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HOSTING GUIDE
Hosting prices after the introductory discount: calculate the real cost
A low introductory price helps you start cheaply, but does not tell you what running the website will cost later. Compare plans across the whole period for which you expect to use the service. Include renewal, essential extras and the rules for changing or ending the service.
For each offer, record the first payment and the period it covers, the renewal price and the length of the next billing cycle. A monthly figure in an advertisement may require a year's payment in advance. Compare the same period and use prices either all including tax or all excluding it. If the price list is unclear, ask for the total due on the first order and on the next renewal.
A purely illustrative calculation: a plan costs CZK 100 a month for the first year and CZK 200 a month for the second. The two-year total is 12 × 100 + 12 × 200 = CZK 3,600, an average of CZK 150 a month. This is not an offer from any provider. It only shows how to turn two different prices into one comparable total.
Add what the website really needs
First list the services your project cannot run without: a domain, the necessary number of mailboxes, backups and perhaps server management. For each item, check whether it is included, included only for a limited time or billed separately. A free certificate does not necessarily mean free management of all related services. Conversely, do not add extras you will not use.
For a larger website, check the cost of exceeding limits or upgrading. Consider storage, data transfer, databases and running process counts according to the service type. For a VPS, include the time or cost of the person responsible for updates, monitoring and incident response. The price of the virtual server alone usually does not account for this work.
Check renewal and exit
Find out whether the service renews automatically, when you will be notified of another payment and how cancellation works. Ask what happens to the domain, mail and data when the plan ends. Check how to export the website and database and whether migration or assisted restoration incurs a fee. A clear exit procedure matters even when you do not plan to move today.
Make your own comparison row
Use the same formula for every provider: first period + next period + essential extras + management costs. Note beside the total any conditions that could change it. Compare, for example, two years of the same kind of website rather than the first month's price at one company with an annual price at another.
Before ordering, save the price list and terms that apply to your choice, and ask for explanations of unclear items. Your decision will then rest on the price of the service you will actually use, not the largest discount figure.