Hostinger alternatives: where to go, and how to leave cleanly
Five hosts compared on intro and renewal prices, a pick for every reason to leave, and an eight-step exit.
Short answer: DreamHost if you want monthly billing and never want to prepay four years again, IONOS Essential for the smallest renewal ($4, then $8 a month), Bluehost for the lowest four-year total among the alternatives, Kinsta if your site makes money and you want a flat price. Before you pick, do the math: Hostinger Premium is $119.52 for the first 48 months, then $527.52 for the next 48. That second number is the one to beat.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why people leave Hostinger, and what's still true
To be fair, Hostinger has plenty of happy customers, and its intro price is among the lowest out there. Reviews often sum it up in one line: the discounts are great, but after that… People rarely leave over an outage. They leave over the bill, the support and the fine print. These are the six reasons that come up most.
Renewal more than quadruples the monthly price
It's on the pricing page: Premium goes from $2.49 to $10.99 a month, Unlimited from $3.49 to $16.99, Cloud Startup from $7.99 to $25.99. On Premium, that's 4.4 times the intro rate.
It renews for another 48 months
The headline price means paying 48 months at once: $119.52 on Premium. And it "renews for the same term". Leave it alone and you get another 48 months at $10.99, or $527.52. Over eight years Premium costs $647.04, and the second four years are committed before you've thought about it.
Thirty days to get your money back, no more
Hostinger only refunds a purchase cancelled within 30 days of the transaction, renewals included. Domain renewals, completed transfers and privacy protection are never refunded, and the free domain's price is deducted from any refund. Turning off auto-renewal doesn't undo a charge that has already gone through.
Free email lasts one year
Premium includes two mailboxes per site, free for the first year. After that they're another line on the bill. Email is also the hardest part to move: a site can be copied in an evening, a mailbox needs care.
An AI assistant first, and no phone
First contact goes through Kodee, Hostinger's AI assistant, and there's no phone support. Simple questions get quick answers. Complex ones are where reviews turn sour: online stores suspended without warning, or a developer describing weeks of instability and files deleted on support's advice. These are one-sided stories, but they keep coming up.
Weekly backups on the entry plan
Premium backs up your site once a week. Daily backups start on Unlimited, on-demand backups on Cloud. If your site changes every day, a bad update can cost you a week of work. Most comparison posts never mention it.
You're leaving because… go to…
One line usually fits. Each card links to its full write-up below.
One-year intro, monthly billing available.
The renewal price is why you're leavingIONOS Essential$8/mo after year one.
You want the lowest four-year billBluehost$263.52 over four years on Starter.
You can prepay a year, not fourSiteGround$35.88 upfront instead of $119.52.
Your site makes moneyKinstaSame price at renewal, no intro hike.
You only need the cheapest first termStay at HostingerKeep the 48 months, switch off auto-renewal now.
Hostinger alternatives, host by host
Each card covers why you'd move there, who it's for, the catch, how to move and the price from the host's own page: intro price, renewal price, and a four-year total where we can work it out. Why four years? That's one Hostinger term, so the comparison is like for like. Scores come from our hosting rankings; SiteGround isn't scored there, so its card has no score. We left out hosts whose intro or renewal price we couldn't read on their official page.
DreamHost: a one-year intro and monthly billing
Easiest to leaveWhy move here. Hostinger's headline price only works if you hand over 48 months upfront. DreamHost Launch is $2.89 a month for the first year, then $10.99, and its FAQ says you can pay monthly. That's the same renewal price as Hostinger Premium, but you're never locked in for four years.
Who it's for. Small sites, blogs and freelancers who want a cheap start and the freedom to leave next year.
Who it's not for. Anyone leaving purely to pay less after the intro period: $10.99 is exactly what Hostinger charges at renewal.
The catch. The intro price lasts one year only. Over four years, the length of a Hostinger term, Launch costs $430.32. And the plan page we read doesn't mention a money-back guarantee, so ask before you pay.
How to move. Take your backup from hPanel (step 3), rebuild your DNS zone at DreamHost, then import. Monthly billing means you can overlap both hosts for a month without wasting a prepaid year.
