ChatGPT answers, unedited

If predictable pricing is your top priority, I’d lean toward WordPress.com rather than the usual bargain hosts.

My pick: WordPress.com

For a new blogger, the Personal plan is probably enough. As of August 2026, it’s listed at $4/month when billed annually, with the plan itself renewing at the displayed rate rather than using a “$3 introductory price → $10+ renewal” model. wordpress.com

More importantly, WordPress.com explicitly says its domain registration and renewal prices are the same for standard domains, although the domain is a separate cost after the first free year. wordpress.com

See WordPress.com pricing

How I'd rank the options

A current 2026 comparison of published pricing illustrates the issue: Hostinger is listed around $2.99 → $10.99/month, SiteGround $2.99 → $17.99, and Bluehost $3.99 → $9.99, whereas Cloudways, Kinsta, and WP Engine are listed with flat pricing. hostarbiter.com

One important caveat

“Predictable” doesn't necessarily mean guaranteed forever. WordPress.com says the price you sign up for applies to your billing period, but future renewal pricing can change when that period ends. wordpress.com

So if you're starting a blog today, I'd do this:

WordPress.com Personal + keep your domain separate from the hosting account.

That gives you a simple, low-maintenance setup without getting trapped by an artificially cheap first-year hosting deal.

If you tell me your approximate budget (e.g. $5, $10, or $20/month) and whether you want WordPress specifically, I can give you 2–3 options where I compare the actual 3-year total cost, including renewal pricing and domain cost.

If predictable pricing is your #1 priority, I’d avoid the big “$2–$3/month” introductory hosting deals. They’re cheap initially but commonly jump substantially at renewal—Hostinger, for example, currently advertises $2.99/month but lists renewal at $10.99/month. Hostinger hostingdive

My pick: InterServer

For a new blogger, InterServer is the one I’d investigate first if you want boring, predictable hosting.

• Price stability: It has historically offered a price-lock policy rather than the usual teaser-price → renewal-price model. Current comparisons list its shared hosting around $7/month with a price lock. HostingProMax
• Monthly billing: You don't have to commit to several years just to get the advertised price.
• Good fit for a blog: Shared hosting is more than sufficient for a new WordPress site.
• Tradeoff: It's not the slickest or most beginner-oriented WordPress experience compared with premium managed hosts.

If you want the easiest possible experience

I'd consider wordpress.com.

Its pricing is considerably more straightforward than the traditional shared-hosting companies, and the platform handles much of the technical maintenance for you. The downside is that you're paying more for convenience and have somewhat less control than with a self-hosted WordPress setup. Its current Personal plan is $4/month when paid annually, with the displayed renewal price shown during checkout. WordPress.com

If you don't mind paying more for genuinely flat pricing

There are also managed hosts that explicitly avoid introductory-rate games. For example, current 2026 comparisons identify Kinsta and Cloudways as providers with flat/no-renewal-jump pricing, though they're substantially more expensive than basic shared hosting. HostArbiter MantraBrain

For a starting blogger, though, I wouldn't spend $25–$35/month on hosting unless you already expect significant traffic.

What I'd do in your shoes

The important thing is to compare the price you'll pay in year 2 and year 3, not the giant number on the homepage. Current comparisons show some mainstream hosts increasing prices by several hundred percent at renewal. hostingshortlist.com VPS Hosting Radar

My recommendation: If you're comfortable with normal WordPress hosting, InterServer. If you want to write posts and essentially forget about the technical side, WordPress.com.

If you tell me roughly your budget (e.g. <$5, <$10, <$15/month) and whether you want WordPress, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options and calculate the actual 3-year cost, including domain renewal.

If predictable pricing is your priority, I would not choose based on the cheapest introductory offer. A lot of popular hosts advertise $2–$3/month and then jump substantially at renewal. For example, Hostinger’s current Premium offer is $2.99/month for a 48-month term, but renews at $10.99/month. www.hostinger.com

My pick: DreamHost

For a new blogger, DreamHost would be my first choice if you want a straightforward WordPress setup without feeling like you're signing up for a teaser rate.

Why:

• Good fit for a small WordPress blog.
• Month-to-month billing is available, which is particularly useful if you don't want to prepay several years. www.quicksprout.com
• Current pricing comparisons put its entry plan around $2.89/month initially and about $10.99/month at renewal. www.itechguides.com
• It isn't the absolute cheapest, but its pricing is relatively easy to understand.
• You can start small and upgrade later rather than paying for resources you don't need.

