Kinsta alternatives
Kinsta's cheapest plan for one website, Single 35k (sized for 35,000 visits a month), is $30 a month on a 12-month term, and renews at the same price. Kept with renewals it costs $350 for 1 year, $1,050 over 3 years and $1,750 over 5. Of the 9 other hosts we price that sell managed WordPress, each on its cheapest plan sized for at least 35,000 visits a month, 6 cost less for 1 year, 6 cost less over 3 years and 6 cost less over 5 years. Over 3 years the cheapest is Hosting.com at $143.65 (WP Medium, $906.35 less).
Worth knowing about Kinsta: Kinsta sells each plan sized by monthly visits or by bandwidth at the same price; the visit-sized versions are shown. New customers get the first month free on the smaller plans, so a first year on annual billing covers an extra month that these totals leave out.
Every alternative against Kinsta, kept 1, 3 and 5 years
| Host | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsta Single 35k | $350 $29.17 a month | $1,050 $29.17 a month | $1,750 $29.17 a month |
| Hosting.com WP Medium Cheaper at every length | $59.89 $290.11 less | $143.65 $906.35 less | $791.29 $958.71 less |
| Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits Cheaper at every length | $97.20 $252.80 less | $291.60 $758.40 less | $486 $1,264 less |
| DreamHost DreamPress 1 Cheaper at every length | $179.88 $170.12 less | $431.64 $618.36 less | $1,043 $706.72 less |
| ChemiCloud Managed WordPress Tiny Cheaper at every length | $150 $200 less | $450 $600 less | $750 $1,000 less |
| HostPapa MWP Core Cheaper at every length | $179.40 $170.60 less | $538.20 $511.80 less | $897 $853 less |
| Rocket.net Starter Cheaper at every length | $300 $50 less | $900 $150 less | $1,500 $250 less |
| Pressable Signature 2 Never cheaper | $450 $100 more | $1,350 $300 more | $2,250 $500 more |
| WP Engine Essential – Up to 3 sites Never cheaper | $624 $274 more | $2,184 $1,134 more | $3,744 $1,994 more |
| Flywheel Freelance Never cheaper | $1,150 $800 more | $3,450 $2,400 more | $5,750 $4,000 more |
Each host's cheapest managed WordPress plan and term for one website sized for at least 35,000 visits a month, the traffic Kinsta's Single 35k is sized for (plans with no stated visit limit count), all payments while you keep it: the first term up front, then renewals at the published renewal price. Under each total, the difference from Kinsta; the highlight marks a total below Kinsta's. A dash means the host publishes no renewal price for that long. Before tax, without a domain.
The year each alternative becomes cheaper than Kinsta
Every length from 1 to 5 years, compared in whole years kept. The cheapest plan and term can change with the length: a long term paid up front can cover more than the years kept, and that payment counts in full.
Cheaper than Kinsta at every length
- Hosting.com: $290.11 less for 1 year and $958.71 less over 5 years ($791.29 against $1,750).
- Liquid Web: $252.80 less for 1 year and $1,264 less over 5 years ($486 against $1,750).
- DreamHost: $170.12 less for 1 year and $706.72 less over 5 years ($1,043 against $1,750).
- ChemiCloud: $200 less for 1 year and $1,000 less over 5 years ($750 against $1,750).
- HostPapa: $170.60 less for 1 year and $853 less over 5 years ($897 against $1,750).
- Rocket.net: $50 less for 1 year and $250 less over 5 years ($1,500 against $1,750).
Never cheaper than Kinsta over 1 to 5 years
- Pressable: closest for 1 year, $100 more ($450 against $350).
- WP Engine: closest for 1 year, $274 more ($624 against $350).
- Flywheel: closest for 1 year, $800 more ($1,150 against $350).
Intro price and renewal price
| Host and plan | Intro /mo | Renews at /mo | Renewal from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsta Single 35k 12 months, $350 up front | $30.00 | $30.00 same | Year 2 |
| Hosting.com WP Medium 3 years, $143.65 up front | $3.99 | $17.99 4.5× intro | Year 4 |
| Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits 12 months, $97.20 up front | $8.10 | $8.10 same | Year 2 |
| DreamHost DreamPress 1 3 years, $431.64 up front | $11.99 | $16.99 1.4× intro | Year 4 |
| ChemiCloud Managed WordPress Tiny 12 months, $150 up front | $12.50 | $12.50 same | Year 2 |
| HostPapa MWP Core Monthly | $14.95 | $14.95 same | Month 2 |
| Rocket.net Starter 12 months, $300 up front | $25.00 | $25.00 same | Year 2 |
| Pressable Signature 2 12 months, $450 up front | $37.50 | $37.50 same | Year 2 |
| WP Engine Essential – Up to 3 sites 12 months, $624 up front | $52.00 | $65.00 1.3× intro | Year 2 |
| Flywheel Freelance 12 months, $1,150 up front | $96.00 | $96.00 same | Year 2 |
The lowest intro price on the plan each host's totals use, the term it needs, and what that term renews at, with how many times the intro price that is ("same" when it doesn't rise). Renewal from is when the first renewal is charged.
