Methodology & sources
The whole point of this site is honesty about cost, so here's exactly how the numbers work — including what we're less sure about.
The formula
True multi-year cost = (intro price × intro months) + (renewal price × remaining months in the window). We use a 5-year window (60 months) on purpose: several hosts require a 36- or 48-month prepay to unlock the lowest intro price, so a shorter window would never reach renewal for them — and would hide the very trap this tool exists to show. If a host's intro term runs past the window, we only count the months inside it.
Renewal markup = (renewal − intro) ÷ intro, as a percentage. Managed hosts with flat pricing show 0%.
Where the data comes from
Figures are 2026 prices gathered from each host's pricing pages and corroborating review sources. Hosting prices change often and vary by region and active promo, so we attach a confidence level to every host and link the source. Always confirm on the host's official page before buying.
| Host | Intro → renewal | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Bluehost | $2.95/mo → $11.99/mo | medium |
| HostGator | $3.75/mo → $9.99/mo | medium |
| Hostinger | $1.99/mo → $10.99/mo | high |
| GoDaddy | $5.99/mo → $11.99/mo | low |
| SiteGround | $2.99/mo → $17.99/mo | high |
| DreamHost | $2.59/mo → $7.99/mo | medium |
| Namecheap | $1.98/mo → $3.74/mo | high |
| IONOS | $1.00/mo → $8.00/mo | low |
| Kinsta | $35.00/mo → $35.00/mo | high |
| Cloudways | $11.00/mo → $11.00/mo | high |
| WP Engine | $30.00/mo → $30.00/mo | high |
What we're less sure about
Rows marked lowconfidence (currently GoDaddy and IONOS renewal prices) come from sources that disagree on the exact figure. We show our best estimate and flag it; we'd rather tell you than pretend to certainty we don't have.
How we make money
Some links are affiliate links — but never on the calculator itself. Full disclosure here.