SiteGround
Shared and WordPress hosting on Google Cloud with its own Site Tools
SiteGround report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for WordPress sites that want daily backups built in
SiteGround packs more into its cheapest plan than most: daily backups, a CDN, daily malware scans with free removal and unlimited email accounts. It's also the dearest of the shared hosts we could price over two years. The $2.99 a month lasts one year, then StartUp renews at $17.99 a month for a single site.
Who SiteGround is for
- Great if you want daily backups and malware removal without adding plugins
- Handy when the whole team needs email at your domain, as accounts aren't capped
- Good for agencies that hand clients white-label access on GoGeek
Who SiteGround is not for
- Pricey if you stay past year one, when StartUp jumps from $2.99 to $17.99 a month
- Tight if you run more than one site, as StartUp hosts one and suits around 10,000 visits
- Skip it if you want staging on the cheapest plan, since it starts on GrowBig
Why SiteGround gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyStartUp's first year is $2.99 a month, then it renews at $17.99, so two years cost $251.76, about $10.49 a month. That's past the cheaper quarter of hosts and the dearest of the shared hosts we could price. A 24-month term at $14.99 a month costs more.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial. New shared hosting orders get a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial.
- BFeaturesEvery plan keeps daily backups, a CDN, SSL that renews itself, daily malware scans with free removal and unlimited email accounts. Staging and on-demand backups wait for GrowBig, but nothing in the core job is missing on StartUp.
- CEase of useNo app store rating to go on. Each site gets its own Site Tools panel, which is tidy, but there's still a domain, email and a site to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsA web panel only, with WordPress and WooCommerce as the named integrations. There's SSH and WP-CLI for developers, but no API is on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SiteGround's own pages on 17 October 2026. Its rates page answered our reader with a robot check when we checked it again that day. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/siteground#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/siteground.svg" alt="SiteGround: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where SiteGround stands among web hosts
SiteGround's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 4 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on features (B, above 11 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 10 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. SiteGround’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 21, level with 9
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 21, level with 18
- BFeaturesAbove 11 of 21, level with 10
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 21
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 21, level with 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 17 web hosts. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep SiteGround, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace SiteGround you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 15 of the 21 other web hosts grade higher. It costs $179.88 a year.
What you could not
- An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. SiteGround’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is SiteGround?
SiteGround sells shared hosting for WordPress and other sites on Google Cloud infrastructure, managed through its own Site Tools panel. Every plan includes daily backups, a CDN, SSL, unlimited email accounts and daily malware scans, and the higher plans add staging, on-demand backups and white-label access for agencies.
SiteGround is a paid product, starting at $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one. See every plan
Good for
- WordPress sites that want daily backups and staging without plugins
- Agencies handing clients white-label access on GoGeek
- Small businesses that want email at their domain on the hosting plan
Worth knowing
- The $2.99 a month is for the first year of a 12-month StartUp term only; it then renews at $17.99 a month, and GrowBig and GoGeek at $29.99 and $44.99.
- StartUp hosts one website and suits around 10,000 visits a month; more sites need GrowBig.
- Staging, on-demand backups and faster PHP start on GrowBig, and white-label access and priority support need GoGeek.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers new shared hosting orders; renewals are refunded only under conditions in SiteGround's refund policy.
Key features
- Site Tools panel
- Each site gets its own Site Tools panel for WordPress, email, domains and backups, so access to one site can be shared without exposing the others.
- Daily backups, CDN and SSL
- Every plan keeps daily backups and includes a CDN and SSL certificates that renew by themselves. GrowBig and GoGeek add on-demand backups.
- Malware scans and bot blocking
- Sites are scanned for malware every day with free removal, and an AI anti-bot system and custom firewall rules block attack traffic.
- WordPress services
- Free site migrations, managed automatic updates, WP-CLI and SSH, and an AI agent for WordPress. Staging starts on GrowBig, with Git on GoGeek.
- Unlimited email accounts
- Every hosting plan includes email at your own domain with no cap on accounts, plus webmail and spam protection.
- Website Builder with AI
- A drag-and-drop builder with templates, AI text and image generation and built-in SEO is included alongside WordPress.
SiteGround pricing
- Starts at
- $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| StartUp, 1 month | $24.99per month | One website, 10 GB storage and around 10,000 visits a month, paid month to month at the regular rate. |
| StartUp, 12 months | $17.99per month at renewal, prepaid yearly, after a first year at $2.99 | One website and 10 GB storage. The first 12 months cost $2.99 a month, prepaid, then the plan renews at $17.99 a month. |
| StartUp, 24 months | $14.99per month, prepaid every 24 months | One website and 10 GB storage at the lowest regular monthly rate. The sales page shows its first-term discount only on 12-month terms. |
| GrowBig, 24 months | $24.99per month, prepaid every 24 months | Unlimited websites, 50 GB, staging and on-demand backups. On a 12-month term it is $4.99 a month for the first year, then $29.99. |
| GoGeek, 24 months | $39.99per month, prepaid every 24 months | 100 GB, staging with Git, white-label access and priority support. On a 12-month term it is $7.99 a month for the first year, then $44.99. |
Read from siteground.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SiteGround before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsFirst year of StartUp for $2.99 a month
On a 12-month term the first invoice is $2.99 a month for StartUp, $4.99 for GrowBig and $7.99 for GoGeek, prepaid. Renewals are $17.99, $29.99 and $44.99 a month.
Stated on siteground.com
Works with
SiteGround alternatives
- SiteGround vs Hostinger
From $10.99/mo
- SiteGround vs DreamHost
From $7.99/mo
- SiteGround vs Kinsta
Free trial · from $30/mo
Common questions
Is SiteGround free?
No. SiteGround is a paid product, starting at $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one.
How much does SiteGround cost?
SiteGround lists 5 plans. StartUp, 1 month: $24.99 per month. StartUp, 12 months: $17.99 per month at renewal, prepaid yearly, after a first year at $2.99. StartUp, 24 months: $14.99 per month, prepaid every 24 months. GrowBig, 24 months: $24.99 per month, prepaid every 24 months. GoGeek, 24 months: $39.99 per month, prepaid every 24 months. Prices were read from siteground.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does SiteGround work on?
SiteGround is available on Web.
Does SiteGround offer any discounts?
SiteGround publicly lists the following: First year of StartUp for $2.99 a month.
Does SiteGround have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. SiteGround is listed for Web.
Does SiteGround have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. SiteGround is listed for Web.
Is SiteGround open source?
SiteGround is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does SiteGround integrate with?
SiteGround's listing names WordPress and WooCommerce. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes SiteGround?
SiteGround is made by SiteGround. It dates from 2004.
What are the alternatives to SiteGround?
The closest alternatives to SiteGround in our directory are Hostinger, Bluehost, DreamHost, hosting.com and Kinsta. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with SiteGround.
How does SiteGround compare with other web hosts?
SiteGround's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 4 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on features (B, above 11 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is SiteGround good value for money?
ToolGPA grades SiteGround C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 10 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of SiteGround?
To replace SiteGround you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 15 of the 21 other web hosts grade higher. It costs $179.88 a year. What you could not make: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.