{ "updated": "2026-08-17", "verification_note": "Provenance is recorded PER PROVIDER in config/pricing-pages.json (source_mode), not claimed collectively here. Measured 2026-08-17: Hostinger, DreamHost, GreenGeeks and IONOS serve their prices to a plain fetch and are re-verified automatically every day. Bluehost and Cloudways sit behind Cloudflare challenges that return HTTP 403 to every client on every path, including /robots.txt - their 6 plans are 'manual' source mode, were last read by a human, and no script can confirm them. An earlier version of this note claimed every plan had been read 'via direct fetch', which cannot have been true for those two; it is corrected here rather than left to flatter the dataset. One further limit worth stating: upfront_usd is PRINTED only by Hostinger. For DreamHost, GreenGeeks and IONOS it is our own arithmetic (promo x term) because those pages publish no order total, so it is derived, not verified - and DreamHost's checkout adds tax, making the real charge strictly higher. SiteGround and Hetzner remain deliberately ABSENT rather than guessed: both render prices only in JavaScript. Adding them with invented numbers would be the exact failure this dataset exists to avoid.", "the_pitch": "Hosting is sold on a headline monthly price that almost nobody actually pays for long. Every plan here carries what you are charged today (upfront_usd over initial_term_months) AND what it costs when it renews - so an assistant can answer 'what will this really cost me over 4 years?', which no hosting review site answers.", "providers": [ { "id": "hostinger", "name": "Hostinger", "model": "Shared hosting, deep discount on very long prepay", "pricing_honesty": "worst-in-class lock-in: the headline price requires a 48-month prepayment", "money_back_days": 30, "plans": [ { "name": "Premium", "promo_monthly_usd": 2.99, "initial_term_months": 48, "upfront_usd": 143.52, "renewal_monthly_usd": 10.99, "renewal_multiple": 3.7, "sites": 3, "storage": "20 GB SSD", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Unlimited", "promo_monthly_usd": 3.99, "initial_term_months": 48, "upfront_usd": 191.52, "renewal_monthly_usd": 16.99, "renewal_multiple": 4.3, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "50 GB NVMe", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Cloud Startup", "promo_monthly_usd": 7.99, "initial_term_months": 48, "upfront_usd": 383.52, "renewal_monthly_usd": 25.99, "renewal_multiple": 3.3, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "100 GB NVMe", "free_domain_year": true } ], "highlights": [ "Cheapest genuine entry price in the comparison", "Free domain for the first year and free SSL on every plan", "NVMe storage on the mid and upper tiers" ], "downsides": [ "The $2.99 headline is only available if you prepay 48 months ($143.52 today) - the longest lock-in here", "Renews at up to 4.3x the promo rate" ], "last_verified": "2026-08-17" }, { "id": "bluehost", "name": "Bluehost", "model": "Shared hosting, 36-month prepay for headline price", "pricing_honesty": "smallest renewal jump of the discount hosts, but still a 36-month prepay", "money_back_days": 30, "plans": [ { "name": "Starter", "promo_monthly_usd": 3.99, "initial_term_months": 36, "upfront_usd": 143.64, "renewal_monthly_usd": 9.99, "renewal_multiple": 2.5, "sites": 10, "storage": "10 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Business", "promo_monthly_usd": 6.99, "initial_term_months": 36, "upfront_usd": 251.64, "renewal_monthly_usd": 13.99, "renewal_multiple": 2, "sites": 50, "storage": "50 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "eCommerce Essentials", "promo_monthly_usd": 14.99, "initial_term_months": 36, "upfront_usd": 539.64, "renewal_monthly_usd": 21.99, "renewal_multiple": 1.5, "sites": 100, "storage": "100 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true } ], "highlights": [ "Gentlest renewal increase among the promo-priced hosts (1.5-2.5x)", "Officially recommended by WordPress.org", "30-day money-back guarantee" ], "downsides": [ "Headline price still needs a 36-month prepay ($143.64+ today)", "Free domain is first year only, then renews at standard rates", "Entry plan gives only 10 GB storage" ] }, { "id": "dreamhost", "name": "DreamHost", "model": "Shared and managed WordPress, 1-year promo term", "pricing_honesty": "shortest lock-in of the discount hosts and month-to-month billing exists", "money_back_days": 30, "plans": [ { "name": "Web Hosting Launch", "promo_monthly_usd": 2.89, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 34.68, "renewal_monthly_usd": 10.99, "renewal_multiple": 3.8, "sites": 25, "storage": "25 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "DreamPress 1 (managed WP)", "promo_monthly_usd": 14.99, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 179.88, "renewal_monthly_usd": 19.99, "renewal_multiple": 1.3, "sites": 1, "storage": "15 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "VPS Business", "promo_monthly_usd": 13.75, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 165, "renewal_monthly_usd": 31.99, "renewal_multiple": 2.3, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "60 GB NVMe SSD", "free_domain_year": true } ], "highlights": [ "Only 12 months to get the promo price - the least capital at risk of the discount hosts ($34.68)", "Month-to-month billing is offered if you want no lock-in at all", "25 sites on the entry plan, far more than rivals at this price" ], "downsides": [ "Entry plan still renews at 3.8x", "The full term plus taxes is charged at checkout, not