When you’re creating a website, you also need the right hosting service for that site to live on.
But what if you’re on a tight budget? There may be a better answer than paid hosting.
Fortunately, numerous free web hosting sites are available, allowing you to start your own website for absolutely zero cost!
This blog post lists the best free web hosting options, giving you all the information about the top hosting companies!
By the end of this article, you’ll know all the key features, pricing, pros, and cons of each free hosting service!
Why should you trust me? First, I worked at one of the largest hosting companies in North America. Second, I’ve worked on and launched hundres of websites.
How did I (and the TYB team) determine what should be on this list?
- Hosting Speed
- Hosting Security
- Hosting Uptime
- Key Features
- 3rd Party Reviews
- Pricing
- Pros
- Cons
What Are The Best Free Website Hosting Services In The World?
The best free website hosting service varies based on the type of website you create and other essential factors.
In 2023, some of the best free website hosting services include the following companies:
- Freehostia
- AwardSpace
- FreeHosting
- Hostinger
- InfinityFree
- Byethose
- 000WebHost
- FreeWebHostingArea
Let’s take a closer look at each of these free website hosting companies so you can get your website up and running!
Freehostia
Freehostia is a free website hosting company that provides a load-balanced cluster platform faster than the widespread one-server hosting platform solution.
Freehostia’s free plan is perfect for a small personal website or a small online business startup.
Why Did We Pick It?
Freehostia’s free website hosting service allows you to use the complimentary service for as long as you want, with the option to upgrade at any point.
This web hosting provider offers plenty of disk space, monthly traffic, and MySQL storage.
Lastly, there is an optional website builder if you require assistance creating your site!
Key Features
- One-click application installer
- SSD data caching
- SSL certificates
- IP blocking
- 99.9% uptime
- Anti-virus email protection
- Three included email accounts
Pricing Plans
Freehostia’s basic cloud hosting won’t cost you a penny!
But, if you decide to upgrade your plan, Freehostia’s cloud hosting is still incredibly affordable.
That said, plans through Freehostia start at $2.95 a month for the starting Watercircle plan.
Lastly, Freehostia’s paid cloud hosting options offer a 30-day free trial!
Pros
- Free website templates
- No set-up fee
- Feature-rich domain manager
- 24/7 customer support
- Video tutorials
- Good performance control panel
Cons
- No free site migration
- No free CDN (content delivery network)
- Online one server location
- The free option is rather restrictive
AwardSpace
AwardSpace offers a free web hosting service and a premium paid version to over two million sites.
Although AwardSpace has a few drawbacks, the free version is a great starting space for those new to creating websites.
Why Did We Pick It?
AwardSpace allows you to create a free hosting account within a few minutes to create your site in under half an hour.
This free hosting platform is ideal for blogs, temporary websites, and small businesses starting out.
With an excellent network uptime and the ability to host one domain and three subdomains, AwardSpace is one of the best free website hosting platforms!
Key Features
- 99.9% network uptime
- One-click WordPress and Joomla installer
- File Manager allows you to download and edit HTML, CSS, PHP, and other programming files
- 5 GB bandwidth
- 100 MB disk space
- Bandwidth usage transparency
Pricing Plans
Because AwardSpace’s free web hosting service is rather limited in storage space, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid hosting option.
Fortunately, AwardSpace provides affordable hosting plans.
For example, AwardSpace’s Basic WordPress plan starts at $0.25 a month and comes with unlimited disk space, unlimited monthly traffic, and free SSL and HTTPS!
Pros
- Ad-free hosting
- 24/7 customer support
- Instant account activation
- Full MySQL database support
- The free website builder tool is easy to use
- Customizable dashboard
- Firewall protection
- Spam and virus protection
Cons
- Limited storage space
- Bad load times (over 1.5 seconds)
FreeHostingNoAds
FreeHosting provides solid free website hosting without any adverts.
Creating a new account through FreeHosting is very straightforward, and a one-click CMS installer makes setting up a site very easy.
As with most free hosting options, storage limitations exist, and the added features are less comprehensive than a paid solution.
Why Did We Pick It?
FreeHostingNoAds is one of the best free website hosting platforms because no text links, banners, or pop-ups are included.
Also, you can use your own domain name or get a free domain from FreeHosting.
Lastly, the control panel on FreeHosting is easy to use and allows you to manage your account, install applications, check your site statistics, and more!
