What hosting actually costs over three years
Shared hosting is sold on an intro rate that lasts one term, then renews at two to four times the price. Pikkly ranks every plan by total cost over 36 months: intro × term, plus renewal for the remaining months, plus the add-ons you cannot avoid.
- Plans tracked
- 29
- Hosts
- 10
- TCO window
- 36 mo
3-year hosting cost calculator
Change the term and see how the ranking moves.
| Plan | Intro /mo | Intro term | Renewal /mo | Total | Effective /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 Hosting StartupBest value | $2.99 | 36 mo | $12.99 | $107.64 | $2.99 |
| Hostinger Premium | $2.99 | 48 mo | $10.99 | $107.64 | $2.99 |
| Namecheap Stellar | $1.98 | 12 mo | $4.48 | $131.28 | $3.65 |
| Bluehost Choice Plus | $3.99 | 36 mo | $24.99 | $143.64 | $3.99 |
| Hostinger Business | $3.99 | 48 mo | $16.99 | $143.64 | $3.99 |
| DreamHost Shared Starter | $2.89 | 36 mo | $8.99 | $164.16 | $4.56 |
| DreamHost Shared Unlimited | $4.95 | 36 mo | $13.75 | $178.20 | $4.95 |
| Bluehost Basic | $1.99 | 36 mo | $13.99 | $179.28 | $4.98 |
| Namecheap Stellar Plus | $2.98 | 12 mo | $6.98 | $203.28 | $5.65 |
| A2 Hosting Drive | $5.99 | 36 mo | $17.99 | $215.64 | $5.99 |
| A2 Hosting Turbo Boost | $6.99 | 36 mo | $22.99 | $251.64 | $6.99 |
| IONOS Essential | $1.00 | 12 mo | $10.00 | $252.00 | $7.00 |
| Hostinger Cloud Startup | $7.99 | 48 mo | $25.99 | $287.64 | $7.99 |
| Namecheap Stellar Business | $4.98 | 12 mo | $9.98 | $299.28 | $8.31 |
| Bluehost Online Store | $9.99 | 36 mo | $39.99 | $359.64 | $9.99 |
| Cloudways DO 1GB | $11.00 | 1 mo | $11.00 | $396.00 | $11.00 |
| IONOS Business | $1.00 | 12 mo | $16.00 | $396.00 | $11.00 |
| SiteGround StartUp | $3.99 | 12 mo | $17.99 | $479.64 | $13.32 |
| DreamHost DreamPress | $16.95 | 36 mo | $19.99 | $610.20 | $16.95 |
| SiteGround GrowBig | $6.69 | 12 mo | $29.99 | $800.04 | $22.22 |
| Cloudways DO 2GB | $24.00 | 1 mo | $24.00 | $864.00 | $24.00 |
| WP Engine Startup | $20.00 | 12 mo | $28.00 | $912.00 | $25.33 |
| SiteGround GoGeek | $10.69 | 12 mo | $44.99 | $1,208.04 | $33.56 |
| Kinsta Starter | $35.00 | 12 mo | $35.00 | $1,260.00 | $35.00 |
| Cloudways DO 4GB | $44.00 | 1 mo | $44.00 | $1,584.00 | $44.00 |
| WP Engine Professional | $40.00 | 12 mo | $56.00 | $1,824.00 | $50.67 |
| Kinsta Pro | $70.00 | 12 mo | $70.00 | $2,520.00 | $70.00 |
| WP Engine Growth | $77.00 | 12 mo | $109.00 | $3,540.00 | $98.33 |
| Kinsta Business 1 | $115.00 | 12 mo | $115.00 | $4,140.00 | $115.00 |
Last checked . Rows marked as unconfirmed were seeded by hand and the provider page did not verify them at the last run. Methodology
Intro price against true cost
The cheapest banner price is rarely the cheapest plan.
