In short, if you want to run a test website, you’re not expecting much of it, and you don’t want to invest any money in the project at all, then free website hosting might indeed work for you!
The limitations of free website hosting
Even the best free hosting tends to be fairly unstable, which can result in downtime. Also, providers typically place restrictions on storage space and bandwidth, limiting your site’s growth and traffic capacity. Your personal website or business website may also have slow performance.
That said, there are times you may want to consider free hosting. For a personal project, it may be all you need. The same is true if you’re practicing your web design and development skills and just want a space to try out new ideas.
Perhaps you’re setting up an area to test new plugins or themes. In that case, the limitations of free hosting shouldn’t be a barrier to what you want to accomplish. Of course, if you simply need a staging site, you may want to use a local development tool, such as Local, and not worry about hosting at all.
However, if you need a live site and don’t want to deal with the drawbacks of free web hosting, there are some affordable alternatives to consider. A cheap host can help you keep your budget low while avoiding poor site availability.
4 best free website hosting services compared
The good news is that you can test drive free website hosting at no cost to see if it might work for you. If you’ve decided to give it a try, here are ten options to consider.
- InfinityFree
- ByetHost
- FreeHosting
- FreeWebHostingArea
1. InfinityFree
InfinityFree is a free web hosting service that boasts a 99.9% uptime guarantee. It offers users:
- An auto-installer with more than 400 different apps, including WordPress
- Free subdomains
- 5 GB disk space
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 400 MySQL databases
- Knowledge base support
You’ll also have access to the Softaculous Script Installer to set up WordPress. This hosting service provider doesn’t offer domain registration, but you can use one you’ve acquired from another registrar.
Once your website is published, your visitors won’t see ads. However, there will be ads in cPanel on the back end. Your site is also limited to 50,000 hits per day.
InfinityFree is powered by iFastNet, which also offers premium hosting. The cheapest plan starts at $4.99 per month and includes six free domains, unlimited disk space, and more features.
2. ByetHost
ByetHost is another free hosting service that you could use. Its plan features:
- Five subdomains
- 1 GB disk space
- 50 GB monthly transfers
- One MySQL database
- 24/7 support via ticket system and knowledge base
ByetHost offers solid support for its free plan, which can be rare. You can access a self-service knowledge base and video tutorials, but a ticketing system is also available.
Like InfinityFree, ByetHost is managed by iFastNet. This company provides a variety of web hosting services at affordable prices. For instance, the Ultimate Premium plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, disk space, and addon domains. It starts at $7.99 per month.
3. FreeHosting
FreeHosting offers free and paid hosting from its two data centers. With the free plan, you get:
- One website
- 10 GB disk space
- Unmetered bandwidth
- One MySQL database
- Ticket support system
When you sign up, you can bring your own domain name, or FreeHosting can register one for you. This provider promises unmetered bandwidth as long as you comply with its Fair Use Policy.
One-time billed add-ons are available, such as an additional mailbox or SSL certificate. This lets you improve upon the free hosting plan while keeping costs low. Note that FreeHosting does not offer services for users in Brazil, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, or Vietnam.
4. FreeWebHostingArea
FreeWebHostingArea is a volunteer-maintained free hosting service. It offers:
- 1.5 GB disk space
- Unmetered traffic
- MySQL databases
- Free email support
To use FreeWebHostingArea, your free site must have at least one visitor per month. It can be deleted due to inactivity if you drop below this metric. This service also prohibits private projects, APIs, and password-protected websites.
FreeWebHostingArea provides backups for all hosting accounts, although it’s recommended you create your own as well. You can bring a domain or purchase one through the provider’s own service.
Conclusion
While your free web hosting platform might not be perfect, it can be a viable option in some scenarios. However, finding a quality provider that delivers on its promises is no easy task.