What does web hosting cost after the intro price?
To keep one website for 3 years, renewals included, the cheapest is ChemiCloud Starter at $70.20, paid once, up front, for its 3-year term. The lowest advertised price is IONOS's $1 a month (Plus), which takes a 12-month prepayment of $12 and then renews at $14 a month, 14× as much. 127 of the 287 plan terms we priced renew at a higher price than they start at, a median 2.7× as much.
Cheapest: ChemiCloud, $70.20 over 3 years.
| Host, plan and term | Up front | Total, 3 years | Per site a year | Renews at /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChemiCloud Starter, 3 years | $70.20 | $70.20 | $23.40 | $11.95 |
| Hosting.com Starter, 3 years | $89.65 | $89.65 | $29.88 | $13.99 |
| DreamHost Web Hosting Launch, 4 years, paid through year 4 | $95.52 | $95.52 | $31.84 | $7.99 |
| HostPapa Essentials, 3 years | $106.20 | $106.20 | $35.40 | $8.99 |
| ScalaHosting Mini, 3 years | $106.20 | $106.20 | $35.40 | $11.95 |
| FastComet Starter, 3 years | $118.46 | $118.46 | $39.49 | $9.95 |
| Hostinger Premium, 4 years, paid through year 4 | $143.52 | $143.52 | $47.84 | $10.99 |
| IONOS WordPress Start, 3 years | $144 | $144 | $48 | $6.00 |
| InterServer Standard Web Hosting, 12 months | $30 | $198 | $66 | $7.00 |
| Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits, 12 months | $97.20 | $291.60 | $97.20 | $8.10 |
| GreenGeeks Lite, 12 months | $35.40 | $370.20 | $123.40 | $13.95 |
| SiteGround StartUp, 12 months | $35.88 | $467.64 | $155.88 | $17.99 |
| Pressable Signature 1, 12 months | $250 | $750 | $250 | $20.83 |
| Flywheel Starter, 12 months | $300 | $900 | $300 | $25.00 |
| Rocket.net Starter, 12 months | $300 | $900 | $300 | $25.00 |
| Kinsta Single 35k, 12 months | $350 | $1,050 | $350 | $30.00 |
| WP Engine Essential – 1 site, 12 months | $336 | $1,176 | $392 | $35.00 |
| Hostwinds | no published renewal price for the years kept | |||
Total is every payment due while you keep the site: the first term up front, then renewals at the host's published renewal price. Before tax, without a domain. How it's worked out.
How the cheapest adds up
The advertised price, and what it renews at
Each host's lowest advertised monthly price (green), the term it needs, and the monthly price once that term ends (red).
- IONOS Plus, 12 months$1.00 → $14.00
- ChemiCloud Starter, 3 years$1.95 → $11.95
- DreamHost Web Hosting Launch, 4 years$1.99 → $7.99
- FastComet Starter, 12 months$1.99 → $9.95
- Hosting.com Starter, 4 years$1.99 → $13.99
- InterServer Standard Web Hosting, 6 months$2.50 → $7.00
- GreenGeeks Lite, 12 months$2.95 → $13.95
- HostPapa Essentials, 3 years$2.95 → $8.99
- ScalaHosting Mini, 12 months$2.95 → $11.95
- Hostinger Premium, 4 years$2.99 → $10.99
- SiteGround StartUp, 12 months$2.99 → $17.99
- Hostwinds Basic Web Hosting, 12 months$6.99 → not published
- Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits, 12 months$8.10 → $8.10
- Pressable Signature 1, 12 months$20.83 → $20.83
- Flywheel Starter, 12 months$25.00 → $25.00
- Rocket.net Starter, 12 months$25.00 → $25.00
- WP Engine Essential – 1 site, 12 months$28.00 → $35.00
- Kinsta Single 35k, 12 months$30.00 → $30.00
Not in the comparison
- Bluehost: Bluehost's pages answer automated browsers with a CAPTCHA, so its prices couldn't be read and recorded with evidence.
- Cloudways: Cloudways answers automated browsers with a security check on its pricing page, so its prices couldn't be read and recorded with evidence.
- GoDaddy: GoDaddy's web hosting pricing page denies automated browsers access, so its prices couldn't be read and recorded with evidence.
- HostGator: HostGator's pages answer automated browsers with a CAPTCHA, so its prices couldn't be read and recorded with evidence.
- InMotion Hosting: InMotion Hosting's pages answer automated browsers with a Cloudflare "you have been blocked" page, so its prices couldn't be read and recorded with evidence.
- Namecheap: Namecheap's plan and pricing pages answer automated browsers with a security check, so its intro prices couldn't be read and recorded. Its knowledge base does publish what its shared hosting plans renew at.
Every renewal price · All comparisons · Price after the first year · Hosting for several websites
Prices checked against each host's own pages on , in US dollars before tax.