Retention after cancellation, host by host
| Host | When access ends | Published retention | What the terms put on you |
|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround | Cancel now: suspended immediately. Cancel upon expiration: suspended 24 hours after expiry | Copy kept up to 60 calendar days (shared) or 7 to 14 days (Cloud), then the account and its backup copy are terminated | Keep a backup copy of the account |
| Kinsta | Within the first 30 days: immediately. After that: end of the billing period | None; all data permanently deleted and unrecoverable, including live and staging environments and the MyKinsta DNS zone | Download everything before the period ends |
| WP Engine | On termination, no access to the services or the User Portal | None stated | Maintain offline backups at all times; WP Engine will not help migrate after termination |
| Liquid Web | Account closure through a support case; permanent | None stated | Maintain all backups of your data on its servers; backup help is courtesy support |
| KnownHost | Cancellation through billing | None stated | Backups are a courtesy with no guarantee of availability |
| DigitalOcean | Destroying a Droplet is immediate and irreversible | None stated; termination may cause immediate destruction of data. Automated backups survive a destroyed Droplet until they expire four weeks after creation | You are solely responsible for backups; DigitalOcean does not promise to retain any backups of your content |
Non-payment is faster than cancellation
Missed payments trigger their own clock. KnownHost's terms make accounts more than five days past due inactive and charge a $10 restoration fee for accounts terminated for non-payment; for dedicated servers, it may terminate and reformat the server if payment is not received by the fifth day. Liquid Web's terms let either party terminate after ten days of non-payment. DigitalOcean's terms allow it to deactivate or delete accounts for non-payment or late payment without giving a timeline.
If a card is about to expire, update it before you plan a migration. A suspension in the middle of a move can leave you with neither the old site nor a complete copy.
What disappears with the hosting, even if the files are safe
- DNS hosted at the host: Kinsta deletes the DNS zone and all its records on cancellation, which takes email MX and verification records with it if Kinsta was your DNS host
- Domains registered with the host: SiteGround says domains stay active until they expire after a refund; KnownHost says domains not renewed within 25 days after expiry may be lost, with redemption up to 30 days after expiry for $125
- Mailboxes on the hosting plan: export them separately, since site backups and mail are often stored apart
- Staging environments, cron jobs, redirects and server rules that live in the host dashboard rather than in WordPress
- Server logs held by the host, which have short retention windows and are rarely in a site backup
Worked timeline: cancelling at the end of a term
A SiteGround shared plan expires on 1 December and the owner chose Cancel upon expiration. The account is suspended 24 hours later, on 2 December. SiteGround keeps a copy for a maximum of 60 calendar days, so the copy can be gone by about 31 January at the latest. Because 60 days is a maximum rather than a promise, and SiteGround still advises keeping your own backup, treat 2 December as the real deadline for having a complete export.
A Kinsta monthly plan with a bill due on 25 May is cancelled on 12 May. Service runs to 25 May, then the sites, staging environments and DNS zone are deleted. There is no published grace period, so the export has to happen before 25 May.
A DigitalOcean Droplet with weekly backups is destroyed on 1 March. Its automated backups are not destroyed with it, but each expires four weeks after it was created. DigitalOcean's documentation says to convert backup images to snapshots before deleting the Droplet if you want to keep them.
Export-first checklist before you cancel anything
- Download a full backup with files and database, and open it to check the SQL file is there
- Restore it once on the new host or locally to prove it works
- Export the DNS zone, or move DNS to a registrar or DNS provider first
- Export mailboxes and note any forwarders
- Copy dashboard-only settings: redirects, cron jobs, PHP version, cache exclusions
- Save invoices and the cancellation confirmation
- Point DNS to the new host and wait until traffic has moved before cancelling
- Only then cancel, choosing end of term where the host offers it
Questions before you decide
How long does SiteGround keep my site after I cancel?
SiteGround's knowledge base says it keeps a copy for a maximum of 60 calendar days on shared plans and between 7 and 14 days on Cloud plans, then terminates the account and the backup copy. It still advises keeping your own backup.
Can Kinsta recover a site after the plan is cancelled?
Kinsta's cancellation documentation says that when the plan ends, all data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered, including live and staging environments and the DNS zone. Download backups before the billing period ends.
Are DigitalOcean backups deleted when I destroy a Droplet?
No. DigitalOcean says destroying a Droplet does not destroy its automated backups, which remain for four weeks after creation and then expire. Convert them to snapshots before deleting the Droplet if you need them longer.
Does WP Engine keep backups after termination?
WP Engine's terms state no retention period. They say you lose access to the services and User Portal on termination, that WP Engine will not assist with migration afterwards, and that you should keep offline backups at all times.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- SiteGround KB: Termination after cancellation Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround KB: Is my website deleted when I cancel? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround KB: Refund policy Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kinsta docs: Cancel a WordPress plan Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: Terms of service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Liquid Web: Terms of service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Liquid Web help: Cancel your account Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- KnownHost: Terms of service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Terms of service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean docs: Destroy a Droplet Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.