Choosing hosting
How much does it cost to host a website in NZ?
Key takeaway
At locally owned Lightning Web Hosting, hosting costs NZ$55 + GST per website a month with Thunder, or NZ$99 + GST with everyday Arc updates on Lightning. Both include domain registration, DNS, SSL, CDN, platform security and daily AWS website backups. Hosting billing starts when your website goes live.
In this guide
Compare a full year of the service you need
There is no single price for website hosting in New Zealand. A place to upload a small website is a different purchase from a service that also helps maintain and change it. The useful comparison is the total you will pay for the features and help your business needs.
Start with the ongoing hosting charge, then add any separate domain, email, paid software, maintenance and setup costs. Check whether the advertised price is in NZ dollars, whether GST is included and what happens when a promotion ends. Use the same twelve-month period for each quote.
Compare shared, VPS and managed hostingThe full cost of cheap web hosting
Lightning Web Hosting prices
Thunder is NZ$55 + GST per website per month for hosting. Paying monthly for twelve months totals NZ$660 + GST. Annual prepay is NZ$550 + GST for twelve months, the price of ten monthly payments.
Lightning is NZ$99 + GST per website per month for hosting with Arc’s everyday website updates. Twelve monthly payments total NZ$1,188 + GST. Annual prepay is NZ$990 + GST for twelve months. Everyday updates cover text, your uploaded images and moving existing items around a page, subject to fair use.
Both plans include free domain registration, DNS, SSL, Amazon CloudFront CDN, platform security and daily AWS website backups. We confirm the domain and website setup with you. Additional domains, email accounts and specialist website features need their own agreed scope.
See the plans and choose your next stepSeparate domain, hosting, email and DNS costsDecide whether managed hosting is worth it
Is the price per website or per company?
Our hosting prices are per website. One company can have several websites and several portal users, but that does not turn several live websites into one hosting subscription. Ask the same question of any quote you compare.
For example, two websites on monthly Thunder hosting would be NZ$110 + GST a month. One website on Thunder and one on Lightning would be NZ$154 + GST a month. Different plans can make sense when one website changes often and the other rarely changes.
Separate the rebuild from the hosting
Moving an existing working website and redesigning it are different jobs. We assess the website before confirming the route and any setup work. Do not assume every platform can simply be copied to another host.
Our modernisation packages are NZ$999 + GST for up to 10 pages or NZ$1,199 + GST for up to 30 pages, with human oversight. Content, page count and special features are agreed first. This is a one-off project charge, separate from hosting. Hosting billing begins when the website is live with us, not while we prepare it.
See the modernisation offerWhat a website modernisation involves
Ask about changes and email before deciding
A low hosting bill can still leave you paying someone whenever your opening hours, photos or services change. Work out who will do that work and whether you want to do it yourself. Lightning includes everyday Arc updates; new pages, blogs and larger redesigns need agreed scope. Complex manual work is NZ$120 + GST an hour, quoted before work starts.
Email is another separate decision. You may already pay Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another provider. Moving your website does not require moving those mailboxes, and a hosting plan should not be assumed to include a replacement email service.
How everyday Arc updates workKeep your existing email when moving
Check renewal and cancellation terms
Monthly hosting is prepaid. You can cancel renewal and keep the service until your paid period ends. An upgrade from monthly Thunder refunds the unused part of that month and starts a new Lightning month. A downgrade takes effect at the next monthly renewal. Annual changes are confirmed against the prepaid agreement.
Keep a copy of the agreed quote. It should make the ongoing price, payment period, start date and any separate work easy to identify. The right plan is the one whose cost and responsibilities you understand before your website moves.
Is Lightning Web Hosting locally owned?
Yes. Lightning Web Hosting is a locally owned New Zealand service from Lightning Developments. You get NZ-dollar pricing and a team that can help you move, modernise and keep your website up to date.
Your website runs on AWS servers, with public content delivered through Amazon CloudFront. Both hosting plans include SSL, platform security and daily AWS website backups, alongside free domain registration and DNS.
Meet the locally owned business behind your hostingUnderstand NZ and overseas hosting locations