NZ vs International
Kapsule vs
SiteGround
SiteGround is a respected WordPress host with solid tooling. Their intro pricing is attractive, until renewal, where prices jump 3–4×. For NZ businesses, add currency conversion and GST on top.
SiteGround's renewal jump
SiteGround's StartUp plan intro rate is USD$3.99/mo for the first year. At renewal, it jumps to USD$17.99/mo, a 350% increase. For NZ businesses, add ~65% for currency conversion and 15% GST. Kapsule's NZ$5/mo never changes.
3-year cost comparison
Kapsule Cloud Start
SiteGround StartUp (estimated)
Estimates based on USD rates + 15% GST + approximate NZD exchange rate. Actual costs vary.
Where SiteGround wins
24/7 support
SiteGround offers round-the-clock support. Kapsule supports NZT business hours. If you need 3am support, SiteGround has an edge.
WordPress tooling
SiteGround has deep WordPress-specific tooling including WP-CLI, advanced caching, and one-click staging. Kapsule's WordPress tooling is growing.
Global data centres
SiteGround offers US, EU, and APAC server locations. Kapsule uses Hetzner EU origin with Cloudflare edge in Auckland/Sydney.
More storage on entry plan
SiteGround StartUp includes 10 GB SSD vs Kapsule's 5 GB NVMe. Both are explicit about their limits, which is good.
Entry price (year 1)
SiteGround requires annual commitment for intro rate
Renewal price
SiteGround renewal is 3–4× the intro rate
Billing currency
Price lock (contractual)
30-day free trial
SiteGround offers 30-day money-back after paying
WordPress-managed hosting
Staging environments
Git push deploy
Free SSL
Cloudflare CDN
Daily backups
Off-site backups
Free site migration
Email hosting
Storage
SiteGround is clear about storage limits, which is good
Sites on entry plan
WooCommerce support
NZ-based support
SiteGround offers 24/7 support but not NZ-staffed
NZ-owned company
SiteGround is Bulgarian-founded
NZ GST-inclusive pricing
NZ Privacy Act 2020
Kapsule data verified as of May 2026. SiteGround data based on siteground.com as of May 2026. NZD estimates include 15% GST and approximate exchange rates.
NZD pricing. No renewal shock.
NZ$5/mo, GST-inclusive, renewing at the same price forever. Try free for 30 days, NZ$0.00 today.