Fasthosts vs IONOS
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: IONOS is cheaper — $1/user/mo vs $5.75/mo.
- How to start: Fasthosts is from $5.75/mo, IONOS is from $1/user/mo.
- Where they differ: only IONOS has public api and mobile app.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What Fasthosts is
Fasthosts is a UK hosting provider; this record focuses on its managed shared Web Hosting rather than its separately governed VPS, cloud or dedicated-server products. The Start plan currently advertises £1 per month for the first three months and then £5.75 per month, excluding VAT, with one site, 100 GB SSD storage, one first-year domain, one mailbox and uncapped bandwidth. Packages renew under the contract and payment terms. A 30-day guarantee covers named hosting products but excludes domain-registration cost and many server or add-on services. Customers remain responsible for maintaining current independent backups.
What IONOS is
IONOS sells domains, shared web hosting, WordPress, VPS, cloud and dedicated products; this record focuses on US Linux shared Web Hosting. Current tiers bundle a domain, SSL, professional email, SSH/SFTP/WP-CLI, databases, one-click apps, daily backup/restore and 24/7 support. Promotional one-year prices rise to disclosed monthly renewal rates, taxes apply, and apparently unlimited sites, storage or databases remain bounded by shared compute, file-count and acceptable-use constraints.
Side by side
| Fasthosts | IONOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hosting | Hosting |
| How to start | $5.75/moverified | $1/user/moverified |
| Public API | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Open source / self-hostable | No | No |
| SSO (SAML) | No | No |
| Visit | Fasthosts ↗ | IONOS ↗ |
What Fasthosts is built to do
- Shared web hosting
- Hosts one or more sites on managed infrastructure with SSD storage and a provider control panel.
- Databases and apps
- Includes MySQL or MSSQL allowances and a one-click application installer by plan.
- Domain and email bundle
- Selected plans include a first-year domain and a plan-specific mailbox allowance.
- Initial refund window
- Eligible named hosting products can be cancelled through the documented 30-day guarantee process.
What IONOS is built to do
- Shared hosting tiers
- Allocates websites, geo-redundant storage, databases and compute levels by plan.
- Developer tools
- Includes SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI and database access for supported web projects.
- Bundled operations
- Provides SSL, DDoS protection, daily backup/restore and 24/7 support.
- Account mobile app
- Offers iOS and Android account functions such as notifications and payment-detail management.
Choose Fasthosts if
- Brochure sites and small CMS deployments within the selected plan's resource limits
- Customers who prefer a bundled UK hosting, domain and mailbox workflow
- Teams that maintain independent backups and understand renewal pricing before purchase
Skip Fasthosts if
- The application needs root access, custom daemons, elastic infrastructure or guaranteed compute isolation
- The buying decision only works at the short introductory price
- The recovery plan depends on Fasthosts exposing its internal archival copies
Choose IONOS if
- Conventional PHP, database and WordPress sites that fit shared resource and file limits
- Buyers who value domain, email, SSL and hosting in one provider account
- Projects whose full first-year and renewal costs have been documented before purchase
Skip IONOS if
- The application needs root access, persistent custom daemons or guaranteed compute isolation
- The website is expected to exceed file, database, CPU or memory limits despite an unlimited label
- No independent export, backup, domain-transfer and cancellation procedure is maintained
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
Fasthosts
Official sources reviewed · reviewed 2026-08-24
IONOS
Official sources reviewed · reviewed 2026-08-24
Fasthosts: pros & cons
- Clear starter bundle: Shared plans combine site space, databases, mailbox, domain promotion and a control panel.
- Uncapped bandwidth positioning: The current shared-hosting page does not impose a stated traffic cap on these packages.
- Low-friction trial period: Eligible initial hosting purchases can use the documented 30-day money-back process.
- UK-oriented service: UK infrastructure and local-market support suit small organizations targeting that jurisdiction.
- Promotion is temporary: The low introductory price rises to the displayed standard monthly rate.
- Guarantee exclusions matter: Domains, servers, add-ons and later account changes are not covered like the initial eligible hosting order.
- Backup ownership stays with the customer: Provider archives are not a promised on-demand recovery source.
- Shared-hosting limits remain: Runtime, storage, database and acceptable-use constraints can make heavier applications unsuitable.
IONOS: pros & cons
- Broad bundle: Domain, SSL, email, databases, SSH tools, app installation, backups and support are packaged together.
- Published renewal figures: Plan cards show first-year discounts and the subsequent monthly price.
- Developer access: SSH, SFTP and WP-CLI support conventional PHP and WordPress workflows.
- Product ladder: Shared, WordPress, Deploy Now, VPS, cloud and dedicated services cover different control requirements.
- Promotional discontinuity: The $1 Plus offer requires a one-year term and then rises to $14/month at the reviewed date.
- Shared-hosting limits: CPU, memory and a 262,144-file ceiling constrain even plans marketed with unlimited resources.
- Bundle complexity: Domains, email, hosting and optional products can renew on separate terms and require cancellation planning.
- Backup scope needs verification: Included daily restore does not remove the need for off-provider file and database copies.
Our verdict on Fasthosts
Fasthosts shared hosting is a straightforward UK small-site bundle, but budget at the post-promotion rate, read domain and refund exclusions, verify workload limits, and keep an independently restorable backup outside the hosting account.
Our verdict on IONOS
IONOS shared hosting fits standard small sites, but select it using the post-promotion price and concrete resource limits; separate domain/email obligations, export independent backups, and move to VPS or cloud when shared hosting no longer matches the workload.