STRATO Review
STRATO delivers cheap, solid German-hosted plans with daily backups and included domains, but the euro-a-month promos renew sharply higher and the whole experience is built to upsell you.
Review last updated 2026-08-20 · How we rate hosts
Scorecard
Pros
- German datacenters and German privacy standards at rock-bottom first-year prices
- Daily backups and unlimited traffic on every hosting plan
- Domains included for the life of the plan, not just year one
- Runs on renewable energy, climate-conscious since the late 2000s
- Huge product range from mailboxes to dedicated servers under one login
Cons
- Aggressive promo-to-renewal jumps and frequent upsell prompts in the panel
- Support is German-first and not around the clock
- Interface and tooling feel dated next to modern panels
- Mailbox and feature allowances are stingy on lower tiers
STRATO plans & pricing
Promotional monthly rates as of August 20, 2026; most require the listed prepaid term and renew at the higher rate shown. Confirm on STRATO's site before buying.
| Plan | Intro price | Renews at | Storage | Sites | Bandwidth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting StarterShared Hosting | $5.50/mo12 mo prepay | $5.50/mo | 50 GB SSD | 1 | unmetered | EUR 5 per month on a 12 month term (first month often free); EUR 6 on monthly billing |
| Hosting BasicShared Hosting | $1.10/mo12 mo prepay | $9.90/mo | 100 GB SSD | 3 | unmetered | EUR 1 per month in year one, then EUR 9 per month |
| Hosting ProShared Hosting | $24.20/mo12 mo prepay | $24.20/mo | 200 GB SSD | 10 | unmetered | EUR 22 per month on a 12 month term; intro promos vary |
| VPS Linux VC4-8VPS Hosting | $9.90/mo | $9.90/mo | 240 GB SSD | unmetered | Approx EUR 9 per month; VPS pricing not verified on review date |
Our STRATO review
STRATO is one of the fixtures of German hosting: a Berlin company from 1997 that now serves around two million customers and sits inside United Internet, the same group that owns IONOS. Its appeal is straightforward, German datacenters, German data-protection culture and some of the lowest first-year prices in Europe.
The hosting lineup runs from a 50 GB Starter to a 200 GB Pro tier, all with unlimited traffic, daily backups and SSL. A nice structural touch: included domains stay included for the life of the contract rather than reverting to a paid renewal after year one, which quietly saves ten to twenty euros a year versus most competitors.
Pricing is where you need to read carefully. Headline offers like one euro per month for Hosting Basic apply to the first twelve months on an annual commitment, then renew at nine euros, and the panel and checkout push add-ons at every turn: bigger mailboxes, SiteLock upgrades, builders, rank tools. It is the same upsell-heavy playbook one.com runs, executed with German thoroughness.
Performance from the German datacenters is dependable rather than quick, entirely adequate for the brochure sites, associations and small shops that make up STRATO's base. Power comes from renewable sources, a claim STRATO has maintained for well over a decade, and availability is backed by a strong published uptime figure.
For GDPR purposes STRATO is an easy answer: data in Germany, a German legal entity, German works-council-grade privacy instincts. That, more than raw specs, is why a small German business picks it over a US host with flashier numbers.
Support is the weak spot for non-German speakers, phone help is German-first and not 24/7. Shared pricing above was confirmed on STRATO's live pages; the VPS figure is approximate and flagged in the plan notes.
Notable facts
- Owned by United Internet, the parent of IONOS, since 2017
- Around two million customers and over four million domains
- Hosting powered by renewable energy
At a glance
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| Data centers | Germany |
| Hosting types | Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting |
| Starting price | $1.10/mo |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% |
| Support | phone, tickets, knowledge-base |
| Free migration | No |
| Green hosting | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Is STRATO hosting GDPR compliant?
Yes. STRATO hosts exclusively in German datacenters, operates under German law and provides standard GDPR data-processing agreements.
Do STRATO prices increase after the first year?
On promo offers, yes. Hosting Basic, for example, is advertised at EUR 1 per month for year one and renews at EUR 9 per month afterward.
Bottom line
STRATO delivers cheap, solid German-hosted plans with daily backups and included domains, but the euro-a-month promos renew sharply higher and the whole experience is built to upsell you.
Check current STRATO pricing →
