Note: IONOS now only offers the MyWebsite Now Editor. This review will be updated soon.

 

IONOS MyWebsite Review: The Business Website Builder

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This article has been written and researched by our expert tooltesters through a precise methodology. Learn more about our methodology

Robert Brandl

Robert Brandl

Author

Inka Wibowo

Inka Wibowo

Researcher

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IONOS “MyWebsite” is a website builder for small and medium-sized companies from German internet giant 1&1. They are also pretty big in the web hosting space, which we have also reviewed.

Hands up, anyone who hasn't got a clear idea of what to put on their website yet! MyWebsite addresses this common issue by letting you create an online business card in no time. This way, visitors can at least see your contact details while you’re still building your website.

Once you are ready, you can use the drag and drop website builder to choose from a range of layouts, images, and text blocks tailored to hundreds of industries.

You are free to customize any of the designs provided to your heart’s content, so you can replace all the photos of corporate types wearing suits with cat pictures if you want 😀  And there’s an image archive containing almost 20,000 pictures for that very purpose. The software used by IONOS is actually powered by Duda, another site creator. If you’re familiar with Duda’s tool already, you’ll probably pick up on some crossovers.

Unfortunately, there is no free test version, but at least you can get a refund within 30 days from IONOS. Still, not really good enough.

You have a choice between the advanced MyWebsite Creator editor for experienced users, the pro MyWebsite Creator+ tool for designers and agencies, and the more intuitive MyWebsite Now option designed by IONOS with beginners in mind. On top of all that, you can add shop functionality (based on software from Ecwid) to any of the editors.

If you don’t have the time or skill to build your own website, you can even leave it to the IONOS Design Service team. This service starts at $30/month with a $199 setup fee.

We’ve decided to focus our review on MyWebsite Creator, the mid-range package with more advanced features than the basic option.

So is it any good or should you take your money and run? Let's find out!

Videos

  • Ionos MyWebsite Creator video review
Ionos MyWebsite Creator video review video

Screenshots

IONOS MyWebsite Pricing

$5

Now

For creating personal websites; all standard features included. Ideal for beginners (MyWebsite Now editor).

$10

Plus

Advanced features (MyWebsite Creator editor). For creating business websites using industry-specific templates; professional domain name, email address, and mailbox included. Designed for experienced users.

$12

Shop Starter

Online store for up to 500 items. Templates only with limited customization options.

$20

Shop Plus

All important features included. Up to 5,000 products can be added.

Domain name included; monthly prices apply for a 12-month contract term; discounted rates available for the first year.

Pros and Cons of IONOS MyWebsite Builder

  • Pros
  • Cons

Pros

  • Ideal for multilingual sites

    If your business has an international audience, you can address them with ease using the integrated translation function (Basic and Plus package). There are 60 different languages available.

  • Customer support hotline and live chat

    Phone support is included with all IONOS MyWebsite packages. And you can always use the live chat when you need help too.

  • Option to create backups

    You can save backups at any point and restore these versions whenever you need to. So if something goes wrong, you’re just one click away from putting it right.

  • Blog import option

    If you already have a blog with an RSS feed, you can easily migrate this over to IONOS MyWebsite.

Rating Details

Ease of use Info popup

Although you might feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of options offered by IONOS when you first start to manage your website, the editor is actually nicely structured. It’s easy to drag & drop specific elements, before moving everything to exactly where you want it on the page. You do have to get used to it all first, though. If you’re looking for a more straightforward alternative, you may want to check out another provider like e.g. Wix.

Choice and flexibility of design (templates) Info popup

The templates provided by IONOS are aimed at specific industries, yet you are free to modify them to suit your own requirements. It’s even possible to modify tablet and smartphone designs to your own taste.

Although the designs here are modern enough, you’ll find more stylish options if you go with another provider like Wix or Squarespace. IONOS may have an impressive image archive containing 17,000 pictures, but some of them are standard stock photos that look very contrived. The good news is that you can access the source code for the templates and make changes that way if you are in developer mode.

Advertisement-free Info popup

A small IONOS banner is displayed at the bottom of the page by default, but you can get rid of this with just one click of the mouse.

