Hosting 5 min read
Web Hosting Renewal Prices (2026): What Eight Hosts Charge
Intro prices hide the real cost of hosting. Here is what eight popular hosts charge at renewal, how big each jump is, and five ways to avoid paying it.
Every hosting pricing page shows you the intro price. Almost none show you the renewal price with the same prominence, and the renewal price is the one you pay for every year after your first term.
We gathered the published renewal prices of eight popular hosts in one place, worked out how large each jump is, and pulled out the patterns that actually help you choose.
The short answer
- Lowest renewal (USD): Namecheap Stellar, renewing at about $4.66 a month.
- No jump at all: Cloudways, billed monthly at a flat $14 a month.
- Biggest jump: SiteGround StartUp, from $3.99 to $17.99 a month, 4.5 times higher.
- The popular budget pick: Hostinger Premium, from $2.99 to $10.99 a month. Read our Hostinger review for whether that trade is worth it.
Renewal prices compared (USD)
| Host and plan | Intro price | Intro term | Renewal price | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap Stellar | $2.28/mo | Varies | about $4.66/mo | 2x |
| Hostinger VPS KVM 1 | $6.49/mo | Long term | $11.99/mo | 1.8x |
| HostGator Hatchling | $3.75/mo | 36 months | $10.99/mo | 2.9x |
| Bluehost Starter | $3.99/mo | 36 months | $9.99/mo | 2.5x |
| Hostinger Premium | $2.99/mo | 48 months | $10.99/mo | 3.7x |
| Hostinger Unlimited | $3.99/mo | 48 months | $16.99/mo | 4.3x |
| SiteGround StartUp | $3.99/mo | Varies | $17.99/mo | 4.5x |
| DreamHost shared | Varies | Monthly available | about $10.99/mo | Varies |
| Cloudways, 1GB DigitalOcean | $14/mo | Monthly | $14/mo | None |
Renewal prices compared (India, INR)
| Host and plan | Intro price | Intro term | Renewal price | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluehost Starter | ₹199/mo | 36 months | ₹349/mo | 1.8x |
| GoDaddy Economy | ₹219/mo | 36 months | ₹599/mo | 2.7x |
| Hostinger Premium | ₹149/mo | 48 months | about ₹449/mo | 3x |
| GoDaddy Starter | ₹89/mo | 36 months | ₹299/mo | 3.4x |
Indian prices exclude 18% GST, which is added at checkout. For five year totals with GST included, see cheapest web hosting in India.
What the numbers actually tell you
The size of the jump is marketing. The renewal price is your budget. SiteGround’s 4.5x jump sounds worse than Bluehost’s 2.5x, and it is, but the more useful comparison is simpler: SiteGround renews at $17.99 and Bluehost at $9.99. Compare the renewal column, not the multiple.
A long intro term is worth more than a low intro price. Hostinger’s 48 month term keeps you on the intro rate a full year longer than 36 month deals. Four years of Hostinger Premium at $2.99 costs $143.52. A single year at its $10.99 renewal costs $131.88.
Premium shared hosting can renew above managed cloud. Hostinger Unlimited renews at $16.99 and SiteGround StartUp at $17.99. Both cost more than Cloudways at $14, which gives you reserved server resources instead of a shared pool. We explain the trade in shared vs VPS hosting.
Flat monthly pricing is rare. Cloudways and DreamHost’s monthly billing let you avoid the renewal cycle entirely, at the cost of a higher starting price.
Why hosts do this
It is not a scam, but it is deliberate. Winning a new customer is expensive: advertising, comparison site commissions and deep first term discounts. That first term is priced to win you over, not to earn much.
The renewal price is where they recover it. They are counting on something true about most website owners: moving a site feels like enough of a hassle that paying the higher price is easier. Once you know that, the renewal price becomes negotiable.
Five ways to avoid paying the full renewal price
- Lock in the longest intro term you are confident about. If you know you will keep the site for four years, a 48 month intro deal is the cheapest way to pay for those years.
- Set a reminder 30 days before renewal. Most people pay the renewal price simply because the charge arrives before they think about it.
- Ask for a retention price. Contact support before renewal and ask what they can offer to keep you. It does not always work, but it costs you one conversation.
- Move hosts at renewal. A new host’s intro price usually beats your current host’s renewal price. Our guide to moving your website to faster hosting covers doing it without downtime.
- Choose flat monthly billing if you would rather never think about renewal again. You pay more at the start and nothing extra later.
One more cost that catches people: the free domain is free for the first year only. From year two it renews separately, on top of your hosting.
Bottom line
Intro hosting prices are real, but they are a first term discount, not the price of hosting. Compare renewal prices, not intro prices, and not the size of the jump. On that measure, Namecheap renews lowest, Cloudways never jumps, and SiteGround and Hostinger’s Unlimited plan are the most expensive once the deal ends.
For the two hosts most people are actually choosing between, is Hostinger better than Bluehost applies this same renewal first test and puts a five year cash figure on each plan.
The best defence costs nothing: write down the renewal price the day you buy, and set a reminder a month before it arrives.
Sources
- Namecheap: Shared Hosting
- Hostinger: Web Hosting
- Hostinger: VPS Hosting
- Hostinger India: Web Hosting
- Hostinger: New web and cloud hosting limits at Hostinger
- Findstack: HostGator Coupon Codes
- HostGator: Shared Website Hosting
- Bluehost: Shared Hosting
- Bluehost India: Shared Hosting
- SiteGround: Web Hosting
- DreamHost: Web Hosting
- Cloudways: Pricing and Plans
- GoDaddy India: Web Hosting
- Hosting.com: India Goods and Services Tax (GST) policy
Prices are each host’s published rates, as listed on 12 October 2026. Hosts change pricing often, so confirm the live intro and renewal price before buying, and tell us if a figure here is out of date. Some links above are affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.