IONOS vs netcup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, netcup grades higher than IONOS: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
netcup grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
IONOS
Shared and WordPress hosting with a domain, wildcard SSL and email
netcup
German web hosting, vServers and root servers priced in euros
Which one is for you
Pick IONOS if
- Fits if you run several small sites and want them on one plan
- Works for SSH, git and WP-CLI on hosting that's $4 a month in year one
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need several mailboxes, as Essential has 1 and Ultimate 5, each with 2 GB
- Pricey if you pick Plus for the $1 year, since it renews at $14 a month
- Skip it if you want malware removed for you on a low plan, as that's Ultimate or WordPress Boost only
- Watch out: Essential goes from $4 to $8 a month after year one, and monthly no-minimum hosting shows no price
- Not for you if you want to try first, as there's no free plan or trial on record
Pick netcup if
- Fits if you want low-cost PHP hosting or a vServer in Germany
- Works for small sites on Webhosting 1000
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Python, Ruby on Rails or Node.js on the two cheapest web plans
- Watch out: prices are in euros and read at the German VAT default of 19%
- Tight if you need a month-to-month VPS, as the cheaper price is on a 12-month contract
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAIONOSWeak | 2.0GPAnetcupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BEssential is $4 a month for the first year, then $8, so two years cost $144, about $6 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of hosts and just over the A line. Plus looks cheaper at $1, but it renews at $14, so two years come to $180. | AWebhosting 1000 is €2.69 a month incl. VAT, under 60% of the $5 cheaper-quarter start. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: there's no free plan and no trial on record, so you pay from day one. | FNothing free and no trial on the pages read, so you pay from day one. |
| Features | CUnlimited websites, NVMe storage, a domain, wildcard SSL, daily backups and malware scanning on every plan. The gaps the listing names: Essential has 1 mailbox, and malware removal waits for Ultimate. | CWeb hosting, vServers with a remote console and API, root servers and domains. Python, Rails and Node.js are not in the two smallest plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. There's a personal consultant and 24/7 phone support, but there's still a site and email to set up. | CHosting panel work for each site, and server plans need configuring. No store rating. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web dashboard only. Its integrations are the apps it installs, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Jetpack, plus SSH and git, with no API on record. | CWeb control panel only, with no integrations listed. |
| Best for | several small sites on one plan | cheap web hosting and VPS from Germany |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: IONOS and netcup. How we grade
Price against what you get
IONOS starts at $4 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. netcup starts at about $3.01 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and netcup starts $0.99 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 10 score higher than IONOS for less, and 9 score higher than netcup for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- IONOS also covers malware protection and managed WordPress.
- netcup also covers databases.
At a glance
| IONOS | netcup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $8 per month at renewal (Essential), after a first year at $4 a month | €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | IONOS Inc. | netcup GmbH |
| Price read from | ionos.com | netcup.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
IONOS
- Intro prices last the first year of a 1-year term: Plus goes from $1 to $14 a month and Essential from $4 to $8.
- Mailboxes are few: Essential includes 1 and Ultimate 5, each with 2 GB of storage.
- Automatic malware removal and unlimited SSL certificates need Ultimate on web hosting, or Boost ($17 a month after a first year at $12) on WordPress.
- IONOS also offers hosting with no minimum term, billed monthly with one month's notice, but the plan tables do not show its price.
netcup
- Prices are in euros and, by default, include German VAT of 19%; the site lets a buyer pick another country's VAT rate, and these figures were read at the German default.
- Python, Ruby on Rails and Node.js are not included in Webhosting 1000 and 2000.
- VPS prices fall with longer contracts: the page marks 12 months as -13% and 24 months as -26% against the 1-month price.
- The vServer prices shown here are for the default location; the site's price data lists other locations such as Singapore at higher figures.
Key features
IONOS
- Unlimited websites and NVMe storage
- Web hosting plans host any number of sites with unlimited traffic, on 100 GB to 500 GB of NVMe storage with more CPU priority on each tier.
- Domain, wildcard SSL and email
- Every plan includes a domain free for the first year, a wildcard DV certificate and 2 GB email accounts, from 1 on Essential to 5 on Ultimate.
