IONOS vs Krystal: which is better for UK websites?
Short answer
Krystal wins on our overall score
IONOS6.2/10
vs
Krystal6.5/10
Krystal scores 6.5/10 against 6.2 for IONOS, mainly on UK data centre and Trustpilot. IONOS is stronger on support and renewal price (inc vat).
Choose IONOS for budget buyers or storage-heavy sites. Choose Krystal for ethical buyers or UK businesses.
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission, which never changes a score. Disclosure
Side by side (entry plans)
| Item | IONOS | Krystal |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Standard | Amethyst |
| Intro price /mo | £3.60£3/mo for 6mo ex VAT | £8.40£7/mo ex VAT |
| Renewal /mo | £7.20£6/mo | £8.40£7/mo |
| Term | Monthly after promo | Monthly |
| Year 1 cost | £65 | £101 |
| 3-year cost | £238 | £302 |
| Storage | 100 GB NVMe | 10 GB NVMe |
| Sites | Unlimited | 1 |
| 1 | Unlimited | |
| UK data centre | No UK data centre verified | UK data centre |
| 24/7 live chat | Yes | Not stated |
| Phone support | 24/7 | Office hours |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Email included | Yes | Yes |
| Daily backups | Yes | Yes |
| 1-click installer | Yes | Yes |
| Staging | Not stated | Yes |
| Free domain | Yes | No |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 | 4.9 |
Prices verified 2026-11-01 (IONOS) and 2026-11-01 (Krystal). Highlighted = cheaper. "Not stated" means the pages we checked don't say.
Score breakdown
| Component (weight) | IONOS | Krystal |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal price (inc VAT) (25%) | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| Intro price (inc VAT) (10%) | 3.3 | 1.4 |
| Trustpilot (15%) | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| Support (15%) | 10.0 | 4.0 |
| Guide features (20%) | 8.3 | 8.3 |
| UK data centre (15%) | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| Total | 6.2 | 6.5 |
Same overall score as our homepage and reviews, calculated across all hosts we track. How it works.
IONOS
Rock-bottom entry prices with big storage allowances
- Very cheap first year (Plus £1/mo for 12 months)
- Huge NVMe storage allowances
- 24/7 phone, chat and email support
- Free domain and SSL
- Renewal jump after promo
- UK data centre for shared hosting not stated
- Few mailboxes on lower plans
Krystal
UK-based, renewable-powered host with flat pricing (no renewal jump)
- Renewable-powered, listed by the Green Web Foundation
- UK company with London data centres
- Daily backups included
- Unlimited mailboxes on every plan
- Higher entry price than promo-led hosts
- Free domain not included on the entry plan
- Live chat hours not stated as 24/7
Frequently asked questions
Is Krystal better than IONOS?
On our overall score, Krystal scores 6.5/10 and IONOS scores 6.2/10. The score weights renewal price, intro price (both inc VAT), Trustpilot, support, features and UK data centre; the breakdown table on this page shows where each one wins.
Which is cheaper, IONOS or Krystal?
On entry plans including VAT: IONOS Standard costs about £65 in year one and £238 over three years; Krystal Amethyst costs about £101 and £302. That includes the switch to renewal pricing after any promotion.
Do IONOS and Krystal have UK data centres?
IONOS: not verified (Shared hosting data centre location in UK not stated (existing record)). Krystal: yes (London data centres).
Can I switch from IONOS to Krystal later?
Yes. You can move a site between hosts at any time; the main costs are your time and any unused prepaid term. See our guide to moving host for a step-by-step checklist.