Infomaniak and PlanetHoster are two French-speaking web hosts often recommended as alternatives to American giants. But which one should you choose? This detailed comparison helps you make the right choice based on your needs.
Overview of Both Hosts
Infomaniak
- Founded in: 1994
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Data centers: Switzerland only
- Employees: 200+
- Positioning: Ethical host, eco-friendly, data sovereignty
PlanetHoster
- Founded in: 2007
- Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
- Data centers: Canada and France
- Employees: 50+
- Positioning: Performance, unlimited resources, responsive support
Overall Comparison
| Criteria | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Data location | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | Canada 🇨🇦 / France 🇫🇷 |
| Entry-level price | €5.75/month | €6/month (unlimited) |
| Resources | Generous but limited | Unlimited (World) |
| Support | Phone + ticket | Chat + phone + ticket |
| Ecology | 100% renewable | Partial commitment |
| Collaborative suite | Complete kSuite | No |
| Interface | Proprietary Manager | N0C (proprietary) |
Web Hosting: The Showdown
Compared Plans
| Feature | Infomaniak Web | PlanetHoster World |
|---|---|---|
| Price/month | €5.75 | €6 |
| Sites hosted | 20 | Unlimited |
| Storage | 250 GB SSD | Unlimited SSD |
| Databases | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Traffic | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Email included | 10 mailboxes | Unlimited |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| PHP versions | 7.4 to 8.3 | 7.4 to 8.3 |
| SSH | Yes (limited) | Yes |
| Backups | Daily | Daily |
Our Analysis
PlanetHoster is more generous on paper with its "unlimited" resources. It\'s a good choice if you have many sites or large storage needs.
Infomaniak offers more defined resources but more than enough for the majority of projects. The advantage is Swiss data location and the complete ecosystem (kSuite, kDrive).
Performance: Comparative Tests
Response Time (TTFB)
Tests conducted on identical WordPress sites:
| Metric | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Average TTFB | 180ms | 150ms |
| Load time | 1.2s | 1.1s |
| Uptime (12 months) | 99.98% | 99.95% |
Both hosts deliver excellent performance. PlanetHoster is slightly faster thanks to LiteSpeed, but Infomaniak compensates with better stability.
Technologies Used
| Technology | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Web server | Apache + Nginx | LiteSpeed |
| Storage | SSD NVMe | SSD NVMe |
| Cache | OPcache | Built-in LSCache |
| HTTP/3 | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | Paid option | Paid option |
Performance verdict: PlanetHoster has a slight edge thanks to LiteSpeed and its built-in cache, particularly for WordPress.
Detailed Pricing
Web Hosting
| Plan | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | €5.75/month | €6/month |
| Dedicated server/VPS | From €29/month | From €8/month |
Domain Names
| Extension | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| .com | €12/year | €13/year |
| .fr | €9/year | €10/year |
Professional Email
| Service | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Email only | €1.50/month/mailbox | Included (unlimited) |
| Email storage | 25 GB | Variable |
Pricing verdict: Prices are comparable. PlanetHoster includes more with hosting (unlimited emails), but Infomaniak offers more professional email services with more features.
Technical Support
Available Channels
| Channel | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Live chat | No | Yes (24/7) |
| Ticket | Yes | Yes |
| Knowledge base | Very comprehensive | Comprehensive |
| Language | FR, DE, EN | FR, EN |
Support Quality
Infomaniak:
- Responses generally within 2-4 hours
- Competent and well-trained technicians
- Efficient phone support
- No live chat (the main gap)
PlanetHoster:
- 24/7 live chat highly appreciated
- Fast and relevant responses
- Phone support available
- Dedicated French-speaking team
Support verdict: PlanetHoster has the advantage with its 24/7 live chat. Both hosts offer quality support, but PlanetHoster\'s instant chat makes the difference for emergencies.
Ecology and Ethics
Infomaniak
- ✅ 100% certified renewable energy
- ✅ Carbon offsetting of residual emissions
- ✅ High energy-efficiency data centers (PUE < 1.1)
- ✅ Natural cooling (outdoor air, lake)
- ✅ ISO 14001 and 50001 certifications
- ✅ No advertising, no data resale
- ✅ Independent company with no external investors
PlanetHoster
- ✅ Stated ecological commitment
- ✅ Modern and efficient data centers
- ⚠️ Fewer environmental certifications
- ⚠️ Less transparent energy details
Ecology verdict: Infomaniak is clearly ahead with a verifiable ecological commitment and certifications. This is a decisive criterion if the environment matters to you.
Location and Privacy
Where Is Your Data?
| Aspect | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | Canada 🇨🇦 / France 🇫🇷 |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland (outside EU/US) | Canada or France |
| US Cloud Act | Not applicable | Canada potentially affected |
| GDPR | Compliant | Compliant (France data center) |
Privacy verdict: Infomaniak offers better legal protection thanks to Swiss legislation, which is particularly strict on data protection. If privacy is critical (lawyers, doctors, sensitive data), Infomaniak is preferable.
Additional Services
What Infomaniak Offers in Addition
- kSuite – Complete collaborative suite (mail, kDrive, kChat, kMeet)
- kDrive – Cloud storage up to 106 TB
- SwissTransfer – Free file transfer (50 GB)
- Streaming – Video and radio hosting
- Newsletter – Built-in email marketing tool
- Jelastic – PaaS for developers
What PlanetHoster Offers in Addition
- HybridCloud – Scalable cloud solution
- N0C – Modern management panel
- SiteMaker – Built-in website builder
- Softaculous – One-click installation of 400+ applications
Services verdict: Infomaniak offers a much richer ecosystem with kSuite that can replace Google Workspace. PlanetHoster remains focused on pure hosting.
When to Choose Infomaniak?
- ✅ You want a complete collaborative suite (Google/Microsoft alternative)
- ✅ Privacy and data sovereignty are a priority
- ✅ Ecology is an important criterion
- ✅ You are in Switzerland or have Swiss clients
- ✅ You are looking for an all-in-one ecosystem
- ✅ You work in a regulated profession (lawyer, doctor, accountant)
When to Choose PlanetHoster?
- ✅ You have many sites to host
- ✅ You want "unlimited" resources
- ✅ 24/7 live chat is important to you
- ✅ You are looking for the best WordPress performance
- ✅ You prefer a data center in France (latency)
- ✅ You have a tight budget for VPS
Summary Table
| Criteria | Infomaniak | PlanetHoster |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ecology | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Privacy | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ecosystem | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Resources | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall rating | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
Conclusion
Both hosts are of excellent quality and far superior to many competitors. The choice depends on your priorities:
Choose Infomaniak if you\'re looking for a complete ecosystem (Google alternative), if privacy and ecology matter, or if you\'re a business with strong regulatory requirements.
Choose PlanetHoster if you want to host many sites with unlimited resources, if you need 24/7 chat support, or if pure WordPress performance is your priority.
Either way, you\'ll make a good choice with either one. Both are serious French-speaking hosts that deserve their reputation.
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