Free Web Hosting

Can You Really Get FREE Web Hosting?

Yes, there are hundreds of free hosting web sites.  Well, they're free in the sense that you don't have to pay money to have your website hosted on their servers. However, have you ever heard that there's no such thing as a free lunch?  Generally, they either cost you in time, web hosting restrictions, or update your web pages by adding pop-ups, banners, or other advertisements.  When looking for free web hosting, especially when using major search engines, you should beware that there are a large number of web hosts that claim to offer free hosting but often have a hidden agenda, such as paying an excessive amount for a domain name, extra bandwidth or other service, and therefore aren't really free. 

How Do Free Web Hosts Make Money?

Free web hosts make money in many other ways, such as adding banners, pop-ups, or advertisements on your web pages. Those that don't force ads on your site may require you to  click on banners in their control panel or just display banners in the control panel and  file manager in hopes you will click on them. Some entice visitors with free hosting in hopes you will upgrade and pay for advanced features. A few send you occasional emails with ads, or may even sell your email address, that would definitely be a real bummer! 

Are Free Web Hosts Reliable?

Generally no, although there are a few exceptions. If the free host is making money from their advertising efforts or other revenue sources related to their hosting service, then they likely will stay in business.  However,  very often, new free web hosting companies get their servers abused with spam, hacking, etc., since they have very liberal signup policies. If the company  accepts anyone and everyone and is equipped with an automated instant activation and it offers features such as PHP or CGI, then some miscreants will attempt to find ways to abuse the free service.  This can cause their servers to have a lot of downtime or be incredibly sluggish. It is best if you are very selective in choosing a free web host company which only accepts quality sites.

When To Use Free Web Hosting

Free web hosting is not recommended for businesses purposes.  If you are looking to put your business on the web, then main requirement that you must have when searching for a web host company is reliability! Your web site must be up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at tip top speed. If your web site is constantly down or it takes an eternity to load, most certainly you are losing money by costing you customers, sales and credibility.

Valid reasons for using free hosting websites would be to learn the basics of website hosting, have a personal website with pictures of your family, friends etc., or to try web scripts you have developed on different web hosting environments. If you dabble in creating web sites for others, you can use these hosts as a test area to post changes to sites that you're working on.

Also, keep in mind that if you're looking to create a personal website, many internet service providers already give you that capability for free.