DreamHost official site

If "no surprise hikes" is really important

I'd consider Cloudways instead once you're comfortable with a slightly more technical setup. Current comparisons show flat pricing rather than the traditional "huge introductory discount → big renewal bill" model. umarrajput.com

The tradeoff is that it's overkill for many brand-new bloggers.

Cloudways official site

What I'd avoid for your particular priority

I'd be cautious about SiteGround, Hostinger, Bluehost, and IONOS if your main concern is renewal predictability. They can be perfectly good hosts, but their promotional prices can be dramatically lower than their eventual renewal prices. One current comparison found increases ranging from roughly 2× to 8× among several major hosts. www.quicksprout.comumarrajput.comhostingshortlist.com

My ranking for a beginner blogger:

One other thing: separate your domain from your hosting if you want maximum pricing control. That makes it much easier to change hosts later without moving your domain at the same time.

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per year (e.g. $50, $100, or $150), I can narrow this down to the 2–3 best options and show you what you'd actually pay over 3 years, including renewal costs.

If predictable long-term pricing is your top priority, I’d avoid the usual “$2.99/month” shared-hosting deals. Those are often introductory prices that jump substantially at renewal. hostingshortlist.com

My picks for a new blogger

1. DreamHost — best budget choice

I’d probably start here. DreamHost is relatively beginner-friendly, supports WordPress well, and offers month-to-month billing. More importantly, its renewal pricing is comparatively modest rather than the huge jumps you see at some competitors. hostingdive.com

One caveat: even DreamHost currently advertises promotional pricing, so you need to look at the post-promotion price, not the headline price. For example, its August 2026 promotion shows $1.99/month for four years but $7.99/month afterward. www.dreamhost.com

DreamHost

2. Kinsta — best if you want genuinely predictable pricing

Kinsta is much more expensive—roughly $35/month for its entry-level managed WordPress service—but its standard pricing is essentially the price you budget for, rather than a cheap teaser rate followed by a big renewal increase. Current comparisons show $35/month with no renewal jump. hostarbiter.comhostingshortlist.com

For a brand-new personal blog, though, I think it's overkill unless you value premium managed hosting and don't mind spending ~$420/year.

Kinsta

3. Cloudways — interesting middle ground

Cloudways is another option where the pricing model is much more predictable: you pay for the underlying cloud server rather than getting a heavily discounted introductory hosting package. Current comparisons put a basic setup around $14/month. hostarbiter.com

It's more complicated than DreamHost, though, so I wouldn't choose it simply for a first blog unless you're comfortable with a little more technical setup.

Cloudways

What I'd do in your shoes

For a first blog, I'd choose DreamHost, but I'd sign up based on its renewal price, not its promotional price.

I'd also avoid making the decision based on the lowest advertised rate. For comparison, current 2026 figures show roughly:

The exact numbers vary by plan and current promotion, but the pattern is what's important. hostarbiter.comhostingshortlist.com

One other thing: don't forget the domain. Hosting can be predictable while the domain renewal, privacy add-ons, email, backups, etc. introduce unexpected costs.

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per month (e.g. $5, $10, $20) and whether you're planning to use WordPress, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 choices and calculate the real 3-year cost, including renewals.

If your priority is predictable long-term cost, I’d avoid hosts whose headline price is a steep introductory discount followed by a big renewal jump.

My pick: Namecheap EasyWP

For a new blogger using WordPress, Namecheap EasyWP is probably the best fit for your specific requirement.

• Managed WordPress hosting, so you don't have to deal with server configuration.
• Monthly billing is available, which makes the ongoing cost very easy to understand.
• The current monthly Starter price is $9.88/month, with the plan explicitly showing that it renews at the same $9.88/month. www.namecheap.com
• It includes SSL, CDN, automatic WordPress updates, and 10 GB NVMe storage. www.namecheap.com

Namecheap EasyWP pricing

The catch: Namecheap's annual promotional pricing does have a renewal increase. For example, its current Starter promotion is $30.88 for the first year and renews at $68.88/year. www.namecheap.com So I'd use the monthly plan if avoiding surprise renewal pricing is more important than getting the lowest possible first-year price.

