TL;DR: The IONOS website builder is called MyWebsite Now, and its Plus plan costs $1 a month for the first year on a 1-year term, then $20 a month (IONOS, checked November 2, 2026). You pick a template or let its AI draft a site, then edit it yourself. If you’d rather have the site built for you, WebZum asks a few questions and builds a finished multi-page site in about five minutes. You see it free before you pay, then it’s $19/mo (Basic) or $34/mo (Professional, with your own domain), month to month.
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Disclosure: WebZum publishes this blog and makes a competing AI website builder. IONOS facts come from IONOS’s own US product, help and legal pages, linked inline.
Verified November 2, 2026. Prices are US list prices before sales tax and can change.
What is the IONOS website builder?
It’s MyWebsite Now, a template-and-AI builder sold with a domain, SSL and email. IONOS’s builder page promises “Domain, SSL and email included” and says its AI Website Generator lets you “enter a few business details, and AI creates your fully customizable website with relevant images and text, in seconds” (IONOS Website Builder).
The setup is three steps on that page: choose a template or the AI generator, “edit your text, images and design,” then publish “on your own domain name” (same source).
Don’t confuse it with IONOS’s newer AI App & Site Builder, a separate “vibe coding” product with its own AI credits and free trial (IONOS Help). This post covers MyWebsite Now, the product IONOS sells as its website builder.
How much does the IONOS website builder cost?
From $1 to $17 a month in year one, but only on a 1-year term, and two of the three plans list a higher renewal. Here’s what IONOS’s US plan cards showed on November 2, 2026 (IONOS Website Builder):
| Plan | Year one (1-year term) | IONOS’s listed renewal | Pages | Mailbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $6/mo | “Then only $14/month” | 10 | 2 GB |
| Plus (Bestseller) | $1/mo | “Then only $20/month” | 200 | 12 GB |
| Pro | $17/mo | Not shown; struck-through price $32 | Unlimited | 50 GB |
Every plan lists a “Free custom domain,” a “Professional email address,” mobile-optimized sites and a “30-day money-back guarantee.” The comparison table clarifies the domain is a “1 year free domain” (same source). The page also notes “State and local sales taxes may apply.”
What does the $1 IONOS plan become in year two?
About $240 for year two, versus $12 for year one. This is our own read of the IONOS plan cards, captured as a screenshot on November 2, 2026. We multiplied each card’s own numbers by 12 months; we did not complete a purchase.
| Plan | Year one total | Year two total at listed renewal | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $72 | $168 | +$96 |
| Plus | $12 | $240 | +$228 |
| Pro | $204 | Not listed on the card | — |
| WebZum Basic | $228 ($19 × 12) | $228 | none |
| WebZum Professional | $408 ($34 × 12) | $408 | none |
The pattern is normal for hosting companies: the first year is the hook, and the real price starts in month 13. Plus is a genuinely good year-one deal. Just budget for $20 a month after that, plus whatever your domain renews for once its free year ends. WebZum has no intro rate, so the first month and the thirteenth cost the same.
How does the IONOS AI website generator work?
You describe your business in a chat, answer a few follow-ups, then accept a draft and edit it yourself. IONOS’s help center says you “enter a description of your business or your website idea,” click Start building, and the AI asks “for your company or website name, and the sector or purpose” (IONOS Help).
Two limits worth knowing, both from that same help article:
- Setup chat only makes global changes. “During setup, only global changes are possible, e.g., ‘Change all backgrounds’.” Text edits happen afterward in the website editor.
- You write the brief. IONOS recommends spelling out your sector, target audience, unique selling point and style, e.g. “24/7 emergency service.”
After setup, AI pages are an editor feature: you click “Add page with AI,” give a page name, describe it, pick a tone of voice, and drag in up to ten sections. IONOS notes this “is not available in all plans” (IONOS Help). The plan table shows the AI text generator and AI image generator missing from Starter (IONOS Website Builder).
There’s also an in-editor AI Assistant that answers how-to questions and links you to settings (IONOS Help). It guides you; you still make the edits.
Can you get a refund from IONOS?
