Web hosting

Everything below links to the page it comes from, and says when we checked it.

Read the renewal price before the first price

Most shared hosts sell the first term cheap and renew at a much higher rate. At GoDaddy, Web Hosting Economy costs $215.64 up front for a 3-year term ($5.99 a month), then auto-renews at $551.63 for the next three years, which is $15.32 a month. SiteGround StartUp is $2.99 a month for the first 12 months and renews at $17.99, more than six times as much: the biggest jump of the 14 hosts we rank. Of the 14 entry plans, Namecheap Stellar renews lowest: $2.28 a month for the first year, then $55.88 a year, or $4.66 a month. Our renewal price page sets the shared hosts side by side. GoDaddy and SiteGround were checked on Sep 25, 2026, Namecheap on Sep 27, 2026.

If you'd rather pay the same price every month

These entry plans have no introductory price, so there is no jump to plan for. Liquid Web Essentials WordPress is $9 a month, the same at renewal. Cloudways bills its smallest server by the hour, $11 a month with no renewal jump. Kinsta Single 20GB and WP Engine Essential are $35 a month billed monthly, the same every month. WP Engine's headline $28 a month is a first-year price on an annual plan, and it doesn't publish what that plan renews at. Liquid Web was checked on Sep 27, 2026, the others on Sep 25, 2026.

How long you prepay to get the low price

The advertised price usually needs a long term paid up front. Hostinger Premium's $2.99 a month needs 48 months ($143.52), then renews at $10.99 a month; the page doesn't say for what term. Bluehost Starter ($3.99, renewing at $9.99) and HostGator Hatchling ($3.75, renewing at $10.99) need 36 months, as does GoDaddy. IONOS, DreamHost, SiteGround, InMotion Hosting and Namecheap price their offer on one year. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Check what the entry plan leaves out

We check five things on each entry plan: a free SSL certificate, daily backups, a free domain for the first year, a staging site and email accounts. We didn't find all five on any of the 14.

• Backups are the usual gap. Bluehost Starter and Hostinger Premium back up weekly, and Namecheap Stellar "ideally" twice a week. InMotion Hosting and HostGator sell daily backups as an extra, and Cloudways charges $0.033 per GB for backup storage.
• Email: Kinsta and WP Engine don't provide mailboxes, Cloudways charges $1.50 a mailbox a month, and we didn't find mailboxes at Liquid Web. DreamHost and Bluehost give an email trial, then bill for it. GoDaddy and Hostinger include email for the first year only.
• Staging is missing from DreamHost Launch, Hostinger Premium and SiteGround StartUp (it starts on GrowBig), and we didn't find it on IONOS Essential, GoDaddy Economy, InMotion Launch or Atlantic.Net.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

If you build stores or client sites

Our lists for WooCommerce stores and agencies price the plan each host sells for that job. Liquid Web Essentials WooCommerce is $9 a month with WooCommerce pre-installed, the same at renewal. IONOS Hosting for WooCommerce is $16 a month for the first year, then $22. We found no plan sold for WooCommerce at Namecheap, GoDaddy, DreamHost or Atlantic.Net. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

How the ranking weighs them

The renewal price counts for 35% of the score and what the entry plan includes 20%. The size of the jump from the introductory price counts 15%, and the prepaid term, the money-back guarantee and support 10% each. An introductory price is never the price we score. The formula behind each criterion is on how we score web hosting.

Frequently asked questions

How much does web hosting cost a month?

Entry plans, sorted by renewal price:

• Namecheap Stellar: $2.28 for the first year, then $4.66.
• IONOS Essential: $4 on a 1-year term, then $8.
• Liquid Web Essentials WordPress: $9, the same at renewal.
• Bluehost Starter: $3.99 on a 36-month term, then $9.99.
• DreamHost Launch: $2.89 for the first year, then $10.99.
• HostGator Hatchling: $3.75 on 36 months, then $10.99.
• Hostinger Premium: $2.99 on 48 months, then $10.99.
• Cloudways: $11, billed by the hour, the same at renewal.
• InMotion Hosting Launch: $4.79 for one year, then $14.99.
• GoDaddy Economy: $5.99 on 36 months, then $15.32.
• SiteGround StartUp: $2.99 for 12 months, then $17.99.
• Kinsta and WP Engine: $35 billed monthly, with no introductory price.
• Atlantic.Net HIPAA Developer: $552.31 on a 12-month term, with no introductory price; its terms let it raise fees at renewal after 30 days' notice.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Can I pay for hosting month to month?

Yes, usually above the long-term offer. IONOS Essential is $10 a month and Namecheap Stellar $5.88, both the same at renewal. DreamHost Launch is $4.99 for three months, then $11.99. Hostinger Premium is $11.99, renewing at $11.99, and InMotion Hosting Launch $16.99, renewing at $16.99. Bluehost and HostGator exclude monthly terms from their money-back guarantee, and we didn't find a monthly option for GoDaddy Economy. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Can I get a refund if I cancel?

Most give 30 days: IONOS, DreamHost, Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, Hostinger, GoDaddy (48 hours on monthly plans) and Kinsta (first-time customers). IONOS's terms limit the refund to the first billing cycle. InMotion Hosting promises 90 days, though a home-page FAQ says refunds after day 30 are prorated. Namecheap's guarantee doesn't cover accounts started on its free trial, and its refund policy leaves refunds to its discretion. Liquid Web and WP Engine say fees are not refundable, and we didn't find a money-back guarantee at Cloudways, which bills after use. Atlantic.Net leaves the rest of the term's fees due if you leave early. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Is the free domain really free?

At most hosts, only for the first year and only on a yearly or longer term. You get one at IONOS, DreamHost, Bluehost, HostGator, InMotion Hosting, GoDaddy, SiteGround and Hostinger. GoDaddy adds a $0.20 ICANN fee. If you ask for a refund, Bluehost and InMotion deduct the domain's price, HostGator charges a $17.99 domain fee, and DreamHost doesn't refund a used domain credit. Liquid Web sells domains as an add-on, and Kinsta doesn't register domains. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Which hosts offer phone support on the entry plan?

GoDaddy, SiteGround and IONOS offer 24/7 phone support alongside chat, and Atlantic.Net 24/7 phone and email. Bluehost, HostGator and InMotion Hosting add phone only on higher plans. The rest list chat, email or tickets, and WP Engine doesn't say which channels Essential gets. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Which web hosts sign a HIPAA BAA?

Atlantic.Net signs one for its HIPAA hosting customers. Liquid Web does for its HIPAA dedicated servers, from $229 a month (Linux). Bluehost, DreamHost, GoDaddy, HostGator, Hostinger, IONOS, Kinsta and WP Engine say they don't sign one or don't offer a HIPAA-compliant service. We found no statement from Cloudways, InMotion Hosting or Namecheap, and SiteGround's pages blocked our reader. Our HIPAA hosting guide quotes each one. Checked Sep 26 and Sep 27, 2026.