True Cost Calculator
What will your hosting really cost?
Advertised prices usually last one billing term, then renew higher. Pick a category and time frame to see the real total for every provider we track — computed from intro and renewal prices verified on vendor sites (latest pass: 2026-09-30).
Category
Time frame
$100.44
cheapest true 3-year cost — AccuWebHosting
+$360.00
biggest renewal surprise — SiteGround costs this much more than its advertised price implies over 3 years
5 of 12
providers in this category charge exactly what they advertise at renewal
| Provider | Advertised | Renews at | True 3-yr cost | Effective / mo | Renewal surprise | Provider link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AccuWebHosting | $2.79/moflat price — never jumps | same price | $100.44 | $2.79/mo | none | Check pricing |
| Hostinger | $2.99/mofirst 4 years | $10.99/mo | $107.64 | $2.99/mo | none | Check pricingNon-affiliate |
| Bluehost | $3.99/mofirst 3 years | $9.99/mo | $143.64 | $3.99/mo | none | Check pricing |
| Zume Hosting | £6/mo (~$7.92), VAT includedflat price — never jumps | same price | $285.12 | $7.92/mo | none | Check pricingNon-affiliate |
| DreamHost | $2.89/mofirst 1 year | $10.99/mo | $298.44 | $8.29/mo | +$194.40 | Check pricingNon-affiliate |
| ScalaHosting | $2.95/mofirst 1 year | $11.95/mo | $322.20 | $8.95/mo | +$216.00 | Check pricing |
| Krystal | £7/mo (~$9.24), VAT includedflat price — never jumps | same price | $332.64 | $9.24/mo | none | Check pricing |
| IONOS | $1/mofirst 1 year | $14/mo | $348.00 | $9.67/mo | +$312.00 | Check pricingNon-affiliate |
| Cloudways | $11/moflat price — never jumps | same price | $396.00 | $11.00/mo | none | Check pricing |
| SiteGround | $2.99/mofirst 1 year | $17.99/mo | $467.64 | $12.99/mo | +$360.00 | Check pricing |
| 20i | $15/moflat price — never jumps | same price | $540.00 | $15.00/mo | none | Check pricing |
| NetArt | $112.50/yrfirst 1 year | $18.75/mo ($225/yr) standard | $562.50 | $15.63/mo | +$225.00 | Check pricing |
How this is calculated
- • The advertised price is applied for its full advertised term (vendors require prepaying that term), then the verified renewal rate applies for the remaining time.
- • Yearly-priced products (domains, some email) use the first-year price for year one and the renewal price from year two.
- • Only providers with cleanly comparable, vendor-verified intro and renewal prices are included — hover a provider for its per-row verification date. Providers whose renewal terms can't be verified are excluded rather than guessed at.
- • Excludes taxes, domain registration, and add-ons. Renewal prices can change; the full dataset with verification dates is in the Renewal Price Index (open CSV included).
Keep comparing
The calculator ranks by price alone — the category guides weigh performance, support, and features too.
Disclosure: 8 of the 12 providers listed here pay us a commission on a purchase — the ones without a paid link are captioned "Non-affiliate recommendation". Commission does not affect the ratings or the order.