The second term is not the advertised price
Promotional monthly rates apply to an initial term. After that term ends, the renewal rate applies. In this sample the published renewal rate is between 1.67× and 2.23× the promotional rate, so a first-year comparison can misprice everything that follows.
Snapshots checked September 15–17, 2026 · USD · no ranking, no affiliate links
| PLAN | PROMOTIONAL MONTHLY | RENEWAL MONTHLY | RENEWAL VS PROMOTIONAL | ONE YEAR AT PROMOTIONAL | ONE YEAR AT RENEWAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KVM 1 4 GB / 1 vCPU | $6.49 | $11.99 | 1.85× | $77.88 | $143.88 |
| KVM 2 8 GB / 2 vCPU | $8.99 | $14.99 | 1.67× | $107.88 | $179.88 |
| KVM 4 16 GB / 4 vCPU | $12.99 | $28.99 | 2.23× | $155.88 | $347.88 |
| KVM 8 32 GB / 8 vCPU | $25.99 | $49.99 | 1.92× | $311.88 | $599.88 |
Worked example: KVM 1
The published initial term is 24 months at $6.49 per month, so the prepaid charge is $155.76. It then renews at $11.99 per month.
Over a 36-month horizon that means $443.52 in cash — the initial term plus one renewal block — against $299.64 allocated to the 36 months actually used. The renewal block pays for months 25–48, so $143.88 of the cash sits beyond the horizon.
How to compare on renewal, not on promotion
- Use the renewal rate as the baseline. It is the rate that applies for the majority of a multi-year horizon. Comparing promotional rates across providers compares the shortest, least representative part of the bill.
- Multiply the renewal rate by the months you plan to keep the server. In this sample KVM 1 renews at $11.99 per month and KVM 2 at $14.99, which is the smallest increase in the group (1.67×).
- Check the term length, not just the rate. A promotional rate is only as good as the term it covers. This sample verifies that term for KVM 1 only.
Monthly-billed providers have no renewal step
DigitalOcean, Akamai / Linode and Vultr publish a single monthly rate in this snapshot — there is no promotional-to-renewal step to model. That is not a guarantee: their published monthly price is variable, and the estimates on the comparison table assume it stays unchanged across the horizon. A renewal step and a variable price are different risks, and neither is visible in a single month of billing.
Scope and limits
Renewal rates are published snapshot values and can change. Only KVM 1’s initial term was verified, in an anonymous cart on September 15, 2026; the initial terms of the other prepaid plans are unverified, so their total cost is withheld rather than estimated. Taxes, add-ons and refund policy are excluded. See Methodology & disclosures.
Related: Prepaid vs monthly billing · Cost by memory class