Free website hosting migration for first-time movers
If you are moving to SowfiHost from another hosting provider for the first time, your migration is free, completely free.
No migration fee, no per-site charge, no hidden line item added at checkout.
If it is any other migration, there is a charge. That includes migrating additional sites later, migrating for a second time, and rebuilding sites from non-standard or heavily customised environments.
Included free with your first migration
- Files
- Databases
- Email accounts
- Cron jobs
- SSL
- DNS cutover
- Testing
- 72 hours of post-migration monitoring
Free or Paid Migration
| Your Situation | Cost | Migration Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to SowfiHost from another host for the first time | Free | One-time per customer account |
| Migrating additional sites later, after your first migration is complete | Paid | ₹799 per standard site |
| Moving a site between SowfiHost plans, servers, or accounts | Free | - |
| Transferring a site to another SowfiHost customer (client handoff) | Free | Site ownership needs to be proven |
| Migration outside standard scope | Paid | Quoted after audit/requirement is provided |
What qualifies you for the free first-time migration
If any of these do not apply, the migration is still available; it is simply priced. We will always tell you the cost and get your approval before any work begins. There is no scenario where you receive an invoice you did not agree to in advance.
The free migration applies when all of the following are true:
- Your website is currently hosted with a different provider and not with SowfiHost
- The source environment is cPanel, WHM or a standard managed WordPress hosting
- The site uses standard web technologies: PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, HTML, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, WooCommerce, Laravel, or similar
Full scope of the free migration service
This is not a partial service where we move your files and leave you to reconnect the rest. Here is everything included.
Website files and structure
- Complete public_html and all addon/subdomain document roots
- File permissions, ownership, and directory structure preserved exactly
- .htaccess rules, redirects, and rewrite configurations
- Custom error pages and static assets
Databases
- All MySQL and MariaDB databases exported and imported without corruption
- Database users, passwords, and privilege grants recreated
- wp-config.php, configuration.php, and equivalent config files updated with new credentials
- Connection limits and character sets matched to source
- All mailboxes migrated via IMAP sync, including folder structure
- Read/unread status preserved where the source server allows
- Forwarders, autoresponders, catch-all addresses, and filters recreated
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records configured on the new server
- Email client settings documented for your users after cutover
Configuration and automation
- Cron jobs recreated with correct schedules and paths
- SSL certificates reissued free via AutoSSL/Let’s Encrypt on the new server
- PHP version matched to your source environment, with the option to upgrade
- DNS zone records reviewed and staged before propagation
- Subdomains and addon domains
Testing before cutover
- Database connectivity verified across every application
- Email sending and receiving verified
- SSL validity confirmed on all domains and subdomains
Cutover and after
- DNS cutover scheduled at a low-traffic window you choose
- Propagation monitored until fully resolved across Indian ISPs
- 72 hours of post-migration monitoring with our team watching error logs, email queues, and uptime
The paid scope in detail
Being specific about exclusions prevents disputes later. The following fall outside the free first-time migration and are quoted or charged per the pricing table below.
Repeat migrations
Once you have used your free first-time migration, any future inbound migration, including returning after leaving, is a paid service. This includes migrations caused by DNS changes you made yourself that required a fresh transfer.
Additional sites migrated later
Your first migration batch is covered up to your plan's allowance. Sites added to your account six months later and migrated from another host are treated as a new migration event and priced per site.
Sites requiring repair during migration
If a site is already broken on the source server (fatal PHP errors, corrupted database tables, hacked files, abandoned plugins causing white screens), we will migrate it as-is, but rebuilding and fixing the site is development work, not migration work. We will identify the problems during staging and quote separately if you want them resolved. Many customers prefer to fix these themselves or through their developer.
Third-party licensed software
Commercial plugins, themes, or applications licensed to a specific server or domain may not transfer. We will flag these during the pre-migration review so you can arrange new licences.
Content and data cleanups
Removing malware, deleting unused installations, consolidating duplicate sites, or reorganising file structures is not part of migration. Malware removal is included if our security system detects it post-migration, but pre-existing infections requiring manual cleaning are quoted.
Paid migration pricing
All prices in INR, per site, inclusive of GST. No hidden fees.
| Migration Type | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| First-time inbound migration from another provider | Free | 24-48 hours |
| Additional site migrated after the first migration | ₹799 per site | 24-48 hours |
| Repeat inbound migration (returning customer) | ₹799 per site | 24-48 hours |
| Internal move between plans, servers, or accounts | Free | 12-24 hours |
| Site ownership transfer to another SowfiHost customer | Free | Verification needed |
| Large site: 20 GB to 50 GB, or database over 2 GB | ₹1,499 per site | 48-96 hours |
| Very large or complex: over 50 GB, custom applications, cluster setups | Quoted after review | Scheduled window |
| Non-cPanel source requiring manual rebuild | Quoted after review | Assessed within 24 hours |
| Bulk agency migration: 25+ sites | Custom rate | Scheduled project plan |
Approval before work. Every paid migration is quoted in writing, approved by you, and invoiced only after the migration is verified working. If we underestimate the complexity, we absorb the difference. The quote is the price.
