Rank | Provider | Compare | Annual price | Data transfer | Disk space | Action |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Read Review | $35.88 | 100 GB / mo | 10 GB | Visit Host | |
2 | Read Review | $38.88 | 500 GB / mo | 10 GB | Visit Host | |
3 | Read Review | $47.40 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Visit Host | |
4 | Read Review | $47.40 | Unlimited | 10 GB | Visit Host | |
5 | Read Review | $52.80 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Visit Host | |
6 | Read Review | $54.00 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Visit Host | |
7 | Read Review | $59.40 | Unlimited | 50 GB | Visit Host | |
8 | Read Review | $89.52 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Visit Host | |
9 | Read Review | $71.40 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Visit Host |
Disclosure: if you purchase through any links on this web page, I earn referral fees from partners. These fees do not influence my recommendations.
#1: Hostinger annual price: $35.88 / $39.88
Hostinger leads the pack with their Starter plan, which costs $35.88 per year. It comes with a 100 GB data transfer limit and 10 GB of storage, making it perfect for new and small websites. It even includes free automated website backups and free malware scans. The only downside is the lack of a free SSL certificate, which is understandable considering the price.
Read: Hostinger shared hosting review
Cheapest plan highlights:
- Websites allowed: one
- Storage: 10 GB
- Bandwidth: 100 GB
- Control panel: custom-built
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
#2: DreamHost annual price: $47.40 / $47.40
When we first tested DreamHost, we were very surprised by the quality of their service. Their servers are excellent at handling traffic spikes, and technical support quality is impressive. They also have what we believe is the longest money-back guarantee in the business at 97 days – see our list of hosts with the longest money-back guarantees for a comparison.
Website load times are a little worse than what you’ll find at the likes of SiteGround or A2 but are still within an acceptable range.
Read: DreamHost shared hosting review
Cheapest plan highlights:
- Websites allowed: one
- Storage: unlimited
- Bandwidth: unlimited
- Control panel: custom-built
- Money-back guarantee: 97 days
#3: SiteGround annual price: $47.40 / 143.40
If you’ve browsed around our website, you’ll know that we strongly recommend SiteGround to beginners and advanced users alike.
Put simply, their live chat support is excellent, and their servers can handle significant traffic loads (100+ simultaneous users) without any noticeable performance hit. Plus, they are on our list of hosts with discounts for students and scholars.
Read: SiteGround shared hosting review
Cheapest plan highlights:
- Websites allowed: one
- Storage: 10 GB
- Suitable for: ~10,000 visitors per month
- Control panel: cPanel
- Support: 24/7 Live Chat
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
#4: A2 Hosting annual price: $52.80 / 107.88
A2 Hosting is an excellent provider with very cheap yearly plans. A2’s servers can handle traffic spikes better and are more suitable for websites that regularly receive dozens of simultaneous users.
A2 are also on our list of hosts that refund unused subscription months, as well as among hosts with the highest Inode limits.
Read: A2 shared hosting review
Cheapest plan highlights:
- Websites allowed: one
- Storage: unlimited
- Bandwidth: unlimited
- Control panel: cPanel
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
#5: InterServer annual price: $54.00 / $54.00
One of the great things about InterServer, beyond being an all-around reliable provider with an in-house support team (native English speakers) and robust servers, is that their prices remain fixed for subsequent purchases; whatever you pay for your first term is what you’ll pay for all future terms.
Also, if you’re planning on hosting multiple websites, you’ll be glad to know that InterServer placed #1 in our cheapest hosting with unlimited websites ranking. On top of that, they are among few hosts with free website restorations from backups – most hosts charge a fee for that.
Read: InterServer shared hosting review
- Negotiable prices: no
- Websites allowed: unlimited
- Storage: unlimited
- Bandwidth: unlimited
- Control panel: cPanel
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
#6: Bluehost annual price: $59.40 / $107.88
Bluehost is one of the oldest hosting providers, with beginnings dating back to 1996.
They are not the best web hosts to be with if your website regularly servers more than 15-20 simultaneous users (their servers are not configured to handle more traffic without performance issues), and the quality of their chat support is a bit hit and miss. Still, if you’re looking for an affordable annual plan and are planning to host a small site, Bluehost is worth considering.
Note: renewal prices at Bluehost are subject to negotiations – make sure to ask a live chat representative for a better deal than the official one.
Read: Bluehost shared hosting review
Cheapest plan highlights:
- Websites allowed: one
- Storage: 50 GB
- Bandwidth: unlimited
- Control panel: cPanel
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Other popular hosting providers ranked by annual first-term price:
- iPage: $23.88/year (NOT RECOMMENDED – very poor hosting quality)
- HostGator: $71.40/year
- GoDaddy: $83.88/year
- InMotion: $89.52/year
- PowWeb: $93.12/year
- Verio: $131.88/year
- WPX: $249.96/year
- WP engine: $350/year
Frequently asked questions about annual hosting terms
How much does web hosting cost per year?
Each hosting provider charges a different rate for their annual plan, as you can see in our rankings above.
Generally, you can expect a host’s cheapest annual plan to cost around:
- Shared hosting: between $40 and $150 per year
- Managed WordPress hosting: between $150 and $400 per year
The price depends on the company’s brand recognition and service quality.
Is it worth buying an annual hosting plan?
This depends on how serious you are about your website.
If you’re not sure whether this will be a long-term pursuit for you, we recommend purchasing a monthly term and reevaluating afterward.
Overall, buying an annual plan will cost you less per month than buying a monthly or six-month term.
However, most hosts offer the largest discounts on their 2-year and 3-year plans, so if you’re in it for the long haul, you’ll save by getting the longest term available.
Can I get a refund on an annual hosting term?
The vast majority of hosts offer 30-day money-back guarantees, though some of them offer much longer ones – see our list of hosts with the longest money-back guarantees for more.
After the money-back guarantee time window, most hosts will not issue a refund.
However, some hosts offer pro-rated refunds, which means that no matter when you cancel, they’ll refund you for any unused hosting months remaining on your subscription; for example, if you buy annual hosting and decide to cancel after 10 months, you’ll receive a refund for the unused two months.
See our rankings of hosts with pro-rated refunds for more.
Are annual web hosting prices negotiable?
Some hosts are willing to negotiate their prices via live chat, but this isn’t the case for the top seven cheapest annual-term hosts we ranked above. Please see our list of hosts with negotiable prices for more.
What type of discounts are available for yearly hosting plans?
Most hosts offer discounts to new customers on the first hosting term they buy. This discount is usually between 25% and 65% and is applied automatically to your invoice when you purchase your first plan.
Additionally, if you are a student, some hosts will offer you an extra discount if you have access to an email address in an .edu domain. Please see our guide to the best web hosts with student discounts for more.
Do I have to pay for an annual plan upfront?
In the vast majority of cases, you’ll be required to pay the full amount upfront before your hosting account will be commissioned.
Payments can usually be made via PayPal or credit cards, but some hosts also accept bank transfers and mailed checks.