Is Free Web Hosting Worth It?

There are certain instances where people may need to upload their website to a web hosting provider as soon as possible. Although shared web hosting has some affordable rates, other hosting providers may offer web hosting for free.

These packages certainly attract and they offer some features that may be beneficial or degrading to your site depending on the type of site you are setting.

Free Site Generator and Templates

If you do not have a website or do not know how to design a website, a free hosting plan is the quickest way to get started. If you go for any of the paid hosting plans, you have to pay the provider on a monthly basis, making it insensible to go for if you are not yet ready to come up with a website.

Even if the hosting provider lets you build your website online, you still waste a few hours or days in generating your site while your monthly plan is active. When you take the free route, you can take all the time you need to find a template or craft a site using their online interface. The site can later be transferred to a paid package.

Slower Site Performance during Heavy Loads

Large amounts of traffic going to a particular server shouldn't cause any harm even if the hardware specifications are basic. But if that server has other websites being hosted, it is more likely for that server to reach heavy load times. Even if the other website gets a huge surge of traffic, your site's performance will be affected as long as that site uses the same server as yours.

This is how it works with paid shared hosting packages as well but the free users often get the short end of the stick when it comes to specs. Fortunately, this shouldn't be so much of a big deal if you are setting up a private blog or some small community.

Script Support

Some web providers may add support for popular languages like PHP and databases which are necessary for platforms like WordPress to work properly. While it is not good to host any blogs directed for large-scale audiences on free hosts, these free plans can prove to be beneficial when testing scripts.

You won't have to go through the process of transforming your system into a local server. It can also give you a better idea on how fast your site loads when these scripts are present.

Advertisements

Advertisements are undesirable for the most part. But these hosting providers have to make money somehow if they are offering these services for free. Companies that strive to provide more reliable free services use advertisements as a "catch".

This isn't so bad if you can reposition the advertisement to better blend in with your site. If the site does not provide advertisements, it is likely that you won't be allowed to add your advertisements.

So is free web hosting worthwhile? It really depends on your needs. Some of the most basic site structures should run completely fine so getting the cheapest web host can be a waste of monthly money. On the other hand, paid website hosting packages are a must have if you need speed, support, and reliability.

Next, get a HostGator VPS coupon code to save money on your VPS web hosting account.

Or, discover several online website builders with free web hosting.

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