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Quick Answer
Web hosting costs between $2.50 and $3.99 per month at the start for an entry shared plan, but the same plans renew at $7 to $13.95 per month. A low-end VPS is listed from $3 per month, managed WordPress hosting from $28 per month, and managed cloud hosting from $11 per month. Budget for the renewal price and for the extras (domain, email, backups), not for the first-month headline.
Key Takeaways
- Five entry shared plans advertise intro prices from $2.50 to $3.99 per month, and renew between $7 and $13.95 per month (checked October 2026).
- InterServer VPS starts at $3 per month, and Hostwinds unmanaged Linux VPS starts at $4.99 per month.
- WP Engine’s managed WordPress platform starts at $28 per month, and Kinsta’s Launch plan costs $350 billed annually.
- Cloudways managed cloud servers start at $11 per month, with 24/7 expert support.
- A domain adds cost on some plans: InterServer lists domain registration or transfer at $7.99 with any web hosting package.
Web Hosting Price Ranges at a Glance
| Hosting type | Example plan | Listed starting price | Who manages the server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | InterServer Standard | $2.50 for the first month, then $7 | The provider |
| Shared | Hostwinds Basic | $6.99 per month | The provider |
| VPS (unmanaged) | Hostwinds Unmanaged Linux VPS | $4.99 per month | You |
| VPS (managed) | Hostwinds Managed Linux VPS | $7.14 per month | The provider |
| Managed WordPress | WP Engine Essential | $28 per month | The provider |
| Managed cloud | Cloudways | $11 per month | The provider |
All figures come from each provider’s official page, checked in October 2026. A “starting price” is the lowest advertised plan, so confirm the term and renewal rate before you buy.
How Much Does Shared Hosting Cost?
Shared hosting is the cheapest type: five entry plans advertise between $2.50 and $3.99 per month as of October 2026. Shared hosting puts many sites on one server, and the provider handles the server for you.
The table below uses the plan, term and renewal figures from each provider’s pricing page. The “first payment” column shows what leaves your account at checkout.
| Provider | Plan | Intro price per month | Term behind that price | First payment | Renews at per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InterServer | Standard | $2.50 | First month only | $2.50 | $7 |
| DreamHost | Web Hosting Launch | $2.89 | First year | $34.68 | $10.99 |
| GreenGeeks | Lite | $2.95 | 12-month prepay | $35.40 | $13.95 |
| Hostinger | Premium | $2.99 | 48-month prepay | $143.52 | $10.99 |
| Bluehost | Starter | $3.99 | 36-month term | $143.64 | $9.99 |
Hostwinds is not in the table because its shared plans are listed as “starting at” prices without a renewal rate in our sources: Basic starts at $6.99 per month, Advanced at $8.99 and the top plan at $10.99.
The table shows a pattern. The five intro prices are close together, while the first payments run from $2.50 to $143.64. The headline monthly price tells you little until you know the term behind it. Hostinger states that all its plans are paid up front and that the monthly rate is the total divided by the months in the plan.
Intro Price vs Renewal Price
Every plan in the table renews at a higher monthly price than its intro rate. DreamHost states that its plan cards show the renewal rate next to the promo price, and the other four providers publish the renewal figure on their pricing pages.
The size of the jump differs by plan. These multiples are renewal price divided by intro price, rounded to one decimal:
| Plan | Renewal multiple | 12 months at the intro rate | 12 months at the renewal rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluehost Starter | 2.5 | $47.88 | $119.88 |
| InterServer Standard | 2.8 | $79.50 | $84.00 |
| Hostinger Premium | 3.7 | $35.88 | $131.88 |
| DreamHost Web Hosting Launch | 3.8 | $34.68 | $131.88 |
| GreenGeeks Lite | 4.7 | $35.40 | $167.40 |
Bluehost Starter has the smallest multiple of the five, and GreenGeeks Lite has the largest. InterServer’s $79.50 first-year figure is one month at $2.50 plus 11 months at $7, so its first year costs more than the other four, yet its renewal year at $84.00 is the lowest of the five. For the method behind these numbers and the full comparison, read our guide to web hosting renewal prices.
How Much Does a VPS Cost?
A VPS costs from $3 to $13.75 per month across the plans we checked in October 2026. The wide range comes from one question: who manages the server.
- InterServer KVM VPS starts at $3 per month for 1 core, 2 GB memory and 40 GB SSD, with monthly billing. Managed support is included with 8 or more VPS slices.
- Hostwinds Unmanaged Linux VPS starts at $4.99 per month. Hostwinds states that an unmanaged VPS comes without technical, management or administrative support.
- Hostwinds Managed Linux VPS is shown at $7.14 per month against a listed price of $10.99 per month.
- Bluehost self-managed VPS NVMe 2 is $4.69 per month on a 24-month term ($112.56 due today) and renews at $5.69 per month. cPanel and 24/7 priority support are not included.