Key Features
- Free hosting is available for PHP and MySQL
- 1 GB of web space
- 5 GB of bandwidth
- 99.9% uptime
- FTP and file manager
- Free website builder
- Free domain hosting
Pricing Plans
FreeHosting’s free plan is completely free!
However, the disk space and monthly traffic space are rather limited, so you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan once your website grows.
Still, FreeHosting’s VIP and PRO plans cost $4.99 and $9.99 a month after the first year, respectively.
Pros
- Free technical support
- Free email hosting
- Free app installer
- No forced ads
- Instant activation
Cons
- Account emails often land in the spam folder
- An SSL certificate costs $30
- The Control panel is limited
- The file size is limited to 15 MB
Hostinger
Although Hostinger isn’t an entirely free hosting option, the low prices and the features that are included are too good to leave off the list.
Hostinger offers discounts on plans up to 90% at certain times of the year.
Further, Hostinger’s services are extremely fast and provide an array of security features to protect your website from malware, spam, and viruses.
Why Did We Pick It?
Hostinger offers premium hosting for eCommerce, blogs, and personal websites.
No matter the plan you select, Hostinger provides excellent uptime, a money-back guarantee, and plenty of storage space.
Also, Hostinger makes it simple to upgrade your plan as your website develops and attracts more visitors.
Check out our in-depth Hostinger review to learn more about it.
Key Features
- 50 GB SSD storage
- 100 GB bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- Cloudflare protected nameservers
- Free website builder
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
Pricing Plans
Hostinger’s packages are incredibly affordable, making them the perfect hosting package for those on a budget.
Let’s take a look at the pricing plans that Hostinger offers:
- Single Web Hosting: $1.99 a month
- Premium Web Hosting: $2.99 a month
- Business Web Hosting: $3.99 a month
Pros
- WordPress acceleration
- Weekly backups
- Managed WordPress options
- 24/7 customer support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Git access
- DNS management
- Two subdomains are included
Cons
- No SSH access
- No WordPress staging tool
- No free domain
InfinityFree
InfinityFree is one of the most popular free hosting sites because of its numerous features and hassle-free services.
One of the numerous benefits of InfinityFree is that you can host as many domains as you want.
However, you’ll only receive ten email accounts and one FTP to upload your content.
Why Did We Pick It?
When InfintyFree says they offer a free hosting plan, they really mean it.
So you don’t have to worry about any hidden fees.
Also, InfintyFree provides excellent uptime, plenty of storage space, and paid options when you’re ready to switch up your hosting plan.
Key Features
- 5 GB of disk space
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 400 MySQL databases
- Free DNS service
- Free SSL
- Free Cloudflare CDN
Pricing Plans
InfinityFree is a web hosting company that offers a free hosting service.
Of course, the free plan is very limited regarding storage space and website functionality, so InfintyFree offers two premium hosting options.
The premium hosting plans are priced as follows:
- Super Premium: $3.99 a month
- Ultimate Premium: $6.90 a month
As you can see, even if you are on a tight budget, InfintyFree makes web hosting affordable!
Pros
- You can host as many domains as you want
- A script installer is available
- 50,000 daily hits
- Several free features
- Ad-free website
- You can bring your own domain or pick a free subdomain
- 440+ WordPress applications are available
Cons
- Slow page load times
- The unlimited bandwidth feature comes with several rules and regulations
Byethost
Byethost is another free hosting service that allows you to host your own website without paying a dime.
Byethost is a US-based provider that claims the free WordPress hosting service is “one of the most powerful networks dedicated solely to free hosting in the world.”
Why Did We Pick It?
Although Byethost only offers self-signed SSL certificates, the free web host offers several other benefits.
For instance, Byethost is compatible with PHP and MySQL databases.
And users have access to 24/7 tech support, Byethost’s community, and knowledgebase.
Therefore, finding answers to any questions you might have is a breeze!
Key Features
- 1 GB of disk space
- Clustered servers
- Ad-free website
- FTP account and File Manager
- 50 GB monthly transfer
- Disk space, bandwidth, and CPU time usage statistics
- Five addon domains
- Five parked domains
- Five sub-domains
Pricing Plans
There are no free web hosting costs with Byethost.
However, if your website outgrows the free service, Byethost offers two premium options at $4.99 or $7.99 monthly.
