The Intro Price Isn't the Real Price. This Tool Shows the Real One.
Enter any host's intro and renewal price and see your actual total cost over 3, 5, and 10 years — plus the annual average, which is usually much higher than the number on the pricing page.
Written by Tom George · How we research hosts
Why the Intro Price Is the Wrong Number to Budget On
Every hosting pricing page leads with the intro price — the number in the biggest font, valid for your first term only. The renewal price, which is what you'll actually pay for every year after that, is usually smaller, further down the page, or behind an asterisk.
Our own renewal price research found jumps as steep as 5x between a host's intro and renewal rate. Over a few years, that gap compounds into a real number most people never calculate before signing up.
This tool does the math for you. Enter any host's intro and renewal price — yours, or one of the real examples below — and see the actual 3, 5, and 10-year cost.
Try It: Cost Forecaster
| Term | Total Cost | Annual Average |
|---|
Year 1 uses the intro price; every year after renews at the renewal price. Assumes monthly billing at each rate — an annual-prepay plan may differ.
Pick a pre-loaded example from the dropdown, or clear it and enter your own host's intro and renewal price to model your specific situation.
How to Read the Result
The tool assumes Year 1 bills at your intro rate, and every year after renews at your renewal rate — the same pattern nearly every host actually uses. The "Annual Average" column is often the most useful number: it's what the plan really costs you per year once the intro discount is averaged out over the full term.
A host with a small intro-to-renewal gap will barely move between the 3-year and 10-year annual average. A host with a steep gap (like SiteGround's StartUp plan in the dropdown above, roughly 4.5x) will show an annual average dramatically higher than the headline price, even in year 3.
Embed This Tool on Your Own Site
The code below is the complete, self-contained tool — no external libraries, no tracking, no dependencies. Copy the whole block into any page that accepts custom HTML.
fbwh-cost-forecaster. If you’re embedding it more than once on the same page, give each copy a unique ID (find-and-replace fbwh-cost-forecaster with something like fbwh-cost-forecaster-2 throughout the block) so the two don’t conflict.Show embed code ↓
<div class="fbwh-cost-forecaster" id="fbwh-cost-forecaster">
<div class="cf-row">
<div class="cf-field">
<label for="cf-demo">Try an example</label>
<select id="cf-demo">
<option value="custom">Custom (enter your own)</option>
<option value="9.99,3.99">Bluehost Starter — $3.99 → $9.99/mo</option>
<option value="17.99,3.99">SiteGround StartUp — $3.99 → $17.99/mo</option>
<option value="16.99,3.49">Hostinger Unlimited — $3.49 → $16.99/mo</option>
<option value="11.99,5.99">GoDaddy Economy — $5.99 → $11.99/mo</option>
<option value="35,35">Kinsta Starter — $35 → $35/mo (flat)</option>
<option value="30,30">Rocket.net Starter — $30 → $30/mo (flat)</option>
</select>
</div>
</div>
<div class="cf-row">
<div class="cf-field">
<label for="cf-intro">Intro / promo price (per month)</label>
<div class="cf-input-wrap"><span>$</span><input type="number" id="cf-intro" step="0.01" min="0" value="3.99"></div>
</div>
<div class="cf-field">
<label for="cf-renewal">Renewal price (per month)</label>
<div class="cf-input-wrap"><span>$</span><input type="number" id="cf-renewal" step="0.01" min="0" value="9.99"></div>
</div>
</div>
<table class="cf-table">
<thead>
<tr><th>Term</th><th>Total Cost</th><th>Annual Average</th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody id="cf-tbody"></tbody>
</table>
<p class="cf-note">Year 1 uses the intro price; every year after renews at the renewal price. Assumes monthly billing at each rate — an annual-prepay plan may differ.</p>
</div>
<style>
