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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

Year 1
NZ$6012 × NZ$5/mo
Year 2
NZ$60Price lock: same rate
Year 3
NZ$60Price lock: same rate
3-year total
NZ$180SSL, CDN, backups, migration included

SiteGround StartUp (estimated)

Year 1
~NZ$110USD$3.99/mo intro + FX + GST
Year 2
~NZ$500USD$17.99/mo renewal + FX + GST
Year 3
~NZ$500USD$17.99/mo + FX + GST
3-year total
~NZ$1,110Based on published renewal rates

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.

Feature
Kapsule
SiteGround

Entry price (year 1)

SiteGround requires annual commitment for intro rate

NZ$5/mo
USD$3.99/mo intro

Renewal price

SiteGround renewal is 3–4× the intro rate

NZ$5/mo (locked forever)
USD$14.99–17.99/mo

Billing currency

NZD, GST-inclusive
USD (add ~65% for NZD + GST)

Price lock (contractual)

Yes
No

30-day free trial

SiteGround offers 30-day money-back after paying

Yes
No

WordPress-managed hosting

Yes
Yes

Staging environments

Cloud Pro+
GrowBig+ only

Git push deploy

Cloud Pro+
No

Free SSL

Yes
Yes

Cloudflare CDN

Yes
SiteGround CDN (proprietary)

Daily backups

Yes
Yes

Off-site backups

Cloudflare R2
No

Free site migration

Yes
Plugin-based (quality varies)

Email hosting

Included
Included but limited storage

Storage

SiteGround is clear about storage limits, which is good

5 GB NVMe (explicit)
10 GB SSD

Sites on entry plan

1
1

WooCommerce support

Yes
Yes

NZ-based support

SiteGround offers 24/7 support but not NZ-staffed

Yes
No

NZ-owned company

SiteGround is Bulgarian-founded

Yes
No

NZ GST-inclusive pricing

Yes
No

NZ Privacy Act 2020

Yes
No

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.