Direct answer: most shared hosts sell year one at a promotional rate, then renew at a higher published rate. The jump funds acquisition: teaser pricing wins the signup, and the renewal rate recovers margin in years two and three.
In hosting-comparison-2026.json (verified 12 June 2026), Hostinger lists $2.99/mo entry and $9.99/mo renewal. SiteGround lists $3.99/mo entry and $14.99/mo renewal. Bluehost lists $2.95/mo entry and $11.99/mo renewal. Those are not typos — they are the catalog numbers our True 3-Year Cost formula uses: twelve months at entry plus twenty-four months at renewal. That is $276 for Hostinger, $408 for SiteGround, and $323 for Bluehost. Flat-rate managed plans such as Kinsta ($35/mo entry and renewal, $1,260 over three years) show the opposite pattern: no teaser, no jump. Affiliate links are off, so a steeper renewal never raises a score.
Buyers who compare only the first invoice systematically under-rank hosts with honest renewals and over-rank teaser plans. DreamHost's path from $2.59/mo to $4.95/mo ($150 over three years) is the clearest counter-example in this cluster. Use the renewal price comparison as the parent table, then return here when you need the mechanism explained.
Data verified 12 June 2026. Scores follow the published methodology. Paid placement is not accepted, and affiliate links are not active.
Every number below is copied from hosting-comparison-2026.json. This page does not invent list prices.
| Provider | Entry | Renewal | True 3-Year Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | $2.99/mo | $9.99/mo | $276 |
| SiteGround | $3.99/mo | $14.99/mo | $408 |
| Bluehost | $2.95/mo | $11.99/mo | $323 |
| DreamHost | $2.59/mo | $4.95/mo | $150 |
| Kinsta | $35/mo | $35/mo | $1,260 |
A jump is not automatically a scam, and a flat rate is not automatically a bargain. Kinsta's flat $35/mo still totals $1,260 over three years — far above DreamHost's $150. The honest move is to calculate the three-year bill, then ask whether support, speed, and category fit justify it. Walk through the arithmetic on how to calculate True 3-Year Cost, and see whether the teaser still wins after year one on does cheapest hosting cost more after year one.
No. The higher renewal is usually disclosed in the fine print and on the plan page. The problem is comparison shopping that only ranks the intro rate. Our renewal guide puts both numbers side by side.
Among the Wave 1 profiles, SiteGround moves from $3.99/mo to $14.99/mo. Hostinger moves from $2.99/mo to $9.99/mo. Bluehost moves from $2.95/mo to $11.99/mo. DreamHost is gentler: $2.59/mo to $4.95/mo.
Use True 3-Year Cost = (entry × 12) + (renewal × 24). That is the published formula on our methodology page and in the JSON. Then match on fit with the quiz — not on the teaser alone.
No. SiteGround scores 88 overall with support 96 and performance 92 despite the steeper renewal. The bill is higher; the editorial score still reflects speed and support under the published weights.