- Score
- 4.0/5
- First year
- $2.89/mo
- Renewal
- $10.99/mo
- 4-year total
- $430.32
IONOS Essential: the smallest renewal on this page
Lowest renewalWhy move here. If the jump from $2.49 to $10.99 is why you're leaving, IONOS Essential has the gentlest renewal we found: $4 a month for the first year, then $8. Over four years that's $336, on a one-year term rather than four.
Who it's for. A brochure site, a portfolio or a small business site that needs a low, predictable bill.
Who it's not for. Anyone tempted by the $1 Plus plan. It renews at $14 a month, more than Hostinger Premium.
The catch. Intro prices last 12 months. Starter ($6, then $10) and Ultimate ($10, then $18) follow the same pattern, so always compare on the second-year price.
How to move. Set the same PHP version you used at Hostinger, import your files and database, and switch DNS. You can keep Hostinger running until the end of your term once auto-renewal is off.
- Score
- 4.0/5
- Essential, year 1
- $4/mo
- Renewal
- $8/mo
- 4-year total
- $336
Bluehost: a lower renewal, a shorter commitment
Cheapest over 4 yearsWhy move here. Bluehost works the same way as Hostinger, but with less at stake. Starter is $3.99 a month over 36 months, then $9.99. That's $143.64 upfront instead of $119.52, for three years instead of four, and a renewal $1 a month lower than Hostinger Premium. Over four years: $263.52, the lowest total on this page.
Who it's for. Someone who doesn't mind prepaying and wants the lowest bill for a simple site.
Who it's not for. Anyone who left Hostinger over backups: Starter backs up weekly, just like Premium.
The catch. The 30-day refund window is strict, and the domain fee is kept if you cancel. Business is $6.99, then $13.99, if you need more room.
How to move. Export your site (step 3), import it at Bluehost and keep your own copy of the backup. Transfer the domain only after 60 days.
- Score
- 3.4/5
- Starter
- $3.99/mo for 36 mo
- Renewal
- $9.99/mo
- Backups
- weekly
SiteGround: a 12-month commitment instead of 48
Shorter commitmentWhy move here. If the 48-month lock-in is what drove you out, SiteGround cuts it to 12. StartUp is $2.99 a month, prepaid for 12 months instead of 48: $35.88 to start, against $119.52 at Hostinger.
Who it's for. A business site that won't lock up four years of budget again and accepts a higher monthly price for it.
Who it's not for. Anyone leaving to save money. StartUp renews at $17.99 a month, and GrowBig goes from $4.99 to $29.99. Over four years StartUp costs $683.52.
The catch. Same intro-price model as Hostinger, on a shorter term. And SiteGround has no cPanel, so leaving it later takes more work.
How to move. Take your WordPress export (step 3), import it at SiteGround and set a reminder for the 12-month renewal.
- StartUp, year 1
- $2.99/mo
- Renewal
- $17.99/mo
- Prepaid
- 12 months
- 4-year total
- $683.52
Kinsta: managed WordPress with a flat price
For sites that earnWhy move here. If you moved up to Hostinger Cloud Startup because your site makes money, look at Kinsta. No renewal hike (the first month is free when you sign up): Single 35k is $35 a month or $350 a year, and that's what you keep paying. Cloud Startup, by comparison, goes from $7.99 to $25.99 a month after 48 months.
Who it's for. WooCommerce stores, agencies and publishers for whom an hour of downtime costs more than a year of hosting.
Who it's not for. A brochure site or a blog. $1,400 over four years, billed yearly, buys capacity you won't use.
The catch. WordPress only, and no email hosting: your mailboxes need a separate service and a second bill.
How to move. Move your email to a dedicated provider first (step 6), then import the site. The domain can stay at Hostinger until the 60 days have passed.