Leaving managed WordPress altogether
Hosting that isn't managed WordPress costs far less, and runs WordPress too. The cheapest for one website: for 1 year, IONOS Plus at $12 (against $350 on Kinsta); over 3 years, ChemiCloud Starter at $70.20 (against $1,050 on Kinsta); over 5 years, Hostinger Premium at $275.40 (against $1,750 on Kinsta). Those plans aren't sized by visits the way Kinsta's are, so they aren't counted above. Web hosting vs WordPress hosting has what each host sells under both names.
What each plan includes
- Kinsta Single 35k: 1 website, 10 GB storage, sized for 35,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Hosting.com WP Medium: 5 websites, 50 GB storage, sized for 120,000 visits a month; a free domain for a period it doesn't state; a .com renews at $21.99 a year with Hosting.com; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits: 1 website, 15 GB storage, sized for 50,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; no money-back terms recorded.
- DreamHost DreamPress 1: 1 website, 15 GB storage, sized for 40,000 visits a month; a free domain for 1 year on terms of a year or more; a .com renews at $21.99 a year with DreamHost; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ChemiCloud Managed WordPress Tiny: 1 website, 10 GB storage, sized for 100,000 visits a month; a free domain for 1 year on terms of a year or more; a .com renews at $17.95 a year with ChemiCloud; a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- HostPapa MWP Core: 1 website, 30 GB storage, sized for 50,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; a .com renews at $24.19 a year with HostPapa; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Rocket.net Starter: 1 website, 10 GB storage, no visit limit stated; no free domain mentioned; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Pressable Signature 2: 3 websites, 30 GB storage, sized for 50,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- WP Engine Essential – Up to 3 sites: 3 websites, 15 GB storage, sized for 75,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; no money-back terms recorded.
- Flywheel Freelance: 10 websites, 20 GB storage, sized for 100,000 visits a month; no free domain mentioned; a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Renewal and money-back terms, in each host's words
- Kinsta: Kinsta: “You can try Kinsta risk-free with a first month free on select plans for new customers. After any free period, all plans are covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee.”
- Hosting.com: Hosting.com's service terms: “All Products, except for Domains, Servers and certain third-party supplier products*: 30 days.”
- Liquid Web: Liquid Web's terms: “We may increase Fees upon thirty (30) days’ notice, with such increase to take effect as of the first day of the next Renewal Term”.
- DreamHost: DreamHost's plan cards list a “30-Day Money-Back Guarantee”, and its terms say a customer who cancels “within thirty (30) days of initial signup” can do so “for any reason”.
- ChemiCloud: ChemiCloud's terms: “Promotional prices apply only to the first term of the Service; renewals are at the then-current standard rate unless the promotional terms expressly say otherwise.” ChemiCloud's terms: “45-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies exclusively to: Shared Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, WordPress Hosting, Email Hosting, Python Hosting, and Managed WordPress Hosting.”
- HostPapa: HostPapa's checkout: “All plans are prepaid and will renew for the same term at regular rates automatically”. HostPapa's plan page: “Risk-Free 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee”.
- Rocket.net: Rocket.net's pricing page: “Unlike our competition, we’ll never do price hikes on renewals.” Rocket.net: “We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all of our services except for our Enterprise hosting plans.”
Not quoted here because they aren't cheaper than Kinsta at any length: Pressable, WP Engine and Flywheel.
Charges on top of the plan
- Kinsta: Kinsta's overage docs: going over a plan's visits will “charge you an overage fee ($0.50/1,000 visits)”, and extra disk space is “prorated at a rate of $2 per GB per month”; its pricing page sells “+ 1 additional site / $30 USD / month”.
- Rocket.net: Rocket.net: “You can upgrade to the next plan or we bill disk space overages at $2/GB and Bandwidth overages at $0.08/GB.”
Kinsta alternatives: quick answers
Is there a cheaper alternative to Kinsta?
