The hosting bill reckoner
Three years of hosting, counted to the cent.
The big price on a hosting offer is only the first page of the bill. Copy the numbers from the checkout page, renewal and all, and see every date your card will be charged, what it really costs a month, and which offer is cheaper over the years.
- Month 1: $131.64
- Month 2: no charge
- Month 3: no charge
- Month 4: no charge
- Month 5: no charge
- Month 6: no charge
- Month 7: no charge
- Month 8: no charge
- Month 9: no charge
- Month 10: no charge
- Month 11: no charge
- Month 12: no charge
- Month 13: $20.99
- Month 14: no charge
- Month 15: no charge
- Month 16: no charge
- Month 17: no charge
- Month 18: no charge
- Month 19: no charge
- Month 20: no charge
- Month 21: no charge
- Month 22: no charge
- Month 23: no charge
- Month 24: no charge
- Month 25: $188.75
- Month 26: no charge
- Month 27: no charge
- Month 28: no charge
- Month 29: no charge
- Month 30: no charge
- Month 31: no charge
- Month 32: no charge
- Month 33: no charge
- Month 34: no charge
- Month 35: no charge
- Month 36: no charge
- Advertised
- $3.49 a month
- Day one
- $131.64
- Three years
- $341.38
- Really, a month
- $9.48
Read the small print
Four things the sign-up price leaves out
-
The renewal price
A low sign-up price often lasts for the first term only. The renewal price can be several times higher, and it tends to sit in the small print under the big number.
-
The free domain's second year
"Free domain" often means free for the first year. After that it bills once a year, on its own date.
-
Add-ons with a first price
Backups, privacy and email add-ons can have their own low first price that ends on a different date from the hosting.
-
Paying years up front
The lowest monthly price often needs two or three years paid on day one. After the money-back window, leaving early may refund nothing.
How it works
- 1
Copy the checkout page
Sign-up price and term, renewal price and term, domain, setup fee, add-ons, money-back days. You type them; the site looks nothing up.
- 2
See every charge date
A dated schedule of every charge, year totals, the real price per month and the Bill Quilt: one patch for every month.
- 3
Weigh the offers
Side by side over one to five years, with the months the cheaper offer changes and what leaving early would cost.
Worked example, made-up numbers
The cheaper offer is not the one with the lower price
Offer A: 2-year sign-up
Advertised $3.49 a month
$9.48 a month, really
- Day one
- $131.64
- Year 1
- $131.64
- Year 2
- $20.99
- Year 3
- $188.75
- Three years
- $341.38
Offer B: month to month
Advertised $7.99 a month
$9.32 a month, really
- Day one
- $23.98
- Year 1
- $111.87
- Year 2
- $111.87
- Year 3
- $111.87
- Three years
- $335.61
Cheaper over three years
Offer A: 2-year sign-up advertises less than half the monthly price of Offer B: month to month, yet over three years it costs $5.77 more: its renewal is 3.1 times the sign-up price, the domain starts billing in year two and the backups add-on goes from $1.00 to $2.99 a month. See the full reckoning
Pricing
Free to reckon. Ledger Pass for people who compare a lot.
Plain dealing
- We sell no hosting. Not a plan, not a reseller account, nothing.
- We hold no host's prices. Every number is one you type from the offer in front of you.
- Nobody pays us to rank anything. No affiliate links, no sponsored offers, no "best host" list.
- We look nothing up and send nothing anywhere. No account, no email address asked for.
Questions
Where do I find the renewal price?
On most checkout pages it is printed in small type under or beside the sign-up price ("renews at..."), or in the plan's terms. If you cannot find it, that is the first question to ask the host before paying.
Why does a longer term look cheaper?
Hosts often give the lowest monthly price to the longest prepaid term. The Reckoner shows the day-one charge, what renews after it, and what leaving early would cost, so you can see what the low price asks of you.
Is the result exact?
It is exact arithmetic on the numbers you type, rounded to the cent per charge. Real bills can differ: hosts change prices, taxes vary, and some bill add-ons differently. Treat it as a careful estimate and check the checkout page before you pay.
Does Hillbilly Hosting recommend a host?
No. It does not sell hosting and has no deals with anyone. It only does the sums.