When I first signed up with IONOS, I was drawn in by their promotional offers and reputation in the hosting industry. But after using the service, I encountered several issues that made me rethink that decision. From complex user interfaces to inconsistent support and hidden costs, the experience left much to be desired.
Here’s a summary of the key disadvantages I personally observed and others commonly report:
- Poor customer support and limited escalation
- Confusing control panel and dashboard
- High renewal prices after the first year
- Limited flexibility for advanced configurations
- Sub-par performance without key speed features
- Major issues with email filtering and reliability
Let’s take a closer look.
Is IONOS Customer Support Falling Short of Expectations?
One of the most frustrating experiences I had with IONOS Hosting was dealing with their customer support. While they advertise 24/7 assistance, my actual experience didn’t reflect that promise.
There’s no traditional ticket system or email-based support for some services, making follow-ups challenging. Instead, you’re left with chatbots and phone calls that often result in long hold times or disconnected sessions.
The AI chatbot frequently misinterprets queries and redirects to unrelated help pages. Real support agents seem either unavailable or underprepared.
For example, Scott Bryant on Trustpilot shared:
Scott Bryant – GB
“I’ve been with IONOS for many years, but today’s experience was genuinely shocking.
I contacted support because my website revisions need resetting — an issue that is directly affecting my ability to update and use my website. This is not optional; I was advised by the web theme provider that this is the only way to fix the problem.
The first support agent spoke to me in a dismissive and derogatory manner and clearly didn’t understand the issue, yet still told me it “couldn’t be done.”
I then had to call THREE times, use live chat, and spend over 30 minutes on the final call just to try to make a complaint. I was told there was “no one available” to take it and promised a callback within 1–2 hours. That callback never happened.”
This lack of accountability and slow resolution makes IONOS a risky choice for any business that depends on uptime and reliable customer help. We documented multiple support failures and response delays in detail, check our full IONOS review here.
Are There Hidden Costs or Confusing Pricing Structures with IONOS?
IONOS often promotes ultra-cheap introductory pricing, some plans as low as £1/month. What many users don’t realise is how drastically these rates increase upon renewal.
Table 1: Sample IONOS Pricing Changes
Plan Type Introductory Price (1st Year) Renewal Price (Year 2 Onwards)
Business Hosting £1/month £8–10/month
Domain Registration £2/year £15–25/year
Email Services £1/month £5–7/month
Besides renewal hikes, IONOS has also been criticised for vague billing procedures and automatic add-ons.
Here’s what Suzie Gee reported:
Suzie Gee – GB
“I simply thought I was buying a year of a .tv domain at a better price than my usual Godaddy but a month later following approx £100 worth of services (which I’d never use now or ever) automatically taken from my bank. Ionas telling me I was fully aware what I was getting into. In fact it is they who are ‘fully aware’ that they are extorting people by confusing them at checkout. Obviously trading on people’s propensity to want to sign out and pay as quickly as possible, banking on the fact people will click through based on trust of a large company. But we, without any clue, are actually signing up to an open theft scheme.
Be fully aware these people will take advantage of any vulnerability you have they are a ruthless and absolutely criminal company.”
Additionally, account lockouts are common if payments are missed or cards expire. In some cases, users lost access to all services, including email and website, until the issue was manually resolved, even if it was a minor billing error.
How Beginner-Friendly Is the IONOS User Interface and Control Panel?
One of the biggest usability flaws with IONOS is its confusing control panel. Even as someone fairly comfortable with hosting tools, I found basic tasks unintuitive.
The layout lacks clarity, and settings are often buried in menus. The internal search function helps a bit, but it’s not enough when critical tasks like DNS configuration or email forwarding are difficult to locate.
A LinkedIn reviewer, highlighted:
“IONOS’ dashboard… is confusing to say the least. Users often feel completely lost, struggling to find basic settings or navigate the system efficiently. This lack of usability adds unnecessary complexity to what should be straightforward tasks.”
For advanced users, the problem deepens. Custom DNS integration is either blocked or unreliable, and there’s no support for fixed IP addresses on shared hosting. limiting your ability to use services like Cloudflare.
What Are the Core Performance and Feature Limitations?
While IONOS advertises decent performance, it lacks several key technologies that its competitors offer by default.
