A2 Hosting's StartUp plan is pitched at the entry level: 100GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, 5 databases, 700MB physical memory, free site migration, and a free SSL certificate, all on cPanel. According to the publisher, the plan starts at $2.99 per month on a 36-month commitment, and renews at $10.99 monthly at the end of the term.
For resellers and small agencies, the question is not whether the plan exists but whether the price-to-renewal math holds up once you hand a client the bill. That is where the StartUp plan gets interesting, and a little tricky.
At a glance
- Disk space: 100GB SSD, bandwidth unmetered, 700MB physical memory, 5 databases.
- Email: unlimited mailboxes, free SSL, free site migration included.
- Control panel: cPanel, with 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Pricing: $2.99 per month on a 3-year term, $6.99 per month on 12 months, $10.99 per month on monthly billing.
- Renewal rate: $10.99 per month after the initial 3-year term ends.
- Data centers: Arizona, Michigan, Amsterdam, Singapore.
Why resellers care about entry-level shared plans
Most small agencies do not start their clients on VPS or dedicated infrastructure. They start them on cheap shared hosting, then upgrade them when traffic or admin needs grow. That makes the entry-level plan a critical loss leader: it sets client expectations on speed, support, and how painful the renewal will be. A plan that looks like a bargain at signup and stings at renewal can quietly damage a reseller's reputation.
A2's StartUp plan fits the standard shared-hosting template. The headline price is competitive, cPanel is included, and SSD storage is the default. The 30-day refund window is on the short side compared with longer guarantees elsewhere. Renewal at $10.99 per month is roughly 3.7x the intro price, a wide spread that is common in this segment but worth flagging in any client conversation.
Background: how cheap shared plans actually work
The shared hosting business model relies on long-tenure pricing. Providers discount the first term heavily because customers churn, forget, or get lazy about renewal math. Unlimited resources are nearly always subject to fair-use limits. The 5-database cap on the StartUp plan is the most concrete hard limit: a WordPress multisite install plus a few side projects can burn through that quickly. The 700MB physical memory is the second concrete number, and it tells you this is a true entry-level plan, not a small-business workhorse.
Our analysis
The StartUp plan is built for one site that does not get hammered with traffic. Resellers should treat it as a learning-tier or landing-page plan, not a production tier for clients with real business on the line. The unlimited bandwidth claim is the part to push back on in any client conversation: in practice, shared hosting has a CPU and entry-process footprint, and a sudden traffic spike will get throttled before bandwidth does.
The 5-database cap is the real gotcha. WordPress itself uses one database per install, so a client running a main site plus a staging copy plus a dev sandbox is already at the limit. Add WooCommerce, a CRM, or a membership plugin that wants its own database, and the plan is over.
What this means for you
Say you are packaging hosting for a new client who runs a single WordPress site with a contact form and a blog. The StartUp plan covers that, and the cPanel access means the client can manage email, SSL, and backups without you. The day that client adds an online store, a second site, or a learning platform, you have to move them. Plan the upgrade path before you sign them up, not after.
Bottom line
A cheap intro price is fine for a single low-traffic site. Run the renewal math, watch the 5-database cap, and have an upgrade plan ready.
Key takeaways
- $2.99 per month is the intro rate on a 36-month commit; the renewal rate is $10.99 per month.
- 5 databases and 700MB physical memory are the real hard limits, not the "unlimited" labels.
- Use the StartUp plan for landing pages and single-site clients; move growing sites off it before they hit the cap.
Frequently asked questions
Does the A2 Hosting StartUp plan include cPanel?
Yes, cPanel is included with the StartUp plan, according to the published plan details.
What is the renewal price after the intro term?
The plan renews at $10.99 per month after the initial 3-year term, according to the published pricing.
How many databases does the StartUp plan allow?
The plan includes 5 databases, which is the most concrete hard limit for WordPress multisite or multi-project use.
Is the money-back window long enough to test the plan?
A2 offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is shorter than the 90-day window some competitors offer.