Hosting is the alpha and omega, without which, in short, no website will exist.
In other words – for the web pages to exist, you need to find a space where they will actually reside.
Free web hosting is one of the ways you can start your first website, blog or e-shop relatively quickly (and especially cheaply), or test the creation of websites.
In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about free web hosting – whether (and when) it is worth it, what are its advantages and disadvantages, what to look out for when choosing it, as well as several popular free hosting providers.
When is it worth having free web hosting?
Free web hosting is a great solution especially for new entrepreneurs – in short, if you don’t have any capital at the moment, you at least have the opportunity to start your online business right away and start earning on the Internet.
Free web hosting is also suitable for complete beginners in the field of online marketing.
Thanks to this, practically everyone has the opportunity to try setting up their own website (whether as part of school projects, test websites, non-profit websites, etc.).
💡 Tip: If you are a complete beginner in the field of hosting services, or if you are not completely sure how hosting works, you can read my article: What is hosting?
In practice, you can use free web hosting services for various types of sites, such as:
- Blog – If you want to try starting a blog (and start writing articles), free web hosting will give you enough space to experiment.
- E-shop – You don’t have to have a coin in your pocket to start your first online store. Simply use one of the free hosting services and you can start creating an e-shop.
- Personal page – Free web hosting is also an excellent solution if you want to create your personal profile (whether for example to show your portfolio or as a career resume).
However, in the case of free web hosting, we have to talk about both its pros and cons.
Advantages of free web hosting
Perhaps the most obvious advantage of free web hosting is its price – you don’t have to pay anything.
Thanks to this, such free hosting services tend to be a big attraction for any budding entrepreneur.
It’s also worth looking at the extra services with this hosting – in addition to the place where your site will be located, you can also get a free domain (albeit only a generic one) and a pre-prepared CMS, thanks to which you will have everything you need to get up and running your first website.
Disadvantages of free web hosting
Although such cheap web hosting may seem like an obvious choice, it is necessary to mention several important disadvantages that it brings with it:
- Limited storage and speed – of course, free web hosting will not provide you with unlimited storage, or they only give you enough space to get a basic website up and running. The same applies to page loading speed, as web hosting services do not give you professional speed, on the contrary – just enough to display the page (slowly) to visitors.
- Limited CMS services – CMS (Content Management System) is a platform for creating and managing websites. With free web hosting, you won’t be able to install any CMS you can think of. In most cases, you will only receive a certain type of platform (such as WordPress ) – all other CMSs, in short, will not be supported by the provider.
- Limited support – With free web hosting, you shouldn’t expect any technical support from the provider (since they have no reason to help you, since you are using their services for free).
- Domains (almost) free – Although you often get a domain for free with free hosting, it will never be the most lucrative name. In short, free hosting providers assign you a generic domain (such as ” 123generickynazov.hosting.com “), which you will have to learn to live with, or you will have to pay extra for your own, better domain.
💡 Tip: If you would like to learn more about how to choose and register your own domain, be sure to read my article: 63 tips to choose the best domain name for your website
How to choose the best free web hosting?
Although you shouldn’t have high expectations for free web hosting, you should definitely consider at least a few basic parameters when choosing it:
- Storage – If you already know that your future website will need more space, you should at least compare the providers of free web hosting services and choose the one that offers the most GB on its servers.
- Domain – In the case of a name, at least try to check with the hosting provider for free whether it also offers the option to choose (or modify) one of the generic domains.
- SSL Certificate – For security, make sure you get a free SSL certificate along with your free hosting.
- CMS support – Most free hosting providers will offer you at least standard, pre-installed WordPress, but to be sure, check if this is really the case.
- Tools for creating a website – Free web hosting usually does not offer a wide range of tools for managing websites. For that reason, take a look at what you get from the provider (or what tools you will be able to use for WordPress, SEO and online marketing in general).
The best free web hosting
There is a relatively wide range of hosting service providers in the world, which also offer (albeit with certain restrictions) free web hosting.
So let’s take a look at some of the most popular web hosting providers that offer free storage for your website in addition to paid packages.
Web support
Websupport is one of the most popular providers of hosting services and domains in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Within this platform, you have the opportunity to use free web hosting (within the Start package) for 1 year completely free of charge.
In its “Freeweb” program, you have space for your website, along with full technical support and your own website in a basic configuration.
The Freeweb program from Websupport is especially suitable for:
- Non-profit organizations
- Artists
- Beginning entrepreneurs
However, this program also has its disadvantages and limitations – one of them is, for example, the domain, which is no longer free.
Likewise, Websupport reserves the right to reject a request for free web hosting in the case of large and complex e-commerce websites, (already existing) commercial websites, gaming rooms, forums, etc.
So, if you were planning to start a website for long-term use with a vision of real earnings, you should definitely consider one of its paid packages, where you will have almost no restrictions (and at a very reasonable price).
💡 Tip: If you would like to learn more about what Websupport can offer you, be sure to read my article: WebSupport – the most used hosting in Slovakia (Review) .
Webglobe Yegon
Webglobe Yegon is another popular hosting provider that, in addition to its paid versions, also offers a 14-day free trial hosting.
You can use this free hosting within the maturity of the pre-invoice.
As part of the paid versions (which start from €1.69/month), you can also use a .eu domain for hosting completely free of charge, as well as a free SSL certificate and quick installation of the WordPress platform.
💡 Tip: For more information about this web hosting provider, I recommend reading my article: Presentation of Webglobe hosting – Yegon (WY.sk) .
HostCreators
HostCreators is a provider of web hosting, domains and CMS services that has been on the market since 2007.
As part of its web hosting services, it also offers professional web hosting for 1 month completely free, thanks to which you will have enough time to try out its services.
This free package also includes:
- Unlimited data transfer
- Unlimited hosted domains
- Unlimited number of DNS records
💡 Tip: If you are interested in HostCreators and would like to learn more about it, I recommend reading my review: HostCreators – a completely different web hosting (Introduction) .
Hostinger
Hostinger is an excellent option for anyone who wants to try creating a website for the first time.
As part of its packages, it offers completely free web hosting, where you get:
- 300 GB of storage
- 1 website
- About 300 visits per month that it can process
In the free package, however, you will not have a free domain, SSL certificate, or WordPress management – you can get these only with one of the paid versions.
💡 Tip: In case you want to check out the best web hosting providers on the market, be sure to read my comprehensive list of the best hosting providers , where you can compare their pros and cons and choose the right one for you.
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