Cheap web hosting: the hidden costs and upsells to watch for

Not at all. For a small business site, blog or portfolio, an entry-level shared plan is often all you need. The problem isn't the low price. It's the costs that aren't in it, and the price you pay once the deal ends.

Everything below is legal and usually printed somewhere on the page. That's the point: it's there, but it's easy to miss. Go through this list and a cheap plan stays cheap.

The biggest hidden cost is the one in plain sight. The plans we checked renew at 2 to 9 times their intro price. One goes from £1.49 to £7.99 a month ^[1]; another from £1 a month for 12 months to £9 a month ^[2]. Both ex VAT, as published on 25 September 2026.

Always find the renewal price, and read why hosting renewal prices go up.

The lowest monthly figure usually needs a 36- or 48-month term, paid on day one. £1.49 a month on a 48-month term is £71.52 up front, before VAT ^[1]. It's still cheap, but it isn't a monthly price, and it ties you in.

▲Price fact: Average renewal rise for web hosting: +208% (24 plans, checked 4 November 2026)

Both UK pricing pages we checked show prices without VAT, with a note in the small print ^{[1] [2]}. At 20% VAT, a £7.99-a-month renewal becomes £9.59. UK guidance says the price in an offer should include mandatory taxes and fees, and warns against 'drip pricing', where extra charges appear during checkout ^[3].

On Serverlinx, prices in pounds include VAT unless we say 'ex VAT', so you can compare like with like.

Checkout is where cheap plans get expensive. Look for boxes that are already ticked, and ask yourself whether you need each one:

• Free domain. Usually free for the first year only. After that, it renews at the registrar's normal price, which varies a lot. Some registrars sell renewals at the price the registry charges them, without a mark-up ^[8].
• Free email. Some hosting includes mailboxes. Business email suites charge per user per month, and intro discounts can end after 12 months ^[9].
• Free migration. Check what.s included: how many sites, and whether your email moves too.
• Free trial add-ons. Anything with a free first month can start billing automatically.

'Unlimited' plans still have limits, usually in a fair-use or acceptable-use policy. The ones that most often catch people out:

• Inodes: a cap on the number of files. Lots of small files (email, cache, backups) can hit it before you run out of space.
• CPU and memory: busy periods can slow or pause your site if you go over.
• Email sending: hourly or daily limits on how many emails you can send.
• Number of sites: the cheapest plan often allows one website only.
• Backups: some hosts keep backups for a short time or charge to restore one.

Setup fees are rare on shared hosting but common on servers. One dedicated server we checked had a one-off installation fee equal to its monthly price ^[6]. Backups can also carry a cost: one server provider charges 20% extra for weekly backups and 30% for daily ^[5].

Think about leaving before you join. If a domain expires, getting it back can cost extra: .com and other generic domains have a 30-day redemption period after deletion, and registrars must publish their restore fees ^[7]. Keep your domain in your name, and know your renewal dates.

The cheapest banner price isn't always the cheapest plan. A slightly dearer plan can work out better value when:

• Its renewal price is lower. Over three years, the renewal price matters more than the intro price. See the worked example in how much hosting costs.
• It includes what you'd otherwise buy. Backups, email, domain privacy or a CDN can each add a monthly charge elsewhere.
• It has no long lock-in. Paying monthly costs more per month, but you can leave the moment it stops being good value.
• It fits for longer. If you'll outgrow the entry plan in six months, the upgrade price is the one to compare.

1. 1Find the renewal priceAnd how long the intro price lasts.
2. 2Check the termIs the banner price monthly, or years paid up front?
3. 3Add the taxIs VAT or sales tax included?
4. 4Untick the extrasKeep only what the plan doesn't already include.
5. 5Check what's free for how longDomain, email, trials.
6. 6Read the limitsInodes, CPU, email sending, number of sites.
7. 7Work out the 3-year costOr let us do it: every plan on Serverlinx is ranked that way.

Already paying a high renewal? Buy through Serverlinx and we'll move your website, email and domain for free, worth up to £100 ($125 / €115)*. Terms apply. We earn a commission if you buy through our links; it never changes our rankings. How we make money.