Feature Comparison – IONOS vs Competitors
Feature IONOS Competitor A (e.g., SiteGround) Competitor B (e.g., Krystal UK)
LiteSpeed Servers ❌ Not included ✅ Included ✅ Included
Built-in CDN ❌ None ✅ Free Cloudflare CDN ✅ Free CDN with all plans
Spam Filtering (Email) ❌ Inconsistent ✅ AI Spam Filters ✅ Custom Filters
Fixed IP (Shared Hosting) ❌ Not available ✅ Optional ✅ Optional
Users like Hendon Clinic on Trustpilot reported disastrous email experiences:
Hendon Clinic – GB
“Go for a UK based reliable domain provider. They use staff from the Philippines that simply just write down your issue on ‘their system’ nobody calls you back and the service is not available 24/7 as advertised. I’ve wasted 3 hours today trying to recover our business emails. Our card was stolen so we had to order a new card from the bank, their portal doesn’t allow you to update the payment method, none of the linkable buttons in their emails work. So they’ve decided to blocked all important incoming business emails that were meant to arrive in our inbox and now they are saying that they cannot retrieve any emails. We now have missed important business meetings, calls, insurance documents and suffered a huge loss of business because of IONOS’s incompetence.“
Without built-in CDN or caching mechanisms, website speed suffers. Plus, no LiteSpeed servers means less efficiency under high traffic. It’s a clear step behind competitors in terms of infrastructure.
What Are the Limitations for Advanced Users?
For developers or businesses that want more control, IONOS feels limited. Their shared hosting environments restrict access to critical settings and often block integrations with external DNS or CDN providers.
Some of the common limitations include:
- No SSH access on lower-tier plans
- Inability to assign static IP addresses
- DNS record changes delayed or error-prone
- No access to .htaccess or server configuration files on some plans
- Limited software compatibility for advanced PHP modules
As mentioned in the LinkedIn review:
“The inability to use external DNS providers or manage hosting settings flexibly makes it challenging to tailor their service to meet specific needs. IONOS might work for beginners who don’t require advanced features. but seasoned users will find its limitations frustrating.”
If you run a WordPress agency or need staging environments and CI/CD workflows, IONOS may slow you down.
How Does IONOS Compare to Other UK Hosting Providers?
While IONOS offers decent value at the start, its long-term service and flexibility don’t match other UK hosting providers like Krystal Hosting, SiteGround, or 20i.
Here are a few things other providers often do better:
- Transparent, consistent pricing
- More modern control panels (like cPanel or Plesk)
- Better scalability options
- Improved customer support experience
- Advanced developer tools and environments
Though IONOS works for basic sites or early-stage users, anyone serious about performance, support, and scalability will likely find better experiences elsewhere.
Conclusion – Is IONOS the Right Choice for You?
Based on my personal experience and countless user reviews, IONOS has significant shortcomings, especially once you move past the initial pricing honeymoon phase.
While it may appeal to beginners with low-cost offers, the hidden fees, complex interfaces, and inconsistent support can quickly outweigh any savings. I’ve since moved several of my websites to more transparent, performance-focused providers that offer real value and better tools.
If you’re thinking about using IONOS, weigh these downsides carefully before committing.
FAQs About the Disadvantages of IONOS
Why do IONOS renewal prices increase so drastically?
IONOS uses promotional first-year pricing to attract new customers, but renewal rates revert to their full cost, which can be up to 10x the introductory fee.
Does IONOS offer fixed IP addresses on shared hosting plans?
No, IONOS shared hosting lacks fixed IP support, which limits integration with services like Cloudflare and certain DNS configurations.
Is IONOS suitable for professional developers or agencies?
Generally not. Developers may find the environment restrictive, with no SSH access on basic plans and limited backend configuration options.
Are IONOS emails reliable for business use?
Many users report email filtering issues, especially with forwarded emails being marked as spam. It’s not ideal for business-critical communications.
How long does IONOS customer support take to respond?
Support wait times vary, but many users experience long delays and disconnected calls. Email/ticket support is not available for all services.
Can you cancel IONOS services easily?
Some users have reported that cancelling services can be confusing, with unexpected fees still being charged or accounts not closed properly.
Is IONOS good for UK businesses needing local support?
No. Multiple UK users report difficulty reaching support and complaints about offshore support centres lacking context for UK-specific needs.