.fbwh-cost-forecaster{background:#1e293b;border:1px solid rgba(245,158,11,0.25);border-radius:10px;padding:1.5rem;margin:1.5rem 0;font-family:'DM Sans',sans-serif;color:#f8fafc;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-row{display:flex;gap:1rem;flex-wrap:wrap;margin-bottom:1rem;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-field{flex:1;min-width:180px;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster label{display:block;font-size:0.8rem;color:#94a3b8;margin-bottom:0.35rem;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster select,.fbwh-cost-forecaster input{width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;background:#0f172a;border:1px solid rgba(245,158,11,0.3);border-radius:6px;color:#f8fafc;padding:0.5rem 0.6rem;font-size:0.95rem;font-family:inherit;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-input-wrap{display:flex;align-items:center;background:#0f172a;border:1px solid rgba(245,158,11,0.3);border-radius:6px;padding:0 0.6rem;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-input-wrap span{color:#f59e0b;font-weight:700;margin-right:0.25rem;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-input-wrap input{border:none;background:transparent;padding:0.5rem 0;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-input-wrap input:focus{outline:none;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:0.5rem;font-size:0.9rem;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-table th{background:#f59e0b;color:#1e293b;text-align:left;padding:0.6rem 0.75rem;font-weight:700;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-table td{padding:0.6rem 0.75rem;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.07);color:#cbd5e1;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-table tr:nth-child(odd){background:#243049;}
.fbwh-cost-forecaster .cf-note{font-size:0.8rem;color:#64748b;margin-top:0.75rem;margin-bottom:0;}
</style>
<script>
(function(){
var root = document.getElementById('fbwh-cost-forecaster');
if(!root) return;
var demoEl = root.querySelector('#cf-demo');
var introEl = root.querySelector('#cf-intro');
var renewalEl = root.querySelector('#cf-renewal');
var tbody = root.querySelector('#cf-tbody');
function fmt(n){ return '$' + n.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits:2, maximumFractionDigits:2}); }
function render(){
var intro = parseFloat(introEl.value) || 0;
var renewal = parseFloat(renewalEl.value) || 0;
var introAnnual = intro * 12;
var renewalAnnual = renewal * 12;
var terms = [3, 5, 10];
var rows = '';
terms.forEach(function(years){
var total = introAnnual + renewalAnnual * (years - 1);
var avg = total / years;
rows += '<tr><td>' + years + ' years</td><td>' + fmt(total) + '</td><td>' + fmt(avg) + '/yr</td></tr>';
});
tbody.innerHTML = rows;
}
demoEl.addEventListener('change', function(){
if(demoEl.value === 'custom') return;
var parts = demoEl.value.split(',');
renewalEl.value = parts[0];
introEl.value = parts[1];
render();
});
introEl.addEventListener('input', render);
renewalEl.addEventListener('input', render);
render();
})();
</script>
Compare Real Costs Host by Host
The forecaster shows the cost curve, and our reviews show the plan behind each number. Start with the Pressable and Kinsta reviews, or put two hosts side by side in the comparison hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Cost Forecaster account for annual-prepay discounts?
No, deliberately. It assumes monthly billing at whatever intro and renewal rate you enter, since that's the number most host pricing pages headline. If your host offers a separate discounted rate for prepaying a year or more upfront, enter that as its own monthly-equivalent figure to model it instead.
Why does the tool only ask for two prices, not a full price history?
Because that's the actual decision most people are making: what will this plan cost if the price never changes again after the current renewal rate takes over. If you want real historical price changes for specific hosts instead of a projection, see our Hosting Price History tracker, which uses archived data rather than a forecast.
Can I embed this tool on my own site?
Yes. The full HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are provided above as a single copy-paste block with no external dependencies and no tracking. It works on any site that allows custom HTML, including most WordPress page builders and static sites.
The Bottom Line
The number on a pricing page is a starting bid, not a budget. Run your actual host's intro and renewal price through the calculator above before signing up for anything — the 5 and 10-year annual average is a far more honest number to plan around.
Want to check a host's past price behaviour before you enter its numbers? See how to check a host's price history before you buy.