Top 10 Free Web Hosting of 2022 included (Explanation, Features, and Specifications)
Hosting | Ad-Free | Bandwith | Disk Space |
---|---|---|---|
Hostinger | v | 100GB | 30GB |
Weebly | v | not known | 500MB |
WIX | x | 500MB | 500MB |
20i | v | 250MB | 10GB |
5GBFree | v | 20GB | 5GB |
000WebHost | v | 10GB | 1GB |
AwardSpace | v | 5GB | 1GB |
Dreamnix | v | 1GB | 1GB |
Freehostia | v | 6GB | 250MB |
FreeHosting | v | infinite | 10GB |
We all love free stuff, and it should be no surprise that there are plenty of free things, even in web hosting, if you know where to look. Not all free things are equal, and this time I'm going to look at what some of these free (and "almost free") web hosts have to offer.
Notes & Warnings:
- Free web hosting often comes with various risks, so we don't recommend it to serious website owners.
- Hostinger isn't completely free, but it's cheap to sign up ($1.39/mo) - they're on the list as an alternative.
10 Free Website Hosting to Consider
1. Hostinger
Hostinger was launched back in 2004 and was originally located in Kaunas, Lithuania. The company currently has offices worldwide and offers various hosting plans that include Shared Server Hosting, VPS Hosting, and even a website builder.
Hostinger has been around for over ten years with a strong local team and continues to build an international network in 39 countries. From risk-free startup hosting to advanced cloud VPS infrastructure, Hostinger aims to cater to the widest possible audience. As a result, Hostinger is now home to more than 29 million global users.
Feature:
- Easy website builder
- Auto Installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
- Account email hosting
- 24/7/365 live chat support
- Full-featured hosting for almost free
Specification:
- Disk Space: SSD 30GB
- Bandwidth: 100GB
- Database: 1 MySQL Database
- Control Panel: hpanel
Hostinger = Best "almost free" website hosting ($1.39/mo)
Hostinger to being a solid choice for users who want very cheap website hosting. EspecHoeven is if they are newbies or have a limited budget to work with setting up a test site on Hostinger and start tracking its performance in May 2018. Our test site hosted on Hostinger has scored above 99.95% continuous uptime and is rated "A" in the greatest speed test.
Upgrade options
Hostinger Single Hosting isn't free, but they sell for a very low price ($1.39/mo). Users who want better features (such as automatic daily backups, hosting more domains, and running unlimited cron jobs) can upgrade to their Premium plan, which costs $2.59/mo.
What's the catch? Hosting packages?
Hostinger's ultra-cheap price tag comes with a price (pun intended). Single shared hosting plans don't come with free SSL or daily backups. It also has a $1.39/mo deal if you sign up with a spreader, which is longer than the standard recommended subscription period (24-month).
2. Weebly
When I first saw Weebly, I evaluated it as a site-building tool, and when I came across this article, I realized that, in essence, it is a web host for sale. Weebly is one of the new generations of slash-web-hosted builders that works well and even holds an Alexa rating of 393.
However, I'll have to look at it again because there are distinct plus points for web hosts and site builders.
Feature:
- Free website builder (Weebly!)
- Free SSL security
- Apps for your Weebly-built sites
- Ad-free hosting
- Mobile app maker
Specification:
- Disk Space: 500MB
- Bandwidth: Unknown
- Database: Ownership
- Control Panel: Ownership
Easy to use but only hosted on the Weebly.com subdomain
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
Weebly is well supported through a vibrant community, and you can also contact them via email or live chat.
Upgrade options
Weebly goes to great lengths to sell its online store builder and, as such, tends to focus on key transactional points. Upgrade packages improve basic features, but the highlight is how many products you can sell at once. Of course, if you're looking for a hosting plan, that works too. Prices range from $12 per month to $25 per month.
How is it different from Weebly's free hosting?
Weebly is great at well and doesn't get along with anything else. For example, it doesn't support server-side scripting (like PHP) or database integration. And your free website domain will be a Weebly.com subdomain. True, that is incredibly powerful, but it also means that it's inflexible. You might be stuck with Weebly for good once you start using it.
3. Wix
Wix is also an owned brand making its name in the website building business and is one of the previous generation web tools. It's great for beginners and easy to use, plus enough offers for beginners to get interested before moving on to the paid plans.
Feature:
- Free website builder (Wix!)
- Online store
- Free templates
- Wix App
Specification:
- Disk Space: 500MB
- Bandwidth: 500MB
- Database: Ownership
- Control Panel: Ownership
Powerful free web editor but with ads
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
You get what you pay for, and apart from an extensive knowledge base, you can email them and take your chances for a free account. Only premium accounts get faster responses to questions or concerns they have.
