Free website hosting can be a good option for entrepreneurs just starting out and small business owners on a shoestring budget. With zero upfront cost, you can get your business online and begin managing your website quickly.
However, free hosting has limitations worth considering. Learn more about free website hosting to determine whether it’s right for you.
What is free website hosting?
Free website hosting is a service that lets you build and manage a website at no cost. Most free hosting services feature user-friendly interfaces and simple tools to help you get your website up and running fast. For solopreneurs and small business owners, free web hosting means one less expense that eats into income. It also gives business novices and nonexperts free experience in building a website. However, there are some hidden costs to going with a free web hosting service.
Hidden costs
Free website hosting may not require an initial payment, but there are non-monetary expenses, such as technical limitations and reduced brand control. A free website builder may offer little in the way of customization, and the features and performance of a free website hosting service won’t be as robust as those of a paid web hosting service. For example, free hosting services may limit your digital storage space, bandwidth, and number of email accounts.
Free website hosting typically doesn’t include a free domain name. Instead, your website address appears as a subdomain of the host’s domain name, which may appear amateurish to visitors. On top of this, free hosting providers often make money by displaying ads on their users’ websites, but the users have no control over which ads appear. All these things can potentially tarnish your brand’s image.
Pros and cons of free website hosting
Free web hosting is an attractive option if you are starting a business or on a tight budget, but there are pros and cons to weigh.
Pros
The upsides of using a free website host include:
- Zero upfront cost. The biggest advantage to using a free hosting platform is you can get a website up and running at no cost if you aren’t ready to pay for your own domain.
- Fast and easy setup. Free web hosting providers generally offer user-friendly interfaces and drag-and-drop website builder apps. You don’t need much technical knowledge to set up a simple website.
- Low-risk trial period. A free web hosting plan allows you to learn how to build webpages, set up a database and email accounts, and perform basic content management before you commit to a paid plan.
- Simplicity. If you want to build a one-page website or a no-frills personal website (for example, a simple portfolio, a personal blog, or a webpage with basic business contact information), a free plan is probably fine.
Cons
Free web hosting plans also have drawbacks, such as:
- Limited features. Free sites typically lack the unlimited disk space, bandwidth to handle peak traffic, numerous customization options, ecommerce functionality, and multiple email accounts and databases that come with paid hosting plans.
- Technical vulnerabilities. Is free hosting safe? Not always. Security protections through a free web host are minimal, whereas a paid hosting plan offers more reliable servers, like a virtual private server, dedicated server, or cloud hosting.
- Limited customer support. Free hosting providers typically don’t offer highly individualized or responsive customer support when users encounter issues with their sites.
- Little brand control. The limited customization of free website builders makes it hard to carve out a distinctive brand identity. A lot of other sites will look exactly like yours because free hosts offer just a handful of design options.
- Limited scalability. If you want to scale your business quickly, a free web hosting service can only take you so far before it’s time to upgrade to a paid plan for a more robust control panel, customization options, and other features.
Features to look for in free website hosting services
- Uptime and reliability
- Storage and bandwidth
- User-friendliness
- Domain options
- Security features
- Technical support
- Lack of ads
A free web host won’t provide the premium services paid hosts do, and the tradeoffs are potentially deal-breaking. If you want to explore the best free web hosting services, look for these qualities:
Uptime and reliability
Does the web hosting provider have a good reputation when it comes to uptime and outages? Search for online reviews and uptime metrics to learn whether other users have had positive experiences.
Storage and bandwidth
A free hosting plan might offer little storage space or be surprisingly generous. Check these figures beforehand. And while you can’t expect unlimited bandwidth, you want to ensure the provider can meet your site’s requirements. The wider the network bandwidth, the better your website will be able to handle rising web traffic.
User-friendliness
If you’re new to building websites, you’ll appreciate user-friendly control panels and drag-and-drop website builders. Some free hosting plans assume a certain level of expertise, while others are designed for beginners.
