Quick answer
Budget hosts look cheapest in year one but renew much higher: SiteGround's WooCommerce StartUp goes from $2.99 to $17.99 a month after the first year, and Hostinger's $3.99 renews at $16.99 after a 48-month prepay. Managed hosts such as Kinsta and Cloudways charge the same every month, but their own guidance points stores to higher tiers ($50/month at Kinsta, about $88 at Cloudways). Prices were checked on each host's own page on Oct 7, 2026; none has been tested hands-on, and none is ranked.
Worked example
Intro vs renewal prices
| Host and plan | Intro price | Renews at | Jump | Backups and SSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger (Managed WooCommerce) | $3.99/mo on a 48-month prepay ($191.52) | $16.99/mo | ×4.3, from month 49 | Daily backups, free SSL |
| SiteGround (WooCommerce StartUp) | $2.99/mo, 12-month prepay ($35.88) | $17.99/mo ($215.88 a year) | ×6, from year 2 | Daily backups, free SSL |
| SiteGround (GrowBig) | $4.99/mo, 12-month prepay | $29.99/mo | ×6, from year 2 | Daily and on-demand backups |
| WP Engine (Essential, 1 site) | $336 first year (20% off) | $420 a year list price | +25%, from year 2 | Backups and SSL; ecommerce pack $1,188/yr extra |
| WordPress.com (Commerce) | $45/mo billed yearly | $50/mo | +11% | Real-time backups, SSL |
| Kinsta (single site, 65k visits) | $50/mo ($42 billed yearly) | Same | None | Daily backups, free SSL |
| Cloudways (DigitalOcean, 8 GB) | $88/mo Standard, $99 Premium, billed hourly | Same | None | Backups (off-site storage $0.033/GB), free SSL |
From each host's pricing page, Oct 7, 2026. WP Engine doesn't print a renewal figure; the list price shown is the price without its first-year coupon. Kinsta's $35 tier and Cloudways' smallest server are cheaper but labeled by the hosts themselves as not intended for stores.
For how hosting changes WooCommerce's total cost against Shopify, see the cost model in Shopify vs WooCommerce.
Framework
How to compare WooCommerce hosting
Renewal price
Intro prices often require long prepayments and renew several times higher; price year two, not just year one.
Vendor's own ecommerce guidance
Kinsta marks its $35 tier as not recommended for ecommerce; Cloudways calls its $11 server suitable for blogs and its 8 GB server ideal for stores.
Capacity basis
Visits (Kinsta, WP Engine), server resources (Cloudways) or 'unlimited' traffic under fair use (SiteGround, Hostinger).
Cart and checkout caching
Dynamic WooCommerce pages can't be fully cached; check how the host handles them.
Backups and restores
Frequency, retention and whether restores are self-serve.
Staging and updates
Staging sites and plugin-update tools reduce the risk of breaking checkout.
Support scope
Hosts support the server; WooCommerce plugins and themes are usually your responsibility.
Exit
Migration help in and out, and any fees to move.
Decision support
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest WooCommerce hosting?
In year one, SiteGround StartUp ($2.99/month on a 12-month prepay) and Hostinger ($3.99/month on a 48-month prepay). After the intro term they renew at $17.99 and $16.99 a month.
Why do hosting prices go up at renewal?
Intro prices are discounts on the first term. SiteGround's knowledge base says renewal is billed at the regular rate shown during signup.
Is Kinsta's $35 plan good for WooCommerce?
Kinsta's own plan table marks the $35 tiers as not recommended for ecommerce; its cheapest recommended single-site tier is $50/month.
Have you tested these hosts?
Not yet. These are independent editorial overviews based on published plan terms; hands-on speed and support testing is pending.
Documentation