Languages Info popup

One of the biggest selling points is that it’s possible to select one or more languages at any point (from the 60 available). You can add and deactivate these as required, without having to delete them. There’s also the option of machine translation using Google Translate (but you should never use the text produced without having it checked and edited first). The website editor itself is available in 9 languages.

Your own domain name (e.g. .com or .net) Info popup

Even the STARTER package comes with a free domain for one year. You can pick from: .com, .co.uk, .ca, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .eu, .online. The alternative is to transfer one over to IONOS (connecting an external domain isn’t possible unfortunately). SSL encryption is activated by default. You get an email address and inbox included too to keep things nice and simple.

Depth of navigation Info popup

You can add up to 3 layers, which should be plenty in most cases. Having said that, it would be better to have a little extra flexibility here for more complex navigational structures.

Widgets (small tools to add extra functionality) Info popup

There’s no proper app store, but you can create your own widgets. These may come in the form of a pop-up advertising a special deal or containing information for returning visitors. For example, if you have someone who has already visited your website and taken their time to buy something, you might want to activate an automatic discount code pop-up.

Mobile App Info popup

  • iOS
  • Android

You can use the IONOS mobile app to edit and manage your website or shop on the go, with the option to check customer details, change contracts, register domains, get in touch with contacts and access the help center directly.

E-Commerce Info popup

You can add an online store with the Shop plan. The interface is based on Ecwid. IONOS also offers their so called e-shops. These options are designed specifically for ecommerce, though.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Info popup

You can change the page title and description, URL, and indexing via the SEO settings. Even 301 redirects can be set up, which is important if you ever change URLs of a page. Blog posts SEO titles have some limitations.

Blog

To be fair, the blog function is pretty easy to use. Looking at things from a search engine optimization point of view, though, it would be nice if the SEO title was separate from the post heading. Unfortunately, only one field is currently provided here. You can also import existing blogs using the RSS import function. Bear in mind that you can’t create a blog with the MyWebsite Now editor.

Visitor statistics Info popup

You can use the IONOS statistics tool (WebAnalytics) to keep track of visitor numbers, page impressions, bounce rate and much more. You can also add standard solutions like Google Analytics and Matomo using the relevant code.

Contact form

You can set up your own forms and we think it’s a nice touch that there is direct compatibility with a few other service providers including MailChimp and Constant Contact. You can even link Google Sheets to your site.

Password protection & member areas Info popup

You can set up a separate password for each individual page. There’s no option at all for a member area, which is a shame.

Newsletter tool Info popup

A newsletter tool is included from the STARTER plan onwards, but we didn’t test it out.

Add HTML code Info popup

There is an element that allows you to use custom HTML or JavaScript in your website, or you can add this code within the page header.

Storage space

Unlimited

With the Plus and Pro packages, you get unlimited storage space and pages.

Backups & Restore Info popup

You can create a backup at any point and everything is also backed up automatically every time you click to publish the website. Restore a saved version with just one click of the mouse.

Support

  • FAQ
  • Chat
  • Email
  • Telephone

IONOS is one of the few providers that does offer support over the phone. However, we would recommend reading the FAQs before calling the hotline. Alternatively, you can always send the support team an email. And you can always use the live chat when you need help too. You are assigned a single point of contact, which is another nice touch that sets IONOS apart from the competition. When we tested their customer support, they answered our questions quite fast and satisfactorily. However, they can be a bit commercial sometimes, trying to sell you extra features or tools for your website (it seems to be dependent on the support agent) which could be annoying for some users.

Fun Factor Info popup

Once you’ve worked out how to move the elements around anywhere you want, the editor is actually fun to work with. It’s just a shame that you can’t give it a go for free without having to go through the full registration process. And don’t forget that you’ll have to wade your way through all the package options and prices before you can get going.

Overall Rating

3.82

IONOS MyWebsite has an industry focus and comes with the option of one-to-one support via the telephone hotline if you have an issue you need to deal with right away. Overall, this is a well-rounded product with plenty of excellent features.

Conclusion

IONOS MyWebsite has a huge range of features that make it ideal for creating professional pages. The editor is even relatively straightforward once you’ve got your bearings but may not have as many features as other, more advanced editors like the one Wix provides.

