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Prices checked on October 12, 2026. This guide is based on the published plans and documentation, not on long-term use by us.
Quick answer
Compare the total cost over three years, not the first-year price. Add the hosting, the renewal price, the domain after year one, and anything you would have to buy separately, such as backups. The cheapest-looking plan is often not the cheapest one.
Hosting companies compete on the first number you see. A plan advertised at a few dollars a month can cost several times as much when it renews, and the free extras in year one often become paid extras in year two. If you compare hosts only on the headline price, you are comparing the wrong thing.
This guide shows a simple method to compare managed WordPress hosting on what you will really pay, with worked examples.
Step 1: Separate the introductory price from the renewal price
Many products are discounted for the first term only. Jetpack is a clear example: Jetpack Security is $119.40 for the first year, then renews at $239.40 a year. That is the same product at double the price from year two.
Before you buy any hosting plan, find the renewal price. If the pricing page does not show it, the checkout page usually does, in small print near the total. Write down both numbers.
Step 2: Count what is free only in year one
The most common example is the domain. WordPress.com includes a free domain for the first year on yearly paid plans, and it renews at the normal price after that. Business email on the WordPress.com Business plan is also free for one year. These are real savings, but only in year one, so do not count them in years two and three.
Step 3: Add what you would otherwise buy separately
This is where cheap hosting often loses. A budget host may not include real-time backups, malware scanning or staging. If you need to add them yourself, add their cost to that host’s total.
For example, Pressable includes Jetpack Security on every site. Bought on its own, Jetpack Security renews at $239.40 a year. On a host that does not include backups and security, that is $239.40 a year you would need to add to make a fair comparison.
Step 4: Check the limits and overage fees
A plan’s price assumes you stay inside its limits. Look for monthly visit limits and storage limits, and for what happens when you go over them.
- Pressable Signature 1 includes 30,000 visits and 20 GB of storage a month. Above that, you pay $1.20 for each extra 1,000 visits and $1.00 for each extra GB.
- WordPress.com Business lists unlimited visitors and 50 GB of storage, so a traffic spike does not change the bill.
If your traffic is unpredictable, an unlimited plan can cost less over a year than a cheaper plan with overage fees.
Step 5: Look at multi-year terms
Some hosts lower the price if you pay for several years up front, which also protects you from price rises during that term. WordPress.com Business is $25 a month billed yearly, $20 a month on a two-year term and $17.50 a month on a three-year term. Only choose a long term for a site you are sure you will keep.
Worked example: three-year cost for one business site
| WordPress.com Business, 3-year term | Pressable Signature 1, billed yearly | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting, 3 years | $630 | $750 (3 × $250) |
| Backups and security | Real-time backups included | Jetpack Security included |
| Domain | Free in year one, then normal price | Bought separately |
| Visit limit | Unlimited | 30,000 a month, then overage fees |
| Staging site | Check the plan comparison | Included |
The table assumes Pressable’s yearly price stays the same; confirm the renewal price at checkout for both hosts. On these numbers, WordPress.com Business is cheaper over three years for one busy site. Pressable wins as soon as you run several sites, because its three-site plan costs $450 a year against $300 a year for every single WordPress.com Business site. Our Pressable vs WordPress.com Business comparison covers that in detail.
See WordPress.com Business →See Pressable plans →
A checklist you can use on any host
- First-term price and renewal price, written side by side.
- Anything free only in year one: domain, email, credits.
- Backups, security and staging: included, or extra?
- Visit and storage limits, and the overage price.
- Multi-year discounts, and whether they lock the price.
- Refund period, in case the host is not right for you.
Add it up over three years and the right choice is usually obvious.
Verdict
The cheapest hosting is the one with the lowest three-year total for the features you actually need. For a single important site with unpredictable traffic, WordPress.com Business on a longer term is hard to beat. For several sites, or if you want staging and Jetpack Security built in, Pressable is the better buy.
Get WordPress.com Business →Get Pressable →
Prices and plan features are set by each company and can change at any time. Always confirm the final and renewal price at checkout.
