Direct comparison
STACKIT vs IONOS Cloud
STACKIT or IONOS Cloud? The direct cloud comparison of services, data centers, costs and sovereignty. Services, pricing, data centers and sovereignty in a direct comparison.
Management summary
As of 2026-07STACKIT and IONOS Cloud position themselves as sovereign EU cloud providers with maximum operational control (10/10 each) and high technological standards, but differ significantly in pricing strategy and portfolio breadth. STACKIT focuses on maximum data security (9/10) and excellent Linux support (10/10) with a focused IaaS/PaaS offering, while IONOS Cloud stands out with a broader service spectrum (40+ services) and a strong bare metal offering (8/10). The decisive difference lies in the cost structure: IONOS Cloud achieves a Cost Rating of 8.0/10, whereas STACKIT is more expensive at 5.4/10 but offers free egress costs (10/10). For companies primarily hosting Linux workloads in Germany and prioritizing highest compliance, STACKIT is the right choice; cost-sensitive customers with a need for dedicated hardware or container-first architectures benefit more from IONOS Cloud.
Methodology & data basisSTACKIT
EU providerUSP: German cloud with maximum compliance and a clear focus on IaaS and PaaS
Recommendation: Recommended for organizations prioritizing local security and trust
IONOS Cloud
EU providerUSP: German cloud with independent radio of CPU and RAM in public Cloud, Broad offering of shared and dedicated instances.
Recommendation: Recommended for cost-conscious companies that focus on the EU market and require a mix of shared and dedicated hardware.
Performance chart
STACKIT and IONOS Cloud across 8 core categories, compared with the average of all providers (1–10).
Market positioning
All 13 providers by sovereignty and portfolio performance — purely computed from the category ratings.
Positions are purely computational: X = mean of technological & operational sovereignty, Y = mean of all remaining rating categories (each 1–10). Not a ranking recommendation. Methodology & data basis
Strengths & weaknesses
Automatically derived from the editorially reviewed rating data and backed by the category ratings (1–10) — fair to both sides.
Strengths
- Maximum operational sovereignty (10/10) combined with a SEAL score of 8.2/10 (82%) and SEAL 3 certification.
- Outstanding data security and encryption (9/10), supported by Confidential Cloud by Edgeless Systems and a Secrets Manager (Encryption 8/10).
- Excellent Linux support (10/10), making STACKIT the optimal target platform for open-source ecosystems.
- Solid managed database portfolio (8/10) with true DBaaS services such as PostgreSQL Flex, MariaDB, and SQLServer Flex.
Points to consider
- No global reach (1/10): With only 2 regions in 2 countries, the provider is unsuitable for workloads outside Europe.
- Weak AI and big data offering (3/10 each): Many AI services are only 'announced' and Dremio is in beta stage.
- No bare metal offering (1/10): Dedicated physical servers are not offered, limiting hardware-specific requirements.
Strengths
- High-quality price-performance ratio (8/10) with a Cost Rating of 8.0/10, particularly competitive for CPU, RAM, and egress.
- Strong bare metal offering (8/10) with dedicated physical servers, meeting specific performance requirements.
- Mature containerization (8/10) through an established managed Kubernetes platform with managed control planes.
- Broad service portfolio (40+ services) and high technological sovereignty (9/10) through an open standard stack.
Points to consider
- Average high availability (5/10): Coverage by regions and availability zones as well as disaster recovery tooling is below average.
- Weak AI and big data capabilities (3/10 each): Limited offering of managed training, inference, and analytics platforms.
- No collaboration tools (1/10): Lack of workplace services such as mail or office, confirming its use as a pure infrastructure cloud.
Which provider when?
Use-case-based decision aid — both options are a valid choice.
Choose STACKIT if:
- You prioritize maximum data security and require technical protection mechanisms such as confidential computing and BYOK/HSM.
- Your workloads are primarily based on Linux and open-source technologies, for which STACKIT offers the highest support score.
- You need a cloud solution with a strict DACH focus and highest compliance standards (C5, SEAL 3) without a global orientation.
- Costs for data egress are a critical factor, as STACKIT scores 10/10 here.
Choose IONOS Cloud if:
- You are looking for a cost-efficient solution with a high Cost Rating (8.0/10) for typical IaaS/PaaS consumption.
- You need dedicated physical servers (bare metal) for specific performance requirements or compliance regulations.
- Your architecture is container-first and benefits from a mature managed Kubernetes platform (8/10).
