- Ionos attributes sudden price change to partner’s licensing costs
- Customers say the short notice makes migrating nearly impossible this month.
- Small Business Web Hosting Users Risk Downtime If They Ditch Plesk
Ionos, one of Europe’s largest web hosting providers, has sparked a backlash from its customers after announcing a sudden price increase for its virtual private server (VPS) plans.
The company attributed the hike to higher licensing fees from partner WebPros International, the developer of popular management tools Plesk and cPanel.
Customers, however, say the short notice and mid-contract deadline have left them frustrated and scrambling to find alternatives.
Customers Question Mid-Contract Price Changes
The email sent to VPS users stated that an additional £5 per month, excluding VAT, would now apply for each Plesk license linked to their servers.
Although the amount may seem small, many customers run multiple servers, making the increase substantial.
The notice gave them just over a month to decide whether to pay the new fees or remove Plesk from their systems completely.
Some users questioned whether introducing a new cost mid-contract was fair, arguing that such changes should only apply at renewal.
Others complained that the 30-day warning period was inadequate for migrating services to another host, especially for businesses relying on complex multi-server setups.
For small business web hosting users, the timing couldn’t be worse, as many of these businesses rely on Plesk as their control panel to manage email, domains, and websites without the need for technical expertise.
Removing it, as Ionos suggested, could create serious administrative problems.
While there are alternatives to Plesk, switching control panels can cause downtime, configuration issues, or even data loss if not handled carefully.
The controversy highlights a recurring problem in web hosting, where changes in licensing or vendor relationships can quickly affect customers who rely on so-called “free” bundled tools.
Customers pointed to Ionos’ own terms, which allow price adjustments with 30 days’ written notice.
However, some have questioned whether it is legitimate to charge separately for something that was advertised as free.
The lack of public response from the company has only amplified the discontent. Multiple attempts by journalists to contact Ionos have gone unanswered for days.
As more and more free web hosting and low-cost providers compete in the market, trust and transparency become as valuable as technical reliability.
For now, Ionos users must consider whether to pay more, adapt their systems, or find a new host.
Via The register
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