Leave IONOS WordPress Hosting

IONOS has been around since the dial-up era. Your hosting stack shouldn't feel like it.

Start Migration

Why People Leave IONOS

Common frustrations that drive users to look for alternatives.

Confusing dashboard mixes hosting, domains, email, marketing, and servers in one interface

Legacy infrastructure — 1&1/IONOS has been through multiple mergers and rebrandings

Performance on shared plans is inconsistent, especially on EU servers during peak hours

Contract-based billing with auto-renewal makes cancellation unnecessarily complex

Aggressive phone and email marketing from IONOS sales teams

What You Gain by Leaving

The benefits of migrating to a modern deployment platform.

Escape the complex IONOS dashboard and contract-based billing

Better performance with global edge deployment

No more sales calls and marketing emails

Simple, transparent pricing with no long-term contracts

Modern developer experience

How to Migrate Away from IONOS

Follow these steps to move your WordPress site to a modern platform.

Take a backup from IONOS Hosting → Plesk → Backup Manager (or WordPress → Tools → Export), then run LeaveWP

Download /httpdocs/wp-content/uploads/ via Plesk → Files, or via IONOS SFTP credentials (Hosting → SSH/SFTP access)

Create your new Next.js or Astro project with imported content

Deploy to Vercel or Cloudflare Pages

Transfer your domain to a simpler registrar (Cloudflare, Namecheap) or update DNS in IONOS → Domains & SSL → DNS

Verify the migration and test all pages

Cancel via Contracts → Contract Overview → Cancel — IONOS contracts have a fixed term; cancel before the auto-renew deadline (typically 1-3 months before)

Recommended Alternatives

Modern platforms that replace IONOS with better performance and lower costs.

Vercel

Clean, simple deployment platform. No contracts, no upselling.

Free tier, Pro at $20/monthBest for: Next.js deployments

Cloudflare Pages

Reliable, fast, and straightforward. Unlimited bandwidth included.

Free tier, unlimited bandwidthBest for: Simple, fast deployments

Netlify

Developer-friendly platform with clear, honest pricing.

Free tier, Pro at $19/monthBest for: JAMstack projects

Railway

Modern alternative for full-stack hosting needs.

Usage-based from $5/monthBest for: Apps needing server-side features

Related Migration Guides

Migrate WordPress → Next.js Migrate WordPress → Astro

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cancel IONOS? I've heard it's difficult.

IONOS requires cancellation before a specific deadline in your contract term. Log into your IONOS account, go to Contracts & Subscriptions, and cancel there. Do this BEFORE starting the migration to avoid auto-renewal.

Can I transfer my domain out of IONOS?

Yes. Unlock the domain in IONOS, get the auth/EPP code, and initiate a transfer at your new registrar. Allow 5-7 days for the transfer to complete.

I have email on IONOS — what do I do?

Migrate to Google Workspace or Zoho Mail first. Export your emails via IMAP before canceling the IONOS contract.

IONOS was previously 1&1 — does the contract structure carry over?

Yes. IONOS inherited 1&1's fixed-term contract model with cancellation deadlines, which is unusual for the US/UK hosting market. Always check your renewal notice and cancel by the deadline shown.

IONOS Managed WordPress runs on Plesk — will the export differ from cPanel hosts?

Slightly. Plesk has a different UI than cPanel, but the WordPress admin → Tools → Export route works identically. Pull files via Plesk's file manager or SFTP regardless.

Is IONOS's free domain offer worth holding onto?

IONOS often bundles a free domain in year one. After the promo, .com renewals are typically $15-20/year. Transferring to Cloudflare ($9.15/year for .com) or Porkbun is usually cheaper long-term.