Ionos vs Register.com: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Reviewing IONOS vs. Register.com, IONOS stands out with its advanced features, performance, and better overall value.

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  Register.com (Overall grade: 6.6)
  
  
  provides a range of hosting plans that cater to basic needs, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and ecommerce hosting. They offer 99.99% uptime for Unix users and incorporate security measures like SiteLock and CodeGuard for added protection. The platform provides ample storage, SSL certificates, and email accounts with its plans, and customer support is available 24/7 through phone, chat, and email. However, Register.com lacks some advanced speed-boosting technologies such as HTTP/2, Cloudflare CDN, and PHP 8.2 found in IONOS, and the absence of dedicated and VPS hosting options limits its scalability.
  
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  IONOS (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  excels in offering a variety of hosting plans, including cloud, VPS, and dedicated hosting, making it suitable for high-traffic and multimedia websites. IONOS guarantees 99.9% uptime and leverages dual platform technology and Cloudflare CDN to ensure fast performance. Comprehensive security measures, including DDoS protection and daily backups, are included in their plans, which also feature free domains, professional email services, and free Wildcard SSL certificates. Additionally, IONOS provides a user-friendly admin panel, 24/7 customer support, and efficient scalability options, making it a top choice for businesses focused on long-term growth and stability.
  

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: Offers strong reliability with georedundant infrastructure and excellent performance enhancements.

IONOS guarantees 99.9% uptime, ensuring website stability through mirrored data centers and redundant network connectivity. Its Cloudflare CDN enhances load times by distributing content globally. The hosting also offers DDoS protection, daily backups, and a free Wildcard SSL certificate. Scalability is easily managed with performance level adjustments for $2/month, notifying users via email when resource limits are approached.

Register.com promises 99.99% uptime for Unix users, managing site files across multiple servers for added protection. Security is reinforced with SiteLock for malware scanning and CodeGuard for automatic backups. Shared hosting plans include ample storage, email boxes, and SSL certificates at competitive prices. Customer support is available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email, with support for various web technologies including PHP, Python, and Ruby on Rails.

🏆 Winner IONOS: Reliable and scalable with top-notch features.

When it comes to general performance, IONOS takes the lead with its dual platform technology that pairs web servers and storage for faster performance. Their HTTP/2 protocol and Cloudflare CDN ensure rapid page loads and global distribution. The use of PHP 8.2 with JIT compiler and SSD storage further boosts speed. Register.com also guarantees 99.9% uptime and utilizes SiteLock for security alongside multiple servers for reliability, but lacks some of the advanced speed-boosting technologies found in IONOS.

Website Speed

IONOS excels in delivering speed with its advanced technologies. The HTTP/2 protocol, SSD storage, and Cloudflare CDN all contribute to fast page loads. IONOS uses the latest PHP 8.2 with JIT compiler, which is beneficial for performance. In contrast, Register.com focuses on reliability and providing malware scanning via SiteLock but does not offer the same cutting-edge speed technologies as IONOS.

Scalability

IONOS offers scalable performance management allowing you to adjust levels as needed, with each additional level costing $2/month. They notify users when their current performance level is reached, though it’s unclear if they offer dedicated servers. Register.com provides various hosting packages designed for different needs and mentions easy scalability as businesses expand but does not detail costs or if it happens automatically. The lack of specifics leaves IONOS slightly ahead in the scalability section.

🏆 Winner
IONOS: Offers extensive security features and modern PHP support for enhanced website protection and performance.

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

Technical security measures:

IONOS provides three types of SSL certificates—Domain Validated (DV), Organization Validated (OV), and Extended Validation (EV)—offering up to 256-bit encryption. Register.com also offers strong 256-bit encryption, including EV and OV certificates, but not the range of SSL options found with IONOS. IONOS supports PHP versions from 4.0 to the latest 8.3, including extended support for older versions, whereas Register.com features a PHP Manager without specifying the range of versions. IONOS uses advanced features like a JIT Compiler and OPcache for optimized performance, which Register.com does not mention.

Operational security measures:

Both IONOS and Register.com ensure robust malware protection. IONOS offers malware scans, automatic removal, and extensive DDoS protection. Register.com provides SiteLock for malware scanning and removal, and CodeGuard for automatic backups. IONOS offers daily backups and georedundant data centers to ensure high uptime and data protection, while Register.com uses customizable error pages and raw log files for monitoring. IONOS provides customizable firewall rules through the Cloud Panel, something not highlighted in Register.com’s offerings.

Compliance and certifications:

Both services comply with GDPR requirements. IONOS demonstrates full GDPR compliance and focuses on extensive data protection measures, while Register.com ensures GDPR compliance by masking WHOIS information for EU residents and defining data processor and controller roles. PCI compliance is implied for both providers through their SSL certificates for secure transactions, although not explicitly mentioned by IONOS.

🏆 Winner IONOS: A feature-rich hosting provider with excellent performance and security.

When comparing hosting options, IONOS and Register.com both offer robust features, but they cater to different needs. IONOS stands out for its performance and security provisions, such as its 99.9% uptime guarantee, dual platform technology, and comprehensive security measures like DDoS protection and wildcard SSL certificates. Its site-building experience is notably user-friendly with a managed WordPress option that includes automatic updates and malware scanning, making it an attractive choice for users who prioritize smooth and secure operations. Contrastingly, Register.com also excels in user-friendliness with its intuitive website builder and a wide suite of open-source applications, making it suitable for those who enjoy hands-on customization. However, it lacks some advanced features like georedundant infrastructure and a CDN.

