Nearly every mainstream shared host now advertises a price it charges for one term and then multiplies. It is not a trick unique to one company. It is the model.
How the discount model works
The host offers a low rate, usually tied to the longest prepaid term (36 or 48 months), to win your signup against competitors doing the same. It expects to lose money or break even on that first term and make its margin on the renewal, when switching costs (migration effort, DNS changes, the hassle) keep most customers in place.
| Plan A | Plan B | |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | $1.99/mo | $3.49/mo |
| Renewal | $11.99/mo | $6.99/mo |
| 3-year total (approx) | ~$312 | ~$210 |
Why renewals keep rising
Energy and infrastructure costs are up. Support is expensive to staff well. Hosting groups that acquired many brands are under pressure to show margin growth. And the discount arms race means the intro price keeps falling, so the renewal has to rise to compensate.
How to shop around it
- Compare hosts on the renewal price times 36, plus the first term, not the badge
- Register the domain at a cheap registrar so its renewal is not tied to the host
- Buy the shortest term that gets a fair first-year rate with a new host
- Set a calendar reminder a month before renewal to review or negotiate
- Ask support if they can extend the promo rate; sometimes they will to keep you
Sharif Mohammad Ashik · Director of Operations
Treat the intro price as a one-year trial rate. Decide during that year whether the host is worth its real (renewal) price. If it is, commit to a longer term then. If not, move while the switching cost is still low.
Prices checked September 2026. Hosting prices change often and vary by region and term. Confirm the current number on the provider's own site before you buy. Where we could not verify a figure we left it out.