Short answer
As of October 23, 2026, IONOS VPS wins more of the head-to-head checks (4 vs 4) and ranks higher overall (#23 of 160). Bluehost VPS is cheaper to start ($5.69 vs $6.00 a month) and Bluehost VPS has more locations (9 vs 8).
Verdict
Bluehost VPS is cheaper to start: NVMe 2 costs $5.69 per month against $6.00 at IONOS VPS, but IONOS VPS gives more RAM for the money ($3.06 vs $3.62 per GB, median).
Bluehost VPS has the wider footprint with 9 locations in 8 countries, against 8 in 4 at IONOS VPS; both offer Frankfurt and London.
On features, only IONOS VPS offers Windows Server, only Bluehost VPS offers an API and only Bluehost VPS offers a managed option.
Customers rate IONOS VPS higher on Trustpilot: 4.6 from 45,403 reviews versus 4.5 from 31,911.
Overall IONOS VPS ranks #23 and Bluehost VPS #40 of 160 providers we track. Choose IONOS VPS if you need Windows Server; choose Bluehost VPS if price matters most or you need a wider choice of locations.
IONOS and Bluehost side by side
| IONOS VPS | Bluehost VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | VPS Linux S+: $6.00/mo | NVMe 2: $5.69/mo |
| Entry plan specs | 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 60 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic | 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic |
| Cheapest Windows plan | VPS Windows M+: $25.00/mo | No Windows |
| Median price per GB RAM | $3.06 | $3.62 |
| Data-center locations | 8 in 4 countries | 9 in 8 countries |
| Regions | Europe, North America | Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania |
| Virtualisation | KVM (full virtualization) | KVM (reported by VPSBenchmarks; Bluehost does not state the hypervisor) |
| Hourly billing | No | No |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Yes | Yes |
| Backups | Paid | None |
| Managed option | No | Yes |
| Payment methods | card, paypal | card, paypal, other |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days |
| Uptime SLA | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Trustpilot | 4.6 (45,403 reviews) | 4.5 (31,911 reviews) |
| Founded / HQ | 1988, Montabaur DE | 2003, Jacksonville US |
Highlighted cells mark the better value where the comparison is objective (lower price, more locations, higher rating).
Plans at the same size
The closest matching plans by RAM from each provider.
| RAM | IONOS | $/month | Bluehost | $/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | VPS Linux S+ (1 vCPU, 60 GB) | $6.00 | NVMe 2 (1 vCPU, 50 GB) | $5.69 |
| 4 GB | VPS Linux M+ (2 vCPU, 120 GB) | $14.00 | NVMe 4 (2 vCPU, 100 GB) | $11.99 |
| 8 GB | VPS Linux L+ (4 vCPU, 240 GB) | $25.00 | NVMe 8 (4 vCPU, 200 GB) | $28.99 |
| 16 GB | VPS Linux XL+ (8 vCPU, 480 GB) | $47.00 | NVMe 16 (8 vCPU, 450 GB) | $49.99 |
Locations
IONOS VPS operates 8 locations (Europe, North America); Bluehost VPS operates 9 (Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania).
Cities both offer: Frankfurt and London.
Only IONOS: Berlin, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Logrono, New York and Worcester.
Only Bluehost: Amsterdam, Ashburn, Mumbai, Phoenix, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto.
Frequently asked questions
Is IONOS VPS or Bluehost VPS better?
As of October 23, 2026, IONOS VPS wins more of the head-to-head checks (4 vs 4) and ranks higher overall (#23 of 160). Bluehost VPS is cheaper to start ($5.69 vs $6.00 a month) and Bluehost VPS has more locations (9 vs 8).
Is IONOS VPS cheaper than Bluehost VPS?
Bluehost VPS has the lower entry price: $5.69 against $6.00 per month. The plans-at-equal-RAM table compares them size by size.
Which has more data centers, IONOS VPS or Bluehost VPS?
Bluehost VPS, with 9 locations in 8 countries versus 8 at IONOS VPS. Both operate in Frankfurt and London.
Do IONOS VPS and Bluehost VPS offer Windows VPS?
Only IONOS VPS offers Windows Server.
Sources
Prices, plans and locations were read from these pages; last checked October 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the provider's site before you buy.