What we cannot migrate
We would rather tell you now than after you have paid.
If you are unsure whether your setup qualifies, describe it to our pre-sales team. You will get a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
- Licensed software tied to a specific server or IP
- Applications with source code you cannot provide access to: encrypted or obfuscated code with no original source
- Custom daemons, background services, or non-PHP runtimes on shared hosting; these need a VPS or dedicated server
- Data from hosts that have already deleted your account; if no backup exists anywhere, there is nothing to migrate
- Windows, ASP.NET, MSSQL, or IIS-based applications; we are a Linux/cPanel environment
- Sites under active legal hold or dispute where ownership cannot be verified
How the migration process works
You submit the migration request
Provide your current host, the domains involved, and either cPanel/WHM access or a full backup file. If you do not have cPanel access on your old host, we will tell you how to obtain a backup before your account lapses.
We review and confirm eligibility
Within a few hours, we confirm whether your migration qualifies as free or paid, and if paid, we send the exact quote. Nothing proceeds until you approve.
We stage the migration on our servers
Your files, databases, and email are copied to a temporary environment. Your live site keeps running on your old host throughout. There is no downtime at this stage.
We test everything on the staged copy
We test database queries, email flow, SSL, redirects, and permalinks on the staged copy. If we find problems, we report them and either fix what is in scope or tell you what needs your decision.
You approve the cutover
Only when you are satisfied do we schedule the DNS change.
DNS cutover at your chosen time
We point your domain to our nameservers or update your A records, depending on your preference. We recommend a low-traffic window, typically late evening IST for Indian audiences.
Propagation monitoring
We track propagation across Indian ISPs and confirm the site is resolving correctly everywhere. Email flow is verified in both directions.
72 hours of monitoring
Our team watches uptime, error logs, email queues, and resource usage. Anything the migration broke, we fix free.
Migration report and handover
You receive a summary of what was moved, email client settings for your users, and confirmation that the old host can be cancelled. We do not cancel it for you; that is your call, and we recommend keeping it active until propagation is fully settled.
What we need from you to begin
| Item | Why We Need It | If You Cannot Provide It |
|---|---|---|
| cPanel, WHM, or hosting panel login | Direct migration path | We migrate from a full backup file instead |
| Full backup file (if no panel access) | Source of all files and databases | We may be unable to migrate; contact us |
| List of all domains and subdomains | Ensures nothing is missed | We will identify them from the panel |
| List of email accounts in use | Prevents missing mailboxes | We migrate all we find |
| DNS registrar access or willingness to change nameservers | Required for cutover | You make the change yourself with our instructions |
| Confirmation of any third-party services | Prevents broken integrations | We will flag them during review |
What we never need: your card details, your clients' credentials, or your email passwords in plain text. We work from panel access and server-side credentials only.
Source environments we migrate from
We handle migrations from all common hosting platforms used in India.
Control-panel based
- cPanel
- WHM
Managed WordPress hosts
- Kinsta
- WP Engine
- Flywheel
- Cloudways
- Hostinger
- Bluehost
- GoDaddy
- BigRock
- HostGator India
- MilesWeb
- Other Indian shared hosts
Registrar-hosted sites
- GoDaddy
- BigRock
- Namecheap
- Hostinger
- MilesWeb
- Similar registrar-bundled hosting
If your environment is not listed, ask. We have migrated from enough unusual setups to give you an honest answer within a day.
Post-migration support and what it covers
Covered free for 7 days after cutover
Anything that broke because of the migration:
- Broken permalinks
- Missing images
- Database connection errors
- Email not delivering
- SSL errors
- Cron jobs not firing
- Forms not submitting
- Redirect loops
Not covered
- Pre-existing site problems that were present on your old host
- New feature development
- Plugin conflicts unrelated to the migration
- Theme customisation
- Performance tuning beyond your plan's baseline
How to report an issue
Open a ticket marked "Post-Migration" and our team picks it up with priority. Migration-related tickets are handled by the same engineers who performed your migration, so you are not re-explaining your setup.
If something cannot be fixed
If a migration-related problem cannot be resolved, we will tell you plainly and offer either a rollback to your previous state using the staged copy, or a credit against your hosting plan. We do not leave customers stuck with a half-working site.
Start your free migration today
Send us your current host, your domains, and your panel access. We will confirm your eligibility within a few hours, tell you exactly what is free and what is not, and begin the same day.
Free for first-time movers. Transparent pricing for everything else. Zero downtime either way.