What a cheap web host really costs
Every number on this page is computed from the cheapest plan of each host that publishes both an intro and a renewal price: 27 of the 27 hosts I track, using prices verified 2026-10-16. Nothing here is an opinion; the arithmetic is on the renewal price table.
The shape of a cheap plan
The typical intro price needs a 30-month term paid upfront. When that term ends, the typical plan renews at $9.99 per month, 123% more than the intro. 59% of these plans at least double at renewal. 7 of the 27 charge the same price before and after: no intro discount, no cliff.
Cheapest at intro is not cheapest over 3 years
The lowest intro price on the table is ChemiCloud at $1.49 per month (Starter), which renews at $11.95. Over 3 years on the cheapest purchasable path it costs $53.64, rank 1 of 27 by 3-year total. It is also the lowest 3-year total on the table; a low intro and a low total do sometimes coincide. The median 3-year total across all 27 is $146.46. The full ranking is on cheapest at renewal.
The largest jump on the table
ChemiCloud (Starter): $1.49 per month at intro, $11.95 at renewal, +702%. The sentence where the host states that renewal price is quoted on its page, with the date I last saw it.
What to do with this
- Compare hosts on the true cost calculator for the number of years you will actually keep the plan, not on the intro price.
- If you already have a plan, the renewal calendar gives you the day the price jumps, and before you renew is the routine for the week before it.
- Hosts on the honor roll keep the jump at 25% or less and print the renewal price on the pricing page.
Medians are used rather than averages so that one extreme plan cannot move the picture. Plans without a published renewal price are left out of these figures rather than guessed.
Get an email when a price moves
One email when a tracked price moves. Nothing else, and you can leave in one click.