Largest Web Hosting Providers in Germany 2025

On Hosttest, we conduct our Web Hosting Provider of the Year election annually. This determines which web hosting providers are among the most popular companies in the German market. But who are the largest web hosts in Germany? Is there a correlation with popularity? And how can the size of a company in the web hosting sector be determined? These are the questions we will delve into in this article.

Germany's Position in the Global Hosting Market

The demand for custom web hosting services is steadily increasing. Despite social media channels receiving more traffic, many companies and individuals still require their own website. For those who want full control over their online content, turning to a web hosting provider is often the solution to establish their web presence.

According to studies by Grand View Research, the size of the global web hosting market is estimated at 56.7 trillion US dollars (approximately 56.7 billion euros). Furthermore, an annual growth rate of 15.5 percent is projected for the future.

It will probably come as no surprise that the largest share of the web hosting market is in the United States of America (USA). However, Germany is already holding its ground in second place.

According to the statistics from Hostadvice, Germany holds the second position with around 11.5% market share. The USA leads the ranking with a market share of around 51.5%. The United Kingdom Great Britain is in third place with approximately 4% market share.

According to the statistics from W3Techs, Germany ranks second in the distribution of websites by the geographical location of the server, with 13.9%. Once again, the USA leads with 32.8% in first place. Japan is in third place with 6.1%.

Statistics from w3techs.com (As of February 2025)

Germany's Largest Web Hosts: Data Basis

Determining the largest web host in Germany is not that simple. Firstly, it must be established on what criteria the "size" of a web host can be determined. Secondly, the selection of data for comparison also plays an important role.

To obtain the most meaningful results, we will use various criteria and data sources for comparing the individual web hosting companies in the German market.

We will use the following:

Data on the market shares of web hosts in Germany from hostadvice.com

The data on market shares of web hosts in Germany from hostadvice.com provide information on the revenue share of a specific web hosting provider from the total market volume.

To collect the data, hostadvice.com uses a special method where various data is gathered and then analysed. Initially, international business directories are crawled to find websites in various countries. These websites are then searched using a URL crawler that collects DNS records, geo information, and Whois entries, storing them in a database. Finally, the database entries are processed by an algorithm that assigns each website to the corresponding web hosting provider. This allows the revenue share of each web hoster in a specific market to be determined. The data is updated monthly and published on the hostadvice.com website.

Graphic by hosttest: Market shares of the largest web hosters in Germany (as of February 2025) Source: hostadvice.com

The data clearly shows IONOS (formerly 1&1) in the first place with a 25 percent share. Strato is in second place with 14 percent, closely followed by Hetzner in third place with 13 percent. Host Europe holds the fourth position with 7 percent, followed by InterNetX at 5 percent in fifth place. KasServer (All-Inkl) takes the sixth spot with 3 percent. Web hosts Mittwald, Contabo, and Dogado are found at the bottom of the top 10, each with 1 percent.

Data on web host usage distribution in Germany from builtwith.com

The data on web host usage distribution in Germany determined by builtwith.com provides information on which web hosting providers are used by which websites.

To collect the data, builtwith.com utilises an extensive crawling method that covers 100 percent of all country-code top-level domains (ccTLD) and generic top-level domains (gTLD). By crawling and analysing over 16.4 billion websites, detailed information on the technical infrastructure used, as well as the detailed usage distribution in various local markets, can be determined. The data is regularly updated every few days and published on the trends.builtwith.com website.

Graphic by hosttest: Usage distribution of the largest web hosting providers in Germany (as of February 2025) Source: builtwith.com

Based on the data, it can be seen that 13 percent of websites in Germany are hosted by IONOS (formerly 1&1). This places the web hosting provider clearly in first place in these data. Following in second place with a share of 12 percent is Hetzner, and STRATO in third place with 8 percent. Further down in the top 10 are web hosting providers All-Inkl, Host Europe, GoDaddy, Google, and Amazon, each with 3 to 5 percent.

Data on the search interest of web hosting providers in Germany from trends.google.com

The data on the search interest of web hosting providers in Germany from trends.google.com provide information on which web hosting providers are most frequently searched on Google.

To collect the data, trends.google.com utilises the data gathered through its in-house search engine. Every single search query made on Google is precisely logged and, together with the visitor's usage behaviour, is incorporated into the Google algorithm. This allows Google not only to work on improving search results but also to build up a valuable data treasure trove on search interests and user behaviour. The data is constantly updated and published on the trends.google.com website.

In the first chart, we will look at the search interest for the web hosting providers IONOS (formerly 1&1), Strato, and Hetzner. These three providers clearly rank in the top 3 positions in the other two datasets on market share and usage distribution.

