Compared · 2 minute read
Appetite Host or Hostinger?
Hostinger advertises its website builder from $2.99 a month. It is a real price, but it comes with conditions worth reading: four years paid upfront, in US dollars, and a higher price when it renews. And you still build the website yourself.
The short answer
Hostinger is a low-cost tool for building a website yourself, if you can pay four years upfront in dollars. Appetite Host is a finished website built for you, priced in rand, with your .co.za, changes and help included. Your website is live within 1 working day of payment.
Side by side
| Appetite Host | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds the website | Naya builds it for you from a chat | You do, with AI credits and ready-made designs |
| Price | R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month | Premium: $2.99 a month when you pay $143.52 for 48 months upfront, then $10.99 a month at renewal |
| Currency | South African rand | US dollars, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate |
| A .co.za address | Registered in your name and renewed for you, included | A web address is free for the first year, then renewed at a separate price |
| Changes | Ask Naya: 20, 50 or 100 a month, depending on your plan | You make them yourself in the builder |
| Help | a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day | Chatbot support on Premium; 24/7 expert support on higher plans |
Who builds the website
- Appetite Host
- Naya builds it for you from a chat
- Hostinger
- You do, with AI credits and ready-made designs
Price
- Appetite Host
- R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month
- Hostinger
- Premium: $2.99 a month when you pay $143.52 for 48 months upfront, then $10.99 a month at renewal
Currency
- Appetite Host
- South African rand
- Hostinger
- US dollars, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate
A .co.za address
- Appetite Host
- Registered in your name and renewed for you, included
- Hostinger
- A web address is free for the first year, then renewed at a separate price
Changes
- Appetite Host
- Ask Naya: 20, 50 or 100 a month, depending on your plan
- Hostinger
- You make them yourself in the builder
Help
- Appetite Host
- a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day
- Hostinger
- Chatbot support on Premium; 24/7 expert support on higher plans
Read the small print on the price
Hostinger’s page says it plainly: the $2.99 a month Premium price means paying $143.52 for 48 months at once, and it renews at $10.99 a month. All of it is in US dollars, so what you pay in rand depends on the exchange rate on the day.
Appetite Host is R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month in rand. No four-year commitment: after your first year you pay monthly.
Cheap tools are not a finished website
Hostinger gives you AI credits and hundreds of ready-made designs. You still choose, write, arrange, check it on your phone and keep it current. Appetite Host does all of that for you: Naya writes your website from a conversation, in a look designed for your kind of business, and makes your changes when you ask.
Help from a person
On Hostinger’s Premium plan, help comes from a chatbot. With Appetite Host you get a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day.
When Hostinger makes sense
- You want the lowest monthly price, you are happy to pay four years upfront in dollars, and you will build the website yourself.
- You are comfortable building and keeping a website up to date yourself.
Why owners choose Appetite Host instead
- A rand price they can budget for, with no four-year prepayment.
- A finished website built for them, live within 1 working day of payment.
- Their .co.za included, registered in their name.
- If you are not happy, tell us within 30 days of paying and we refund you in full, no reason needed.
Questions
Is Hostinger really $2.99 a month?
On the Premium plan, yes, if you pay $143.52 for 48 months upfront. It renews at $10.99 a month, and all prices are in US dollars.
Does Hostinger build the website for me?
No. Its builder gives you AI credits and ready-made designs to build with yourself. Appetite Host builds the website for you from a conversation with Naya.
Do I need to pay years upfront with Appetite Host?
No. You pay R5 000 to R15 000 once-off, which includes your first year, then monthly.
Prices checked on 8 October 2026, as each provider showed them to a visitor in South Africa. They change; check with the provider before you decide.
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See yours before you decide
Tell Naya about your business and watch her build it. Free to try.