payless.host
SherlockHost vs SiteGround: Which Is Cheaper in Year Three?
Updated Oct 15, 2026
The Finding
SherlockHost charges £2.49 monthly from signup through year three with no increase. SiteGround opens at $2.99 but rises to $17.99 after twelve months — six times the intro price — and costs $467.64 over three years on the cheapest plan.
What Each Costs Now
SherlockHost's Linux Hosting start plan is £2.49 monthly. The Website Builder and Web Hosting plans cost the same. Windows Hosting start is £3.49 monthly.
SiteGround's StartUp plan is $2.99 monthly for the first year. GrowBig opens at $4.99, GoGeek at $7.99.
Both providers include a free domain.
What Changes at Renewal
SherlockHost's price does not change. The same £2.49 monthly rate applies in month one and in year three.
SiteGround's StartUp plan becomes $17.99 monthly after twelve months. The three-year total is $467.64. GrowBig rises to $29.99 monthly ($779.64 over three years), GoGeek to $44.99 monthly ($1,175.64 over three years).
The Trade-Off
SherlockHost is cheaper and stays that way. The weakness is that nearly every resource — storage, bandwidth, databases — is listed as unlimited, which makes the actual ceiling impossible to judge before you sign up. You know the price; you do not know what it buys in measurable terms.
SiteGround is expensive after year one, but the plans include defined resources and tools: the StartUp plan specifies 10GB storage and support for one site, GrowBig adds staging and on-demand backups, GoGeek includes priority support. You pay more and you know what the money gets you.
Who Each One Suits
SherlockHost suits someone prioritising long-term cost over transparency. If the price staying flat matters more than knowing your resource limits in advance, the £2.49 rate makes it one of the cheapest options here. The provider also offers Windows hosting at £3.49 monthly if that's the requirement.
SiteGround suits someone willing to pay for structure and defined service levels, particularly if the site needs staging tools or faster support. The price after year one is high — higher than most providers here charge at their standard rate — but the plans state what they include rather than claiming everything is unlimited.