The five cheapest advertised prices
- IONOS Business $1.00 Advertised $11.00 True /mo11.0×
- IONOS Essential $1.00 Advertised $7.00 True /mo7.0×
- Namecheap Stellar $1.98 Advertised $3.65 True /mo1.8×
- Bluehost Basic $1.99 Advertised $4.98 True /mo2.5×
- DreamHost Shared Starter $2.89 Advertised $4.56 True /mo1.6×
Not one of them is the cheapest plan. Ranked by what they actually cost over three years they land between #3 and #17 of 29. See every plan.
Every plan
Ranked by three-year cost. Sort any column.
| Source | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 Hosting Startup Best value | $2.99 | 36 mo | $12.99 | $107.64 | $2.99 | ↗ |
| Hostinger Premium | $2.99 | 48 mo | $10.99 | $107.64 | $2.99 | ↗ |
| Namecheap Stellar not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $1.98 | 12 mo | $4.48 | $131.28 | $3.65 | ↗ |
| Bluehost Choice Plus not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $3.99 | 36 mo | $24.99 | $143.64 | $3.99 | ↗ |
| Hostinger Business | $3.99 | 48 mo | $16.99 | $143.64 | $3.99 | ↗ |
| DreamHost Shared Starter | $2.89 | 36 mo | $8.99 | $164.16 | $4.56 | ↗ |
| DreamHost Shared Unlimited | $4.95 | 36 mo | $13.75 | $178.20 | $4.95 | ↗ |
| Bluehost Basic not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $1.99 | 36 mo | $13.99 | $179.28 | $4.98 | ↗ |
| Namecheap Stellar Plus not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $2.98 | 12 mo | $6.98 | $203.28 | $5.65 | ↗ |
| A2 Hosting Drive | $5.99 | 36 mo | $17.99 | $215.64 | $5.99 | ↗ |
| A2 Hosting Turbo Boost | $6.99 | 36 mo | $22.99 | $251.64 | $6.99 | ↗ |
| IONOS Essential | $1.00 | 12 mo | $10.00 | $252.00 | $7.00 | ↗ |
| Hostinger Cloud Startup | $7.99 | 48 mo | $25.99 | $287.64 | $7.99 | ↗ |
| Namecheap Stellar Business not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $4.98 | 12 mo | $9.98 | $299.28 | $8.31 | ↗ |
| Bluehost Online Store not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $9.99 | 36 mo | $39.99 | $359.64 | $9.99 | ↗ |
| Cloudways DO 1GB | $11.00 | 1 mo | $11.00 | $396.00 | $11.00 | ↗ |
| IONOS Business | $1.00 | 12 mo | $16.00 | $396.00 | $11.00 | ↗ |
| SiteGround StartUp not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $3.99 | 12 mo | $17.99 | $479.64 | $13.32 | ↗ |
| DreamHost DreamPress not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $16.95 | 36 mo | $19.99 | $610.20 | $16.95 | ↗ |
| SiteGround GrowBig not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $6.69 | 12 mo | $29.99 | $800.04 | $22.22 | ↗ |
| Cloudways DO 2GB | $24.00 | 1 mo | $24.00 | $864.00 | $24.00 | ↗ |
| WP Engine Startup | $20.00 | 12 mo | $28.00 | $912.00 | $25.33 | ↗ |
| SiteGround GoGeek not confirmed on the provider page at the last check | $10.69 | 12 mo | $44.99 | $1,208.04 | $33.56 | ↗ |
| Kinsta Starter | $35.00 | 12 mo | $35.00 | $1,260.00 | $35.00 | ↗ |
| Cloudways DO 4GB | $44.00 | 1 mo | $44.00 | $1,584.00 | $44.00 | ↗ |
| WP Engine Professional | $40.00 | 12 mo | $56.00 | $1,824.00 | $50.67 | ↗ |
| Kinsta Pro | $70.00 | 12 mo | $70.00 | $2,520.00 | $70.00 | ↗ |
| WP Engine Growth | $77.00 | 12 mo | $109.00 | $3,540.00 | $98.33 | ↗ |
| Kinsta Business 1 | $115.00 | 12 mo | $115.00 | $4,140.00 | $115.00 | ↗ |
Last checked . Methodology