Truehost is our first pick for a small website on a tight budget, especially if you want cPanel or several sites in one account. HOSTAFRICA deserves a closer look when you want published resource limits and a DirectAdmin plan that you can match to your workload.
Their entry offers look almost identical: Truehost advertises KSh 188 a month and HOSTAFRICA advertises KSh 210. The payment terms change the comparison. Truehost's KSh 188 rate requires KSh 6,768 for three years upfront. HOSTAFRICA's promotional annual checkout shows KSh 2,310 before proration, with KSh 4,620 after the discount ends.
We compared the Kenya shared-hosting offers and policy wording on 6 October 2026. This is a buying comparison based on published evidence. We did not purchase either plan, measure uptime or run timed support tests.
Truehost vs HOSTAFRICA at a glance
Decision | Truehost Starter | HOSTAFRICA Starter |
|---|---|---|
Annual starting point | KSh 2,500 in the hosting catalogue | KSh 2,310 before proration in the promotional checkout |
Lowest advertised equivalent | KSh 188/month, paid every three years | KSh 210/month during the promotion |
Renewal shown | KSh 188/month equivalent on the three-year offer | KSh 4,620/year in annual checkout; KSh 420/month on the plan page |
Websites | Up to 10 | Up to 2 |
Storage | 30 GiB SSD | 20 GB SSD |
Control panel | cPanel | DirectAdmin |
Unlimited accounts advertised | 25 accounts | |
SSL | Automated SSL included | Let's Encrypt SSL included |
Backups | Daily backups advertised | Daily backups advertised; policy qualifications discussed below |
These are published plan allowances and prices, not tax-normalised invoice totals. Websites within one shared account use its shared resources. A ten-site allowance does not give each site a separate server.
For more detail on either provider, read our Truehost review or HOSTAFRICA review.
Which one is cheaper to keep?
Truehost: annual billing keeps the first payment small
The hosting catalogue lists Starter at KSh 2,500 annually. That is a useful starting point for a new company website: you can fund one year without paying for three years before the site has earned anything.
The three-year offer costs KSh 6,768 upfront. Its KSh 188 headline is the monthly equivalent of that payment, not a monthly subscription.
At the current annual price, three annual purchases would total KSh 7,500. Prepaying saves KSh 732 but requires KSh 4,268 more at the start. For a new project, we would usually keep that cash and choose annual billing. An established site you expect to maintain for three years can justify the prepayment.
The catalogue also lists a separate Starter Monthly product at KSh 500 per month. Use that product if you need a short trial of paid hosting. Twelve monthly payments would total KSh 6,000 at that rate, so it is a flexibility option rather than the cheapest full year.
HOSTAFRICA: the annual checkout differs from the headline
HOSTAFRICA's Starter offer shows KSh 210 per month during a 50% promotion and KSh 420 when it renews. The page explains that its displayed amounts are divided monthly equivalents of prepaid plans.
Following the page's annual order link produced a different, more useful comparison. With the promotion applied, the checkout showed a KSh 2,310 annual amount before proration and a KSh 4,620 renewal after the discount ends. The displayed monthly equivalents were KSh 192.50 during the promotion and KSh 385 at the regular annual rate.
The initial quote on 6 October was KSh 2,278.36, prorated to a 1 October 2027 due date. That date-adjusted amount is not a reusable annual price. We did not submit or pay for the order, and the screen did not separately resolve VAT. Compare your own final payment and renewal using the same billing period.
Hosting-only budget | First year | Later annual budget | Three-year illustration |
|---|---|---|---|
Truehost Starter, buying annually at today's price | KSh 2,500 | KSh 2,500 if the rate stays unchanged | KSh 7,500 |
Truehost Starter, three years prepaid | KSh 6,768 paid upfront | No additional hosting payment during that prepaid term | KSh 6,768 |
HOSTAFRICA Starter, assuming one promotional year then two regular years | KSh 2,310 before proration | KSh 4,620 at the observed annual renewal rate | KSh 11,550 |
The illustration excludes domains, tax and optional extras. Future annual price changes would affect the annual-payment examples. It shows why similar introductory headlines can produce different long-term budgets.
Our price verdict: HOSTAFRICA's observed promotional annual amount is KSh 190 below Truehost's published annual Starter price before tax normalisation or domain costs. Truehost has the lower ongoing budget at its current annual rate. Choose around how long you intend to keep the site, not just the first payment.
Website allowances versus resource limits
Truehost Starter's ten-site allowance is useful when you manage a company site, a blog and a few smaller projects. It also includes more storage than HOSTAFRICA Starter. That makes Truehost attractive for several modest sites in one account.
HOSTAFRICA takes a more explicit approach to its resource comparison. Its shared-hosting table lists Starter with 1,024 MB of memory and 20 entry processes, alongside I/O and process limits. That helps a developer decide whether the account fits the application before buying.
Storage and website counts answer different questions from memory and concurrent processes. A large image archive needs disk space. A shop with plugins, search and simultaneous checkouts can place more pressure on compute. Choose for the work the server must do, not simply the biggest number on the card.
