Free Web Site Hosting
Free hosting is a free hosting service, usually advertisement supported and limited in features. Free web hosts either provide a sub domain or a directory. Some free web hosting providers allow the use of separately purchased domains.
Some free web hosting providers offer a basic package for free, and enhanced packages for a fee. Thus users can try the service and then upgrade when needed.
With free website hosting one can come across the following limitations:
- Limitation on the size of each hosted file
- Do not allow certain file types
- Prevents hotlinking of files
- Compulsory placement of the web host's advertisements into all web pages
- No uptime guarantee
- Very little amount of bandwidth
There are also some extra features a free web host may offer:
- Free email accounts for the domain or sub domain
- File transfer via FTP
- A web based control panel
- Relational databases like MySQL
- Other features like guestbook
Free Web Hosting vs Paid Hosting: Choose According to Your Needs
When choosing between a free and paid web hosting services, consider some things in order to make the right decision.
The first thing is the purpose of your website. This will be a key factor in determining which type of hosting service is more appropriate. Free web hosting may be fine if your site will be used mostly for personal postings. Free hosting services may also be useful if you are inexperienced in creating web pages and want to practise your skills.
With paid hosting, you'll find a variety of plans offering more disk space and bandwidth, and usually include a number of other features like free domain names, free sub-domains and unlimited email accounts. Compared to free hosting, you'll also find that the services provided by paid web hosting companies are much more reliable, not to mention a higher level of customer support.