What I'd avoid

SiteGround is good hosting, but it's almost the opposite of what you're asking for: its current StartUp offer is $2.99/month, but renews at $17.99/month. www.siteground.com

DreamHost is also solid for beginners, but its promotional pricing increases substantially at renewal. Its current Launch plan is $2.89/month for the first year and renews at $10.99/month. www.dreamhost.com

Those aren't necessarily bad deals—the problem is that they're optimized for cheap acquisition, not necessarily predictable lifetime pricing.

One other strategy I'd strongly recommend

Separate your domain from your hosting.

That way, if your host changes prices or becomes annoying, you can move your website without having to transfer your domain at the same time. For a blogger starting out, I'd optimize for:

Domain registrar + reasonably priced monthly WordPress hosting + automatic backups.

If you tell me roughly how much you'd like to spend per month (e.g. $5, $10, $15) and whether you're planning to use WordPress, I can give you a short list of 3 hosts ranked specifically by 5-year total cost, rather than their flashy introductory prices.

If predictable long-term pricing is your priority, I’d put DreamHost at the top of your list for a new blog.

My pick: DreamHost

What makes it stand out is that DreamHost explicitly displays the renewal price before you buy, rather than hiding it behind a low introductory rate. It also offers monthly billing, so you don't have to commit to several years just to get a reasonable price. www.dreamhost.com

For a typical beginner WordPress blog, its Web Hosting Launch plan is currently:

• $2.89/mo for the first year
• $10.99/mo renewal
• 25 websites
• 25 GB NVMe storage
• Daily automated backups
• Free SSL
• Free domain for the first year www.dreamhost.com

If you're willing to prepay four years, the current promotion is $1.99/mo for four years, renewing at $7.99/mo afterward. www.dreamhost.com

One important distinction

"Predictable pricing" doesn't necessarily mean the price can never change. Hosting companies can change their standard prices in the future. What I like about DreamHost is that the normal renewal price is plainly disclosed today, so you're not buying at $2.99 and discovering later that the standard rate is $18–$30/month.

For comparison, SiteGround currently advertises its StartUp plan at $2.99/mo, but it renews at $17.99/mo. That's exactly the kind of introductory-price/renewal-price jump you're trying to avoid. www.siteground.com

What I'd do if I were starting a blog

DreamHost + self-hosted WordPress + a domain registered separately is probably the combination I'd choose.

Keeping your domain separate from your hosting makes it easier to switch hosts later without having your domain and website tied together. It also makes your actual recurring costs easier to understand.

My ranking for your particular priority:

1. DreamHost — best fit for predictable, transparent hosting pricing
2. WordPress.com — very beginner-friendly and has unusually clear domain renewal pricing; better if you want less technical management wordpress.com
3. SiteGround — good hosting, but I'd avoid it if avoiding renewal jumps is a major criterion www.siteground.com

If you tell me roughly how much traffic you expect (e.g. 100, 1,000, or 10,000 visitors/month) and whether you want WordPress, I can narrow this down to the cheapest 2–3 options based on actual 3-year total cost, including domain renewal.

If predictable pricing is your #1 priority, I’d avoid the big “$2.99/month” introductory offers. They’re often inexpensive only for the first term, then jump at renewal. For example, Namecheap increased its shared-hosting renewal prices in May 2026, while DreamHost explicitly shows its higher renewal rates alongside the promotional price. www.namecheap.comwww.dreamhost.comzume.net

My picks for a new blogger

1. Zume — best match for your specific requirement

Zume is unusually explicit about this: it says the price you sign up at is the price you pay at renewal, with no price hikes for existing customers, no introductory rates, and no hidden fees. It also includes SSL, backups, email, staging, and CDN rather than charging separately for them. zume.netwww.dreamhost.com

Zume Hosting

Why I'd choose it: If you want to start a WordPress blog and essentially say “I don't want to think about my hosting bill again,” this is the closest fit I've found.

2. Blue Arctic — another strong fixed-price option

Blue Arctic says its WordPress/web-hosting plans start at $7.95/month billed annually and, importantly, that the signup price is the renewal price—no promotional jump. They also offer free migration. www.bluearctic.com

Blue Arctic

Why consider it: More conventional hosting setup, while still giving you the pricing predictability you're after.