- Score
- 3.7/5
- Single 35k
- $35/mo or $350/yr
- Renewal
- same price
- 4-year total
- $1,400 (yearly)
Hostinger and 5 alternatives compared
Intro price on the left, renewal on the right: the right-hand column is what you'll pay the longest. Under each name, the four-year total (intro period first, renewal for the rest), one Hostinger term.
| Intro price | Renewal | |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium$119.52 for 48 mo, then $527.52 | $2.49/mo over 48 months | $10.99/mo, 48 months |
| DreamHost Launch$430.32 over 4 years | $2.89/mo, first year | $10.99/mo |
| IONOS Essential$336 over 4 years | $4/mo, first year | $8/mo |
| Bluehost Starter$263.52 over 4 years | $3.99/mo over 36 months | $9.99/mo |
| SiteGround StartUp$683.52 over 4 years | $2.99/mo, 12 months prepaid | $17.99/mo |
| Kinsta Single 35k$1,400 over 4 years | $350/yr | same price |
Prices as shown by each host in 2026, before tax, subject to change.
Leave Hostinger in eight steps
A Hostinger exit rarely fails because of the new host. It fails because of the order: a domain transferred before its DNS zone exists, email cut off, a renewal nobody switched off. Start at least a month before your renewal date, and plan an evening for a small WordPress site.
Turn off auto-renewal
Day oneDo this before you even pick a new host. In hPanel, go to Profile, then Billing, then Subscriptions, and switch off auto-renewal. Your hosting stays live until it expires, so you lose nothing. But Hostinger won't reverse a charge that has already gone through: if the renewal has hit your card, you have 30 days from the transaction to cancel it.
- Where
- Profile > Billing > Subscriptions
- Effect
- live until expiry
List everything that lives at Hostinger
One hourWrite down your sites, databases, mailboxes, FTP accounts, scheduled tasks (cron jobs) and any custom SSL certificate. Copy every DNS record too. Why the fuss? Even Hostinger's own migration tool only moves files and databases: not cron jobs, DNS records, custom SSL or FTP accounts. Anything missing from your list stays behind.
- Write down
- DNS, cron, FTP, SSL
- Trap
- forgotten DNS records
Download a full backup
2 days beforeIn hPanel, open Files, then Backups. Download the files archive (a .tar.gz) and the database, which comes separately. Pick the same date for both, or recent posts won't match their images. On WordPress, Duplicator builds an archive plus an installer. Otherwise keep the SQL export, the wp-content folder and wp-config.php.
- Files
- .tar.gz archive
- Database
- separate, same date
Rebuild the DNS zone and lower the TTL
1 day beforeAt the new host, recreate your DNS zone exactly, record by record, before any domain transfer. The old registrar may delete its zone when the domain leaves, and your email would go with it. About 24 hours before the switch, lower the TTL to 300 seconds so the change spreads in minutes rather than hours.
- TTL
- 300 seconds
- When
- 24 h before the switch
Import the site and check it
Switch dayOpen the new hosting, set the same PHP version as at Hostinger, and import files and database. With Duplicator, run the installer; otherwise import the SQL file and update the database details in wp-config.php. Recreate cron jobs and FTP accounts by hand from your list. Then check key pages, the contact form and, if you sell online, one complete order.
- Match
- PHP version
- Recreate
- cron and FTP
Move mailboxes without losing a message
Switch dayCreate every address at the new host, then import old mail over IMAP from imap.hostinger.com. Only change the MX record once the mailboxes exist. While DNS spreads, some mail still lands at Hostinger: keep the old server running and run a second import the next day.
- Source server
- imap.hostinger.com
- MX
- last
Switch DNS and watch
1 to 2 days afterPoint your records away from Hostinger. Hostinger says the change takes up to 24 hours; other providers say 48, and some internet providers take longer. Watch your forms, inboxes and error logs in the meantime. Close nothing at Hostinger until everything is stable.
- Spread
- 24 to 48 h
- Keep
- the old hosting live
Transfer the domain, then close
LastThe only step with a waiting period. Get the EPP code from the Domains tab (the eye icon), unlock the domain and switch off privacy protection. Transfers only work 60 days after purchase or the last transfer, and it's safer if the domain doesn't expire within 60 days. Once the domain has moved, download one last backup and let the Hostinger plan expire.
- Wait
- 60 days after purchase
- Turn off
- lock and privacy
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Hostinger exit go wrong
Copying files is the easy part. The trouble shows up later: a half-working site, a silent contact inbox, a surprise charge. Four mistakes come up again and again.