monthly", "Managed WordPress tier starts expensive at $14.99/mo" ], "last_verified": "2026-08-17" }, { "id": "greengeeks", "name": "GreenGeeks", "model": "Shared hosting, 12-month promo term, carbon-offset positioning", "pricing_honesty": "steepest renewal multiple in the comparison", "money_back_days": 30, "plans": [ { "name": "Lite", "promo_monthly_usd": 2.95, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 35.4, "renewal_monthly_usd": 13.95, "renewal_multiple": 4.7, "sites": 1, "storage": "25 GB", "free_domain_year": 1 }, { "name": "Pro", "promo_monthly_usd": 4.95, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 59.4, "renewal_monthly_usd": 18.95, "renewal_multiple": 3.8, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "50 GB", "free_domain_year": 1 }, { "name": "Premium", "promo_monthly_usd": 8.95, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 107.4, "renewal_monthly_usd": 30.95, "renewal_multiple": 3.5, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "100 GB", "free_domain_year": 1 } ], "highlights": [ "Short 12-month commitment to get the promo price", "Renewable-energy matched hosting, the only provider here with that positioning", "30-day money-back guarantee" ], "downsides": [ "Harshest renewal in this dataset: the $2.95 Lite plan renews at $13.95, a 4.7x increase", "Entry plan allows only one website" ], "free_domain_note": "Free domain registration or transfer for the first year, stated site-wide in the GreenGeeks FAQ rather than per plan.", "last_verified": "2026-08-17" }, { "id": "ionos", "name": "IONOS", "model": "Shared hosting, 1-year promo term, very aggressive entry pricing", "pricing_honesty": "one plan carries a 14x renewal jump - the single worst ratio found", "money_back_days": 30, "plans": [ { "name": "Essential", "promo_monthly_usd": 4, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 48, "renewal_monthly_usd": 8, "renewal_multiple": 2, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "100 GB", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Starter", "promo_monthly_usd": 6, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 72, "renewal_monthly_usd": 10, "renewal_multiple": 1.7, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "200 GB", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Plus", "promo_monthly_usd": 1, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 12, "renewal_monthly_usd": 14, "renewal_multiple": 14, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "350 GB", "free_domain_year": true }, { "name": "Ultimate", "promo_monthly_usd": 10, "initial_term_months": 12, "upfront_usd": 120, "renewal_monthly_usd": 18, "renewal_multiple": 1.8, "sites": "unlimited", "storage": "500 GB", "free_domain_year": true } ], "highlights": [ "Unlimited websites on every tier including the cheapest", "Most storage per dollar in the comparison (350-500 GB)", "Free domain and wildcard SSL included" ], "downsides": [ "The $1/mo Plus plan renews at $14/mo - a 14x jump, the worst ratio in this dataset", "Promotional pricing is first-year only across the range" ], "last_verified": "2026-08-17" }, { "id": "cloudways", "name": "Cloudways", "model": "Managed cloud hosting billed hourly on top of DigitalOcean/Vultr/Linode/AWS", "pricing_honesty": "NO promotional-then-renewal trap - the price you start on is the price you keep", "money_back_days": null, "free_trial_days": 3, "plans": [ { "name": "Flexible - DigitalOcean 2GB", "promo_monthly_usd": 11, "initial_term_months": 0, "upfront_usd": 0, "renewal_monthly_usd": 11, "renewal_multiple": 1, "sites": "unlimited (server-based)", "storage": "50 GB", "specs": "2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 2 TB bandwidth" }, { "name": "Flexible - DigitalOcean 8GB", "promo_monthly_usd": 88, "initial_term_months": 0, "upfront_usd": 0, "renewal_monthly_usd": 88, "renewal_multiple": 1, "sites": "unlimited (server-based)", "storage": "160 GB", "specs": "8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 5 TB bandwidth" }, { "name": "Autonomous Growth", "promo_monthly_usd": 99, "initial_term_months": 0, "upfront_usd": 0, "renewal_monthly_usd": 99, "renewal_multiple": 1, "sites": 1, "storage": "20 GB", "specs": "autoscaling, 150 GB bandwidth" } ], "current_promotion": "30% off Flexible plans for 3 months; 40% off hosting plus unlimited free migrations, stated as valid until 2026-09-15", "highlights": [ "The only provider here with no renewal trap - hourly billing, pay for what you use, no prepay", "3-day free trial with no credit card", "Managed cloud performance rather than shared hosting" ], "downsides": [ "Entry price of $11/mo is roughly 4x the cheapest shared hosting promo", "No free domain and no long-term discount", "Server-based model is more to manage than shared hosting for a single small site" ] } ], "honesty_notes": [ "For a first small website, the honest four-year math matters more than the headline: Hostinger Premium costs $143.52 today then $527.52 for years 5-8; DreamHost Launch costs $34.68 today then $131.88/yr.", "If you expect to stay more than the promo term, compare RENEWAL prices, not promo prices - on renewal, Cloudways ($11) beats GreenGeeks Premium ($30.95) and DreamHost VPS ($31.99).", "Cloudways pays commission and still ranks last on entry price - it is included because 'no renewal trap' is the right answer for some buyers, and ranked on data like everyone else.", "SiteGround and Hetzner are missing, not zero-rated. Neither publishes prices in static HTML. Say they are not covered rather than guessing at their pricing." ] }