11 Best Free Web Hosting Services of 2025 [Host at $0 Cost]

I’ve been building WordPress websites for over a decade, and I’ll be honest with you.

Free hosting used to make me cringe!

I’ve seen too many promising websites crash and burn because they started with the wrong foundation.

But here’s the thing – I’ve also helped countless students and entrepreneurs launch their first sites when budgets were tight. So I decided to dig deep and find out which free hosting services actually work in 2025.

My journey with free hosting started when a college student reached out for help with her startup blog. She had zero budget but needed a professional-looking site fast.

That’s when I realized I needed to test these services myself instead of just dismissing them. Over the past year, I’ve deployed test sites on every major free hosting platform to see what works and what doesn’t.

At first, I was skeptical about most free options. Many crashed under basic traffic loads or buried sites with annoying ads.

But after testing dozens of services with real websites, from personal blogs to small business sites, I found some surprising winners.

I measured everything that matters: uptime, speed, ease of use, and how well they actually support WordPress.

I’ll show you exactly which free hosting services passed my tests and which ones to avoid.

Plus, I’ll share the almost-free alternatives that might save you headaches down the road. By the end, you’ll know exactly where to host your site without breaking the bank.

What You’ll Learn in This Guide:

• When to upgrade from free to paid hosting
• The top 11 free and almost-free hosting services that actually work
• Real performance data from my hands-on testing
• Hidden costs and limitations of free hosting
• Step-by-step guidance for choosing the right option

Why Trust IsItWP on This List of Free Web Hosting Services

At IsItWP, we don’t just recommend hosting services based on theory or marketing claims. We test them ourselves on real websites to give you honest, experience-based advice.

Here’s what sets our recommendations apart:

• WordPress Expertise: Our team has years of experience building and managing WordPress sites for clients across different industries
• Real-World Testing: We deploy actual websites on each hosting platform to test performance, not just features on paper
• Hands-On Approach: Every service on this list has been personally tested by our team members on live projects
• No Marketing Fluff: We examine the real limitations and hidden costs that hosting companies don’t advertise
• Performance Focus: We measure what actually matters – uptime, speed, ease of use, and customer support quality
• Beginner-Friendly Reviews: We test from a beginner’s perspective to see how easy it really is to get started
• Long-Term Assessment: We don’t just test for a few days – we monitor performance over months to spot reliability issues

When we say a hosting service works well, it’s because we’ve used it ourselves and seen the results firsthand.

This real-world testing helps us spot the difference between services that look good on paper and ones that actually deliver.

Here’s exactly how I evaluate each free hosting service:

• Real Website Deployment: I create actual WordPress sites on each platform, including blogs, portfolios, and small business sites to test different use cases
• Performance Monitoring: I track uptime, page loading speeds, and server response times over several months using tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix
• Traffic Load Testing: I simulate real visitor traffic to see how sites perform under pressure and identify breaking points
• Feature Assessment: I test WordPress installation processes, theme compatibility, plugin support, and available storage limits
• User Experience Evaluation: I go through the entire setup process as a beginner would, noting any confusing steps or technical barriers
• Customer Support Testing: I contact support teams with real questions to evaluate response times and helpfulness
• Mobile Performance: I check how sites load on mobile devices since most visitors browse on phones
• Security Analysis: I examine SSL certificates, backup options, and overall security measures provided
• Migration Testing: I test how easy it is to move sites away from the platform if needed
• Long-Term Reliability: I monitor sites for months to catch issues that only appear over time

This thorough testing approach helps me identify which services actually work for real WordPress projects and which ones will cause problems down the road.

I’ve been burned by hosting services that looked great initially but failed when I needed them most.

Choosing the Best Free Web Hosting Service

Most people turn to free hosting when they’re starting out and don’t want to spend money upfront.

I totally get it – when you’re testing an idea or learning WordPress, every dollar counts. Free hosting can make sense in specific situations, but it’s not right for everyone.