3. DreamHost — best established/ mainstream choice

If you'd rather go with a long-established host, DreamHost is worth considering. Its big advantage is transparency rather than fixed pricing: it tells you the renewal price before you buy and offers monthly billing. However, its promotional rates do increase at renewal, so it doesn't meet your “no renewal hike” requirement as literally as Zume or Blue Arctic. www.dreamhost.com

DreamHost

What I'd do in your shoes

For a new personal blog, I'd rank them:

The important distinction is “transparent renewal pricing” vs. “fixed renewal pricing.” DreamHost, for example, is transparent—but you're still paying more later. Zume explicitly promises that existing customers retain their signup rate. www.namecheap.comwww.dreamhost.comzume.net

One caveat: Zume and Blue Arctic are smaller providers than DreamHost. For a beginning blog, that's not necessarily a problem, but I'd keep your domain registered separately from your hosting account. That makes switching hosts much easier if you ever outgrow them.

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per year (e.g. $50, $100, $150) and whether you're planning to use WordPress, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options and compare their actual 3-year cost, including the domain.

For a new blogger, I’d recommend DreamHost, particularly if predictable pricing is one of your top priorities.

Why:

• Renewal pricing is shown upfront. DreamHost explicitly displays the post-promotion renewal price alongside the introductory price, rather than making you hunt through the fine print. www.dreamhost.comwww.dreamhost.com
• You can pay month-to-month. That makes it easier to avoid locking yourself into a multi-year commitment just to get a low introductory rate. www.dreamhost.comwww.dreamhost.com
• The entry-level hosting is plenty for a starting blog: WordPress support, daily backups, free SSL, and 25 GB NVMe storage are included. www.dreamhost.com
• Current example: DreamHost's Launch plan is advertised at $2.89/month for the first year and explicitly renews at $10.99/month. That's a substantial increase, but importantly, it's disclosed before you buy. www.dreamhost.com

One important caveat

If by "no surprise renewal hikes" you mean the renewal price should never increase at all, that's harder to guarantee with mainstream hosting. Even DreamHost's published renewal rate is a current price, not necessarily a lifetime price guarantee.

I'd therefore rank your options like this:

For comparison, current 2026 pricing shows Hostinger's $2.99 introductory rate renewing at $16.99, while SiteGround's $4.99 introductory GrowBig rate renews at $29.99. www.techradar.com

My practical advice: start with DreamHost Launch, and keep your domain registration separate from your hosting if you want maximum control over future costs.

DreamHost hosting plans and current pricing

If you tell me roughly how much traffic you expect (e.g. <1,000, 10,000, or 50,000 visitors/month) and whether you're using WordPress, I can narrow it down to the cheapest 2–3 options that won't sting you at renewal.

For a new blogger, I’d prioritize predictable long-term cost over the cheapest first-year deal. Many hosts advertise very low introductory prices and then charge much higher renewal rates, so compare the “year 2+” price before signing up. www.quicksprout.comhostingguider.comhostingdive.com

My recommendations:

My pick for a first serious blog:

1. DreamHost — best overall balance of beginner friendliness + predictable budgeting.
2. InterServer — choose this if avoiding renewal surprises is your #1 priority.
3. Namecheap — choose this if you want a low-cost, simple setup.

I would be cautious with hosts that advertise $2–$3/month forever-looking prices but only reveal the real cost after the first term. The cheapest first year can become the most expensive long-term. www.quicksprout.comhostingguider.comhostingdive.com

A few blogging-specific tips:

• Use WordPress.org (self-hosted WordPress), not a free blogging platform, if you plan to monetize later.
• Buy your domain separately if possible; it makes switching hosts easier.
• Make sure your plan includes:
  • free SSL
  • automatic backups (or an easy backup tool)
  • one-click WordPress install
  • email support or chat support
• Avoid paying extra for “SEO packages,” “security bundles,” or “site builders” you don’t need at launch.

If you expect under ~50,000 monthly visitors for the first year, you do not need expensive managed WordPress hosting. A solid shared plan is usually enough. www.reddit.com

For a new blogger, I’d pick DreamHost, specifically because your priority is predictable pricing rather than getting the absolute cheapest introductory deal.

My ranking

Why DreamHost: it explicitly displays the renewal price alongside the promotional price and offers month-to-month billing. Its current Launch plan, for example, is advertised at $2.89/month for the first year and $10.99/month on renewal. DreamHost says the renewal rate is shown upfront rather than hidden in fine print. www.dreamhost.com

That doesn't mean DreamHost promises that $10.99 will never change in the future—no host can realistically guarantee that. It means you're not dealing with the classic "$2.99/month!" offer that suddenly becomes $15–$20/month when the introductory term ends.

