How Much Is a GoDaddy Website? Real Prices for Hosting, Domains, and Build Tools in 2025

Want to know how much a GoDaddy website actually costs? You’re not alone. Most people think GoDaddy offers a single price for a website - like $5 a month - and walk away confused when their final bill hits $40 or more. The truth is, GoDaddy doesn’t sell websites. It sells pieces: domains, hosting, website builders, email, security, and add-ons. Put them all together, and you’ve got a website. But how much does each piece cost? And what do you really need?

Domain Name: The First $10-$20 You’ll Pay

Every website needs a domain name - your website’s address, like yourbusiness.com. GoDaddy’s cheapest domain is $0.99 for the first year on .com, but that’s a bait-and-switch. After year one, it jumps to $17.99. Renewals for other extensions like .net or .co.uk cost more. If you want a .co.uk domain, expect to pay $12.99/year after the first year. Some people buy domains elsewhere and connect them to GoDaddy hosting - that’s fine, but it adds steps. Buying your domain and hosting together at GoDaddy is easier, but you’re locking yourself into their pricing.

Website Hosting: The Core Cost

Hosting is where your website lives online. GoDaddy has four main hosting plans. Here’s what they cost in 2025:

• Shared Hosting: Starts at $2.99/month for the first year. After that, it’s $7.99/month. This is fine for small blogs or simple sites with under 10,000 visits a month. But if you get traffic spikes, your site will slow down or crash.
• WordPress Hosting: Starts at $5.99/month for the first year. After renewal, $14.99/month. This plan is optimized for WordPress sites. It includes one-click installs, automatic updates, and basic security. Good for small businesses using WordPress.
• Business Hosting: Starts at $12.99/month for the first year. After renewal, $22.99/month. This plan includes more storage, bandwidth, and priority support. It’s meant for stores or service sites with higher traffic.
• Cloud Hosting: Starts at $14.99/month for the first year. After renewal, $29.99/month. This is for sites that need speed and scalability - think ecommerce stores with 50,000+ monthly visitors.

Here’s the catch: GoDaddy’s cheapest plans don’t include SSL certificates. That’s the little padlock in your browser’s address bar. Without it, your site looks unsafe. SSL is free on WordPress and Business plans, but you have to pay extra on Shared Hosting - $14.99/year. That’s not included in the monthly price you see.

Website Builder: The Hidden $10-$15 Monthly Fee

GoDaddy doesn’t give you a website for free. You need a website builder to create one. GoDaddy’s builder is called GoDaddy Website Builder. It’s not free. Even if you sign up for their cheapest hosting plan, you’ll be pushed to upgrade to the Website Builder - and it costs extra.

• Basic Website Builder: $11.99/month (billed annually). Includes 10 pages, basic templates, mobile-friendly design, and contact forms.
• Standard Website Builder: $16.99/month. Adds SEO tools, Google Analytics, and more templates.
• Advanced Website Builder: $24.99/month. Includes ecommerce features, unlimited products, and priority support.

If you’re building a simple portfolio or local business site, the Basic plan works. But if you want to sell products, you’ll need Advanced. And yes - you pay for this on top of hosting. So if you choose Shared Hosting ($2.99) + Basic Builder ($11.99), your first-year monthly cost is $14.98. That’s not $2.99. That’s more than double.

What About Ecommerce? You’ll Pay More

Want to sell products? GoDaddy’s Basic and Standard Website Builder plans don’t allow online sales. You need the Advanced plan - $24.99/month. But even then, you’re missing key features. GoDaddy doesn’t offer built-in payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal without third-party integrations. You’ll need to pay extra for transaction fees (up to 3% per sale). Compare that to Shopify, which includes payment processing in its plans. GoDaddy’s ecommerce setup feels like a patchwork - you’re buying pieces instead of a system.

Extra Costs You Won’t See Until Checkout

GoDaddy is great at upselling. Here’s what they’ll try to sell you:

• SSL Certificate: $14.99/year if not included (Shared Hosting only)
• Business Email: $5.99/month for one email address (like [email protected])
• Site Backup: $2.99/month for daily backups
• Site Lock: $9.99/year for malware protection
• Domain Privacy: $9.99/year to hide your personal info from public WHOIS records

These aren’t optional if you want a professional site. But they’re hidden until you’re halfway through checkout. Add them all up - SSL, email, backup, privacy - and you’re looking at another $15-$25/month. That’s on top of hosting and the website builder.

Real-World Example: What a Small Business Pays

Let’s say you’re opening a local bakery in Leeds. You want a simple site with a menu, contact form, and photos. Here’s your first-year cost:

• Domain (.co.uk): $12.99
• Shared Hosting: $2.99 x 12 = $35.88
• Website Builder (Basic): $11.99 x 12 = $143.88
• SSL Certificate: $14.99
• Business Email: $5.99 x 12 = $71.88
• Domain Privacy: $9.99
• Site Backup: $2.99 x 12 = $35.88

Total: $325.49 for the first year. That’s $27.12 per month.

After year one? Renewals kick in:

• Hosting: $7.99/month
• Builder: $11.99/month
• Email: $5.99/month
• SSL, Privacy, Backup: $22.97/year

That’s $28.96/month - over $347/year. And you didn’t even get ecommerce.

Is GoDaddy Worth It?

GoDaddy makes it easy. The interface is simple. You don’t need to know code. If you’re not tech-savvy and want something done fast, it works. But you’re paying for convenience - not value.

Compare that to Namecheap + WordPress.org + a cheap host like Hostinger:

• Domain: $5.98/year
• Hosting: $2.99/month
• WordPress: free
• SSL: free
• Email: free with hosting
• Backup: free plugin

Total first year: under $100. You get more control, better performance, and no upsells. You’ll need to learn a little, but you won’t be locked into a $300/year cycle.

GoDaddy’s pricing is designed to surprise you. The low starter price is bait. The real cost comes from the add-ons you need to make your site functional. If you’re okay with that - and you want a guided experience - GoDaddy works. But if you want to save money, avoid the upsells, and own your site fully, look elsewhere.

What You Should Do Instead

Here’s a smarter path:

1. Buy your domain from Namecheap or Porkbun - cheaper and no hidden fees.
2. Use a host like Hostinger, SiteGround, or Cloudways - better performance, no upsells.
3. Install WordPress.org - it’s free and powers 43% of all websites.
4. Use a free theme like Astra or GeneratePress.
5. Add free plugins for SEO, backups, and forms.

You’ll spend less than half of what GoDaddy charges. And you’ll own everything - no one can lock you in.

Final Thoughts

There’s no such thing as a “GoDaddy website” for $5 a month. That’s a marketing headline. The real cost? It starts at $25-$30 a month for a basic site. If you want to sell things, it’s closer to $40. And it only gets more expensive after year one.

If you’re on a tight budget, don’t fall for the low first-year price. Look at the full picture. Ask yourself: Do I want convenience - or control? Do I want to pay more so someone else does the work - or do I want to own my site and save money long-term?

GoDaddy isn’t bad. But it’s expensive. And unless you’re a complete beginner who needs hand-holding, you can do better.