Finest free hosting

Disclosure: This content is endorsed by the reader. So if you click on some of our links we may receive a commission.

You want to start a website quickly and easily, but have no idea how web hosting works.

Or maybe you know how it works but don't have the budget or urgency to invest in one.

The good news is you can get a website up and running without spending a dime. The bad news is also the fact that it is free.

With free web hosting, you can set up a website in a few clicks, but don't expect anything special. Ads, a limit on the number of hits, sudden downtime, and little to no customer support are just some of the drawbacks associated with using a free host.

However, free web hosting offers the same security, bandwidth, and port speed as most paid hosting options.

Unless you just want a simple no-frills website, I recommend spending just $ 2.75 per month on a shared hosting plan. If you insist on a free web host, check out my list of recommended products below.

The top 6 options for free web hosting

  1. Wix – Best Free Web Hosting with Website Builder
  2. GitHub Pages – The best free static web hosting for developers
  3. Square Online – Best Free Ecommerce Hosting Platform
  4. DreamHost – The best free web hosting for nonprofits
  5. SiteGround – The best free web hosting for teachers
  6. WordPress.com – The best free WordPress hosting service

How to choose the best free web hosting for you

Before we go any further, you need to remember that there is no free lunch.

There are limitations with a free web host and not all of them address.

Free web hosting is designed to meet the needs of a niche market like a new hobby blogger who doesn't intend to make money from their website or a college student looking for a free platform to test out their web development projects on.

With that said, you cannot use the same criteria when choosing a paid hosting plan when choosing the best free web hosting that suits your needs.

Remember, you get what you pay for. And in the case of a free web host, don't expect to get 24/7 support, daily or on-demand backups, and a 100% uptime guarantee, among other things.

However, some free options are slightly better than the others. Use the following parameters to find out if a free web hosting service is worth trying.

Custom domain

Most companies are willing to host your website for free as long as you are willing to use a subdomain too.

For example, Wix is ​​a popular website builder that requires its free users to use a subdomain (e.g. neilpatel.wix.com).

A subdomain doesn't look professional, nor is it good for branding. So, if you don't just want a stripped-down website to play around with, it's better to go with a company that can host your custom domain for free.

A custom domain is one that you own (e.g. neilpatel.com). You can purchase it from a domain registrar or from any hosting provider who also offers domain registration. Domains are inexpensive and have to be renewed annually.

If branding is your top priority, make sure you find a free web host that gives you the opportunity to stand out from other freely hosted websites in a sea.

security

Advanced security features aren't available on free web hosting platforms, but at least they should offer a free SSL certificate.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a technology that encrypts the information transmitted through your website. It protects your website visitor's sensitive data such as passwords and credit card details from external intruders.

If you're starting a simple ecommerce website on a free hosting platform, a free SSL certificate is non-negotiable. However, some free web hosting services only offer a self-signed SSL, which misleads users that it is the same as the industry standard SSL certificate.

A self-signed SSL is issued by servers rather than trusted authorities like Comodo, Digicert and Let's Encrypt. Because it is not a standard version, websites with self-signed SSL will continue to display security warnings to visitors.

Therefore, a self-signed SSL defeats the purpose of an SSL certificate even though it offers the same level of encryption. Especially if you plan to sell a product through your website, a self-signed SSL is no better than an SSL certificate.

Storage and bandwidth

As a rule of thumb, never use free web hosting unless you're using it for a simple website with little to no traffic.

A free web host is not designed to handle the heavy traffic. For this reason, it is important to read the fine print of the hosting provider's terms and conditions before signing up.

Unfortunately, many free hosting providers tend to mislead unsuspecting users by adding "Unlimited Storage" and "Unlimited Bandwidth" to their list of features.

Disk space, or disk space, is the amount of server space allocated to your website files, while bandwidth is the amount of data that is allowed to be transmitted from the server to your visitors in a given time. If your website is hosted on a free platform, your space and bandwidth are best described as low and never "unlimited".

"Unlimited Bandwidth" is a promotion by free hosting providers that assumes that websites on a shared server are not consuming the available resources, which is rarely the case.

Instead of being influenced by these superficial functions, you should pay closer attention to the file size limit and the CPU limit.

A file size limit is the maximum file size your website can upload, while the CPU limit refers to how much of the server's central processing unit (CPU) your website is allowed to use.

Free web hosting providers may temporarily close your website without warning. So make sure you know exactly what and how severe your restrictions are.

Show

The only reason free web hosting continues to exist is because of the business behind it. And a company needs a source of income.

Some of the most popular free web hosts support their platform with ad space. While this method of monetization is effective, it comes at the expense of your visitors.