Students often benefit most from free hosting services. If you’re working on class projects, building a portfolio to show professors, or experimenting with web design, free hosting gives you a playground without financial pressure.

I’ve seen students create impressive projects on free platforms that helped them land internships.

Hobby bloggers and personal projects also work well with free hosting initially. Maybe you want to share family photos, document a hobby, or write about your interests.

Free hosting lets you test the waters and see if you enjoy maintaining a website before investing money.

But, free hosting becomes problematic when you’re serious about your online presence.

If you’re building a business website, professional portfolio, or blog you plan to monetize, the limitations of free hosting will hold you back quickly.

Here’s what I’ve learned from testing free hosting services:

• Traffic Limits: Most free hosts restrict your monthly visitors, sometimes as low as 1,000 per month
• Storage Restrictions: You’ll typically get 1-5 GB of storage, which fills up fast with images and content
• Subdomain URLs: Your site address looks unprofessional (like yoursite.freehost.com instead of yoursite.com)
• Limited Support: Free users often get slower or no customer support when problems arise
• Platform Lock-in: Some free hosts make it difficult to export your content and move elsewhere

The biggest mistake I see beginners make is starting with free hosting for a serious project, only to struggle to migrate later when they’ve outgrown the limitations.

Free Web Hosting Sites – What’s the Catch?

Hosting a website certainly costs money. So how can a web hosting company offer its services for free without going bankrupt? Are there any downsides to choosing a free web hosting service?

• Ads: To make money, web hosting companies often show their ads on your website’s footer. To get ad-free hosting, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan.
• Limit your traffic: A free web hosting service often limits your traffic, which holds you back from growing your business.
• Lock in: A free web hosting company often makes it really hard to move your website to other platforms.

Honestly, you’d be better off building your site using a cheap hosting service when you’re just starting out. We believe that using a free web hosting service is a bad idea unless you’re creating a test site.

You can get started with a web hosting plan for as low as $1.99 per month and use WordPress.org to build your site. This will give you access to tons of free website themes, builders, plugins, and add-ons. So overall, you can enhance your site’s functionality while saving a lot of money in the long run.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the best almost-free website hosting services first. Then, if you’re still not convinced, we’ll show you the best free hosting companies. If you want to skip right to it, jump to the free hosting options.

Top 5 Almost-Free Hosting Companies

Before we look at completely free options, let me share the almost-free hosting services that offer incredible value.

These cost just $2-4 per month but eliminate most of the headaches that come with free hosting. I’ve used all of these for client projects and personal sites.

You can click here to skip to the completely free hosting options.

1. Bluehost
2. Hostinger
3. SiteGround
4. HostGator
5. DreamHost

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the best cheap hosting services available on the market. It’s also officially recommended by WordPress.org.

With every new web hosting account, you’ll get a free domain name, free SSL, and an over 50% discount on web hosting.

Currently, Bluehost hosts over 2 million websites worldwide. Your website will have no ads and no downtime.

We’ve negotiated an exclusive deal with Bluehost for IsItWP users, so you’d only have to pay $1.99 per month.

You’ll get free 1-year domain registration, free SSL, free CDN, and one-click WordPress installation.

This makes it ideal if you want to get started on a small budget, especially if it’s a personal website, small business, or simple blog.

Bluehost is really one of the best web hosting services. It comes packed with features like daily backups, malware security, SEO tools, WordPress auto-installer, and more, making it absolutely worth it.

They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to worry about.

What you get with Bluehost:

• Free domain name for one year (saves $10-15)
• Free SSL certificate for security
• Free CDN (content delivery network) for faster loading
• One-click WordPress installation
• 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, and email
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Daily backups and malware protection

Read our complete Bluehost review.

Get started with Bluehost today!

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is a powerful web hosting provider that gives you access to reliable hosting for as low as $2.69 per month.