Comparing against $2.49 instead of $10.99
The price to beat isn't Hostinger's intro rate, it's your renewal: $10.99 a month on Premium, $527.52 per 48-month term. Against that, IONOS Essential ($8) and Bluehost Starter ($9.99) cost less, DreamHost the same. SiteGround and Kinsta cost more, and that's fine if you're buying a shorter commitment or managed WordPress, not a lower bill.
Transferring the domain before rebuilding DNS
When the domain leaves, the old registrar may delete its DNS zone. If the new one isn't ready, your site and email go dark for hours. Recreate every record first, transfer second. And don't start before day 60: the transfer will be refused.
Leaving auto-renewal on
Customers report domain renewals charged a month before expiry, and charges after they thought renewal was off. Switch it off the day you decide, check the toggle under Subscriptions, and write down the expiry date. A renewed domain isn't refundable.
Forgetting what a backup doesn't carry
Cron jobs, FTP accounts, custom SSL and DNS records don't travel with a backup. A forgotten cron job means invoices that stop going out or backups that stop running, and you notice weeks later. If you're on WordPress, our ranking of the best WordPress hosting helps you pick the destination, and our best web hosting ranking covers the wider field.
- Auto-renewal switched off
- DNS, cron, FTP and SSL listed
- Files and database backed up on the same date
- DNS zone rebuilt record by record
- TTL lowered to 300 seconds
- Mailboxes created and mail imported over IMAP
- Switch watched for 48 hours
- Domain transferred after 60 days
- Final backup downloaded
Hostinger alternatives: common questions
Can I get a refund from Hostinger if I cancel?
Only within 30 days of the transaction, and that includes a renewal charge. After that, nothing comes back. Domain renewals, completed domain transfers and privacy protection are never refunded, and if your plan came with a free domain, its price is taken out of the refund. So the moment you decide to leave, turn off auto-renewal. Doing it the day before the renewal date is how people end up paying for four more years.
How do I get the EPP code for my domain at Hostinger?
In hPanel, open the Domains tab and click the eye icon next to the key. If the code doesn't show, ask support. Before you hand it to the new registrar, check three things: the domain is unlocked (Hostinger locks domains by default), it's more than 60 days since you bought or last transferred it, and privacy protection is off. .uk and .eu domains follow their own process.
What happens to my Hostinger email when I leave?
Your mailboxes keep working until your plan ends, but nothing moves them for you. Create every address at the new host, then import the old mail over IMAP from imap.hostinger.com. Keep the old server running during the switch, because mail lands in both places for a few hours. If you go to Kinsta, plan for a separate email service: it doesn't host mailboxes.
My domain is less than 60 days old. Can I still leave?
Yes. Leave the domain at Hostinger for now, rebuild your DNS zone at the new host and point the domain there. Transfer it once the 60 days are up. Just watch the domain's own renewal: some customers report being charged a month before expiry, and a domain renewal is never refunded.
How long does the DNS switch take?
Hostinger says up to 24 hours. Other registrars say up to 48, and some internet providers hold on to old records longer. You can shorten it: drop the TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) about 24 hours before you switch. Until the change has spread, keep the site and mailboxes live at Hostinger, because some visitors will still reach the old server.
Is Namecheap a good Hostinger alternative?
It's often listed, but check the renewal first. Namecheap raised its shared hosting renewal prices in 2026: Stellar now renews at $55.88 a year, Stellar Plus at $85.44 and Stellar Business at $128.88. We couldn't read its current intro prices on its official page, so it isn't ranked here. If you're also moving your domain, our ranking of the best domain registrars compares where to put it.
Hostinger or SiteGround: which costs less?
Hostinger, by a wide margin, for the first 48 months. After that the gap narrows: Premium renews at $10.99 a month, SiteGround StartUp at $17.99, with 12 months prepaid instead of 48. You pick SiteGround for the shorter commitment, not the price. If you're weighing it the other way round, our guide to leaving SiteGround covers its own exit traps.
Do I need to move my WordPress site manually?
Not necessarily. The Duplicator plugin packs your site into an archive plus an installer that you run at the new host. If a plugin can't handle it, do it by hand: export the database as SQL, then copy the wp-content folder and wp-config.php. Hostinger runs hPanel, not cPanel, so there's no full account backup another cPanel host can restore in one click.
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