You have no control over what appears on the ads or where they are placed. Not to mention ads, which are generally intrusive and reduce the enjoyment of consuming your content.

If you want free hosting but you care about the aesthetics and ease of use of your website, you can opt for a company that supports their free platform in other ways, such as by selling premium hosting plans.

Customer service

Support for websites hosted on a free web host is limited at best. If you don't already have the budget and need to upgrade to premium plans, there is nothing else you can do.

If you're looking for the best free web host to trust your website, choose one with an active community forum.

Check the latest posts and see how fast the response time is. The more active the users of the service, the faster you can get a solution to any problems you may face in the future.

In addition to a community forum, some free web hosts have a self-service knowledge base that gives users quick answers to their most basic questions.

The different types of free web hosting

Free web hosting comes in different forms. Let's examine these different free web hosting options and find out who they are for.

Freemium web hosting

Freemium means that anyone can have access to the free web host at any time. But there's a catch: features are extremely limited, and your website will likely be littered with ads.

Wix and Weebly are free website builders that use this strategy to get customers. You have the option to upgrade to premium offers to remove the ads or use the free product for as long as you want. Either way, the hosting company wins.

Web hosting "Free Trial"

This "almost free" web hosting allows users to use all or a limited number of its paid hosting features within a certain period of time. The period of time that you can enjoy free web hosting is usually between seven and 30 days.

Choose this type of free web hosting when you want to pay for a hosting plan but first want to know if the web host can meet your expectations.

Free site hosting service for developers

There are free hosting services specifically designed for students and web developers. The type of hosting you choose depends on whether you are testing a static or dynamic website.

Static websites are the most basic fixed content websites made from HTML, CSS, and Javascript files. They are the easiest websites to build for developers as they do not require web programming design like dynamic websites.

GitHub Pages is a good example of a free static website hosting service.

To publish a static site through GitHub Pages, you must first take the HTML files from GitHub's open source code repository, run them through a build process, and then publish the website.

Although websites are usually hosted on yourusername.github.io, there is also the option to host them on a custom domain.

For dynamic websites, there are hosting providers that can be used for free for a limited period of time.

For example, with Google Cloud, developers can get hands-on experience with their products for free, as long as they don't exceed the free usage limit. They also have the option to fully explore the Google Cloud platform with $ 300 free credit and will only be charged if they choose to upgrade.

Amazon AWS is a similar product that offers access to its free tier products for 12 months. After that, all you have to do is pay for what you use.

# 1 – Wix – Best Free Web Hosting with Website Builder

When it comes to creating a simple blog or online portfolio that will highlight your work, Wix is ​​the best intuitive website builder you can count on.

Using the simple drag-and-drop interface, you can build a simple website in minutes. Wix takes care of your website through free hosting as long as you don't mind showing Wix branded ads on your pages.

Although free accounts can only use the Wix subdomain, there are enough templates and apps to choose from to give your website a little personal touch.

When you choose to build a website with Wix, you get 500MB of storage and 500MB of bandwidth, which is enough for a low-traffic website like an online portfolio.

If you want more flexibility, you can always upgrade to premium plans to access custom domain, email, and e-commerce features.

Premium plans also eliminate ads, making your website look more professional and less gaudy.

But even with ads, Wix has a lot going for it to put your content in the spotlight. Whether you are a writer, designer, or photographer, Wix remains the best website builder that lets you build an online presence without touching any code.

# 2 – GitHub Pages – The best free static web hosting for developers

Anyone with a basic understanding of coding is already familiar with GitHub, an open source platform that developers use to save their coding projects. On GitHub Pages, you can take these codes from the repository, go through a build process, and turn them into a simple static website.

A static website is great for those who prefer a small website that doesn't need to be updated regularly. It's also perfect for students who want a test site to play around with or showcase their school projects.

GitHub Pages is completely free, but it has a number of great features:

  • One site per GitHub account
  • Unlimited project websites
  • 1 GB storage space plus 100 GB bandwidth per month
  • Default subdomain github.io or custom domain name you own
  • Free HTTPS to prevent others from tampering with your traffic
  • Integrated integration with Jekyll, a popular static site generator, for more customization options

To create your static website, all you need to do is log into your account and create a new repository. You can then use the Jekyll theme picker to choose from one of the pre-designed themes.

If you don't like your topic or the content of your static website, don't worry as changes are easy to edit and move away. You can make these changes either over the Internet or locally on your computer.

Whether you're a developer or a non-tech looking for easy-to-follow instructions, GitHub Pages has all of the tools you need to build a free static site.