- You need a broader service portfolio (40+ services) and some presence outside Germany (UK, France, Spain, USA).
Service comparison by category
All 19 rating categories in a head-to-head duel (1–10). A notable lead is marked from a 2-point difference.
| Category | STACKITvsIONOS CloudScale 1–10 | Avg. all | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Security & Encryption | 97 | 7.8 | Lead STACKIT |
| Technological Sovereignty | 99 | 7.4 | balanced |
| Operational Sovereignty | 1010 | 8 | balanced |
| Strategic Capabilities | 56 | 6.2 | balanced |
| Price | 58 | 6.4 | Lead IONOS Cloud |
| Collaboration Tools | 57 | 5.1 | Lead IONOS Cloud |
| Global Reach | 14 | 4.5 | Lead IONOS Cloud |
| Big Data | 33 | 4.8 | balanced |
| AI | 33 | 4.8 | balanced |
| Bare Metal | 18 | 5.2 | Lead IONOS Cloud |
| Virtualization | 66 | 5.7 | balanced |
| Containerization | 68 | 7.3 | Lead IONOS Cloud |
| Databases | 87 | 6.9 | balanced |
| High Availability | 65 | 6.7 | balanced |
| Microsoft | 44 | 4.5 | balanced |
| Linux | 108 | 8.8 | Lead STACKIT |
| Encryption | 87 | 6.8 | balanced |
| Storage | 78 | 7.7 | balanced |
| Network | 87 | 7.8 | balanced |
Management Summary
Sovereign Cloud
SEAL Framework
Strategic (15 %)
Legal & Jurisdictional (10 %)
Data & AI (10 %)
Operational (15 %)
Supply Chain (20 %)
Technology (15 %)
Security & Compliance (10 %)
Environmental (5 %)
Availability & Locations
Compute
shared & low-budget
Hot Storage
Cold Storage
Managed Databases
Network & Security
Orchestration
Virtualization
Management
Big Data
AI & Machine Learning
Quantum Computing
Compliance & Certificates
German cloud security catalogue
IT service management system standard
Information security management system
Energy management for data centers
Cloud Security Alliance assurance registry
Service organization control audit reports
Payment card data security standard
Quality management system standard
Cost Indication
vCPU/h
H100/h
GB/h
CPU/h
Ratio1/4
GB/h | 3000 IOPS
GB/h
GB/h
Cluster/h
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
per GB
Our comparison methodology
The scores show a relative price comparison per service category. The lowest price earns 10 points; higher prices are marked down proportionally. Missing services are treated neutrally.
As of: List prices as of 11 September 2025, location Germany (DE).
More cloud comparisons
Frequently asked questions: STACKIT vs IONOS Cloud
What is the difference between STACKIT and IONOS Cloud?
STACKIT focuses on maximum data security (9/10) and Linux optimization (10/10) with a more limited but deep IaaS/PaaS portfolio. IONOS Cloud offers a broader spectrum (40+ services), including strong bare metal options (8/10), and is significantly more price-competitive (Cost Rating 8.0/10 vs. 5.4/10). Both providers offer maximum operational sovereignty (10/10).
Which provider is more sovereign?
Both providers achieve the maximum score for operational sovereignty (10/10) and technological sovereignty (9/10). In the SEAL score, STACKIT is slightly ahead with 8.2/10 (82%) compared to IONOS Cloud with 8.0/10 (80%). Both are certified as EU providers (SEAL 3, C5), with STACKIT additionally presenting CSA STAR.
Who is cheaper?
IONOS Cloud is significantly more price-competitive with a Cost Rating of 8.0/10 compared to STACKIT at 5.4/10. This applies particularly to CPU, RAM, and egress costs. However, STACKIT offers free egress costs (10/10), which can influence total costs for high data volumes. Actual costs always depend on the workload.
Which provider offers better bare metal options?
IONOS Cloud offers a strong bare metal offering (8/10) with dedicated physical servers and GPU servers. STACKIT has no bare metal offering (1/10) and is focused purely on virtualized instances and containers.
Are there differences in AI and big data?
Both providers score poorly in the AI and big data categories (3/10 each). STACKIT offers Dremio (beta) and some AI services, which are however mostly only 'announced'. IONOS Cloud offers an AI Model Hub and Managed Stackable Data Platform, also with many 'announced' services. For productive, complex AI/big data use cases, both providers are currently only conditionally suitable.
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