IONOS GPT: The first trustworthy AI?

IONOS GPT is the AI assistant from the German hosting company IONOS. It is built and operated in Europe, and what it offers is data protection: IONOS says your prompts remain in European data centres and are not data-mined for training AI models. It was rolled out in April 2025 as a free service. You'll find out what it is, the price, how it works with data, and how it will compare to ChatGPT below. 

What Is IONOS GPT?

IONOS GPT bundles several AI assistants into one browser tool. You can write texts, create and edit images, get help with code, and look things up, without setting up anything yourself. IONOS announced it on April 15, 2025, as a privacy-compliant, sovereign AI solution developed and operated in Germany, aimed mainly at small and mid-sized businesses. You can read the original IONOS Group announcement.

IONOS doesn't train its own models. Instead, IONOS GPT sends your request to open-source models served through the IONOS AI Model Hub, and it builds the answer from there. At launch, the tool was only available in German. IONOS has since added pages for other markets, such as the UK, and the assistant now lists support for languages including English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Polish.

Is IONOS GPT Free?

Not permanently. IONOS GPT launched free of charge in April 2025. IONOS's own comparison pages now state a 30-day free trial, followed by a paid plan. This answers the question that has been asked earlier, too. This was how long a free service built on paid infrastructure could last.

The listed monthly price is not given in this blog, because plans and offers change. Check IONOS's comparison page and your IONOS account for the current price before you rely on it for a team.

What Can IONOS GPT Do?

IONOS GPT is organized around four kinds of assistants, so you don't have to write clever prompts to get started:

• Writing. The core feature. It drafts blog posts, product descriptions, social posts and ads, and it translates text between languages such as German, French and Japanese.

• Design. An AI Designer creates images from a text description and edits existing images, which helps with campaign visuals and website graphics.

• Programming. An AI Programmer explains code, suggests fixes and answers technical questions in different programming languages.

• Research and general tasks. A knowledge assistant helps you find information and understand complex topics. It also has web search built in.

One feature stands out for companies. You can build your own knowledge base from your documents, so the assistant answers from your content instead of guessing. IONOS says that content stays inside the platform. 

How IONOS GPT Handles Your Data

Data protection is the main reason people pick IONOS GPT over ChatGPT. According to IONOS, it was developed and is operated in Germany. Your input is not used to train the AI models, and your data is not passed on to third countries. IONOS also claims to have certificates for international security standards like ISO/IEC 27001 on its infrastructure. Standards are updated periodically; use the current version of the standard toolset and publish it on IONOS's certificate page in your account when quoting a particular version in a compliance document.

Please note that a “Privacy Promise” is not a legal commitment. Even if your company doesn't process any customers' data or employee information, you still require a data processing agreement (AV-Vertrag) and a clear definition of the knowledge base. Our guides to European data sovereignty and on-premises AI in the EU explain the options.

What AI Models are used by IONOS GPT?

IONOS GPT is based on open-source models available from the IONOS AI Model Hub.  The lineup does change: IONOS has retired several models since 2025 and added newer ones, including Qwen models. For that reason, don't treat any single model name in an older review as current. Check what IONOS lists before you build a workflow around a specific model.

How to Sign In to IONOS GPT

Create or use an IONOS account and open ai.ionos.de in your browser. You don't need to install anything. IONOS Help also has a short guide, "Auf IONOS GPT zugreifen," that walks through the steps.

IONOS GPT vs ChatGPT

Here is how the two compare, based on IONOS's own comparison page, which is naturally written from IONOS's point of view:

In short, IONOS GPT is the more privacy-first, guided option. ChatGPT is stronger on creative work and advanced features. If your priority is a European alternative with fewer moving parts, IONOS GPT fits. If you want the most capable general assistant, ChatGPT still leads. See our guide to ChatGPT's Voice Mode for the voice side.

IONOS GPT vs DeepSeek, Mistral and Others

People also compare it with DeepSeek and Copilot, and IONOS has published its own comparison pages for both. DeepSeek is a model you can call through an API, and it raises different data questions, which we cover in our guide to DeepSeek V4. Mistral is the other big European option and offers open-weight models plus its own assistant. We explain it in our overview of Mistral AI. IONOS GPT is no longer the only sovereign choice, so compare them on price, language support and data terms.

IONOS GPT Experiences: Pros and Cons

These points come from IONOS's own materials and early reviews, so try the 30-day trial yourself before you decide.

What works well

• Clear focus on data protection and European hosting.

• Guided assistants that suit people with little AI experience.

• A knowledge base for your own documents.

• Web search and file upload built in.

What to watch

• Image quality was rated behind ChatGPT in early reviews.

• Early reviewers noted that voice input and output weren't offered. Check whether that has changed.

• It is a paid plan after the trial.

• The model lineup changes, so results can change too.

Who Should Use IONOS GPT?

It suits small and mid-sized companies that want to use AI without worrying about where data goes, plus public bodies, schools and healthcare organizations with strict privacy rules. Developers can also look at the IONOS AI Model Hub, which serves open-source models through an OpenAI-compatible API and bills per million tokens. For example, IONOS's price list shows gpt-oss-120b at about €0.15 per million input tokens and €0.65 per million output tokens, and prices change.

Using IONOS GPT in a Business

Before you roll it out, decide who gets access, what may go into the knowledge base and who owns the answers. Ask IONOS for the data processing agreement, and keep customer data out of the tool until the agreement is in place. A pilot with one team works better than a company-wide launch. If you'd like help choosing between IONOS GPT, Mistral, ChatGPT and a custom setup, read our guide to choosing an AI consultant, or talk to TechNow. We help companies in Germany and across Europe compare tools, check data protection and put them to work.

Conclusion

For those prioritizing data protection and seeking an AI assistant with European standards, IONOS GPT is a reasonable option. It is no longer free at launch; there are also a number of other sovereign options to compete with, so look at the trial as well as the current price and data terms before you commit. The best way to discover for many teams is to try it on one of the actual tasks for 30 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IONOS GPT? 

IONOS GPT is IONOS's AI assistant, built and hosted in Europe, with assistants for writing, design, coding and research.

Is IONOS GPT free? 

It launched free in April 2025, but IONOS now describes a 30-day free trial followed by a paid plan.

Where is IONOS GPT hosted? 

IONOS says it was developed and operated in Germany, with data processed in European data centres.

Does IONOS GPT train on my data? 

No. IONOS states that user data isn't fed into AI models, and won't be sent to third countries.

What kind of AI models does IONOS GPT utilize? 

Open-source models, provided by the IONOS AI Model Hub, which include Llama; the selection of models can change over time.

Which login method can I use to log in to IONOS GPT? 

Open the IONOS account and then navigate to ai.ionos.de in your browser (see IONOS Help for instructions on how to create your own account).