Website builder and hosting renewal prices, tracked
The price on a hosting or website builder homepage is usually an intro price. It only lasts for your first term. After that, the plan renews at a higher price. This page tracks both, from official pages, with the date we checked.
Last checked: November 9, 2026. We re-check monthly. All prices are in US dollars.
The tracker
9 of the 24 plans below show an intro price, its term and a renewal price on the official US page, so we can total them. The 3 Namecheap plans show both prices but not the term the intro price needs. For the builders and blog platforms with annual billing and no renewal price, we give the first year only. For the rest, the table says “Not verified” or “Not shown” and the notes give the reason. We do not fill gaps with third-party figures.
| Brand and plan | Intro price | Renews at | Year 1 | Years 1 to 3 | Refund window | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium | $1.99/mo (48-month term) | $10.99/mo | $23.88 | $71.64 | 30 days | hostinger.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Hostinger Unlimited | $2.79/mo (48-month term) | $16.99/mo | $33.48 | $100.44 | 30 days | hostinger.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Bluehost Starter | $3.99/mo (36-month term) | $9.99/mo | $47.88 | $143.64 | 30 days | bluehost.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Bluehost Business | $6.99/mo (36-month term) | $13.99/mo | $83.88 | $251.64 | 30 days | bluehost.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| SiteGround StartUp | $1.99/mo (12 months prepaid) | $17.99/mo | $23.88 | $455.64 | Not shown on US page | siteground.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| SiteGround GrowBig | $3.99/mo (12 months prepaid) | $29.99/mo | $47.88 | $767.64 | Not shown on US page | siteground.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| DreamHost Launch | $2.89/mo (1 year prepaid) | $10.99/mo | $34.68 | $298.44 | 30 days | dreamhost.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| DreamHost Growth | $3.99/mo (1 year prepaid) | $12.99/mo | $47.88 | $359.64 | 30 days | dreamhost.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Namecheap Stellar | $2.28/mo (term not stated) | $55.88/yr | Not verified | Not verified | 30 days | namecheap.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Namecheap Stellar Plus | $2.98/mo (term not stated) | $85.44/yr | Not verified | Not verified | 30 days | namecheap.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Namecheap Stellar Business | $4.98/mo (term not stated) | $128.88/yr | Not verified | Not verified | 30 days | namecheap.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Wix Light | Not verified | Not shown | Not verified | Not verified | 14 days (first upgrade only) | wix.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Wix Core | Not verified | Not shown | Not verified | Not verified | 14 days (first upgrade only) | wix.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Squarespace Basic | $19/mo (annual billing) | Not shown | $228 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 14 days (annual, first purchase only) | squarespace.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Squarespace Core | $29/mo (annual billing) | Not shown | $348 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 14 days (annual, first purchase only) | squarespace.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Shopify Basic | $1/mo for 3 months, then $39/mo | $39/mo | $354.00 | $1,290.00 | None (no refunds) | shopify.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Shopify Grow | Not verified | $105/mo (monthly billing) | Not verified | Not verified | None (no refunds) | shopify.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| GoDaddy Airo AI Builder Starter | $9.99/mo (billed annually) | Not shown | $119.88 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 30 days, only if no AI credits used | godaddy.com | Nov 9, 2026 |
| GoDaddy Airo AI Builder Professional | $24.99/mo (billed annually) | Not shown | $299.88 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 30 days, only if no AI credits used | godaddy.com | Nov 9, 2026 |
| Squarespace Plus | $49/mo (annual billing) | Not shown | $588 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 14 days (annual, first purchase only) | squarespace.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Squarespace Advanced | $99/mo (annual billing) | Not shown | $1,188 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | 14 days (annual, first purchase only) | squarespace.com | Nov 8, 2026 |
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/mo (billed yearly) | Not shown | $48 (billed yearly) | $99 on the 3-year term | 14 days (yearly plans) | wordpress.com | Nov 9, 2026 |
| Ghost(Pro) Starter | $18/mo (billed yearly) | Not shown | $216 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | None (no refunds) | ghost.org | Nov 9, 2026 |
| Ghost(Pro) Publisher | $29/mo (billed yearly) | Not shown | $348 (billed yearly) | Not shown (no renewal price) | None (no refunds) | ghost.org | Nov 9, 2026 |
Notes on the tracker
- Year 1 and years 1 to 3 use the intro monthly price for the intro term, then the renewal price. For Hostinger and Bluehost, the intro price covers the whole first 36 months on these terms, so the renewal price only starts later. For SiteGround and DreamHost the intro term is one year, so years 2 and 3 are at the renewal price.