Upgrade options
Because the plans are designed to increase the functionality of websites, Wix at higher tiers can be expensive. However, the price includes functions like form builder, email campaigns, and even site reviews by professionals. It costs $4.50 per month at its lowest hour, rising to $24.50 per month.
What's in it with Wix free domain hosting?
Again, Wix is another proprietary engine that will try to keep you at any cost. The good news is that it works better with other tools than Weebly, so it's compatible with several devices like Caspio, a free database platform. Oh yes, and Wix is not ad-free. If you don't have a payment plan, it will quickly plaster Wix ads on your site.
4. 20i
20i is a UK-based web hosting provider that has been around for some years. However, the founders behind it have a long and respectable track record. The company currently maintains a decent lineup of products which is quite surprising, including their free CDN.
Feature:
- Easy app installation
- Includes free SSL Wildcard
- Allow website monetization
- SSD Storage
Specification:
- Disk Space: 10GB
- Bandwidth: 250MB
- Databases: MySQL 1 × 1 GB
- Control Panel: My20i
Ad-free hosting with tight bandwidth
Impressive features for the free plan
This hosting provider ticks a lot of the right boxes on their free offer compared to similar plans. Among their important features is that they not only offer an ad-free experience, but you are free to run ads on your site to make money.
Upgrade options
The next logical step of the 20i free plan would be one of their standard shared hosting options. However, I recommend looking past the lowest tier and switching straight to the 'Premium' plan. You get more out of each resource type - in most cases, it's not measured.
What's in it with the 20i free plan?
While the 20i is generous in its key areas, they've decided to limit bandwidth tighter. All free users only get 250MB every month.
5. 5GBfree
As far as web hosting sites go, 5GBfree is relatively new, but that's probably good. They claim to offer the latest technology, including CloudLinux and host equipment based on the US, PCI, and SAS 70 Type II certified data centers.
Again, this is another company that allows the option of free accounts to be upgraded as they grow. Free versions are supported in the form of a knowledge base (which was inactive at the time of this article) and through community forums.
Feature:
- Auto Installer
- Ad-free hosting
- PHP & MySQL database support
Specification:
- Disk Space: 5GB
- Bandwidth: 20GB
- Databases: 3 MySQL Databases
- Control Panel: Cpanel
New but big free hosting storage
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
Unfortunately, no uptime guarantees were found with 5GBfree, nor is any information available regarding reliability. It's a bit of a pity, though, because at least there's an option to back up your files and databases on the back end. This seems to be the same for the Pro account plan as well.
Upgrade options
For $2.95 a month, a Pro account that offers cheap hosting and seems to offer what many of the leading web hosts have.
What are the benefits of 5GBfree website hosting?
While the basic free account specs seem fine, the free 5GB doesn't host email for that. If you want to have an email account with your domain, you'll need to upgrade to a Pro account. Even more worrying is the lack of dedication to any form of Service Level Agreement. Register at your own risk!
Update March 2021: 5GBfree seems no longer active. While there has been no official announcement, public comments indicate that users can no longer access the site.
6. 000Webhost
Since 2007, 000Webhost has offered free web hosting unencumbered by advertising requirements. Since they also offer paid hosting options, their business model revolves around providing free hosting services funded by the paid business end. This benefits everyone, as free hosting users also have the opportunity to upgrade their site by becoming paid customers whenever they want.
Feature:
- Free website builder
- Automatic Installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
- Ad-free hosting
- PHP & MySQL database support
Specification:
- Disk Space: 1GB
- Bandwidth: 10GB
- Databases: 2 MySQL Databases
- Control Panel: Cpanel
$0/month hosting but one hour of sleep every day
There is a 99% uptime guarantee for free accounts, but in the case of 000Webhost, you should consider a one-hour sleep period imposed per day. That means your server time starts at 95.83%, minus the technical difficulties.
Upgrade options
000Webhost provides paid hosting plans Hostinger charges for paid hosting based on the time you sign up. The longer your contract term, the cheaper the monthly fee will be. Prices start at $7.19 per month for a one-month contract.
What does the 000Webhost free plan mean?
Users of the free 000Webhost platform must put up with one hour of enforced “sleep” every day. This means that it will not be available to anyone - including yourself.
7. AwardSpace
Offering web hosting since 2004, Awardspace has been around the block a few times and is still standing. Over time they have tweaked their free hosting offerings and kept up with the competition (and time). Last year, they launched a completely redesigned site that simplifies their service.