- Hostinger KVM 1 is advertised at $6.49 per month and renews at $11.99 per month for 2 years. It has 1 vCPU core, 4 GB RAM and 50 GB NVMe disk space.
- DreamHost Managed VPS Business is $13.75 per month for the first year and renews at $31.99 per month. The renewal price is more than twice the first-year price.
Beginners should pick a managed VPS, or skip the VPS and choose managed shared hosting or managed cloud. An unmanaged VPS leaves updates, security and server setup to you. Hostwinds states that an unmanaged VPS can be upgraded to managed at any time, which gives you a way out if the workload turns out bigger than you planned. For a longer list, see our roundup of cheap VPS hosting.
How Much Does Managed WordPress Hosting Cost?
Managed WordPress hosting starts at $28 per month at WP Engine and costs $350 per year at Kinsta, as of October 2026. Both providers tune the platform for WordPress and handle backups and support for you.
- WP Engine Essential is billed annually at $336.00, and the Managed Hosting Platform starts at $28.00 per month. WP Engine lists 1 to 30 sites and 25,000 to 400,000 visits per month on Essential. First-year pricing and coupons apply to new customers on Essential plans only.
- WP Engine Core starts at $400.00 per month.
- Kinsta Launch costs $350 billed annually and includes 1 WordPress install, 75,000 estimated monthly visits and 15 GB of storage. Launch Plus is $590 annually, Build is $690, Expand is $990, Scale is $1,690 and Lead is $2,990.
WP Engine’s Essential annual price of $336 is $14 lower than Kinsta’s Launch price of $350, but the two plans do not measure capacity the same way, so compare sites, visits and storage as well as price. Kinsta charges $30 per month for each additional site and $20 per month for 20 GB of additional disk space. For a direct comparison, see how these two providers stack up in our Kinsta vs WP Engine analysis.
How Much Does Managed Cloud Hosting Cost?
Managed cloud hosting starts at $11 per month at Cloudways, which lists 24/7 expert support at that price. A managed cloud host runs your site on a server at a cloud provider and manages the server for you.
Cloudways lets you choose between DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS (EC2) and Google Cloud. Its smallest DigitalOcean Premium server (1 vCPU, 25 GB NVMe) is billed from $0.0208 per hour, and a 3-day free trial needs no credit card. Free managed migration and automated backups are included.
Traffic costs are where the bill can move. Cloudways states that bandwidth is pay-as-you-go beyond the plan limit. On DigitalOcean extra bandwidth costs $0.02 per GB, and on AWS it is billed at $0.12 per GB, which is six times as much. Cloudflare Enterprise CDN is offered as an add-on, so it is not part of the $11 starting price.
Read our Cloudways review for plan details.
Hidden Costs That Change the Bill
The extras that most often change a hosting bill are the domain, email, backups and the sites or storage you add later. Each provider treats them differently.
Domain. InterServer lists domain registration or transfer at $7.99 with any web hosting package. GreenGeeks and Bluehost list a free domain for the first year. Hostinger includes a free domain on all plans except Single when you order for one year or longer. The sheets we use do not list renewal prices for these domains, so check the registrar price before the first anniversary.
Email. InterServer and Hostwinds list unlimited email accounts. Hostinger Premium includes 2 mailboxes per website, free for 1 year, so plan for a cost after that.
Backups. InterServer and Bluehost Starter list weekly backups, while DreamHost and GreenGeeks list daily backups. Hostwinds lists nightly backups, and Kinsta backs sites up every 24 hours. Cloudways lists automated backups with one-click restore.
Extra sites and storage. Kinsta’s additional site is $30 per month. Hostinger’s Cloud Startup plan renews at $25.99 per month, and Bluehost Business renews at $13.99 per month on a 36-month term.
Support level. Bluehost’s Starter plan does not include phone support, and Business does.
Cancellation timing. InterServer’s terms require cancelling at least three days before automatic renewal.
Budget Examples
The examples below use only the prices in this article and leave out taxes and domain renewals.
- One small site on a short commitment. InterServer Standard costs $79.50 in the first 12 months, plus $7.99 if you register a domain through InterServer. The next 12 months cost $84.00.
- One small site on the lowest first-year payment. DreamHost Web Hosting Launch costs $34.68 for the first year and then renews at $10.99 per month, which is $131.88 per year.
- One site on a four-year prepay. Hostinger Premium costs $143.52 up front for 48 months, then renews at $10.99 per month.
- A growing site on managed cloud. Cloudways starts at $11 per month, before bandwidth overage and add-ons.
- A business site on managed WordPress. WP Engine Essential costs $336 billed annually, and Kinsta Launch costs $350 billed annually.
For a wider view of low-priced plans, read our cheap web hosting roundup.
Pros and Cons of the Example Providers
InterServer
Pros: $2.50 first month, unlimited storage and email accounts for normal use, free migration.
