Website hosting cost in the UK
Hosting is the rent your website pays to stay online, and a domain is its address. Both look cheap in the first year. Here is what they cost once the introductory price ends, with the published prices behind every figure.
For a small business site on shared hosting, expect:
- Hosting: from about £7 a month at Krystal, or SiteGround's StartUp at £1.99 a month for the first year, then £13.99 a month (ex VAT).
- A .co.uk domain: often a few pounds for year one, then £7.40 to £12.99 a year to renew.
- Together: roughly £90 to £180 a year once introductory offers end.
Whito's research puts hosting for a business site at £50 to £300 a year and says a simple brochure site should not cost more than £25 a month to host. On a builder like Wix or Squarespace, hosting is part of the plan.
Prices checked 18 October 2026. Sources at the end of the page.
What hosting costs, plan by plan
| Host and plan | First year | After that | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krystal, entry plan | £7 a month | £7 a month | Plans listed at £7, £11 and £19 a month |
| SiteGround StartUp | £1.99 a month | £13.99 a month | One website, ex VAT |
| SiteGround GrowBig | £3.99 a month | £23.99 a month | Unlimited websites, ex VAT |
| SiteGround GoGeek | £5.99 a month | £34.99 a month | Unlimited websites, ex VAT |
The SiteGround figures show the pattern to watch for across the hosting market. StartUp costs £23.88 for the first twelve months, then £167.88 a year on renewal, about seven times as much. Krystal's prices do not jump in the same way. Neither is wrong, but only the renewal price tells you what hosting will cost from year two.
What a domain name costs
| Registrar | First year (.co.uk) | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| 123 Reg | £3.99 | £12.99 a year |
| Namecheap | from £5.54 | £7.40 a year |
| Cloudflare Registrar | Sold at cost, with no markup | |
First-year domain prices are teasers. Compare the renewal price, and make sure the domain is registered in your business's name, not your web designer's. If you only take one thing from this page, take that.
Do you even need separate hosting?
- On Wix or Squarespace, no. Hosting is included in the plan, from about £9 a month on Wix Light or £12 a month on Squarespace Basic, both on annual billing. See Wix pricing and Squarespace pricing.
- On Shopify, no. Hosting comes with the plan, from £19 a month on yearly billing.
- On self-hosted WordPress, yes. You pay a host, and someone has to keep WordPress updated. Our WordPress cost guide adds it all up.
- With a done-for-you package, usually not. Check whether hosting is in the monthly fee or billed on top.
Costs that sit next to hosting
- SSL. The padlock. Whito notes most hosts include a free certificate, and that more than £100 a year for one is overcharging.
- Email on your domain. Some hosts include mailboxes. Builders usually sell email separately, often through Google Workspace.
- Backups and updates. Cheap hosting rarely includes anyone checking that a WordPress site still works after an update. That is website maintenance, and it is a separate cost.
How we charge for hosting
We do not sell hosting on its own. Hosting, SSL and updates are inside the monthly fee on every package, along with edits to your pages, and the domain stays in your name.
| Our tier | What it is | Setup | Monthly | First year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | A five-page site plus the Google groundwork, so local customers can find you. | £449 | £39 | £917 |
| Grow | 10+ pages and the local SEO foundations, for a business that wants to rank, not just exist. | £949 | £59 | £1,657 |
| Scale | 20+ pages for a business with a team or more than one site, so every service and location can be found. | £1,950 | £129 | £3,498 |
If you already have a site you are happy with and only need somewhere to put it, a host like Krystal or SiteGround is the cheaper route, and the honest one to take.
Prices checked 18 October 2026. Sources: Krystal hosting; SiteGround UK web hosting; SiteGround current rates; 123 Reg on domain prices; Cloudflare Registrar; Whito website cost research; Startups.co.uk on Wix pricing; Squarespace pricing; Shopify UK pricing. Platforms change prices and run offers, so check before you buy. Some prices exclude VAT.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to host a website in the UK?
Shared hosting for a small business site starts at about £7 a month at Krystal. SiteGround starts at £1.99 a month for the first year and renews at £13.99 a month, ex VAT. Whito puts the usual range at £50 to £300 a year.
How much does a domain cost?
A .co.uk domain is often a few pounds for the first year, then £7.40 to £12.99 a year to renew, depending on the registrar. Always check the renewal price.
Why did my hosting bill go up?
Most likely the introductory price ended. SiteGround's StartUp plan, for example, is £1.99 a month for the first year and £13.99 a month after that.
Is website hosting a monthly cost?
Usually, though many hosts bill a year or more in advance to get the introductory price. Builders like Wix and Squarespace include hosting in their monthly or annual plan.
Should my web designer host my site?
It can be convenient, as long as the domain is in your name and you can move the site if you leave. Ask what happens to the site and the domain if you stop paying.
Keep reading
Want a fixed price instead of a range?
Tell us what your business does and what the site needs to do. We'll come back with the tier that fits and the exact price, including when the answer is the cheapest one.
- Fixed price, published
- No long-term contract
- You own your domain
- Edits included