Two pricing models, not just two prices
SiteGround's promotional price covers a 12-month prepaid first term. Hostinger's WordPress page on 30 October 2026 showed its lowest prices on a 48-month term paid upfront, with the footnote that all plans are paid upfront and the monthly rate is the total divided by the number of months. That difference matters more than the headline monthly figure: Hostinger asks for a bigger upfront payment and gives a longer protected price, SiteGround asks for less upfront and reaches its regular rate sooner.
Hostinger was running a sale banner on the check date (up to 82% off, biggest deals of the year). Sale prices change; recheck both pages on the day you buy.
Side-by-side from the official pages
Figures below are copied from each vendor's own plan, refund, staging and data center pages on 30 October 2026. Where a page did not state something per plan, the table says so.
| Item | SiteGround StartUp | SiteGround GrowBig | Hostinger Premium | Hostinger Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $2.99/mo, 12 months prepaid | $4.99/mo, 12 months prepaid | $2.49/mo on 48 months ($119.52 upfront) | $3.49/mo on 48 months ($167.52 upfront) |
| Renewal | $17.99/mo | $29.99/mo | $10.99/mo | $16.99/mo |
| Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 3 | Unlimited |
| Storage | 10 GB | 50 GB | 20 GB SSD | 50 GB NVMe |
| Backups | Daily, up to 30 copies; no free on-demand | Daily, up to 30 copies; 5 on-demand | Weekly | Daily |
| Staging | Not listed on plan card | Included | Not on plan card; support article requires Business web hosting or higher | Not on plan card; support article requires Business web hosting or higher |
| Free migration | Free migration advertised; free site transfer for a limited time | Free migration advertised; free site transfer for a limited time | Not on plan card; FAQ says free migration comes with any hosting plan | Not on plan card; FAQ says free migration comes with any hosting plan |
| Refund window | 30 days (shared) | 30 days (shared) | 30 days from purchase (not crypto payments) | 30 days from purchase (not crypto payments) |
Data centers, support and refund details
SiteGround says it runs on Google Cloud with data centers across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Hostinger's support article lists web and cloud data centers in France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the UK; India, Indonesia and Malaysia; Phoenix, Boston and Asheville in the US; and Brazil. Hostinger warns that availability can change without notice and that a user who changes location may be unable to revert.
Both refund policies run 30 days for shared or web hosting. SiteGround excludes domain fees, paid support and third-party services. Hostinger excludes domain renewals and completed transfers, refunds most general domain registrations only within 96 hours, may deduct the standard price of a free domain from a hosting refund, and does not refund purchases made with cryptocurrency.
Hostinger's WordPress page describes priority 24/7 expert support without naming channels. SiteGround's plan page does not list channels per plan either. Ask each vendor which channel handles urgent checkout problems before you rely on it.
Worked example: four years for one course site
Hostinger's 48-month term makes a four-year comparison the fairest. Assuming SiteGround renews yearly at the regular rate shown on 30 October 2026: SiteGround StartUp costs $35.88 in year one plus $647.64 for years two to four, a total of $683.52. GrowBig costs $59.88 plus $1,079.64, a total of $1,139.52. Hostinger Premium costs $119.52 and Unlimited $167.52 for the same four years, paid on day one.
The gap is large. What the extra money buys at SiteGround on GrowBig is a published 30-copy daily backup history, 5 on-demand backups for before plugin updates, and staging on the plan card. Whether that is worth roughly $970 over four years against Hostinger Unlimited depends on how often you change LMS, membership or payment plugins and what an hour of broken checkout costs you.
Who fits each, and who should skip
- Hostinger fits: a first-time seller with one or two small courses who can pay four years upfront and wants the lowest total cost.
- Skip Hostinger Premium if you need staging: Hostinger's staging article says the tool needs a Business web hosting plan or higher, and weekly backups leave up to a week of enrollments at risk.
- SiteGround GrowBig fits: an owner who updates LearnDash, WooCommerce or membership plugins regularly and wants staging plus on-demand backups without moving to managed hosting.
- Skip SiteGround StartUp for a live course store: no staging on the plan card and no free on-demand backups.
- Skip both if you expect hundreds of members logged in at once; compare managed or VPS plans with published resource limits instead.
Questions before you decide
Is Hostinger cheaper than SiteGround?
Yes on list price. On 30 October 2026 Hostinger Premium was $119.52 for 48 months and renews at $10.99 a month, while SiteGround StartUp renews at $17.99 after a 12-month intro term.
Which includes staging on the entry plan?
Neither clearly does. SiteGround lists staging from GrowBig, and Hostinger's staging article requires a Business web hosting plan or higher, so confirm which Hostinger plan qualifies.
Do both offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, 30 days for shared or web hosting. Both exclude certain domain fees, and Hostinger excludes cryptocurrency payments and may deduct a free domain's price.
How often does each back up my site?
SiteGround makes daily backups and keeps up to 30 copies on shared plans. Hostinger lists weekly backups on Premium and daily backups on Unlimited and Cloud Startup.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- SiteGround WordPress hosting plans and prices Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround KB: How to use the Backup service in Site Tools Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround KB: Refund policy Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround data center locations Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Hostinger WordPress hosting plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Hostinger support: What is Hostinger refund policy? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Hostinger support: How to create a WordPress staging environment Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Hostinger support: Where are Hostinger servers located? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.