Price3 of 22
Mailbox19 of 29
Security7 of 28
Reliability and support9 of 21
email hosting service · IONOS Inc.
IONOS Email
Mailbox hosting on your own domain with a 50 GB mailbox per user and a free domain.
In short
- The 50 GB plan costs $3 per user a month on a 3-year term, against a listed $62.
- Each user gets a 50 GB mailbox on Mail Business2,10.
- IMAP and POP3 are supported; CalDAV and CardDAV are not mentioned7.
- The terms give a 99.99% uptime credit for hosted web pages only and exclude email3.
- A public status page lists Webmail, Sending Emails and Receiving Emails with past incidents4.
IONOS Email suits small teams that want a big mailbox and phone or chat help at a low introductory price2. Two-step sign-in with an authenticator app is available8. The catch: the plan is shown only on a 3-year term, the later price is not stated, and the terms give no uptime credit for email2,3.
Best for: Small teams that want a large mailbox at a low introductory price.
Where the points come from
Price 3 of 22 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for a team of 5 | $30/moEmail 50 GB, listed at $6 per user a month, times 5; $3 introductory on a 3-year term. Later price not stated2. | 3 / 12 |
| Free plan on your own domain | NoThe plans page lists only paid plans and shows no free plan2. | 0 / 6 |
| Monthly billing | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's plans page, which shows only a 3-year term for this plan2. | 0 / 4 |
Mailbox 19 of 29 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Storage per mailbox | 50Help lists a 50 GB maximum mailbox for Mail Business10. | 10 / 10 |
| Open mail and calendar protocols | IMAP, POP3Server details are valid for Mail Basic and Mail Business; CalDAV and CardDAV are not mentioned7. | 4 / 8 |
| Shared calendar and contacts | YesMail Business webmail has a calendar and contacts; public folders share appointments and contacts with other Mail Business users14,15,16. | 5 / 5 |
| More than one domain | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's plans page, which lists a free domain without a count2. | 0 / 3 |
| Aliases and catch-all | Not publishedCatch-all is documented, but aliases are not described on the vendor's help pages9,13,14. | 0 / 3 |
Security 7 of 28 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Two-factor sign-in | YesHelp documents authenticator-app two-step sign-in, valid for Mail Basic and Mail Business8. | 7 / 7 |
| Passkeys or security keys | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's two-step sign-in article, which names only an authenticator app8. | 0 / 3 |
| Admins can require 2FA | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's two-step sign-in article, which covers per-user setup only8. | 0 / 3 |
| Single sign-on (SAML) | Not publishedNot found on the vendor's pages1,14. | 0 / 5 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's IT security page5. | 0 / 6 |
| SPF, DKIM and DMARC guides | Not publishedHelp gives SPF and DKIM steps but no DMARC setup guide11,12. | 0 / 4 |
Reliability and support 9 of 21 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Written uptime commitment | NoUptime credit in the terms covers web pages and excludes email outages3. | 0 / 9 |
| Public status page | YesPublic status page lists Webmail, sending and receiving mail, with past incidents4. | 2 / 2 |
| Live support | YesPlan card lists 24/7 expert support; the page says help is by phone, chat or email1,2. | 4 / 4 |
| Mail migration tool | YesHelp documents an email migration tool that copies mail from an external provider over IMAP or POP36,17. | 3 / 3 |
| Official phone apps | Not publishedNot found on the vendor's help pages; only a general IONOS mobile app is linked6. | 0 / 3 |
The rule behind each line: how we score email hosting services.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email, 50 GB (Mail Business)Per user | $3 per user a month on a 3-year term (listed at $6)2 | $6 | 50 GB mailbox; free domain; we use the listed $6 as the regular price |
| Exchange, monthlyPer user | $9/month, cancel anytime2 | $9 | 50 GB Exchange mailbox with Outlook on the web and 1 TB OneDrive |
Introductory prices apply for the term shown. The page gives no later price for the 50 GB plan, so we use the listed $6 per user a month2.
Strengths
- 50 GB mailbox per user on the cheapest plan with a custom domain2,10.
- Plan cards list 24/7 expert support, and IONOS says help is available by phone, chat or email1,2.
- Authenticator-app two-step sign-in is documented for Mail Business8.
- An email migration tool and guides move mail from other providers by IMAP or POP317.
- Mail Business public folders let users share calendars and contacts with each other15.
What IONOS Inc. says
Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.
- IONOS says its experts are available 24/7 by phone, chat or email1.
Other email hosting services
- 1Google Workspace GmailSmall teams that want a written 99.9% uptime commitment and detailed sign-in options82/100$35/mocost for a team of 5
- 2
Zoho MailSmall teams that want a low price and are happy to pay a year at a time79/100$5/mocost for a team of 5 - 3
Infomaniak Mail ServiceSmall teams that want Swiss-hosted mail with calendars and a free way to start62/100Not publishedcost for a team of 5 - 4
FastmailSmall teams that want mail, calendar and contacts that work in any standard app51/100Not publishedcost for a team of 5
Sources
- IONOS email hosting, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- IONOS email hosting plans, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- General terms and conditions, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- IONOS status page, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- IONOS IT security, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Email help center, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Server information for IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Activate and configure two-step verification (2FA), IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Creating, using, and deactivating a catch-all email address, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Size limitations for IONOS email accounts, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Email authentication with DKIM, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Using IONOS SPF to improve email delivery, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- My emails help, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Mail Business help, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Creating Public Folders in Mail Business Accounts, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Importing calendar entries and tasks into IONOS Mail (Basic/Business), IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Migrating Emails and Folders from an External Email Provider to IONOS, IONOS. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: www.ionos.com/email-hosting · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with IONOS Inc..