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The race to the bottom in shared hosting pricing
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1 reply
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Started Nov 23, 2025
Something that has been bugging me for a while.
Every shared host now advertises plans starting at $1.99 or $2.95 per month. Then you look at the fine print and that price requires a 3-year commitment paid upfront. The actual monthly price is 4-5x higher.
Renewal rates are even worse. I have clients who signed up for Hostinger at $2.99/mo and got hit with a $7.99/mo renewal. Bluehost goes from $2.95 to $11.99. SiteGround from $2.99 to $17.99.
Who does this help? The customers feel cheated. The hosts end up with angry users leaving bad reviews. The only winners are the affiliate marketers who collect their $65+ per signup and never think about it again.
I have been in this industry long enough to remember when hosting was $10/mo and nobody complained because the service was honest and reliable.
Anyone else tired of this? Or am I just an old man yelling at clouds (pun intended)?
Every shared host now advertises plans starting at $1.99 or $2.95 per month. Then you look at the fine print and that price requires a 3-year commitment paid upfront. The actual monthly price is 4-5x higher.
Renewal rates are even worse. I have clients who signed up for Hostinger at $2.99/mo and got hit with a $7.99/mo renewal. Bluehost goes from $2.95 to $11.99. SiteGround from $2.99 to $17.99.
Who does this help? The customers feel cheated. The hosts end up with angry users leaving bad reviews. The only winners are the affiliate marketers who collect their $65+ per signup and never think about it again.
I have been in this industry long enough to remember when hosting was $10/mo and nobody complained because the service was honest and reliable.
Anyone else tired of this? Or am I just an old man yelling at clouds (pun intended)?