Every hosting comparison you will read shows the introductory price. Almost none of them show what you pay when that first term ends — and the gap is not a rounding error. On the plans we track, the cheapest introductory rate in the table below renews at six times the price you signed up for.
This page exists because that number is hard to find. It is buried in footnotes, in checkout flows, or nowhere at all. We check it, we date it, and we show our work.
| Provider | Plan | Intro price | Renews at | Increase | Term | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround | StartUp | $2.99/mo | $17.99/mo | 6.0× | — | 5 Sep 2026 |
| SiteGround | GrowBig | $4.99/mo | $29.99/mo | 6.0× | — | 5 Sep 2026 |
| SiteGround | GoGeek | $7.99/mo | $44.99/mo | 5.6× | — | 5 Sep 2026 |
| Hostinger | Unlimited | $3.99/mo | $18.99/mo | 4.8× | 48 months | 7 Sep 2026 |
| Hostinger | Premium | $2.99/mo | $11.99/mo | 4.0× | 48 months | 7 Sep 2026 |
| Hostinger | Cloud Startup | $7.99/mo | $27.99/mo | 3.5× | 48 months | 7 Sep 2026 |
| Bluehost | Starter | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo | 2.5× | 36 months | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Bluehost | Business | $6.99/mo | $13.99/mo | 2.0× | 36 months | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Bluehost | eCommerce Essentials | $14.99/mo | $21.99/mo | 1.5× | 36 months | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Kinsta | WP 2 | $58.33/mo | $70/mo | 1.2× | 12 months | 23 Aug 2026 |
| Kinsta | WP 5 | $95.83/mo | $115/mo | 1.2× | 12 months | 23 Aug 2026 |
| Kinsta | WP 10 | $187.50/mo | $225/mo | 1.2× | 12 months | 23 Aug 2026 |
| Kinsta | Single 35k | $29.17/mo | $35/mo | 1.2× | 12 months | 23 Aug 2026 |
Intro price is the promotional rate for the listed term. “Renews at” is the price charged from the next billing cycle. Verified manually or by automated daily check; rows marked ⚠ have not been re-checked in 90+ days.
Free to reuse with attribution and a link to this page. The table updates automatically; the “last verified” date tells you how current the figures are.
How to read this
The increase column is the only number that matters when you are comparing plans that all look cheap on the first screen. Three bands are worth knowing:
- Under 1.5× — the introductory price is close to the real price. You are buying hosting, not a promotion.
- 1.5× to 3× — normal for the shared-hosting market. Budget for the renewal from day one.
- Over 3× — the introductory price is marketing. Your second term costs more than most of the “expensive” options you rejected.
The term column matters just as much. A 48-month lock at a low rate delays the increase by four years; a 12-month term brings it forward to next year. A high multiple on a long term is a very different commitment from the same multiple on a short one.
How we check this
Prices are collected automatically every day where the provider publishes them in the page itself, and verified by hand where they are not — several hosting sites render their pricing table in the browser, so no automated reader can see it. Every row carries the date it was last confirmed. Rows we have not re-checked in 90 days are marked, rather than quietly presented as current.
The table is sorted by renewal increase, not by what we earn. Some of the providers at the top of this list are companies we have an affiliate relationship with. We think a comparison that hides that number is worth less than the commission.
What this table does not tell you
- Prices are the provider’s published US rates in USD. Regional pricing and local taxes differ.
- Promotional terms change. That is precisely why each row is dated.
- Renewal price is the published list rate. Add-ons, domain renewals and migration fees are separate.
- A low multiple is not automatically a better deal — a provider that never discounts simply starts higher.
Related
If you are choosing a host rather than auditing one, start with our hosting guide for beginners or the individual reviews for Bluehost and Kinsta.