One important distinction

If by "no surprise renewal hikes" you mean literally the same price after the introductory period, I'd actually step up to Kinsta or Cloudways. Current pricing comparisons show these as flat-rate/monthly options, whereas budget shared hosts generally use introductory pricing. hostarbiter.com

Kinsta is excellent but starts around $35/month for its single-site monthly plan, which is overkill for most brand-new blogs. kinsta.com

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with DreamHost's regular web hosting rather than premium managed WordPress hosting. You can run WordPress on it, get SSL, backups, and plenty of capacity for a beginning blog, without paying $20–$35+ per month.

I'd also avoid choosing a host based on the lowest advertised introductory price. For example, Hostinger can be very inexpensive initially, but current comparisons show its introductory pricing rising substantially at renewal. webhostingguide.net

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per month ($5, $10, $15, etc.), I can narrow this down to the 2–3 best hosts for a new blog and show what you'd actually pay over 3 years, including renewal pricing.

If predictable pricing is your priority, I’d put DreamHost at the top of the list for a beginner blogger—but with one important caveat: its renewal price is higher than the introductory price.

My pick: DreamHost

DreamHost hosting is unusually transparent about this. Its current Launch plan shows the promotional price and the exact renewal price on the plan itself. For example, the current 4-year offer is $1.99/month initially and explicitly renews at $7.99/month. It also offers monthly billing. www.dreamhost.com

For a new blog, I'd choose the Launch plan. You get:

• WordPress hosting
• 25 GB NVMe storage
• Daily automated backups
• Free SSL
• Up to 25 websites
• Unmetered bandwidth
• No need to pay for a 3–4 year commitment if you don't want to

The big advantage isn't that the price can never change—no host can honestly promise that. It's that you're not discovering a dramatically different renewal price after the promotional period. DreamHost explicitly advertises renewal pricing upfront. www.dreamhost.com

One I'd avoid for your particular priority

Namecheap looks extremely attractive at first—its Stellar hosting starts around $1.98/month—but it announced a renewal-price increase in May 2026. The current annual renewal is $55.88/year, versus the much lower introductory rate. www.namecheap.com

SiteGround is another I'd skip if renewal surprises bother you. Its current introductory StartUp price is $2.99/month, but the renewal is $17.99/month according to a recent 2026 comparison. www.tomsguide.com

If you want really predictable pricing

There's an interesting alternative: NearlyFreeSpeech.NET. It doesn't use the traditional "cheap first year → expensive renewal" model at all. It's pay-as-you-go: you deposit money and are charged based on actual resource usage, with no long-term contract. www.nearlyfreespeech.net

The catch is that it's considerably more technical, so I wouldn't recommend it as your first WordPress host unless you're comfortable managing a more hands-on setup.

My ranking for a first blog

Bottom line: I'd start with DreamHost Launch, and I'd budget using the $7.99/month renewal price, not the $1.99 promotional price. That way, even if the introductory offer disappears, you're already planning around the real ongoing cost. www.dreamhost.com

If you tell me roughly how much traffic you expect (e.g. <1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 visitors/month), I can also give you the 3 cheapest hosting setups I'd consider for a new blog in 2026, including the option of separating your domain from your hosting to make future price increases easier to avoid.

If predictable pricing is your #1 priority, I’d recommend Zume Hosting for a new blog.

Why I like it for a beginner:

• No introductory “bait” pricing: Zume says the price you sign up at is the price you keep paying, rather than jumping dramatically at renewal. zume.net
• No surprise renewal hikes: Its plans explicitly show “No renewal increase.” zume.netzume.net
• Good fit for WordPress: It supports WordPress, and its entry-level WordPress Lite plan is currently $5/month billed annually ($60/year) with no visitor limit. zume.netzume.net
• You can pay monthly: You aren't forced into a multi-year commitment to get the advertised price. zume.net
• Migration and SSL are included, and the regular hosting plans include backups. zume.netzume.net

One important caveat

I wouldn't interpret “no renewal increase” as an absolute contractual guarantee forever. Zume's FAQ says it may change its pricing model if supplier costs, currency fluctuations, inflation, etc. make that necessary, with advance notice. zume.net

That's still much more transparent than the typical “$2.99/month!” offer that quietly becomes $15–$25/month when you renew.