- Hostinger is paid upfront. The 48-month term costs $95.52 at checkout for Premium and $133.92 for Unlimited. The page says: “Renews at $10.99/mo for the same term” (Premium) and “Renews at $16.99/mo for the same term” (Unlimited). A fair usage policy applies to the unlimited features.
- Bluehost refunds. Bluehost says it “does not offer any refunds for cancellations that occur after 30 days.” A refund inside 30 days deducts a non-refundable domain fee. Pro Email starts as a free trial, then costs $2.50/mo.
- SiteGround shows “Renews at $17.99/mo. Prepaid for 12 months.” on StartUp and “Renews at $29.99/mo. Prepaid for 12 months.” on GrowBig. Both intro prices were part of an early Black Friday deal. The US plan page does not state a refund window, so we leave it blank.
- DreamHost shows the renewal rate on each plan card, for example “Auto-renews at $10.99/mo after 1 year” on Launch. The four-year term is $1.99/mo and renews at $7.99/mo. The 30-day money-back guarantee covers website hosting only, not domains or trial periods.
- Namecheap shows a 30-day free trial, then $2.28/mo (Stellar), $2.98/mo (Stellar Plus) and $4.98/mo (Stellar Business). The page text does not say which billing term those rates need, so we leave the totals blank. Renewal prices come from the pricing table on the same page: $55.88 a year (Stellar), $85.44 (Stellar Plus) and $128.88 (Stellar Business), or $5.88, $7.88 and $11.88 a month. The 30-day refund applies only to first-time customers who did not take the free trial.
- Wix still showed a price labelled as including GST when we read it through a US page reader, so it is not a clean US price. Wix’s terms say the free domain voucher is not included when the plan renews. The 14-day refund applies only to the first Premium upgrade.
- Squarespace lists $19/mo (Basic) and $29/mo (Core) with annual billing, or $25/mo and $39/mo month to month. There is no promo price, and the page does not give a separate renewal price. The terms say plans renew for an equal period and fees can change at any time. Squarespace’s refund policy (updated May 21, 2026) gives a full refund on an annual plan cancelled within 14 days of purchase, minus the cost of a free domain. Monthly plans and renewal payments are not refunded.
- Shopify offers a 3-day free trial, then $1/mo for 3 months, then the standard price. The totals use monthly billing at $39/mo. Yearly billing is $29/mo. Shopify’s terms say it does not provide refunds. The page says the $1 offer applies to “most plans” and does not confirm it for Grow, so Grow has no intro price here.
- GoDaddy now sells its builder as Airo AI Builder. The page shows $9.99/mo (Starter) and $24.99/mo (Professional), billed annually, with a free domain on annual plans. It does not show a renewal price. GoDaddy’s refund policy gives 30 days on annual plans, but plans that come with AI credits become non-refundable once any credit is used or any AI-generated content is downloaded or exported. Monthly plans get 48 hours under the same condition.
- Squarespace Plus and Advanced list $49/mo and $99/mo with annual billing, or $65/mo and $139/mo month to month. As with Basic and Core, there is no promo price and no separate renewal price. Squarespace’s own fee on digital content and memberships is 1% on Plus and 0% on Advanced (Squarespace help article, updated October 29, 2026).
- WordPress.com Personal is $4/mo billed yearly ($48), $9/mo month to month, or $2.75/mo on a 3-year term ($99 for 36 months). The renewal line on the pricing page showed no amount when we read it, so we record no renewal price. WordPress.com’s refund page gives 14 days on yearly, 2-year and 3-year plans, 7 days on monthly plans, and 96 hours on domains. The 14 days also apply to each renewal.