For unrelated client sites, separate accounts may be worth paying for. One compromised installation, a busy site or a full mailbox should not become every client's problem. Ask about reseller or separately provisioned accounts when isolation is part of your service.
Our capacity verdict: Truehost wins on the entry plan's advertised site and storage allowance. HOSTAFRICA gives you a clearer published resource table. Neither fact establishes which will run your particular website faster.
cPanel or DirectAdmin?
Truehost advertises cPanel on the reviewed plans. HOSTAFRICA advertises DirectAdmin. Both let you handle hosting tasks through a browser, but the screens and workflows differ.
Choose cPanel if you already know where to manage mailboxes, databases and backups there. Staying with the familiar panel can reduce training and migration work. Choose DirectAdmin if your developer is comfortable with it and the plan's allowances fit your site.
Before moving, confirm what the migration includes: website files, databases, email history, scheduled tasks and DNS records. A successful homepage transfer does not prove that invoices, form notifications or old mail moved correctly.
Both providers advertise migration assistance. Keep the old account active until you have tested the new website and email. Hosting migration and domain transfer are separate operations; moving the files does not require moving the registration at the same time.
Kenyan billing and payment
Both providers present their Kenya offers in shillings. HOSTAFRICA's reviewed checkout had M-Pesa selected and also listed PayPal, card, bank transfer and crypto. Truehost's Kenya site advertises mobile-money payment, including M-Pesa.
Local payment makes either a practical option without a foreign-currency card. Keep the account and billing contacts in your business's control, especially if a developer buys the hosting for you. The person who can renew and recover the account matters long after the site launches.
Backups and support: ask about the recovery you need
Both plan pages advertise daily backups. HOSTAFRICA's backup terms also describe managed-server backups on an at-least-weekly rotation, retention of no more than nine days, and a requirement to keep your own off-server copies.
The product card and the broader policy do not establish the same recovery promise. Ask which schedule and retention apply to the exact shared plan, and whether you can restore an individual website, database or mailbox.
We would ask either provider the same practical question: “If a plugin breaks my site on Friday, can I restore Thursday's files and database myself, and what does that restore cost?” A clear answer is more useful than another assurance that backups are included.
For an online shop, also decide how much order data you can afford to lose. A daily copy can still miss orders placed after it ran. Your recovery plan should include independent backups at an interval suited to the business.
We have no controlled evidence that either provider answers technical tickets faster. For a site that generates enquiries or sales every day, test the support channel with a specific question before committing. Ask what the host handles and what remains your developer's responsibility.
Which should you choose for your website?
Your situation | Our recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
First company website with a limited budget | Truehost Starter annually | Low published annual cost and less cash committed upfront |
Several small sites and a team familiar with cPanel | Truehost, after checking account resource limits | Larger advertised site allowance and familiar tooling |
One or two sites with a developer who wants declared limits | Consider HOSTAFRICA Starter | Published resource table and DirectAdmin workflow |
Established site willing to prepay for three years | Compare Truehost's three-year offer | Lower total at the current annual baseline |
Busy WooCommerce shop or an important custom application | Compare appropriate higher-tier plans from both | Entry shared-hosting price alone cannot settle capacity or recovery needs |
For a small Kenyan business site, we would start with Truehost annual Starter. Its published cost and allowances make a clear case without a long initial commitment.
Choose HOSTAFRICA when its resource limits and panel suit your developer's requirements and you are comfortable with the regular renewal budget. Paying more makes sense when it buys a capability you need; it does not, by itself, prove better uptime or support.
If neither entry plan fits, compare the wider hosting shortlist rather than forcing a growing site into the cheapest tier.
Questions before you pay
Is Truehost cheaper than HOSTAFRICA in Kenya?
Truehost has the lower ongoing budget at its current KSh 2,500 annual catalogue price. HOSTAFRICA's reviewed annual renewal was KSh 4,620. For the introductory annual term, HOSTAFRICA's KSh 2,310 amount before proration was slightly lower. Check tax and domain renewal before comparing final totals.
Can I pay KSh 188 for one month of Truehost Starter?
The reviewed KSh 188 offer requires three years prepaid, totalling KSh 6,768. The separate monthly Starter product is listed at KSh 500 per month.
Does HOSTAFRICA renew at KSh 210 a month?
Its Starter card shows KSh 420 at renewal, while the reviewed annual checkout showed KSh 4,620 a year, equivalent to KSh 385 a month. Neither is a KSh 210 renewal. Save the renewal amount and billing period from your own order.
Which one is better for WordPress?
For a modest site, choose around total cost, panel familiarity and recovery needs. For a busy site, compare the exact plan's memory, processes, caching and restore arrangements. We have not run a WordPress performance test that establishes an overall winner.
Does a free domain stay free?
Treat a hosting-linked free domain as a conditional offer. Confirm the eligible extension, term and subsequent renewal before ordering. Add that renewal to your hosting budget using our domain cost guide.
Can I change hosts without transferring my domain?
Yes. You can keep the registration where it is and point the domain to the new hosting. Move and test the website first, then change the relevant DNS records while preserving the email records you still need.