Hostinger AI Builder vs Theo: the comparison table
Both turn a short description into a first draft; the table covers what comes after, with Hostinger's figures read from its own pages on October 2, 2026. If the Hostinger site is live today, the free audit shows what the current site earns from search before anything moves.
| Theo | Hostinger AI Builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds the first version | Theo, from your chat description or your current site; the preview is usually ready in minutes | Hostinger AI Builder, from your description, in Manual mode (no-code editor) or Agentic mode (AI writes code) |
| Who does the SEO work | Theo, on Starter and Pro, weekly; no credits used | You, with the SEO settings panel and AI SEO Assistant, or Hostinger Agent per task for credits |
| Price and renewal, as of October 2026 | Basic $29.99 a month; Starter $69.99 with the growth work, free for the first 30 days; Pro $129.99; monthly, no term | Premium: $2.99 a month on a 48-month prepaid term or $3.99 on 12 months, both renewing at $10.99 a month for the same term. Month to month: $11.99, renewing at $11.99. |
| Online store | Shopify and Wix connect directly with a cart; a Hostinger store has three options, below | Hostinger Ecommerce, a separate subscription: $5.99 a month on a 12-month term renewing at $8.99, or $11.99 monthly renewing at $11.99 |
| If you leave | You own the site and content and can copy them; Pro adds read-only code access | Manual mode: copy text and save images by hand; no downloadable backup; store data stays |
What Hostinger AI Builder does, and what it leaves to you
Hostinger is a web host; the builder is a feature of its hosting plans. Hostinger's business page says hosting, security and performance are taken care of for you, and that is what Hostinger keeps; its line for everything after is 'Update your website yourself'. The paid helper is Hostinger Agent, a separate subscription at $6.99 a month on a 12-month term renewing at $8.99, or $9.99 month to month (renewing at $9.99), as of October 2026, with 1,000 credits a month; you pick a skill, such as 'Improve your SEO and content', one task at a time.
Theo hosts the site as a static website over HTTPS, makes the changes you type in chat, and on Starter and Pro keeps working on it every week unprompted, with drafts held in the Growth tab for your review.
How much does Hostinger cost compared with Theo
Hostinger's $2.99 a month for Premium, as of October 2026, is the 48-month term: $143.52 up front, renewing at $10.99 a month for the same term, $527.52 at the next renewal unless you shorten the term. The 12-month term is $3.99 a month and also renews at $10.99; month to month, Premium is $11.99. On 12-month and longer terms the domain is free for a year, then $19.99 a year for a .com; bundled mailboxes are free for a year, then $0.59 a month each on a 12-month term, per Hostinger's pricing page.
Theo's prices are flat and monthly with no term: Basic is $29.99 for the site and hosting; Starter is $69.99 with the growth work, free for the first 30 days; Pro is $129.99. The pricing page lists each plan and the extras: top-up credits, a domain bought through Theo, and the optional backlink packages.
Does Hostinger do SEO for you, and does Theo
Hostinger's SEO page says the builder handles metadata, sitemap and robots files, and its FAQ leaves the fine-tuning of titles, descriptions and keywords to you, with an AI SEO Assistant. Those are files the builder writes on its own; nothing on Hostinger's pages describes anyone there researching, writing or submitting pages after launch.
On Starter and Pro, Theo researches keywords and competitors, builds pages and posts, fixes technical issues, submits pages through Search Console and works toward citations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, weekly, with no chat credits used. In Theo's audit of 5,974 small business websites, 48 percent of the 4,027 sites with search data got an estimated zero visitors a month from Google search (The State of Small Business Websites 2026); the report has no Hostinger row. Hostinger is also in the best AI website builder roundup; Theo vs Durable covers another AI builder.
If your store runs on Hostinger Ecommerce
A Hostinger store is a separate Hostinger Ecommerce subscription that must stay active to take payments, and Hostinger says store data does not move. Theo does not process payments, so the store needs a home. Three options, in order:
- Move the store to Shopify. Theo recommends it and connects to it directly: products, prices and stock appear on your pages with a cart and checkout completes in Shopify (Shopify connection).
- Keep the Hostinger store and give it its own address, such as shop.yourdomain.com, with the Theo site on the main domain linking to it.
- If that is too hard, leave the Hostinger site and store where they are and put a separate Theo site on a subdomain such as blog.yourdomain.com.
Moving a Hostinger website to Theo
Theo needs no export: it works from the live URL, while Hostinger's exit guide for Manual mode is to copy the text and save the images by hand. Four steps, with more in the migrate hub; the Hostinger site stays up until step three.
- Enter your current address; Theo builds a preview that matches your Hostinger site's look, usually within minutes.
- Bring the pages across while the Hostinger plan is active; the old addresses that still earn visits are redirected once Search Console is connected. After non-payment the site stops and, 30 days later, Hostinger deletes it.
- Point the domain at Theo, root and www, with forwarding and parking off and the email records left alone; the old site stays live until the records update, usually within a few hours.
- Connect Google Analytics and Search Console on the live domain; the growth work on Starter and Pro then switches on and submits the new pages to Google.
The short answer
Pick Theo if
You want the site built, hosted and worked on every week by someone other than you, with changes typed in chat and a flat monthly price, no four-year prepayment. Basic is $29.99 a month for the site and hosting; Starter, with the growth work, is $69.99, free for the first 30 days; Pro is $129.99.
What Hostinger leaves to you
Every edit, page and SEO update after the first draft, in the editor, by prompt, or per task through the credit-metered Hostinger Agent; the store, on a separate Hostinger Ecommerce subscription; the domain and mailbox renewals after the free first year; and the exit, since Manual mode has no export or downloadable backup.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hostinger's website builder cost per month?
As of October 2026, Premium with Hostinger AI Builder is $2.99 a month only on a 48-month prepayment ($143.52), renewing at $10.99 a month for the same term; $3.99 on 12 months with the same renewal; $11.99 month to month. Hostinger Ecommerce adds $5.99 a month on 12 months, renewing at $8.99, or $11.99 monthly.
Does Hostinger do SEO for you?
Only the setup: it writes the metadata, sitemap and robots files, and leaves researching, writing and submitting pages to you or to a credit-charged Hostinger Agent task. On Theo's Starter and Pro plans that work is done for you every week and uses no chat credits.
Can I export my Hostinger website?
In Manual mode, no: Hostinger's guide is to copy the text and save the images by hand, and there is no downloadable backup. Agentic mode gives static code that cannot be re-imported. Theo rebuilds from your live URL; your domain stays registered at Hostinger and points at the new site.
What happens to my Hostinger store if I switch to Theo?
Hostinger says store data does not transfer. Theo recommends moving it to Shopify, which connects directly with a cart; otherwise keep it on shop.yourdomain.com with the Theo site on the main domain, or add a separate Theo site on a subdomain such as blog.yourdomain.com.
Does Theo have a free trial like Hostinger's, and can I cancel?
Yes: on Theo the first build is free and you see the preview before choosing, then the trial is 30 days of Starter at no charge, after which Starter is $69.99 a month. Hostinger's trial is 7 days and sites built in it cannot be published. Cancel Theo anytime; the confirmation shows when the subscription ends.