Free or Paid Hosting?

There are plenty of webhosting companies that provide free hosting, so why bother paying for it?  The old adage ‘You get what you pay for‘ is just as valid in the electronic age as it was 100 years ago. In web hosting, when you pay nothing you sometimes end up with nothing.

Before you make the decision to choose free or paid hosting, you should answer this question: What ambitions do I have for my website? If you are starting a small personal page for your friends that consists of a few .html files, then free host will be sufficient. In case you plan to run a serious business website, need PHP, database and don't want ads on your site it’s better you look for a quality paid webhosting company.

Most free web hosts offer limited services. Even though they are not charging you to host your website, they still need to make money. They often do this by placing advertising on your site. You probably won’t have any control over what kind of ads show up; it’s a matter of take it or leave it.

In addition, free hosts may restrict the content you place on your site. You may not be allowed to sell things or have certain content such as videos or music. Finally, your web site could simply disappear overnight. New companies that offer free hosting pop up almost everyday, but they also vanish with astonishing regularity. When your webhosting company vanishes, your web site goes with it.

If you are serious about having a web site you need to use a reliable and best hosting company. Prices range considerably but high rates don’t always translate as high service. Some of the lower priced hosts offer reliable, stable environments that allow your website to be accessed day in day out for years.