You’ll get a free domain, unlimited SSL, daily backups, free email, and free CDN. So the amount you would spend on these services separately is all rolled into one for just a little over $2 per month.

Aside from this, you can host up to 100 websites on this web hosting plan. Plus, Hostinger gives you unlimited bandwidth.

Depending on the plan you choose, you can also start an online store and monetize your site by selling digital or physical goods.

What you get with Hostinger:

• Free domain name registration
• Unlimited SSL certificates
• Daily backups included
• Free email accounts with your domain
• Free CDN for global speed optimization
• Host up to 100 websites
• Unlimited bandwidth
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Read our complete Hostinger Review

Get started with Hostinger today!

3. SiteGround

If you want a premium web hosting service that doesn’t compromise the speed of your site, then SiteGround could be your best choice.

SiteGround is a feature-packed web hosting service with several data centers around the world.

It gives you everything you need to get your site up and running. Plus, it offers cloud hosting solutions with tons of performance and security features.

SiteGround focuses on speed with superfast SSD storage, plus you get free Cloudflare CDN services.

It is one of the best hosts for small businesses, startups, and bloggers. SiteGround offers a cheap web hosting plan for as low as $3.99 per month. You get this with our SiteGround coupon code.

What you get with SiteGround:

• Free Cloudflare CDN integration
• Superfast SSD storage
• Daily backups included
• Free SSL certificates
• Multiple data centers worldwide
• WordPress-optimized servers
• Excellent customer support
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Read our complete SiteGround hosting review.

Get started with SiteGround today!

4. HostGator

HostGator rocks the cheap hosting space with its affordable starter plans and easy setup. HostGator powers over 2 million domain names all around the globe.

You get unmetered bandwidth, unlimited storage, one-click apps installation, and so much more.

You can try out their service risk-free for 30 days and, if you’re not fully satisfied, you can get a complete refund. HostGator’s award-winning 24/7 customer support is available via live chat, telephone, email account, or knowledge base.

With HostGator, you can start your website for $2.52 per month, which is a great deal. Get this deal with our HostGator coupon.

What you get with HostGator:

• Unlimited storage and bandwidth
• Free domain name for first year
• Free SSL certificate
• One-click WordPress installation
• 24/7 customer support
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Free website migration assistance

Read our complete HostGator review.

Get started with HostGator today!

5. DreamHost

DreamHost is a leading web hosting service that has grown and maintained a successful hosting business for the last 2+ decades.

With their cheap hosting plans, you’ll get a free domain name, free SSL encryption with Let’s Encrypt, a 1-click WordPress installer, and more.

With all their hosting packages, you get unlimited traffic, which means unlimited bandwidth. Dreamhost doesn’t track it, so you never get charged fees for overstepping the limit.

With host platform, you can save up to 72% on DreamHost WordPress hosting. Their hosting plans start at $2.59 per month.

What you get with DreamHost:

• Unlimited bandwidth (truly unlimited)
• Free domain name
• Free SSL certificate with Let’s Encrypt
• One-click WordPress installer
• Daily backups
• 97-day money-back guarantee
• No renewal price increases

Read our complete DreamHost review.

Get started with DreamHost today!

Best Completely Free Hosting Sites

6. Weebly
7. WordPress.com
8. Wix
9. Google Sites
10. Google Cloud Platform
11. Amazon Web Services

6. Weebly

Weebly is another popular free website builder, which is now a part of the Square product suite. Whether you want to build a site or an online store, Weebly makes it super easy to kick it off in minutes.

The free Weebly plan enables you to build a basic website. Your free site will be hosted on a weebly.com subdomain. Your site will also have a Weebly link in the footer.

For advanced features like a custom domain setup, eCommerce store, site stats, and email marketing, you can upgrade to a premium plan.

What you get with Weebly’s free plan:

• Drag-and-drop website builder
• Mobile-responsive themes
• Basic eCommerce features
• Weebly.com subdomain (yoursite.weebly.com)
• Square branding in footer
• Limited storage and bandwidth
• Basic analytics

The free plan works well for personal websites, simple portfolios, or testing business ideas. I’ve seen people create attractive sites that look professional despite being hosted on a subdomain.

