Original study · checked on 2 November 2026
Promo prices and renewal prices side by side for 14 plans at 5 hosts, what a cheap first year costs over three years, and how to compare hosts fairly.
Quick answer
Why does web hosting cost more when it renews?
Hosts discount the first term and renew at their list price. On 2 November 2026, all 14 plans at the 5 hosts in this check renewed higher. On the 11 with a 12-month first term, renewal costs 2.0 to 9.0 times the first-term price, median 2.8. Velumhold renews the same term at your order price, so a yearly Tulle stays at $2.49 a month. No KYC, paid in crypto.
14 of 14
Plans in this check that renew higher
1984 Hosting, Hostinger, Hawk Host, SiteGround and Bluehost
2.8×
Median renewal-to-first-term ratio
11 plans with a 12-month first term, from 2.0× (Hawk Host Plus) to 9.0× (SiteGround StartUp)
$455.64
Three years of SiteGround StartUp
$23.88 in year one, $215.88 in each of years two and three
Hosts discount the first term and renew at their list price. According to Velumhold's survey of 2 November 2026, all 14 plans at the 5 hosts that print both a first-term and a renewal price renew higher. The hosts say it in their own words. Hostinger's page states that its 12-month Premium plan renews at $10.99 a month for the same term. Hostens marks its first-year discount as not recurring. Namecheap shows $2.28 a month on its yearly tab against a struck-through regular price of $5.88, and does not show the yearly renewal rate.
Four hosts print both numbers, and all four renew higher. The next table lists every plan they sell.
| Plan | First term, per month | Renewal, per month | Renewal ÷ first term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Hosting, single plan | $2.95 | $19.83 | 6.7× |
| Hostinger Premium | $3.99 | $10.99 | 2.8× |
| Hostinger Unlimited | $4.99 | $16.99 | 3.4× |
| Hostinger Cloud Startup | $9.99 | $25.99 | 2.6× |
| Hawk Host Starter | $2.19 | $5.22 | 2.4× |
| Hawk Host Launch | $3.83 | $9.57 | 2.5× |
| Hawk Host Plus | $6.96 | $13.93 | 2.0× |
| Hawk Host Turbo | $8.70 | $21.76 | 2.5× |
| SiteGround StartUp | $1.99 | $17.99 | 9.0× |
| SiteGround GrowBig | $3.99 | $29.99 | 7.5× |
| SiteGround GoGeek | $5.99 | $44.99 | 7.5× |
| Bluehost Starter, 36-month term | $3.99 | $9.99 | 2.5× |
| Bluehost Business, 36-month term | $6.99 | $13.99 | 2.0× |
| Bluehost eCommerce Essentials, 36-month term | $14.99 | $21.99 | 1.5× |
Prices checked on
First term is the 12-month term, except Bluehost, whose page shows only its 36-month price. US dollars per month, as printed by each host. The ratio is the renewal price divided by the first-term price.
A low first year hides most of the bill. At SiteGround, year one of StartUp costs $23.88 and the next two years cost $431.76. Year one is 5% of the three-year bill. SiteGround has the lowest first-term price of the 15 hosts that list a plan price ($1.99), yet its three-year average of $12.66 a month is above Hostinger's Premium ($8.66) and Hawk Host's Starter ($4.21).
| Plan | Year 1 | Years 2 and 3 | Three-year total | Average per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawk Host Starter | $26.28 | $125.28 | $151.56 | $4.21 |
| Hostinger Premium | $47.88 | $263.76 | $311.64 | $8.66 |
| SiteGround StartUp | $23.88 | $431.76 | $455.64 | $12.66 |
| 1984 Hosting | $35.40 | $475.92 | $511.32 | $14.20 |
| Velumhold Tulle, yearly term | $29.90 | 2 × $29.90 | 3 × $29.90 | $2.49 |
Prices checked on
Year 1 = 12 × the first-term price. Years 2 and 3 = 24 × the renewal price. Average = total ÷ 36. The sums assume each renewal price stays the same. Plans differ in size: the table compares the shape of the price, not the value of the plan.
Three hosts show one price per term and no promotion: OrangeWebsite, IncogNET and Packetra. We take the list price as the renewal price: about $4.20, $3.33 and $3.71 a month for their cheapest plans, or about $151.20, $119.88 and $133.56 over three years (36 × the monthly price). That is an inference, since none of them prints a separate renewal price. Packetra says routine price changes apply at renewal.
Seven hosts show no renewal price on the pages we read: FlokiNET, Shinjiru, KoDDoS, Abelohost, Namecheap, Hostens and Hostwinds. For them, the renewal price is the number to ask for before you pay. If yours jumps, moving to a new host without downtime takes eight steps.
Find the renewal price per month
Look on the plan page, in the cart and in the terms. If you cannot find it, treat the first price as a promotion.
Compare the same term
A 36-month price, such as Bluehost's $3.99, is not comparable with a 12-month price.
Add every fee
FlokiNET lists a €5 setup fee on each order. Add such fees to the first year.
Do the three-year sum
12 × the first-term price, plus 24 × the renewal price, divided by 36. Compare that average.
Read what “renewal” means
Hostinger renews for the same term. Check the term, the price and whether you can pick a shorter one.
Check what happens when a payment fails
Find out how long your files are kept and when they are deleted.
Velumhold renews the same term at the price of your order (all plans and terms). A yearly Tulle costs $29.90 a year, $2.49 a month, at the order and at each yearly renewal. Pay for 1 month, 3 months (10% off), 6 months (20% off) or 12 months (30% off) at a time: a longer term costs the monthly price times 3, 6 or 12, less its discount, rounded down to the cent (Chiffon: $14.44 for 3 months, $25.68 for 6 months, $44.94 for 12 months). A renewal repeats your term at the price you ordered at, unless you set a different term for the next renewal from your dashboard.
You prepay each hosting account from a crypto balance for a term of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months, chosen at checkout. With auto-renew, the same term is charged again at your original price, unless you pick another term for the next renewal in the dashboard; if the balance cannot cover it, the sites stop when the term ends, the files are kept for 7 days and then deleted. No setup fee is added: the price of the term you pick is what you pay, at the first order and again at each renewal.
The yearly price is also the yearly renewal price. Paid from a crypto balance, with no ID.
1 website · 20 GB NVMe
$3.56
3 months $9.61 (−10%)6 months $17.08 (−20%)1 year $29.90 (−30%)
Most chosen
10 websites · 50 GB NVMe
$5.35
3 months $14.44 (−10%)6 months $25.68 (−20%)1 year $44.94 (−30%)
Unlimited websites · 75 GB NVMe
$7.14
3 months $19.27 (−10%)6 months $34.27 (−20%)1 year $59.97 (−30%)
In every plan: Free SSL · Daily backups · Email accounts · WordPress installed on request · No KYC
Hosts discount the first term and renew at their list price. On 2 November 2026, all 14 plans at the 5 hosts in this check renewed higher. On the 11 with a 12-month first term, renewal cost 2.0 to 9.0 times the first-term price.
On 2 November 2026, among hosts that print a renewal price for their cheapest plan, Hawk Host's Starter was lowest at $5.22 a month. Three hosts show one price and no promotion: about $3.33 at IncogNET, $3.71 at Packetra and $4.20 at OrangeWebsite. The crypto web hosting ranking scores renewal price too.
It only delays it. On 2 November 2026, Bluehost's Starter was $3.99 a month on 36 months and renewed at $9.99. 1984 Hosting's 36-month price was $5.00 and renewed at $16.89. Hostinger's 48-month price was $2.49 and renewed at $10.99.
No. A renewal is for the same term at the price of your order, unless you choose another term for the next renewal in your dashboard.
Top up your balance with BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC (minimum $25). Your balance has no expiry date and pays for any of your hosting accounts. It is not paid back out unless the law requires it; the one exception is the unspent part of a top-up made only to reach the minimum, which returns in USDT or USDC if you ask within 30 days of payment.
From $2.49/month · no KYC
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