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 Register.com 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 offers comprehensive email hosting services, including professional email capabilities with every plan, ideal for users requiring transactional emails or conducting email campaigns. Register.com, on the other hand, does not offer integrated email hosting services within its plans, which might necessitate the use of third-party providers for those functionalities, a crucial consideration for users focused on comprehensive in-house solutions.

🏆 Winner
IONOS: IONOS provides various feature-rich hosting plans tailor-made for different needs, marked by competitive pricing and excellent support.

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. Although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

Comparing the pricing plans of IONOS and Register.com reveals notable differences. IONOS offers a more varied range of plans including WordPress, Web Hosting, and WooCommerce with feature-rich options at competitive prices, as low as $4/month for their Essential Web Hosting plan. Register.com’s plans seem less detailed in comparison and lack specific pricing information, which can make it challenging to evaluate. IONOS also provides significant advantages such as free domains, SSL certificates, daily backups, and 24/7 support across all plans, which Register.com doesn’t offer uniformly.

Enterprise plans

For enterprises, IONOS offers high-tier plans like the Ultimate Plan ($16/month) providing unlimited websites, storage, and maximum CPU & MEM resources, paired with freebies like domains and professional emails. Register.com’s Premium Hosting (\*/mo*) serves medium businesses with unlimited disk space, 10 websites, and SiteLock Premium but lacks some comprehensive features IONOS provides. Overall, IONOS delivers more robust offerings for enterprise needs.

🏆 Winner: IONOS Offers a user-friendly setup with extensive support and resources.

IONOS offers a user-friendly admin panel that proves accessible for both technical and non-technical users. The Click & Build feature allows for the easy installation of various content management systems like WordPress, TYPO3, Joomla, and more. The WP Assistant simplifies the WordPress setup process, making it straightforward for beginners. Meanwhile, the scalable performance feature enables easy adjustments to the hosting plan as needed. Register.com also offers an accessible admin panel, but the user interface is more standard compared to IONOS. The one-click install feature helps in setting up blogs effortlessly, and their website builder tool allows simple design and customization. However, the range of applications available for setup and the level of control offered is somewhat less streamlined compared to those of IONOS.

When comparing migration tools, IONOS offers more comprehensive options for site migration. Their managed WordPress hosting includes customizable updates and a variety of free plugins and themes, simplifying the migration process. Additionally, having 24/7 customer support and access to a personal consultant can make the transition smooth. Register.com, on the other hand, doesn’t clearly state specific tools for website migration. Services like FTP account management and MySQL database management are available, but there appear to be no streamlined migration tools as offered by IONOS. If migration support is a crucial factor, IONOS has an edge.

The quality and accessibility of the help center resources offered by both providers are commendable, but IONOS stands out. IONOS features a comprehensive Help Center with detailed articles and instructions. The 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email, combined with the personal consultant feature, adds a significant layer of assistance. On the other hand, Register.com includes a solid customer service framework with 24/7 support, a detailed FAQ section, and additional resources like best practices and ethical hacking reports, but the support features lack the personalized touch that IONOS provides.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. IONOS offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Register.com also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner
IONOS: A hosting provider known for its detailed user management features in its Cloud Panel.

IONOS offers comprehensive capabilities for managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility. Users can create, clone, and delete roles with great flexibility, ensuring that each role has the desired permissions. This makes it easy for administrators to tailor access based on specific needs. By default, new users are assigned the Administrator role, which cannot be modified, ensuring that there’s always full access available. On the other hand, there is no detailed information provided for Register.com regarding its user management features, making it hard to evaluate its flexibility and granularity in creating and defining user roles and permissions.

IONOS provides a user-friendly interface for managing roles through its Cloud Panel. The overview page offers a clear table listing all roles, including role names, statuses, and assigned users. It’s intuitive to navigate and enables quick role management. Clicking on a role name leads to a detailed permissions page, where administrators can add users and modify role descriptions and permissions. Unfortunately, no comparable interface details are available for Register.com, limiting our ability to assess its user management tools.

IONOS showcases effective access control measures, allowing administrators to assign specific permissions with precision. The quick selection option for permission groups further simplifies the process, enabling efficient management for a growing number of users. Roles can be customized to provide specific views and actions within the Cloud Panel, enhancing security and operational control. Register.com’s effectiveness in managing user access is unknown due to the lack of provided data, leaving its capability in handling user scalability unproven.

IONOS user roles table:

🏆 Winner IONOS: Offers comprehensive 24/7 customer support through multiple channels and dedicated consultants.

IONOS provides 24/7 customer support through phone, chat, and email, ensuring continuous availability for any issues or inquiries. Additionally, IONOS offers personal consultants available during standard business hours, which can be particularly beneficial for more tailored assistance. Their tech support has won awards for its quality and responsiveness, enhancing customer confidence.

In contrast, Register.com also provides extensive customer support options but with certain limitations in accessibility hours. Their phone support and product support operate 24/7, while general customer service has set hours. Register.com offers a variety of resources, including a ticketing system with a 24-hour response time and numerous other support services. They also offer practical programs such as MyTime support and extensive backup solutions with various hosting packages.

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.

Customer feedback on Register.com is notably polarized. A significant number of users commend the platform for its easy-to-use interface, extensive template selection, and generally satisfactory customer service, emphasizing that it meets basic web hosting and domain registration needs effectively. However, many users also express frustration over high costs, slow response times, and unaddressed technical issues such as unreliable email services and slow page loading speeds. While some customers have had positive long-term experiences, others warn against the service due to unreliability and poor customer support, resulting in business losses and dissatisfaction.

FAQ