Yes, within 30 days, but it doesn’t cover everything. IONOS’s money-back terms say claims “must be received within 30 days from the initial date of order” and the guarantee “is limited to the refund of certain setup fees and the monthly fee for the first billing cycle.” It excludes “new orders of domain packages, SSL certificates, additional domains, and additional features,” and “customers switching from one package to another package are no longer eligible” (IONOS MBG terms).
IONOS’s general terms also say subscriptions renew automatically unless you give notice through the control panel (IONOS GT&C). Set a calendar reminder before your first year ends.
WebZum’s 30-day money-back guarantee is a full refund on any plan if you ask within the first 30 days. After day 30 there are no refunds, so use the free preview to decide first.
What’s actually different with WebZum?
IONOS gives you a draft and an editor. WebZum gives you a finished site and an editor you talk to. The first-run steps side by side:
| Step | IONOS MyWebsite Now (per IONOS Help) | WebZum |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Buy a plan, open Web Projects, describe your business | Sign up free, type a description or paste your Google Maps link |
| Questions | Name and sector; IONOS suggests you add audience, USP, style | About four short questions |
| What you get | A draft; setup chat makes global changes only | A finished multi-page site with copy, photos, logo and a visitor chatbot, in about five minutes |
| Edits | Website editor, plus AI pages on some plans | Ask in plain words: add a page, change hours, swap a photo, undo |
| Before paying | Paid plan comes first | Free preview for about 30 days on a WebZum subdomain |
On WebZum, if you paste a Google Maps link during setup, up to five 4-star-plus Google reviews are quoted as testimonials, word for word with the author’s name. On our own demo sites (fictional businesses, not customers), one chat message like “we fix car ac too, can u add a page for that” added a new service page and updated the menu.
When should you choose IONOS instead?
Choose IONOS if you want the lowest year-one price, need email included, or want 24/7 phone support. Specifically:
- You want a mailbox in the bundle. Every IONOS plan includes a professional email address (IONOS Website Builder). WebZum doesn’t sell mailboxes; see how to get a business email.
- You’ll prepay a year to save. $12 for a year of Plus is hard to beat on day-one cost.
- You like a personal consultant. IONOS advertises “your own personal consultant” and 24/7 support “by phone, chat or email” (same source).
- You need online booking or a store in the same builder. Plus includes an online booking tool, and IONOS lists eCommerce as an add-on (same source).
Choose WebZum if you’d rather not build it yourself, want to see the finished site before you pay anything, and want one month-to-month price with no year-two jump.
How to try WebZum before you decide
- Go to webzum.com/free-website and sign up.
- Describe your business or paste your Google Maps link.
- Answer about four questions and press Build.
- Look at your finished site, then ask for changes by chat.
- Publish on Basic ($19/mo), or Professional ($34/mo) to connect your own domain and remove the WebZum badge. If you already own a domain, you’ll point its four nameservers to WebZum.
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FAQs
Is the IONOS website builder good?
It’s a solid budget pick if you’re comfortable editing a template yourself and want domain, SSL and email in one bill. If you’d rather have a finished site written for you, a done-for-you builder fits better.
How much is the IONOS website builder per month?
On November 2, 2026, IONOS listed Starter at $6/mo, Plus at $1/mo and Pro at $17/mo, each with a 1-year term. Starter then renews at $14/mo and Plus at $20/mo (IONOS).
Is the IONOS website builder free?
No. There’s no free MyWebsite Now plan; the cheapest year is Plus at $1/mo on a 1-year term. IONOS’s separate AI App & Site Builder has a free trial version (IONOS Help).
Does the IONOS website builder have AI?
Yes. Every plan includes the AI Website Generator, while the AI text and image generators start on Plus (IONOS).
Can I cancel IONOS and get my money back?
Within 30 days of ordering, for the setup fee and first billing cycle. Domains, SSL certificates and add-ons aren’t covered (IONOS MBG terms).
See your site before you pay
IONOS’s $1 year is a fair deal if you’ll build the site yourself. If you’d rather see a finished site first, WebZum builds one in about five minutes, free to preview.