Feature:
- Spam protection
- Automatic Installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
- Ad-free hosting
- Free website builder
Specification:
- Disk Space: 1GB
- Bandwidth: 5GB
- Databases: 1 MySQL Database
- Control Panel: Advanced Control Panel
Free hosting with no uptime guarantee
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
The free version of Awardspace comes with no uptime guarantee. You have to sign up with one of their paid plans. At least for them, there is a Service Level Agreement at 99.9%, plus a no-questions-asked refund within the first 30 days if you are not satisfied with the company.
Upgrade options
Awardspace comes in three flavors (in addition to free), with prices ranging from $5.20 per month to $10.30 per month. Awardspace offers a hefty discount of up to 98% for new signups, which means you can pay as little as 9 cents a month.
What's up with Awardspace?
There isn't a glaring catch on Awardspace, and it does offer what can be called a fair and decent free account for beginners. I suspect part of the plan is to set their starter price low to attract customers and draw them in slowly. Profits between paid plans are greatly increased at the lowest level.
8. Dreamnix
Rather than free server hosting, I would consider Dreamnix "nearly free," as they offer the best features with sharp limitations in their free product. This is in line with their concept of "try before you buy."
Feature:
- SSD supported servers
- Automatic Installer (WordPress)
- Ad-free hosting
- PHP & MySQL database support
Specification:
- Disk Space: 1GB
- Bandwidth: 1GB
- Databases: 1 MySQL Database
- Control Panel: Cpanel
Free cPanel hosting with SSD storage
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
It's a pretty good bet that it's legit because all-in-one Dreamnix emphasizes a money-back guarantee. It doesn't even retrieve your credit card information until you pay for any service. Like I said - try before you buy!
Upgrade options
Once you go beyond your free hosting plan, upgrades differ mainly in terms of additional features like access to Cron jobs, mailing lists, etc. Basics like bandwidth and sick space go up to infinity on even the lowest plans. Based on annual subscription rates, from $1.95 per month to $4.95 per month.
What's the catch?
As far as we can see, not much, except that Dreamnix is limited to data centers in just three locations. It's well spread worldwide, so there shouldn't be any real problems here.
9. Freehostia
Freehostia is proud to announce more than ten years of serving hosts in the industry and shout about 'Load Balanced Cluster Technology' versus standalone servers. It is a large-scale web host, which means that apart from offering slice hosting, it also offers high-end solutions like dedicated servers. On the downside, Data Center locations are limited to Chicago only.
Feature:
- Free website templates
- Automatic Installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
- Ad-free hosting
- PHP & MySQL database support
Specification:
- Disk Space: 250MB
- Bandwidth: 6GB
- Databases: 1 MySQL Database
- Control Panel: Cpanel
Free hosting without ads
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
Uptime for free hosts is 99.9%, which is usually an indicator that paid plans are improving reliability. Unfortunately, Freehostia doesn't show uptime for the paid plans, so it's a bit of a hit and miss.
Upgrade options
Freehostia offers several additional capacity plans. The key here seems to be a lot of focus on a given amount of storage; weird because storage is pretty cheap nowadays, and most web hosts practically give it away. Prices start from $14 per month to $65 per month for the upgraded plan.
What's the catch?
Storage space, storage space, and storage space, Freehostia seems intent on immobilizing users through this alone. 250MB for a web host (even a free one) these days seems excessive. Also, there are so many plans available that just browsing through them is enough to confuse you.
10. FreeHosting
When you visit this freehosting.com, the first thing you'll notice is that everything is emblazoned with the word "Free." Great, because that's what you're after, right? Not so much when you realize that the long list of features on offer is slyly punctuated with non-free stuff to make it look longer.
Feature:
- Free website builder
- Automatic Installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
- Ad-free hosting
- PHP & MySQL database support
Specification:
- Disk Space: 10GB
- Bandwidth: Unlimited
- Databases: 1 MySQL Database
- Control Panel: Cpanel
A free web host with very limited features
Guaranteed reliability and uptime
I've been through this site many times, but no one seems to have mentioned an uptime guarantee, which is a little scary. The only time cashback is said is within the paid account's 30-day grace period.
Upgrade options
Freehosting.com only offers two plans - you pay or you don't. Paid accounts benefit from unlimited storage space and bandwidth for $7.99 per month.
What's with FreeHosting.com?
For a free service, not much we can find. BUT, there is a caveat in their terms of service; an 'exit' clause states that they can shut you down if you take up too many (unspecified) resources.
Conclusion
It is important to know that most free hosting options cannot meet even the most basic standards required to run a successful business website. If you are serious about your website, for example - running an online business or planning to make money from your blog, it is better to host your website on a cheap shared hosting provider - which usually offers quality service at a reasonable price.