For comparison, DreamHost is reasonably transparent but doesn't meet your particular requirement as well: its current Launch plan is $2.89/month initially but renews at $10.99/month. DreamHost does at least display that renewal price upfront. www.dreamhost.com SiteGround is even less attractive for your goal: its $2.99/month StartUp offer currently renews at $17.99/month. www.siteground.com

My pick: Zume, especially if you're starting a straightforward WordPress blog and would rather pay ~$5/month consistently than chase the cheapest introductory offer.

If you tell me roughly how much traffic you expect and whether you want WordPress, I can also give you a 3-provider shortlist under ~$10/month with the actual long-term cost, rather than the advertised introductory price.

If your priority is predictable pricing and avoiding nasty renewal surprises, I’d put DreamHost at the top of the list for a new blogger.

My picks

Why DreamHost: its current pricing page explicitly says the renewal price is shown alongside the promotional price. For example, its Launch plan is currently $2.89/mo for the first year and $10.99/mo on renewal. It also offers month-to-month billing. www.dreamhost.com

DreamHost hosting plans

That's important because a lot of hosts advertise something like "$2.99/month," only for the price to become $15–18/month when you renew. SiteGround, for example, currently advertises $2.99/mo but states that it renews at $17.99/mo. www.siteground.com Hostinger's current Premium WordPress offer is $2.99/mo but renews at $10.99/mo. www.hostinger.com

If you want truly predictable pricing

I'd actually consider Kinsta or WP Engine if you're comfortable spending around $30/month. A current 2026 comparison lists both at flat pricing with no renewal jump, unlike Hostinger, SiteGround, and Bluehost. hostarbiter.com

But for a starting blogger, I don't think you need to spend that much.

My recommendation: DreamHost + WordPress. I'd take the slightly higher long-term cost in exchange for knowing exactly what you're getting into rather than chasing a $2–3 introductory price.

One other tip: separate your domain registration from your hosting once you're comfortable doing so. That makes it easier to switch hosts later without having your domain tied to the hosting company.

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per month ($5, $10, $20, etc.) and whether you're using WordPress, I can narrow it down to the 2–3 best choices for a new blog.

If predictable pricing is your top priority, I’d start with DreamHost—specifically its regular web hosting rather than managed WordPress hosting.

DreamHost hosting plans

My pick: DreamHost

What I like for a new blogger:

• Renewal pricing is shown upfront. DreamHost explicitly displays the post-introductory renewal price alongside the promotional price, rather than hiding it in the fine print. www.dreamhost.com
• Month-to-month billing is available, so you don't have to lock yourself into a multi-year contract just to get started. www.dreamhost.com
• The current Launch plan is $2.89/mo for the first year and $10.99/mo on renewal. That's a substantial increase, but importantly, it's not a surprise. www.dreamhost.com
• You get WordPress support, SSL, backups, and enough storage/traffic capacity for a typical beginning blog.

One important distinction: no surprise renewal hike isn't the same as no renewal hike. DreamHost still uses promotional introductory pricing. Its current Launch plan goes from $2.89/mo to $10.99/mo after the first year. www.dreamhost.com

What I'd avoid for your particular priority

SiteGround is good hosting, but I'd put it lower on your list if you specifically dislike renewal-price jumps. Its shared hosting is automatically renewed annually, and current pricing comparisons show substantially higher renewal rates than introductory rates. www.siteground.com

Cloudways has more transparent usage-based billing, but it's overkill for most first-time bloggers and can be more complicated to budget for because billing depends on the resources you use. support.cloudways.com

My ranking for a new blogger

Bottom line: I'd choose DreamHost Launch, especially if you're starting a WordPress blog and want to know exactly what you'll be paying when the introductory period ends.

One other trick: keep your domain registration separate from your hosting if predictable long-term costs are really important. That makes it much easier to change hosts later without moving your domain at the same time. DreamHost currently lists .com renewal at $19.99/year, for example. www.dreamhost.com

If you tell me roughly how much you're willing to spend per month ($3, $5, $10, etc.), I can narrow this down to the 2–3 hosting providers with the best 3-year total cost, rather than just comparing introductory prices.