- Ghost(Pro) prices scale with your audience. The figures are for the default 1,000 members: $18/mo (Starter) and $29/mo (Publisher), billed yearly. No renewal price is shown. Ghost’s terms say “all sales are final and no refunds are provided”, unless Ghost decides otherwise.
What jumps the most
From the 8 hosting plans with verified US intro and renewal prices:
| Plan | Intro | Renewal | Renewal vs intro | One year at the renewal price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround StartUp | $1.99/mo | $17.99/mo | 9.0x | $215.88 |
| SiteGround GrowBig | $3.99/mo | $29.99/mo | 7.5x | $359.88 |
| Hostinger Unlimited | $2.79/mo | $16.99/mo | 6.1x | $203.88 |
| Hostinger Premium | $1.99/mo | $10.99/mo | 5.5x | $131.88 |
| DreamHost Launch | $2.89/mo | $10.99/mo | 3.8x | $131.88 |
| DreamHost Growth | $3.99/mo | $12.99/mo | 3.3x | $155.88 |
| Bluehost Starter | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo | 2.5x | $119.88 |
| Bluehost Business | $6.99/mo | $13.99/mo | 2.0x | $167.88 |
The lowest intro prices jump the most. SiteGround StartUp starts at $1.99/mo and renews at 9 times that. Both Hostinger plans start under $3/mo and renew at 5 to 6 times their intro price. Hostinger Premium costs $23.88 a year at the intro price and $131.88 a year once it renews.
How to avoid renewal shock
Renewal and intro-price shock was the most repeated money complaint when we read buyer posts on Reddit and low-star reviews. A few, in buyers’ own words:
- “My site went from $192 to $348. This is the biggest slap in the face ever.” (Reddit r/squarespace, July 18, 2026)
- “SiteGround was $2.99/mo for the first 12 months and renewed at $17.99.” (Reddit r/webhosting comment, thread dated October 25, 2026)
- “Cheap to get in, painful to get out.” (Trustpilot review of Bluehost, 1 star, October 31, 2026)
These are individual buyers’ reports, not our price readings.
What helps:
- Compare the 3-year total, not the monthly headline. Add up what you will pay over 36 months, including the renewal price once it kicks in.
- Find the renewal price before you pay. It is usually in small print near the plan card, or in the checkout summary. If you cannot find it, treat that as a warning.
- Know what a longer term locks. A long prepaid term keeps the intro price for longer, but you pay it all upfront. Check the refund window before you commit.
- Check what is free only in year 1. Free domains and free email often last 12 months, then bill at the normal rate.
- Put a reminder in your calendar a month before the renewal date. Decide then whether to renew, switch plans or leave.
- Turn off auto-renew if you are unsure. You can usually turn it back on. Use a card you control, so you can see the charge coming.
- Keep your domain separate from your host. Registering the domain with a separate registrar makes it easier to leave when a renewal price jumps.
Change log
- November 8, 2026: Tracker created. 17 plans from 9 brands. US prices verified on the official page for 4 plans (Hostinger Premium and Unlimited, Bluehost Starter and Business). Renewal prices only for 3 Namecheap plans. The other 10 plans not verified: euro or GST pages shown to us, or the page refused our request.
- November 9, 2026: Added Squarespace Plus and Advanced, WordPress.com Personal, and Ghost(Pro) Starter and Publisher (5 plans, 24 in all). Read the refund rules for GoDaddy, WordPress.com and Ghost on their official policy pages. Corrected Squarespace from “no refunds” to 14 days on annual plans, per its refund policy page (our earlier reading came from the general terms).
- November 8, 2026 (US re-check): Re-read the official US pages. Now verified with both prices: SiteGround StartUp and GrowBig, DreamHost Launch and the new Growth row, Shopify Basic. Namecheap now has intro prices and the 30-day refund. Squarespace and GoDaddy now show US intro prices but no renewal price. GoDaddy rows renamed to Airo AI Builder. Wix still shows a GST price. Plans tracked: 19.