# 3 – Square Online – Best Free Ecommerce Hosting Platform

Square Online is a free e-commerce platform for aspiring entrepreneurs who are still on their feet with online sales. Unlike big names in the industry, Square Online lets you sell unlimited products without paying any recurring fees.

To set up your online store hosted by Square Online, all you need to do is answer a few questions. The platform's Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) then automatically generates a website with a design based on the answers you provided.

The drag-and-drop editor only offers four customizable themes. However, you can rest assured that each design follows your industry best practices. Without touching any code, you can create your online store with an appealing design that fits into any device.

Square Online also has the following to help you get started with your business:

  • Square POS integration so you can automatically import your product catalog and sync it with your online store for seamless inventory management
  • Payment processing system that accepts all major credit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay
  • In-house and on-demand delivery
  • Instagram integration
  • Free SSL security
  • SEO tools

In return for hosting your online store for free, Square Online charges a small commission of 2.9% + 30 ¢ for every product sold. If you choose to scale your business, you can exit the free plan and switch to the premium plans from $ 12 per month.

A new feature called Square Online Checkout also gives sellers the ability to sell their products and receive payments only through a link instead of a website.

Whether you're an established brick-and-mortar store owner or just starting from scratch, Square Online has all the basics to help you navigate the unfamiliar world of e-commerce with ease.

# 4 – DreamHost – The best free web hosting for nonprofits

DreamHost believes so much in advocacy for every nonprofit that they provide them with a shared hosting plan for free.

In addition to free web hosting, DreamHost offers US-based nonprofits:

  • Free domain
  • Free backups
  • Free installation of the shopping cart so you can easily accept donations
  • Unmetered transfer and unlimited monthly visitors
  • Free SSL certificate to protect online transactions

To create a free hosting account, DreamHost doesn't need any credit card details and only needs your billing address to verify.

You must also include a 501 (c) (3) Provisional Letter, a US IRS document showing your non-profit charitable status under applicable sections of the Tax Code.

Because it's a free account, you won't have access to reliable 24-hour customer support. However, DreamHost's dedicated help center and ticketing system have made up for this, which more than meets the need for simple troubleshooting solutions.

If you want more control over your account, nonprofits can also take advantage of a 35% discount on DreamHost-managed WordPress hosting plans. This means that you can host your website on a paid plan for just $ 11 per month.

# 5 – SiteGround – The Best Free Web Hosting For Teachers

SiteGround, a leading provider of world-class shared hosting technology, is giving its StartUp plan to teachers for free. That way, hardworking educators can focus on what they do best while SiteGround takes care of the technology that enables online learning.

In addition to a free hosting account, educators also get a free SiteGround subdomain that serves as a home for their online course or as a repository for their additional resources.

The plan also offers reliable support around the clock via chat, phone or ticketing system so that any technical issues are resolved on your behalf.

This robust free web hosting also includes the following features:

  • LAMP Server, PHP, MySQL with PhpMyAdmin
  • 10 GB of storage space and unmeasured traffic
  • Free emails with spam protection
  • CDN caching solution to make your website faster
  • Free Learning Management System (LMS) that enables you to offer your students efficient, easy-to-use educational courses

Whether your courses are delivered entirely online or through a mix of physical and online classrooms, SiteGround has the free tools you need to help your students adapt in a changing world.

# 6 – WordPress.com – The best free WordPress hosting service

Often confused with the open source software WordPress.org, WordPress.com is the free platform on which non-technical users can create websites.

WordPress.com is the best place to learn how to manage a website while you're not ready or able to pay for a hosting service as it is powered by the same robust and world-class infrastructure that is behind almost half of the world's websites are stuck.

Setting up a website is easy. You can select a WordPress subdomain and choose from one of the available themes.

Just like Wix, WordPress.com also displays ads to keep its free platform going. While the ads can be annoying at times, this is a small price to pay for all of the other features WordPress.com has to offer:

  • 3GB of space so you can post both text and beautiful pictures
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free SSL certificate for additional security
  • Optional backups so you can keep your files on your hard drive

While WordPress.com offers great performance for a free hosting platform, it can't beat the paid version in terms of flexibility. The WordPress CMS installed on websites on paid hosting plans gives you direct server access and the freedom to install plugins and themes of your choice.

Still, WordPress.com is good for beginners, especially if you just want a simple, stripped-down website to showcase your writing portfolio or personal diary.

Summary

Nothing beats a paid hosting plan for all of the extra support, features, and functionality. However, if you need free web hosting or want to try different web hosts before committing to an investment, there are some good free options available.

The best free web hosting for you depends on what you are looking for. This guide will help you narrow down your choices in order to get free hosting that meets your unique criteria.

COMMENTS