Domain options
It’s a big plus if a free website host lets you use a custom domain you’ve registered elsewhere because it looks more professional. However, a free plan usually doesn’t include a custom domain name in the hosting package—it’s common to have to use a subdomain of the hosting provider’s domain name.
Security features
The security features of a free web hosting provider are typically inferior to those of paid providers, but some free web hosts go to greater lengths than others. At a bare minimum, look for a host with capable firewall support and automated malware scanning.
Technical support
The technical support you receive with a free service is less likely to include the premium features of paid plans, such as online chat assistance and phone support. However, some free web hosts include basic support features like searchable knowledge bases, FAQ hubs, and email support.
Lack of ads
Look for a free website host that won’t place annoying advertisements all over your control panel or webpages.
Best free website hosting services
Interested in exploring free hosting plans? Here’s what the best free web hosting companies have to offer:
InfinityFree
InfinityFree is just that—free for all time, with no ads and no trial periods. It’s a good choice when you need fast speed, 99.9% uptime, and a WordPress hosting solution. Host unlimited websites and bring your existing domain name or pick from more than 25 subdomain extensions.
With your free plan, you get five gigabytes of storage space, unlimited bandwidth, and free SSL certificates. Establish a WordPress website using the Softaculous script installer (over 400 scripts are available), or use the website builder tool called Site.pro, which features more than 200 free templates.
GoogieHost
With GoogieHost you can host one website with some free plan features:
- 1,000 MB SSD data storage
- A free SSL certificate
- Cloudflare protection
- Hotlink protection to prevent others from copying your web files
- 100 GB bandwidth
- A WordPress manager
- Two MySQL databases
- SitePro website builder
- Two file transfer protocol (FTP) accounts
- Softaculous script installer
- An online file manager
Subdomains are available for free, but standard domain names will require paying for domain registration services.
Free Hosting
Free Hosting offers ad-free hosting and unmetered bandwidth, meaning there are no restrictions on downloaded web content. If you already have a domain name, the company will host it for you at no cost, or you can register your own custom domain for a fee.
You get 10 gigabytes of data storage but only one website with no subdomains, one email account with no email scripts, and one MySQL database. For website management, you get access to an industry-standard cPanel, SiteBuilder with 170-plus templates, and more than 400 app installations available as add-ons.
Note that Free Hosting bars users from Brazil, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and Vietnam. It doesn’t let you tinker with its server configurations, and it isn’t particularly speedy. However, the company offers a knowledge base with educational content, email support, and a paid upgrade path when you’re ready to step up to more robust web hosting.
AwardSpace
Consider AwardSpace if you prefer free WordPress hosting plus an ad-free environment. It offers free hosting as a pro bono gesture for those who can’t afford the paid plans. Host as many as four websites on one free domain and three subdomains.
Use the web-based file manager to upload web pages and files. There’s also a one-click content management system (CMS) installer for WordPress, Grav, and Joomla. AwardSpace supports PHP and MySQL, too. Enjoy 99.9% uptime, 24/7 customer support, and firewall protection. It restricts disk space to 100 megabytes with five gigabytes of bandwidth, but you get a free email account.
Best free website hosting FAQ
Can I host my website for free?
Yes, free plans are common, but be aware of the limitations. The web hosting service is likely to be ad-supported with storage and bandwidth restrictions. Custom domains are not common. Another free hosting option is the free trial period a paid website hosting provider may provide. Many of them offer money-back guarantees that let you opt out after 30, 60, or 90 days.
How do I create a completely free website?
If the free hosting provider has a user-friendly website builder, you can use its templates and basic interface to assemble your webpages.
How do you choose the right free website hosting service?
First, compare multiple hosting plans against your needs. Are you a novice who needs user-friendly website building? Are you more experienced and want hands-on control? Do you need email addresses, SSL certificates, or more than minimal customer support? Factor in these and other criteria when deciding on the right free hosting service for your website.
