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.
In short, as of October 6, 2026: on a 12-month term, the cheapest renewal is InterServer Standard Web Hosting at $84 for the second year, and the biggest rise is on IONOS Plus: $12 for the first year, then $168, 14× as much (every plan's first and second year, every renewal price).
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, Cloudways, GoDaddy, HostGator, InMotion Hosting and Namecheap aren't priced here. We list only prices recorded with evidence from each host's own pages. Namecheap's knowledge base does publish what its plans renew at; its page lists them. Leaving one of them? Bluehost alternatives and GoDaddy hosting alternatives show what the hosts above cost instead.
Cheapest web hosting · Every renewal price · All comparisons · Price after the first year · Hosting for several websites · Cost per month and per year · 1-year vs 3-year plans · Domain renewal prices
Prices checked against each host's own pages on , in US dollars before tax.