Pricing & Offer Disclaimer
Web hosting prices, promotions and plan features change often. This page explains how pricing on HostScout.ca should be read and what to check before you buy.
Last updated
1. A personal note on pricing accuracy
At HostScout.ca, my goal is to provide honest, accurate and up-to-date information to help Canadians find reliable web hosting. I do everything I reasonably can to keep the prices, promotional offers and features listed on the site current, but web hosting pricing changes frequently.
I personally check the hosting providers featured on HostScout.ca on a regular basis to keep the pricing tables and review data accurate. Hosting companies, however, often update their promotional rates, seasonal sales, renewal terms and plan tiers without notice. Because of that, there may occasionally be a short delay between a provider changing its prices and the change appearing on HostScout.ca.
This is where I could use your help. If you see a price, plan feature or promotional code on a provider's website that differs from what is listed here, please send me a message through the Contact page. Your feedback helps keep HostScout accurate for everyone who uses it.
2. Third-party pricing control
HostScout.ca is an independent research and comparison website. It does not sell hosting packages, process payments or complete transactions on behalf of any hosting provider. Final pricing, taxes, billing cycles and currency conversions are set by the provider at the time of checkout, and any contract for a hosting service is between you and that provider.
3. How prices are shown on HostScout
Prices are shown as published by the provider when they were last checked. Unless a listing states otherwise:
- Introductory pricing: the price shown is often a promotional rate that applies only to the first billing term;
- Billing term: a low monthly figure may require paying for 12, 24 or 36 months in advance;
- Renewal rates: renewal prices are frequently higher than the introductory price;
- Currency: prices are shown in the currency the provider uses, which may be Canadian or U.S. dollars; and
- Taxes: prices exclude applicable sales taxes.
Sorting the Canadian web hosting directory by displayed price compares the starting prices shown on each listing. It does not account for billing term, renewal rates, currency or add-ons.
4. Sales taxes in Canada
Hosting providers generally charge sales tax based on your province or territory. Depending on where you are, this may be the GST alone, the GST plus provincial sales tax (PST) or Quebec sales tax (QST), or the harmonized sales tax (HST). Businesses registered for the GST/HST may be able to claim input tax credits for the tax paid. Current rates are published by the Canada Revenue Agency in its GST/HST calculator and rates.
5. Currency and exchange rates
Where a provider prices its services in U.S. dollars, the amount charged in Canadian dollars depends on the exchange rate applied by your bank or card issuer on the day of the transaction, and many Canadian credit cards add a foreign transaction fee. Any Canadian dollar figure shown on HostScout for a U.S. dollar price is an approximation. Reference exchange rates are published by the Bank of Canada.
6. Verify before you purchase
Visitors are strongly encouraged to review the final price and terms on the provider's official website before purchasing, including:
- the total due at checkout, including taxes;
- the billing term and the price that will apply on renewal;
- domain registration and domain renewal fees;
- setup fees, migration fees and paid add-ons such as backups, dedicated IP addresses or SSL certificates;
- whether the plan renews automatically and how to cancel it; and
- the provider's refund or money-back policy.
7. Promotional codes and partner offers
Promotional codes and special offers are set by the provider and may be limited in time, restricted to new customers or specific plans, or withdrawn without notice. Some offers are made available through an affiliate relationship, as described in the Affiliate Disclosure.
8. No guarantee of third-party rates
HostScout.ca cannot guarantee, honour or enforce any price shown on the site or on a third-party website if a provider has changed its rates. Prices shown on HostScout are provided for information only and are not an offer to sell. HostScout may correct pricing errors or update pricing information at any time without notice.
9. Hidden fees and your rights as a consumer
Under the Competition Act, advertising a price that cannot actually be paid because of additional mandatory fixed charges, a practice known as drip pricing, is treated as false or misleading. Charges imposed by government, such as sales tax, are not covered by that rule.
If a provider's checkout adds mandatory fees that were not disclosed in its advertised price, you can report it to the Competition Bureau through its complaint form. A billing dispute with a provider should first be raised with the provider directly; your provincial or territorial consumer protection office may also be able to assist.
10. Relationship to the Terms & Conditions
This disclaimer supplements, and should be read together with, the Terms & Conditions, in particular the section on pricing, taxes and service claims. If there is any inconsistency, the Terms & Conditions govern.
11. Corrections and contact
Pricing corrections, questions about an offer and other feedback may be sent through the Contact page. Reported changes are reviewed against the provider's website, and listings are updated once a change is confirmed.