Cheap web hosting: what to check for promotional prices, renewal and extra costs
Cheap web hosting without surprises at renewal: how to check promotional prices, domains, SSL, backup fees, email limits and contract terms.
Cheap web hosting is only cheap if it also costs little in the second and third year and includes everything you need. The most common cost traps are discounts that apply only in the first year, domains and add-on services billed separately, fees for restoring backups and tight email limits. With the points and the checklist in this article, you can check any offer in a few minutes.
Teaser offers: the first-year price
Many providers advertise a low introductory price that applies only to new customers and only for the first term. On Swiss pricing pages in October 2026 we found, for example, an entry-level plan for CHF 1.26 per month in the first year and CHF 5.02 from renewal, as well as plans with 50 % off only in the first subscription year. That is legitimate as long as the later price is clearly stated. Often, however, it appears only in a footnote.
What matters is therefore not the biggest price on the page but the total over the period in which you actually use the hosting. The following example with made-up prices shows the effect.
| Example calculation | Offer A (promotional price) | Offer B (fixed price) |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month in year 1 | CHF 2.90 | CHF 7.90 |
| Price per month from year 2 | CHF 9.90 | CHF 7.90 |
| Cost after 1 year | CHF 34.80 | CHF 94.80 |
| Cost after 3 years | CHF 272.40 | CHF 284.40 |
| Cost after 5 years | CHF 510.00 | CHF 474.00 |
In the first year, offer A costs just over a third of offer B, almost as expensive after three years and more expensive after five. Since a company website usually stays with the same provider for several years, looking at the renewal price almost always pays off.
Tip: Ask yourself honestly whether you will really switch after a year. A migration takes time; if you are going to stay anyway, a fair fixed price is often better than the lowest introductory price.
Hidden costs that are not in the monthly price
Domain: free in the first year, then at full price
Some plans include a domain for the first year. From the second year you pay the normal renewal, which depending on the provider and extension can be well above the introductory price. Check the renewal price of your extension. For a .ch domain, automatic renewal is also worthwhile: if it expires, it can still be restored for 40 days, but only for a fee.
SSL certificate
Without an SSL certificate, a website cannot be reached via https, and browsers mark it as «not secure». Free certificates such as Let’s Encrypt are now included by many providers and are sufficient for company websites, associations and most shops. If you are told you need a paid certificate, ask why.
Backups and restores
Almost all providers advertise backups. The differences are in the details: how often backups are made, how long they are kept and who restores them. On one Swiss pricing page we found a flat fee of CHF 100 per restore; with other providers you restore backups yourself, free of charge, in the control panel. Retention also ranges from 12 hours to several months.
Email limits
«Email included» can mean a single mailbox or an unlimited number. Look at the number of mailboxes, the storage per mailbox and any sending limit per hour. A limit of 100 emails per hour is enough for everyday use but can become tight for newsletters or sending invoices.
Setup fees
One-off fees are rarely high, but they belong in the calculation. In October 2026, for example, one Swiss provider charged a one-off setup fee of CHF 9.90 on its cheapest plan, while others charge none at all.
Minimum term and automatic renewal
Most web hosting plans run for 12 months and are billed in advance. The notice period is important: if you miss it, you are often tied in for another year. Swiss law has no general right of withdrawal for online orders; money-back guarantees are voluntary and subject to conditions. This is general information, not legal advice.
Add-on services
Check what you would have to buy later: extra storage, SSH access, phone support, a migration by the provider or support for older PHP versions. A plan that only works with two add-ons is no longer cheap.
Price adjustments during the term
Read in the terms and conditions whether and how the provider may adjust prices. It is common for new prices to apply only from the next renewal and to be announced in advance. If nothing is stated, ask.
Performance: what gets tight with very cheap plans
Storage is usually shown prominently on the pricing page, while the limits for computing power often appear only in the comparison table. Yet what counts most for your website’s speed is memory (RAM), CPU share, the PHP memory limit and the number of files (inodes). An entry-level plan with 512 MB RAM is enough for a simple website but can quickly reach its limits with a WordPress shop running many plugins.
- Memory (RAM) and CPU share per account
- PHP memory limit and maximum execution time
- Number of databases and files (inodes)
- Number of websites or domains per plan
If these details are missing entirely, that is no reason to worry, but it is a good reason to ask support.
What is a realistic price?
In our web hosting comparison of eight Swiss providers, entry-level plans without a promotional discount cost between CHF 6.90 and CHF 15.90 per month in October 2026. Offers well below that were first-year discounts. For an SME website with a few mailboxes, you should therefore budget around CHF 80 to 200 per year for hosting, plus the domain. For an association or a private website with one mailbox, the smallest plan is often enough. A business with several employees, their own mailboxes and a shop is more likely to need the mid-range plan.
Checklist before you order
- Renewal price found and cost over three years calculated
- One-off fees (setup) noted
- Domain: included or separate, renewal price of the extension known
- SSL certificate included free of charge and renewed automatically
- Backups: frequency, retention, self-service restore or for a fee
- Email: number and size of mailboxes, sending limit
- Storage and number of websites match your needs, with some reserve
- Contract term, notice period and automatic renewal known
- Upgrade to a larger plan possible without migration
- Help with migration and its cost clarified
Tip: It is best to clarify any unclear points in writing with support before you order. A reply by email or ticket helps if questions about the invoice come up later.
When a slightly more expensive plan is worth it
A few francs more per month are well spent if they get you several mailboxes, longer backups without a restore fee or enough headroom for an online shop. It gets more expensive, on the other hand, if missing features force you to move after a year or to buy add-ons.
How HostOn shows its prices
At HostOn, web hosting costs the same at renewal as when you ordered, with no setup fee. The Web Hosting Rigi plan costs CHF 11.90 per month and includes unlimited email mailboxes, free SSL certificates and daily backups that you restore yourself in cPanel at no charge. Domains also cost the same every year, for example .ch at CHF 14.90 per year for registration, transfer and renewal; with web hosting, one .ch or .li domain is free for the first year. That way you know before ordering what you will pay over three years.
Frequently asked questions on this topic
Without a promotional discount, entry-level plans from Swiss providers mostly cost between CHF 6.90 and CHF 15.90 per month in October 2026. Much lower prices are usually first-year discounts or plans with tight limits.
By a struck-through price, a percentage discount or a footnote such as «first year only» or «new customers only». Look for the price that applies from renewal and calculate the cost over three years.
For most websites, no. A free, domain-validated certificate such as Let’s Encrypt encrypts the connection just as well. Paid OV or EV certificates also verify the company and are only needed for special requirements.
Perhaps for testing, rarely for a company website. Free offers usually have tight limits on storage, features or duration and often no email mailboxes with your own domain.
With many providers, the contract then renews automatically for another term, usually one year, at the price valid at that time. Note the notice period and expiry date right after ordering.
Yes. Website, databases and emails can be migrated, and a .ch domain changes provider with the auth code. Plan the switch before your term ends so that the two contracts overlap only briefly.