There are no set-up fees for the paid plans, and you also get the following perks:
- Free custom domain
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unlimited disk space
- Unlimited bandwidth
Pros
- Automatic WordPress install
- Automatic install of 400+ apps
- Five email accounts for your website
- Speed email tech support
Cons
- Limited to self-signed SSL certificates only
- There are a handful of insecure HTTP login links
- Poorly maintained company website
000Webhost
000Webhost is a free web host provider that Hostinger owns and operates.
Compared to other free website hosting services, 000Webhost provides a lot of impressive features at no extra cost to you.
Still, it’s important to remember that 000Webhost is a free web hosting provider, so you won’t get the benefits that typically come with a paid hosting account, like unlimited bandwidth and SSL certificates.
Why Did We Pick It?
000Webhost is perfect if you’re starting a website from scratch and have yet to brows through other hosting plans.
With the free plan, 000Webhost allows you to host one website with 300 MB of disk space.
Also, all sites come with Cloudflare-protected nameservers.
Key Features
- Ability to host one website
- 3 GB of bandwidth
- 99.9% uptime
- 1 MySQL database
- 1 FTP account
- 1 Cronjob
- 300 MB disk space
Pricing Plans
000Webhost’s Free Web Hosting plan doesn’t cost a thing, but the plan is very limited.
Fortunately, 000Webhost offers a few paid options with many benefits without breaking the bank.
The Premium Shared Hosting plan is the most popular one, which costs $2.99 a month for the first year.
This plan comes with weekly backups, 24/7 customer support, 100 email accounts, and much more!
Pros
- Zyro website builder is available
- Custom control panel
- 99% uptime
- Easy to set up a free plan
- WordPress auto-installer
- Full PHP and MySQL database support
- No added fees
- Instant account activation
Cons
- No GitHub integration
- No subdomains
- No access manager
- You cannot get your own custom domain for free
- No daily backups
FreeWebHostingArea
At first glance, FreeWebHostingArea is an unreliable hosting provider.
However, this company offers a free, rather generous plan with storage capacity.
Also, FreeWebHostingArea gives you daily or weekly offsite backups and is ad-free if you operate a low-traffic website.
Why Did We Pick It?
FreeWebHostingArea is a great free web host if you need unlimited bandwidth.
Additionally, FreeWebHostingArea offers IDN (internationalized domain name) support so that you can create an account in Punycode.
Lastly, this is one of the few free hosts that give you unmetered traffic, as most web hosts monitor or set limits on the amount of traffic your website can endure.
Key Features
- 99.8% yearly uptime guarantee
- Daily and weekly backups
- No advertisements on your website
- 1500 MB free web space
- Unmetered traffic
- Free MySQL databases
- Full FTP support
Pricing Plans
FreeWebHostingArea is a completely free host!
You will need to upgrade to an alternative provider for more comprehensive hosting features.
Pros
- Responsive customer support
- Fast hosting
- SSI support
- Users have access to the control panel (you can alter your account details and activate certain features)
Cons
- No one-click install option
- No website builder
HostGator
HostGator provides excellent shared hosting solutions because of its advanced security measures and intuitive design.
For instance, HostGator gives your website a free dedicated IP address that isn’t shared with other sites.
This dedicated IP address can improve your site’s security and performance.
Another complementary security feature HostGator offers is a free upgrade to Positive SSL.
A Positive SSL means your website will be more secure and trusted by visitors.
Not only does HostGator ensure your site is secure, but the provider also has an array of features that make it easy to set up your business website, such as:
- One-click WordPress installs
- Free WordPress and cPanel transfers
- A menu with server stats
- An easy-to-use interface
DreamHost
DreamHost is the ideal shared hosting provider for WordPress sites because the company offers a 100% uptime guarantee, several security features, and affordable prices.
DreamHost manages over one million sites worldwide, making the 100% uptime guarantee impressive.
On top of that, DreamHost offers one of the best paid hosting plans if your biggest concern is security.
For example, DreamHost offers the following security measures for every hosting plan:
- Pre-installed free SSL certificate
- Pre-installed free WordPress firewall
- Two virtual private servers (for the VPS Basic plan)
- Multiple caching layers
- Built-in server caching
- Static IP address
Lastly, DreamHost’s plans are incredibly affordable.