Graphic by trends.google.com

The data here shows that Strato is the most well-known brand name in the web hosting sector. The web hosting business of 1&1, which has been operating under the IONOS brand for a few years now, is rapidly catching up. Together, Strato and IONOS clearly belong to the two winners when it comes to general search interest in Germany. The Hetzner brand is significantly lower, partly due to its focus on professional business customers, resulting in less interest from private users.

In the second chart, we will look at the search interest for the web hosting providers Host Europe, All-Inkl, and Dogado.

Graphic from trends.google.com

Here, Host Europe narrowly leads in search interest, followed by All-inkl. Dogado has been able to catch up significantly in recent years, partly due to the company's growth through acquisitions and continuous expansion of its brand name.

In the third chart, we will compare the search interest for the web hosts Host Europe and Strato directly.

Graphic from trends.google.com

It is evident once again that brands like STRATO or IONOS (formerly 1&1) have a significantly higher level of awareness and search interest compared to web hosts like Host Europe and others.

Tip: Learn about the key providers in the German hosting market and their brands

Germany's Largest Web Hosts: Evaluation

Let's proceed with the evaluation based on different data sources.

When it comes to the question of the largest web hosting provider in Germany, a fairly consistent picture emerges. The data on market share, usage distribution, and search interest show a certain correlation:

The largest web host in Germany is IONOS (formerly 1&1). The company not only holds a clear lead in market share and usage distribution but also has the most well-known brand name with the highest search interest.

For Second and Third place, the competition is tighter. While STRATO and Hetzner can clearly outperform the other web hosts in terms of market share and usage distribution, the difference between these two providers is small. However, Strato stands out with a stronger brand name and therefore higher search interest.

Fourth and Fifth places go to Host Europe and All-Inkl. Although they are significantly behind the top 3 largest web hosts in Germany, they still maintain a significant lead over other market participants in terms of market share, usage distribution, and search interest, securing a spot in the top 5.

Tip: Discover the largest web hosting providers in Austria.

Conclusion of the Evaluation:

Unsurprisingly, the most well-known brands lead the web hosting market as the largest providers in Germany. The fact that IONOS and STRATO, two brands of the same group, occupy the first and second positions clearly shows that the web hosting business in Germany is dominated by the United Internet AG. Only the brand Hetzner in third place, owned by Hetzner Online GmbH, as a large independent company (with more than 250 employees), manages to secure relevant market shares. With Host Europe in fourth place, a foreign company from the US-based GoDaddy Group is able to establish a noticeable presence in the German hosting market. It is interesting to note that the brand All-Inkl, belonging to Neue Medien Münnich as a relatively small company (with fewer than 100 employees), can hold its own in the top 5.

One important question remains:

Is the largest web hosting provider also the best or most popular in the market?

Let's now compare the results of the top 5 largest web hosting providers with the ratings on Hosttest and Trustpilot. We will also look at the results of the annual Web Hosting Provider of the Year election (if the respective company participated). The following results emerge:

1st Place: IONOS (formerly 1&1)

IONOS only achieves a popularity rating of 1.7 stars on Hosttest and 4.4 stars on Trustpilot. IONOS last won third place in the Web Hosting Provider of the Year election in the Root Server and Cloud Server category in 2019.

2nd Place: Strato

Strato only receives a popularity rating of 2.3 stars on Hosttest and 3.8 stars on Trustpilot. Strato has never participated in the Web Hosting Provider of the Year election.

3rd Place: Hetzner

Hetzner only achieves a rating of 2.8 stars on Hosttest and 3.3 stars on Trustpilot in terms of popularity. Hetzner has never participated in the Web Host of the Year award.

4th Place: Host Europe

Host Europe only scores 2.3 stars on Hosttest and 4.6 stars on Trustpilot in terms of popularity. Host Europe has never participated in the Web Host of the Year award.

5th Place: All-Inkl

All-Inkl scores an impressive 4.7 stars on Hosttest and 4.3 stars on Trustpilot in terms of popularity. All-Inkl managed to secure the third place in the Web Hosting category at the Web Host of the Year awards in 2019.

The results are mixed. The top 5 largest web hosting providers in Germany can receive both positive and negative feedback from customers on different review platforms. There is no clear correlation between size and popularity. It ultimately depends on each individual case whether customers are satisfied with the services offered by the web hosting providers.

Conclusion: The size of a web hosting provider alone does not automatically make it the best or most popular provider in the market.

If you are generally interested in the topic of web hosting, you can find a wealth of further information in our Web Hosting 101 Guide.

As of February 2025 (the article is regularly updated)

Our article is based on our own experiences and research as well as information from external sources.

Sources & further links on the topic:

Image Credit:
Gerd Altmann on Pixabay