Yes: for 1 year 6 of the 9 cost less than Kinsta's $350, the cheapest Hosting.com at $59.89 (WP Medium, 12 months), $290.11 less; over 3 years 6 of the 9 cost less than Kinsta's $1,050, the cheapest Hosting.com at $143.65 (WP Medium, 3 years), $906.35 less; over 5 years 6 of the 9 cost less than Kinsta's $1,750, the cheapest Liquid Web at $486 (Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits, 12 months), $1,264 less. Each total is the host's cheapest managed WordPress plan for one website sized for at least 35,000 visits a month, renewals included.
What are the best Kinsta alternatives?
On price alone: Hosting.com, Liquid Web, DreamHost, ChemiCloud, HostPapa and Rocket.net are cheaper than Kinsta at every length from 1 to 5 years. The cheapest alternative for 1 year is Hosting.com at $59.89, against $350 on Kinsta; over 3 years, Hosting.com at $143.65, against $1,050 on Kinsta; over 5 years, Liquid Web at $486, against $1,750 on Kinsta. This ranks hosts by what they cost with renewals and nothing else; speed, support and uptime aren't measured here.
Which Kinsta alternatives stay cheaper after the first year?
Kept 2 to 5 years, 6 cost less than Kinsta at every length: Hosting.com ($791.29 over 5 years), Liquid Web ($486 over 5 years), DreamHost ($1,043 over 5 years), ChemiCloud ($750 over 5 years), HostPapa ($897 over 5 years) and Rocket.net ($1,500 over 5 years), against $1,750 on Kinsta. For the first year alone, 6 cost less than Kinsta's $350.
Which Kinsta alternative renews cheapest?
Kinsta's Single 35k renews at $30 a month at the least, on its 12-month term. The lowest renewals on the alternatives' plans for one website sized for at least 35,000 visits a month: Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits at $8.10 a month (on its 12-month term), ChemiCloud Managed WordPress Tiny at $12.50 a month (on its 12-month term), HostPapa MWP Core at $14.95 a month (on its 12-month, 2-year or 3-year terms or paying monthly) and DreamHost DreamPress 1 at $16.99 a month (on its 3-year term). 6 of the 9 with a published renewal price renew below Kinsta's $30.
Is shared hosting a cheaper alternative to Kinsta?
On price, yes. The cheapest hosting for one website that isn't managed WordPress: for 1 year, IONOS Plus at $12 (against $350 on Kinsta); over 3 years, ChemiCloud Starter at $70.20 (against $1,050 on Kinsta); over 5 years, Hostinger Premium at $275.40 (against $1,750 on Kinsta). Those plans aren't sized by visits the way Kinsta's are, so they aren't in the managed WordPress tables above.
Which Kinsta alternatives include a free domain?
Kinsta doesn't mention a free domain with Single 35k. 3 of the 9 alternatives include one on the plan their totals use: for a period it doesn't state with Hosting.com; for 1 year on terms of a year or more with DreamHost and ChemiCloud. A .com then renews at $17.95 to $21.99 a year with them. Liquid Web, HostPapa, Rocket.net, Pressable, WP Engine and Flywheel include none or don't say.
Can I pay monthly with a Kinsta alternative?
Paid monthly, a first year on Kinsta Single 35k costs $385 (free for the first month, then $35 a month), against $350 paid up front. 9 of the 9 alternatives bill monthly; the cheapest first years paid that way are Liquid Web Essentials, 1 site, 50k visits at $108 ($9 a month), ChemiCloud Managed WordPress Tiny at $166 ($1 for the first month, then $15 a month) and HostPapa MWP Core at $179.40 ($14.95 a month). 6 of them cost less than Kinsta paid monthly.
Which Kinsta alternatives have a longer money-back guarantee?
Kinsta: “You can try Kinsta risk-free with a first month free on select plans for new customers. After any free period, all plans are covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee.” Among the alternatives: 60 days at Flywheel; 45 days at ChemiCloud; 30 days at Hosting.com, DreamHost, HostPapa, Rocket.net and Pressable; none recorded for Liquid Web and WP Engine. 2 give longer than Kinsta's 30 days. ChemiCloud's terms: “45-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies exclusively to: Shared Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, WordPress Hosting, Email Hosting, Python Hosting, and Managed WordPress Hosting.” Flywheel: “we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.” “However, all Agency and Custom plans are excluded from this guarantee. This guarantee does not apply to upgrades or renewals.”
Kinsta renewal price: every plan and term. Try your own numbers for more websites, storage or traffic, or see every comparison.
Head to head with Kinsta: Kinsta vs WP Engine, Kinsta vs SiteGround, Kinsta vs Rocket.net, Kinsta vs Hostinger, Kinsta vs Pressable, Kinsta vs Flywheel.
Prices checked against each host's own pages on , in US dollars before tax.