IONOS VPS: Is the Former 1&1 Worth It in 2026?

ServDigest Team

IONOS is the rebrand of the legendary German hosting company 1&1, which has been around since 1988. Behind them: 6.5 million customers and dozens of data centers worldwide. Impressive. But does that mean their VPS is any good? Let’s cut the marketing.

Plans: Cheap Only the First Year

IONOS lures you in with $2/month for the entry-level VPS. Looks attractive — until you read the fine print. That’s the first-year price (or first 6 months, depending on the promotion). After the promo period ends, the price jumps to $6–10/month.

VPS Linux lineup:

  • VPS Linux S: 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB SSD — $2/month (promo), then $6/month
  • VPS Linux M: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD — $3/month, then $8/month
  • VPS Linux L: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD — $5/month, then $12/month
  • VPS Linux XL: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD — $8/month, then $18/month

Windows VPS plans are separate and cost more (Microsoft license included).

In 2026, IONOS launched a new VPS+ lineup — with VM cloning, a load balancer, private networking, and S3-compatible object storage. VPS+ prices are higher, but the feature set approaches cloud providers like AWS Lightsail.

What’s Inside

All VPS instances run on Dell servers with AMD and Intel processors, Samsung NVMe disks. Unlimited traffic on all plans — that’s a big plus. Gigabit port. DDoS protection out of the box. Full root access (install whatever you need).

Available OS options: Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Windows Server. For Linux VPS — dozens of distributions and ready-made images (WordPress, LAMP, Docker, Plesk — the latter at extra cost).

Pros

  • Unlimited traffic + 1 Gbps port. A combination rarely found in budget VPS offerings.
  • 99.99%+ uptime. Claimed. Actual is around 99.97%, which is still excellent.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee. Not satisfied? Get a refund, no questions asked (in theory).
  • Free Plesk on select plans for hosting management.
  • Global infrastructure. Data centers in Germany, the UK, Spain, and the US.

Cons

  • Post-promo pricing. IONOS is a master of dark billing patterns. The base price looks fantastic; the real price is average to high.
  • Support. If you need DigitalOcean or Linode-level support — you’ll be disappointed. Responses are templated, problem resolution is slow.
  • Minimal resources. 512 MB RAM on the entry plan is laughable for 2026. You can’t properly run WordPress on that.
  • Clunky interface. The control panel is overloaded. Sometimes it’s easier to Google where a setting is than to find it yourself.
  • Auto-renewal. Enabled by default; can only be disabled through support. Classic big-hoster move.

Verdict

IONOS is an “okay” option for those willing to play the “first year for pennies, then more expensive” game. For corporate clients and those needing managed solutions with Plesk — a perfectly workable choice. For geeks, startups, and those who value transparency — there are more interesting options.

6/10. Solid, but with caveats.

IONOS Official Website