Hosting prices, honestly compared
The renewal price is the real price.
An entry plan’s first term tells you little. What you pay from year two onwards is what hosting actually costs. Here are the renewal prices of well-known hosts next to ours.
| Host & entry plan | First term | Renews at |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium source | $2.99with 48 months prepaid | $10.99 |
| SiteGround StartUp source | $2.99first year | $17.99 |
| Bluehost Starter source | $3.99with 36 months prepaid | $9.99 |
| Namecheap Stellar source | Promofirst-term price varies | $4.66 |
| Nullstrata Starter | $3.32yearly billing | $3.32 |
| Nullstrata Business | $5.83yearly billing | $5.83 |
| Nullstrata Corporate | $9.99yearly billing | $9.99 |
| Nullstrata Enterprise | $14.16yearly billing | $14.16 |
USD per month, excluding tax, checked on each provider’s own pricing page on 30 September 2026. Features and limits differ between plans; follow the source links for current prices and details. Our prices are shown in USD for comparison; you can pay in USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD.
VPS: same spec, side by side.
Our KVM plans match DigitalOcean’s Basic droplets on vCPU, RAM, disk size and monthly transfer. Both are priced per month, with no promo term.
| Spec | DigitalOcean | Nullstrata |
|---|---|---|
| 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB / 4 TB source | $24.00 | $19.90KVM 4 |
| 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 160 GB / 5 TB source | $48.00 | $29.90KVM 8 |
USD per month excluding tax, checked on 30 September 2026. Some hosts sell cheaper VPS on 24-month promotional terms that renew at a higher price. What people run on these servers.
Three years of the entry plan.
Renewal prices add up. The year-two price below is the one every competitor’s plan renews at.
Hostinger Premium
Renews at $10.99/mo, that is $131.88 for every year after the first term.
SiteGround StartUp
Renews at $17.99/mo, that is $215.88 for every year after the first term.
Nullstrata
$3.32/mo in year one, two and three: $119.52 for all three years.
Before you buy any hosting, check these.
Six questions that reveal the real price.
1. What does it renew at?
Look for the regular or renewal rate, not the headline price.
2. How long must I prepay?
Many headline prices need 36 or 48 months paid upfront.
3. Is the domain free after year one?
“Free domain” almost always means the first year only, ours included. Check the domain’s renewal price.
4. Are email and backups included?
Some hosts charge extra for mailboxes or restores.
5. What are the real limits?
“Unlimited” plans still cap files, CPU and databases. Ask for the numbers. Ours are published.
6. What is the refund window?
30 days is standard for hosting. Domains are usually not refundable anywhere.
Questions about pricing
Why is hosting so cheap in the first year?
Many hosts advertise a promotional price that only applies to the first term, often only if you prepay 3 or 4 years. When the term ends, the plan renews at the regular price, which is usually three to six times higher.
Do Nullstrata plans renew at a higher price?
No. We don’t run first-year discounts on hosting. The price shown on our plans is the regular price, and renewals are billed at the regular price. A free domain included with a plan is free for the first year, then renews at the regular domain price.
Is a cheaper first term a bad deal?
Not necessarily. Compare the total for the time you expect to keep the site, usually 3 years or more. Add the renewal price, the cost of the domain after year one, email and backups.
Where do these competitor prices come from?
From each provider’s own pricing or rates page, checked on 30 September 2026. Prices change often, so follow the links for the current figures.
One price, every year.
30-day money-back on hosting plans.