It’s very easy to have your website content translated. The only other website builder for multilingual websites we know of that is this straightforward is the one from Webnode. IONOS allows you to simply activate them using the language feature. But be warned! Google Translate is not always reliable, so you should not just trust the translations provided and publish them as is. Have any translated text carefully reviewed by a native speaker.

The handy business card feature allows you to get the ball rolling right away by putting your contact details out there, giving you time to focus on perfecting your online presence.

Once you’ve got to grips with how the editor works, you’ll find it pretty straightforward to create a modern-looking website with some nice effects. The backup feature is a huge selling point, as you can save a backup at any point and then just restore it again as and when you need to.

The blog is a nice extra feature if you want to do content marketing and it’s good to know that store options are available should you need them.

It’s also great to have phone support and live chat – these are services that many other providers don’t offer. Be warned though, that at times they can be a bit salesy.

If you are looking to create a decent business website, you can’t go far wrong with IONOS MyWebsite.

> Try out IONOS MyWebsite for yourself (30-day money-back guarantee)

Example Sites

1and1 mywebsite example 1

IVY Croft

Natural Beef production

1und1 mywebsite beispiel 3

DOTTWERK

Car Tuning

1und1 mywebsite beispiel 2

Wood'n See Lodge

Surf Lodge

FAQ

Banner advertising, AdSense, and so on can be incorporated really easily.

You’ll need one of the Online Store plans called Online Store, Online Store Advanced, or Online Store Expert). You can read more about online store providers here.

Unfortunately, IONOS always attracts negative attention because canceling plans seems to be artificially made more difficult. While you’re in your 30-day trial period, it’s no problem to cancel online for a full refund. After that, you need to call a toll-free number to end your contract.

IONOS Website Builder Alternatives

Still looking for the right provider for you? Use our Website Builder Smart Finder to find the perfect fit. The answer you need is just five simple questions away!

The authors

Learn more about us

Robert Brandl

Founder and CEO

Hi, my name is Robert Brandl! I used to work in a digital marketing agency where I managed website and email marketing projects. To optimize my client's campaigns, I always had to find the optimal web tools. Tooltester offers this knowledge to you, hopefully saving you endless hours of research.

Inka Wibowo

Content Manager

Hi, I'm Inka! I started using website builders and content management systems over 10 years ago, when I managed websites for clients in my first marketing role. Since then, I've worked on hundreds of web and digital projects. Now, at Tooltester, I'm happy to be able to use my experience to help users like you find the right website builder for your needs.

Learn more about us

We keep our content up to date

05 May 2023 - IONOS now only offer the MyWebsite Now Editor on their website. You can get the Creator on request via live chat.
15 Mar 2022 – Small text update; test customer support
14 Mar 2022 – New Ionos MyWebsite video review added
18 Jan 2022 – General update
17 Dec 2021 – Mobile app rating added
10 Apr 2020 – We had to remove Ionos from our ranking as currently, we are unable to get a test account. Without that, we are not able to update our review and keep our high standards, unfortunately
05 Sep 2019 – Reduced fun factor and templates
25 Apr 2019 – 1&1 replaced the Pro plan with the Shop plan
31 Nov 2018 – 1&1 has officially become 1&1 IONOS
16 Mar 2017 – Review updated in line with the new website builder
17 Jan 2017 – New section backup & restore added to the review
08 Jun 2016 – Review update
19 Oct 2015 – All plans include 200 email addresses
27 Aug 2014 – New rating for templates
31 Mar 2014 – Major updates: new responsive templates, blog feature and a different shopping feature
04 Jun 2013 – 1&1 confirmed that although they advertise “unlimited pages”, in reality that means 500
15 Jan 2013 – Facelift for the editor and improvents in SEO, video review added
6 Oct 2011 – 1&1 MyBusiness Site is now called 1&1 MyWebsite
20 Sep 2011 – New features added (mobile website, social widget and new templates)
20 Jul 2011 – General update
14 Mar 2011 – General update

THE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS REVIEW

This article has been written and researched following a precise methodology.

Our methodology

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