and fuss, but specific details about costs aren’t explicitly mentioned.

IONOS help center


GreenGeeks help center

The help center resources of both providers are extensive and accessible. IONOS offers a comprehensive Help Center with articles and a community forum for additional support. Their 24/7 customer support and personal consultants ensure users always have assistance readily available. GreenGeeks also excels in this regard, offering hundreds of WordPress-specific tutorials and various cPanel guides. They maintain an expert support team available around the clock.

User management

Assesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and
accessibility.
Score Components:

• Role customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
  permissions.
• Ease of management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
• Access control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
  levels.
• Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.

7.9

6.9

🏆 Winner
IONOS: IONOS offers comprehensive user role customization and management.

IONOS provides an extensive range of features for managing user roles and permissions compared to GreenGeeks. IONOS allows users to create, clone, and delete roles easily. It also offers granular control over permissions with the ability to assign multiple roles to a single user and customize the permissions for each role. GreenGeeks, on the other hand, offers a more streamlined approach where users can be invited to access the account and assigned either a Collaborator or Client role. While GreenGeeks allows multi-user access and specific permissions for cPanel, it lacks the detailed role customization found in IONOS.

Both IONOS and GreenGeeks provide user-friendly interfaces for managing users, but there are some differences. IONOS’s interface includes an overview page and a permissions page to manage roles and users comprehensively. It offers a table listing all configured roles with crucial information and easy access to modify them. GreenGeeks features a straightforward process where users can be invited via email and assigned predefined roles. It involves navigating through the profile settings and account access sections, which is relatively simple but less detailed compared to IONOS.

In terms of access control measures, IONOS excels with its detailed permission groups and the flexibility to customize permissions for each role. This ensures granular access control and makes the platform highly efficient in managing multiple users as the organization grows. GreenGeeks offers basic access control through predefined roles and cPanel access, suitable for small teams or less complex requirements. However, it may not provide the same level of efficiency in managing a growing number of users or complex access needs.

IONOS user roles table:

GreenGeeks user roles table:

🏆 Winner IONOS: Offering a direct line to personal consultants and award-winning 24/7 support, IONOS stands out for its customer service.

IONOS provides excellent customer support available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email. A standout feature is their personal consultant service, offering tailored help during standard business hours through multiple channels. IONOS also provides extensive online resources, including a help center, community forum, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

GreenGeeks, on the other hand, also offers around-the-clock support through live chat, email tickets, and phone. They are known for their quick resolution times and have a wealth of resources including a detailed knowledge base and video tutorials. They provide free migration services, which include moving up to 30 cPanel accounts and WordPress installations for free. Though they offer phone support from 9 AM to 12 AM EST, they are highly rated for their exceptional customer care.

Ionos vs Green Geeks: 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.

Users generally appreciate the hosting provider for its excellent customer support, fast and reliable performance, and user-friendly dashboard. The eco-friendly aspect of the service is also a significant plus for many users. However, there are recurring concerns regarding the pricing, which tends to increase after the initial years, and the performance during high-demand scenarios. Additionally, some users have experienced issues with strict resource usage policies and limited plans for specific hosting needs.

Ionos vs Green Geeks: FAQ