Which Hosts Keep Your Price the Same After Year One?
We scored 11 hosts on how well they protect your budget once the intro discount ends, using published prices and five years of archived pricing pages.
Written by Tom George · How we research hosts
Why a Price Lock Matters More Than the Sign-Up Price
The price on a hosting homepage is usually the first term only. When the term ends, many plans renew at two to four times that figure.
That makes the sign-up price a poor guide to what you will actually spend. The better question is how well a host protects your budget after the first term.
This index answers that with one score per host. It uses the prices each host publishes today plus five years of archived pricing pages, so you can see the pattern and not only one snapshot.
Kinsta, Pressable, Cloudways and Rocket.net score 100 because they charge the same price at signup and at renewal, which makes budgeting simple.
InterServer is the lock-in pick among shared hosts: its price steps once, then stays put for life under its Price Lock Guarantee.
Want to check one host before you buy? Try the free renewal price widget, or read the five-year price history behind this score. Shopping a sale? See the Black Friday web hosting deals tracker.
The Ranking: Budget Protection Score for 11 Hosts
Higher means your price is better protected after the intro term. The table is built from our pricing data file, so it moves when a verified price changes.
| # | Host | Score | Pattern | Intro to renewal | Renewal change since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudways (Micro) | 100 | Flat price | $14.00 to $14.00/mo | +17% since 2022 |
| 2 | Kinsta (Starter) | 100 | Flat price | $35.00 to $35.00/mo | +17% since 2022 |
| 3 | Pressable (Signature 1) | 100 | Flat price | $25.00 to $25.00/mo | 0% since 2022 |
| 4 | Rocket.net (Starter) | 100 | Flat price | $30.00 to $30.00/mo | 0% since 2022 |
| 5 | InterServer (Standard) | 64 | Locked after first step | $2.50 to $7.00/mo (2.8x) | Locked by policy |
| 6 | GoDaddy (Economy) | 50 | Modest step-up | $5.99 to $11.99/mo (2.0x) | +33% since 2022 |
| 7 | Bluehost (Starter) | 40 | Modest step-up | $3.99 to $9.99/mo (2.5x) | +11% since 2022 |
| 8 | HostGator (Hatchling) | 31 | Large step-up | $3.75 to $10.99/mo (2.9x) | +58% since 2022 |
| 9 | DreamHost (Web Hosting Launch) | 14 | Large step-up | $2.89 to $10.99/mo (3.8x) | +57% since 2022 |
| 10 | SiteGround (StartUp) | 0 | Large step-up | $3.99 to $17.99/mo (4.5x) | +20% since 2022 |
| 11 | Hostinger (Unlimited) | 0 | Large step-up | $3.49 to $16.99/mo (4.9x) | Not in the archive |
WP Engine is not scored: it does not publish a renewal price on its pricing page (entry list price $35/mo).
Prices are the entry plan for each host, in US dollars per month. Renewal change is the change in each host's published renewal price between the first and last year we could recover from archived pages.
How the Score Works
Each host gets up to 100 points from two parts. Both use only prices the host publishes, so anyone can check them.
Part one: the intro-to-renewal step (up to 70 points)
A flat price earns the full 70. The points fall in a straight line as the step grows, and reach zero at 4.5 times the intro price or more.
Part two: a flat or locked price (30 points)
A host earns 30 more if the price is flat, or if it locks the price by policy after one step. InterServer is the one host in our data with a written lock.
What the score leaves out on purpose
Plan features, speed and support are not in this score. It answers one question only: how well is your bill protected?
Renewal change since the archive years is shown for context and is not scored, because some hosts could not be recovered from the archive. Hostinger, for example, is excluded from the Wayback Machine.
What the Patterns Tell You
Flat price: the easiest to budget
Kinsta, Pressable, Cloudways and Rocket.net charge the same at renewal as at signup. Their prices do move over the years, so look at the renewal change column, but you will not see a jump at month 13.
The trade-off is that the entry price is higher than a shared plan. You are paying for a managed platform and you know the bill in advance.
Locked after one step
InterServer raises the price once, from the first month to the second, then holds it for the life of the account. That is a good fit if you want shared hosting and want to know the long-run cost on day one.
A step-up at renewal: plan for it
Most shared hosts discount the first term and renew at a higher rate. That is a normal trade of a lower first year for a higher later one, and it suits a site you will move or relaunch.
If you plan to stay, budget the renewal price from day one, or use the widget to see the three-year cost.
Choose by How Long You Plan to Stay
Choose a flat-price host if
- You run a site that earns money and you want a fixed hosting line in your budget
- You plan to stay three years or more
- You would rather pay more now than be surprised at renewal
Choose an intro-discount host if
- You are launching a new project and the first year matters most
- You are happy to move or renegotiate when the term ends
- You will budget the renewal price from day one
Four Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Whatever host you pick, these four questions protect your budget. They are also the facts we plan to add to the score next.
- What is the price after the first term, in writing?
- How many months can I lock the intro price, and can I prepay for it?
- Are existing customers held at their old price when you raise rates?
- How much notice do you give before a price rise?
For a deeper look at how we read pricing pages, see how to check a host's price history before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hosting Price Lock Index?
It is a 0 to 100 Budget Protection Score for 11 hosts. It rewards hosts that keep the same price after the intro term or lock the price after one step, and it scores a smaller intro-to-renewal step higher.
Does a lower score mean a host is a bad choice?
No. The score only measures how well the price is protected after the intro term. A host with a big intro discount can still be the right pick if you plan for the renewal price or move before it starts.
Why is WP Engine not scored?
WP Engine does not publish a renewal price on its pricing page, so there is no step to measure. Ask sales for the renewal price in writing before you commit.
How often are the scores updated?
We re-check prices regularly and rebuild the page from the same data file, so a verified price change moves the ranking. The checked date on each host shows when we last confirmed it.
What is not in the score yet?
Lock length, grandfathering for existing customers and the notice a host gives before a rise are not scored yet. Those facts are not on pricing pages, so they need a separate check with each host.
Bottom Line: Pick the Price Pattern That Fits Your Plan
If you want a bill you can predict, a flat-price managed host is the safest choice. If you want the lowest first year and will plan for the renewal, an intro-discount host can work well.
Either way, decide on the renewal price, not the sign-up price. Our renewal price guide shows every host side by side.
Prices come from each host's own pricing page and from archived copies of those pages. Scores are our own method, described above, and are not an endorsement of any host.