Cons: the plan renews at $7 per month, which is 2.8 times the intro price; backups are weekly; it uses DirectAdmin rather than cPanel.
DreamHost
Pros: every web hosting plan offers monthly billing, and daily automated backups are listed.
Cons: Web Hosting Launch renews at $10.99 per month after the first year; Managed VPS Business renews at $31.99 per month.
GreenGeeks
Pros: daily backups and a free domain for the first year are listed.
Cons: Lite allows 1 website; the $2.95 price requires a 12-month prepay; Lite renews at $13.95 per month.
Hostinger
Pros: a 30-day money-back guarantee and a free domain on most plans for one-year-or-longer orders.
Cons: the advertised rate needs a 48-month prepay; Premium renews at $10.99 per month; the free mailboxes last 1 year.
Bluehost
Pros: Starter includes 10 websites, and a free domain is listed for the first year.
Cons: Starter has weekly backups and no phone support; the VPS plans do not include cPanel or 24/7 priority support.
Hostwinds
Pros: shared plans include a free dedicated IP and free migration by its team.
Cons: Basic allows 1 domain; Basic starts at $6.99 per month, above the $2.50 to $3.99 intro prices in the table; an unmanaged VPS has no technical support.
Cloudways
Pros: 24/7 expert support, free managed migration, a 3-day free trial.
Cons: bandwidth beyond the plan limit is billed pay-as-you-go; Cloudflare Enterprise CDN is a paid add-on.
Kinsta and WP Engine
Pros: both list 24/7 support, and Kinsta lists unlimited free migrations.
Cons: Kinsta Launch includes 1 WordPress install and charges $30 per month per additional site; WP Engine’s 99.99% SLA is not included on Essential, and its first-year pricing applies to new customers on Essential only.
Best for: Which Hosting Type Fits Your Budget?
- Choose shared hosting for a first site, and plan for the renewal price on day one. InterServer suits a short commitment because its renewal year at $84.00 is the lowest among the five plans compared.
- Choose managed cloud if you expect the site to grow and want 24/7 expert support without managing a server. Cloudways starts at $11 per month.
- Choose a managed VPS if you need root-level resources and want the provider to handle the server, for example Hostwinds Managed Linux VPS at $7.14 per month.
- Choose managed WordPress if the site is a business WordPress install and you want a platform built around it, from $28 per month at WP Engine.
If you are weighing shared against VPS, our shared hosting vs VPS comparison explains the trade-offs.
How We Evaluated These Prices
- We read each provider’s official pricing page on 2026-10-07 and use only the figures published there.
- We compared the intro price, the term behind it, the first payment and the renewal price.
- We calculated 12-month totals from those published prices only.
- We have not run our own speed or uptime tests, so this article makes no performance claims.
- Every provider is judged by the same standard, whether or not HostHub1 has an affiliate relationship with it.
FAQ
How much does web hosting cost per month?
Entry shared hosting advertises $2.50 to $3.99 per month at the start across the five plans we checked, then renews at $7 to $13.95 per month. A VPS is listed from $3 per month, managed cloud hosting from $11 per month, and managed WordPress hosting from $28 per month (checked October 2026).
Why does web hosting cost more at renewal?
Providers advertise a promotional rate for the first term and then charge a higher regular rate. Hostinger Premium advertises $2.99 per month on a 48-month plan and renews at $10.99 per month. GreenGeeks Lite starts at $2.95 for 12 months and renews at $13.95 per month. Read the renewal rate before you pay.
Is cheap web hosting good enough for a new site?
For a new site with modest traffic, an entry shared plan can be enough, because the provider manages the server. The risks are the renewal jump and plan limits: GreenGeeks Lite allows 1 website and Hostinger Premium allows 3. Check the limits and the renewal price before you choose a plan.
Do I have to pay extra for a domain and email?
It depends on the plan. GreenGeeks and Bluehost list a free domain for the first year, while InterServer lists domain registration or transfer at $7.99 with any hosting package. Hostinger Premium includes 2 mailboxes per website free for 1 year, and InterServer lists unlimited email accounts.
Is a VPS cheaper than shared hosting?
Not always. At the same host it can be: InterServer’s VPS starts at $3 per month, below the $7 per month its shared Standard plan renews at, but a single VPS slice needs more management. Hostwinds Unmanaged Linux VPS starts at $4.99 per month without technical support. Beginners should pick a managed option instead.
Sources
- InterServer web hosting page
- InterServer VPS page
- InterServer terms of service
- Hostinger web hosting plans
- Hostinger VPS hosting
- DreamHost shared hosting
- GreenGeeks web hosting
- Bluehost shared hosting
- Bluehost VPS hosting
- Hostwinds shared hosting
- Hostwinds unmanaged Linux VPS
- Hostwinds managed Linux VPS
- Cloudways pricing
- Kinsta pricing
- WP Engine plans
- Visit InterServer’s official site