WordPress hosting prices: promo vs renewal rates

We read each provider's own pricing, plan and policy pages on 29 October 2026 and recorded what they state. On 2 November 2026 we re-read the SiteGround, Hostinger, Kinsta and Cloudways pricing pages; their first-term and renewal figures matched what is shown here, and Hostinger's terms are now listed for 12, 24 and 48 months. Sums marked "our arithmetic" are calculated by us from those prices, before tax and without domains or add-ons. On 5 November 2026 we re-read the Bluehost, WP Engine, Kinsta, SiteGround, Hostinger and Cloudways plan pages. The figures in this guide matched for Bluehost, WP Engine, Kinsta and SiteGround. Hostinger and Cloudways were then showing temporary promotions, and we do not treat promotional prices as standard rates. We could not read Hostinger's standard first-term prices that day, so the Hostinger first-term prices in this guide are the ones we read on 2 November 2026, and the price you see today may differ. Hostinger's renewal rates were unchanged. We promise no particular discount or end date, and a promotion does not change the conclusions of this guide. We did not test speed, uptime, support or migrations.

Plans and facts for each host are on its product page: Kinsta, WP Engine, SiteGround, Cloudways, Hostinger WordPress Hosting and Bluehost WordPress Hosting. For head-to-head reads, see Kinsta vs WP Engine, Hostinger vs SiteGround and Cloudways vs Kinsta.

Three providers advertise a first-term price tied to a long prepaid term and show a higher renewal rate for the same plan: SiteGround (12 months), Hostinger (the page offers 1, 12, 24 and 48 months; the lowest price is the 48-month term) and Bluehost (36 months for its lowest price).

Kinsta and WP Engine do not show a renewal rate next to their prices. Kinsta's Terms say promotions renew at the standard fee and that fees may rise with notice; WP Engine's plans page says first-year pricing is for new customers only and that renewal pricing is subject to change.

Cloudways has no term: usage is billed hourly up to a monthly cap and invoiced in arrears.

Cost over a term, from the same prices (our arithmetic, before tax, excluding domains and add-ons, and assuming the renewal rate stays as stated):

• SiteGround StartUp: 12 months at €3.99 is €47.88; the next 12 months at €15.99 is €191.88.
• Hostinger Premium: the page stated $119.52 for the first 48 months when we read it on 2 November 2026 (on 5 November it showed a temporary promotional price instead); a renewal for the same term at $10.99 a month is $527.52. On a 12-month term the first year is $47.88 and a renewal for the same term at $10.99 a month is $131.88.
• Bluehost Starter: 36 months at $3.99 is $143.64; another 36 months at $9.99 is $359.64.

Hostinger's 48-month price is a seasonal promotion, and all three can change. A four-year comparison of Hostinger and SiteGround is in Hostinger vs SiteGround.

Kinsta shows $35 a month on monthly billing and $350 a year on annual billing for its entry plan, "two months free" against paying monthly, with a first month free on select plans for new customers. Its Terms say the plan renews automatically for the shorter of the previous period or twelve months, and that fees may rise on reasonable notice. Whether the annual discount continues after year one: not confirmed.

WP Engine shows Essential from $28 a month billed annually ($336 upfront) and Business from $400 a month billed annually. WP Engine's site picks the currency from the visitor's country: when we checked it showed pounds by default and offered US dollars, euros, Canadian and Australian dollars. The figures here are US dollars, billed annually, as shown with USD selected on 1 November 2026. Its Terms say renewals are charged at then-current rates, with an opt-out at least 30 days before the term ends. We could not read its monthly price or its capacity steps on 29 October 2026, so we do not state them.

Cloudways lists Micro at $14, Small at $28 and Medium at $54 a month in its default view (DigitalOcean), billed hourly with a monthly cap.

• Write down the renewal price and the length of the renewal term before you buy, not after.
• Ask whether the renewal term is the same length as the one you prepaid.
• Note the last date to cancel or switch off auto-renewal.
• Check whether the money-back guarantee applies to your billing term and to renewals.
• Compare the plan's limits with your real traffic, and find out what the provider does when you exceed them.
• Keep your domain separate from the hosting account so that switching host stays possible.

If the checklist ends in a switch, read what free migration covers at Kinsta, Hostinger, SiteGround and Cloudways before you cancel the old plan.

Promotions end and renewal terms change. Before you buy, confirm the price, the renewal rate and the length of the renewal term on the provider's own pricing page. Providers are listed alphabetically; the order does not reflect any commercial relationship. A link marked “Partner link” may earn us a commission; a link without that label goes to the provider's official site. The price on each card has its own basis, stated on the card (for example monthly billing, a renewal price or annual billing), so the cards are not a like-for-like comparison of equal plans. Commissions do not change which plans we cover, their figures or our conclusions.