- Backups and malware scanning
- Plans run daily backups, malware scanning and DDoS protection on geo-redundant servers. Ultimate adds advanced scanning with automatic removal.
- Developer access
- SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI, git version control, cron jobs and a choice of PHP 8.2 to 8.4 are included, with one-click installs for WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.
- AI tools for WordPress
- Every WordPress plan includes an AI Website Builder, and Grow and Boost add an AI assistant that writes text, images, pages and blog posts.
- Personal consultant
- Customers get a personal consultant to guide them, alongside 24/7 support by phone, chat and email.
netcup
- Cloud web hosting
- Web hosting runs on a redundant cloud setup with chroot environments, SSH access and free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for all domains.
- vServers with remote console and API
- Virtual servers come with snapshots, a remote console, a DVD drive, an API, DDoS protection and traffic included.
- Root servers
- Root servers offer guaranteed resources and root access from the first minute.
- Local block storage
- Extra storage for vServers is priced from €0.012 per GB and month, up to 8 TB, without a fixed term.
- Managed servers and clusters
- Managed vServers, netcup Enterprise managed servers and a managed cloud cluster are listed for buyers who do not want to run Linux themselves.
- Domains
- Domain registration, transfers and a reseller program are sold alongside hosting.
Plans
IONOS
Essential$8
per month at renewal, after a first year at $4 a month
Web hosting with unlimited websites, 100 GB NVMe and 1 mailbox. $4 a month for the first year of a 1-year term, shown against a crossed-out $10.
Starter$10
per month at renewal, after a first year at $6 a month
200 GB NVMe, 3x server resources, 2 mailboxes and a CDN. $6 a month for the first year, against a crossed-out $12.
Plus$14
per month at renewal, after a first year at $1 a month
350 GB NVMe, 5x server resources and 4 mailboxes. $1 a month for the first year, against a crossed-out $16.
Ultimate$18
per month at renewal, after a first year at $10 a month
500 GB NVMe, 10x resources, 5 mailboxes, unlimited wildcard SSL and automatic malware removal. $10 a month for the first year.
WordPress Start$8
per month at renewal, after a first year at $5 a month
One managed WordPress site, 25 GB, automatic backups and the AI Website Builder. $5 a month for the first year, against a crossed-out $9.
WordPress Grow$12
per month at renewal, after a first year at $1 a month
50 GB, 5 mailboxes, a year of Jetpack Vault and the AI Assistant for text, images and posts. $1 a month for the first year.
netcup
Webhosting 1000€2.69
per month, incl. 19% VAT
50 GB SSD, SSH access, SSL certificates and 1 .de or alternative domain included. No Python, Ruby or Node.js.
Webhosting 2000€4.03
per month, incl. 19% VAT
150 GB SSD, SSH access, the WordPress toolkit and 3 .de domains or 1 alternative domain included.
Webhosting 4000€8.10
per month, incl. 19% VAT
500 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 6 .de domains or 2 alternative domains included.
Webhosting 8000€13.17
per month, incl. 19% VAT
1000 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 12 .de domains or 3 alternative domains included.
VPS 500 G12.5€8.26
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
2 vCore (x86), 4 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, traffic included. The page also shows €9.50 for a 1-month term, and 12 and 24-month terms are marked -13% and -26%.
VPS 1000 G12.5€14.50
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
4 vCore (x86), 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. Larger VPS 2000, 4000 and 8000 plans run up to 16 vCore, 64 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD.
Ways to pay less
IONOS
- Other savings
First year of web hosting Plus at $1 a month
On a 1-year term the first year costs $1 a month for Plus, $4 for Essential, $6 for Starter and $10 for Ultimate, before $14, $8, $10 and $18 a month.
- Other savings
First year of WordPress Grow at $1 a month
On a 1-year term the first year costs $1 a month for Grow, $5 for Start and $12 for Boost, before $12, $8 and $17 a month.
netcup
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, IONOS or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, netcup is cheaper to start with: about $3.01 a month, against $4 a month for IONOS. IONOS starts at $8 per month at renewal (Essential), after a first year at $4 a month, and netcup starts at €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000).
Which has a free plan, IONOS or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither IONOS nor netcup has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.