Even if your budget is restricted, DreamHost has a paid plan that will work for you!
Best Dedicated Web Hosting Services
GoDaddy
Although GoDaddy is most popular for buying and selling domain names, the company is also a fantastic dedicated hosting option.
GoDaddy’s dedicated servers are powerful, secure and include an easy-to-use control panel.
GoDaddy offers SSD NVMe and HDD dedicated server hosting plans ranging from $129.99 to $419.99.
Further, dedicated plans come with a money-back guarantee, 99.9% server uptime, and root access to the data centers.
Liquid Web
Liquid Web provides managed dedicated hosting plans that are affordable, secure, and provide the best performance.
One unique aspect of Liquid Web is that the company allows you to select the data center closest to your core audience (there are three options available).
Also, managed servers mean this hosting provider will take care of all the technical details and behind the scene actions that need to take place.
Therefore, you can allocate more time to other parts of your business website.
Dedicated server plans at Liquid Web range from $149.25 to $374.25 a month and are suitable for everything from small apps to virtualization projects.
Best Non-Profit Web Hosting Services
Cloudways
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting provider that has advanced VPS cloud infrastructure.
The fact that Cloudways manages accounts makes it perfect for non-profits because it will save employees time and money needed to focus on other parts of the business.
SiteGround
SiteGround is another excellent non-profit hosting provider because the company offers fast and secure hosting for any website.
Also, SiteGround’s plans are affordable, starting at just $2.99 a month.
Even the most basic plan through SiteGround comes with unmetered traffic, a free SSL, enhanced security, and the ability to add collaborators (perfect for a growing non-profit team).
Pros and Cons of Free Hosting
Pros
It’s Free
One of the most obvious pros of free website hosting is that it won’t cost you anything!
Most hosting providers charge you at least a small fee for your website to live on the company’s platform.
But, with free WordPress hosting, you can build and activate your website for free!
Cons
Crappy Performance
Free website hosting might seem appealing at first, but keep in mind that you get what you pay for with dedicated, shared, and reseller hosting.
Therefore, most free hosting provides subpar performance, meaning your pages load slowly, and visitors will experience more errors.
If you’re serious about getting your site to rank higher on Google, free website hosting isn’t going to help, as page speed is an important factor.
Security is Questionable
Another question to ask before selecting a hosting provider is, “is free web hosting safe?”
Although free hosting companies say they provide security features, they seldom live up to their promises.
Free website hosting can pose a few risks in terms of security, which is important to keep in mind.
If you’re starting an eCommerce site, it’s better to bite the bullet and pay for a hosting plan.
What Are Free Web Hosting Providers?
Free web hosting providers offer various types of hosting, either free or at a low cost.
Popular free website hosting providers include 000Webhost and Hostinger, which both provide basic shared hosting plans.
If you need something more comprehensive, DreamHost provides a robust paid plan that will work for you!
Conclusion
We hope this guide helped you in your decision to choose a hosting provider.
If there is anything you would like to add to this list, please leave a comment below.
Happy interneting!
Free Website Hosting FAQ
The best free web hosting services are 000Webhost, Hostinger, and DreamHost. All three provide reliable shared hosting plans and have features that make them suitable for building any website.
Yes, you can host your website for free with any of the free web hosting providers mentioned above. However, keep in mind that performance and security may not be as good as what is offered with a paid plan.
Free web hosting can be suitable for personal blogs or small websites. However, paid plans are the way to go if you’re looking for reliable performance and security for an eCommerce website.
Overall, free web hosting may work in some cases, but it will likely come with a few tradeoffs. Unless you have a specific need for free hosting, it’s typically better to invest in a paid plan.
Yes, you can host your HTML website for free with any of the popular hosting providers mentioned above. However, if you want reliable performance and security, it’s usually better to invest in a paid plan. Hosting an HTML website for free is possible with various free hosting providers. However, many of them come with tradeoffs, such as slow loading times and security issues.
Free website hosting can pose a few risks in terms of security. Many free hosting providers will not provide the same level of protection as paid plans, which can leave your site vulnerable to attackers. If you have sensitive data on your website, it’s better to invest in a reliable hosting plan that offers advanced security features like an SSL certificate and regular backups. In conclusion, free website hosting is not necessarily safe and can come with a few security-related risks. Consider upgrading to a paid plan if you need more reliable performance and better protection for your data.
