As a rule, if it looks too good to be true, it generally is. More often than not, free things end up costing more in the end. This rule applies to website hosting as well. Among the various hosting solutions available for site owners today, many hosting providers also offer free web hosting. It is essentially Shared Hosting offered for “free” by the provider. That’s right, there is no hosting plan, and you do not have to pay anything for hosting your website.
But is it really free?
While free web hosting appears to cost nothing, it comes attached with a number of conditions that may be unacceptable to most site owners. So why do you need free web hosting? Even the best Linux Hosting in India is available at a very affordable price.
Here are our reasons for avoiding free web hosting for your website.
1. Unwanted advertisements
Hosting providers do not charge you for free web hosting, but they have to make money somehow. So they place advertisement banners on your site to generate revenue. You have no control over what ads will be shown or their placement on your website. Too many advertisements are a distraction, and they degrade the user experience.
2. Lack of features
Free web hosting is a barebones hosting service that provides just enough infrastructure for you to get your website online. Most features usually included with a regular hosting Linux server plan are not included. You must pay extra to get them.
3. Poor customer support
Just like the features, you will receive minimum support, either IVR or chat support. Support, as we all know, is a crucial component of seamless website hosting. Even the best Linux Hosting doesn’t offer a complete user experience without good support. It is not something you should skimp on.
4. Unreliable performance
Reliability is one of the basic requirements of a successful website. Site visitors do not like a slow website or one that keeps crashing unexpectedly. With free web hosting, there is no motivation for hosting providers to maintain their infrastructure. As a result, they often face unexpected downtime, making for an inconsistent user experience.
5. Limited resources
Almost all hosting providers offer only one free web hosting option, which has limited resources. You cannot upgrade as there are no plans to speak of. You get what you pay for or don’t pay for in this case. So if your website runs out of bandwidth, you will have to pay for more or wait until it resets at the end of the billing cycle. As bandwidth has a direct impact on site speed, your website will suffer in case of no/insufficient bandwidth.
6. No security
Finally, one of the most important considerations, security. Free web hosting does not prioritise security and offers minimal protection. As such, it puts your website at great risk. If your website deals with user data, it is at risk of being stolen by hackers or lost due to a malware infection.
These are some of the most obvious drawbacks of free web hosting and are reasons enough for you to steer clear of it. Now that you know everything that can go wrong, will you prefer Shared Hosting or still opt for free web hosting?
The following video lists a few reasons why you should prefer Shared Hosting over free web hosting: