Published billing terms on 29 October 2026
| Provider | Monthly option | Annual or prepaid option | Published difference | What you can get back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsta (Single 35k) | $35 per month | $30 per month, $350 per year | Annual toggle: 2 months off; plan card: 1st month free + save $70 | 30-day money-back for first-time customers, less fees incurred; later cancellations take effect at the end of the billing period |
| SiteGround (StartUp) | Not listed on the hosting page | $2.99 per month prepaid for 12 months, renews at $17.99 per month | Intro price applies to the first prepaid term | 30-day money-back on shared hosting; renewals refundable only if cancelled within 30 days of the renewal payment |
| WP Engine (Essential) | Not listed on the plans page | $28 per month billed annually, $336 charged up front | Save 20% shown beside the annual option on the platform configurator | Terms: fees not refundable except as expressly stated; early termination makes remaining fees due |
| DigitalOcean (Basic Droplet) | $6, $12 or $24 per month for 1, 2 or 4 GiB | No published annual discount; prepayment by contacting sales | None published | Billed per second with a minimum charge of 60 seconds or $0.01; bundled plans are capped at the monthly price |
What happens to your money after you prepay
Kinsta's money-back guarantee refunds plan fees if you cancel within 30 days of activating the plan, but it is only available to first-time customers, excludes overages and one-time fees, and deducts fees incurred during those 30 days. After that window, Kinsta's documentation says a cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current billing period; it does not describe a prorated refund of plan fees. When you switch between plans or between monthly and annual billing, Kinsta closes the existing plan and applies a credit for the remaining time, and states that credits have no cash value and are non-refundable.
SiteGround's refund article gives 30 days for shared hosting and 14 days for cloud hosting, counted from activation. Renewals of refundable services can be refunded if you cancel within 30 days of the renewal payment: in full if the renewal term has not started, or less the first month of the renewal term if it has. Domain name fees are not refundable, and the article notes they may become due on cancellation even if a promotion waived them.
WP Engine's terms of service state that fees are not refundable except as expressly stated, that terms renew automatically for an equal period unless either party gives notice at least 30 days before expiry, and that a customer may only terminate or downgrade an order before the end of the active term if WP Engine materially breaches the agreement; otherwise remaining fees become due on early termination. Read the order form you actually sign: WP Engine's plan-change article notes custom contract terms can override its standard terms.
DigitalOcean is the simplest case: Droplets are billed per second with a minimum charge of 60 seconds or $0.01, whichever is higher, and bundled plans never exceed their flat monthly price, so destroying a Droplet stops the charge. Its pricing page publishes no annual discount and directs prepayment enquiries to sales.
Worked example: a course site that might move hosts
Suppose a LearnDash course site fits Kinsta's Single 35k plan and the owner thinks there is a real chance of moving to another host within the year. Monthly billing costs $35 per month. Annual billing costs $350 up front. Leaving after N months costs 35 x N on monthly billing and $350 on annual billing, because Kinsta's documentation does not describe a prorated refund after the first 30 days.
The break-even point is therefore 10 months. Leave after 6 months and monthly billing costs $210 against $350 annual, so prepaying wastes $140. Stay all 12 months and monthly costs $420, so prepaying saves $70. If you are a first-time Kinsta customer and leave within 30 days, the money-back guarantee applies to either option, less fees incurred.
SiteGround works differently because the large discount is introductory. StartUp at $2.99 per month prepaid for 12 months is $35.88 for the first year. At the published renewal price of $17.99 per month, a second 12-month term is $215.88. The decision that matters is not month versus year in year one, it is whether to let the renewal run: put a calendar reminder 45 days before renewal, because the refund window for renewals closes 30 days after the renewal payment and a started term loses its first month.
| Months on Kinsta Single 35k before leaving | Monthly billing total | Annual billing total | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $105 | $350 | Monthly by $245 |
| 6 | $210 | $350 | Monthly by $140 |
| 10 | $350 | $350 | Equal |
| 12 | $420 | $350 | Annual by $70 |
Who should prepay and who should not
- Prepay if the site has run on the same host for at least a year, you have no planned migration, and your traffic sits comfortably inside the plan so you will not need to switch tiers mid-term.
- Pay monthly if you are mid-evaluation, expect a launch that could push you to a larger plan, or are planning a migration in the next 10 months on a Kinsta-like discount.
- Pay monthly, or keep the term short, on any host whose contract makes early termination fees due, such as WP Engine's standard terms, unless you are certain about the plan size.
- On DigitalOcean the question does not arise for Droplets: there is no published annual price, and per-second billing already gives you the flexibility.
- For introductory-priced shared hosting, budget for the renewal price, not the first-year price, when comparing against managed hosts.
Checklist before choosing annual billing
- Write down the monthly and annual price for your exact plan and compute the break-even month.
- Read the provider's refund article and terms: who qualifies for the money-back window, what is excluded, and what happens after it.
- Check whether switching plans mid-term produces a cash refund or only a non-refundable credit.
- Check how much notice is needed to stop auto-renewal and put that date in a calendar.
- Confirm whether overages are billed monthly regardless of billing cycle, so an annual plan does not hide variable costs.
- If a domain was included free, find out whether its fee becomes due if you cancel the hosting.
Questions before you decide
Does Kinsta refund unused months on an annual plan?
Its money-back guarantee refunds plan fees if a first-time customer cancels within 30 days, less fees incurred. After that, its documentation says cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period and does not describe a prorated refund.
Can I downgrade a WP Engine annual plan mid-term?
WP Engine's standard terms say an order may only be terminated or downgraded before the end of the active term if WP Engine materially breaches the agreement. Its support article says downgrades take effect on the next billing date.
Does DigitalOcean offer annual discounts?
Its Droplet pricing page publishes none. It bills per second with a monthly cap and says prepayment is arranged by contacting its team.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kinsta: WordPress hosting pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: Money-back guarantee and refunds Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: WordPress hosting plans (switching and proration) Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: Web hosting plans Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround KB: Do I get a refund? Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: Plans Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: Terms of service Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: Plan and product extension management Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Droplet pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.