Limitations to consider:

• Your site address will be yoursite.weebly.com instead of a custom domain
• Weebly branding appears in the footer
• Limited customization options compared to WordPress
• No access to advanced features like email marketing or detailed analytics
• Can’t install custom plugins or themes

Best for: Complete beginners who want a simple website quickly, personal projects, or testing business concepts before investing in paid hosting.

Read our complete Weebly review.

If you’re using Weebly and looking for a way out, check this complete guide on how to move your website from Weebly to WordPress.

Get started with Weebly today!

7. WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a free blogging platform that helps you easily build a blog or a site from the ground up.

Unlike other free site builders, WordPress.com offers 3 GB of storage space, dozens of free themes, and all the other essential features you can think of.

The free site will be hosted on a WordPress.com subdomain and will be highly optimized for search engines.

Their premium plan lets you connect a custom domain, offers unlimited disk space (up to 200 GB), and even integrates a storefront with your WordPress.com site.

What you get with WordPress.com’s free plan:

• 3 GB of storage space
• WordPress.com subdomain
• Access to free WordPress themes
• Basic customization options
• Search engine optimization features
• WordPress.com advertising on your site
• Limited plugin access

The blogging tools are excellent since WordPress.com is built specifically for content creation. The editor is clean and easy to use, and your content is automatically optimized for search engines.

Limitations to consider:

• Your site address will be yoursite.wordpress.com
• WordPress.com displays ads on your site
• Can’t install custom themes or plugins
• Limited monetization options
• No access to your site’s code or files
• Cannot upload custom plugins

Best for: Bloggers who want to focus on writing without technical distractions, people testing blog ideas, or anyone who needs built-in SEO features.

Check out this article to compare WordPress.com vs WordPress.org before you make your decision.

Get started with WordPress.com today!

8. Wix

Wix is a free website builder that allows you to quickly start a site from the ground up. The best thing about Wix is that you don’t have to learn any of the technicalities of hosting and website building.

You can simply sign up for Wix and start building your own website you’ve always wanted with its drag and drop builder.

The free plan doesn’t allow you to use a custom domain name such as IsItWP.com or WPBeginner.com. This is what your site URL will look like: https://username.wixsite.com/sitename

To connect to your own domain name, you’ll have to upgrade to a premium account.

What you get with Wix’s free plan:

• Drag-and-drop website builder
• Hundreds of professional templates
• Mobile-optimized designs
• Basic eCommerce features
• Wix.com subdomain
• Wix branding and ads
• Limited storage and bandwidth

The design flexibility impressed me most. You can create unique layouts that would require custom coding on other platforms.

The mobile editor lets you fine-tune how your site looks on phones and tablets.

Limitations to consider:

• Your site address will be username.wixsite.com/sitename
• Wix branding appears throughout your site
• Limited storage (500 MB) and bandwidth
• Cannot switch templates once you start building
• No access to your site’s code
• Wix ads display on your pages

Best for: Creative professionals who need design flexibility, small businesses testing their online presence, or anyone who wants a visually stunning website without coding.

Read our complete Wix review and see how Wix.com is different from WordPress.org.

Get started with Wix today!

9. Google Sites

Google Sites is part of G Suite and enables you to create a highly customizable website by collaborating with your team members. As Wikipedia says: it’s a structured wiki and web page creation tool offered by Google.

With a standard Google account, you can create as many Google Sites as you want for free.

The only catch is that your site will be under Google’s domain and your site address will look like this: sites.google.com/view/yoursite

To use a custom domain name, you can sign up for a G Suite account.

What you get with Google Sites:

• Simple drag-and-drop editor
• Integration with Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets
• Collaboration features for teams
• Google Sites subdomain
• Mobile-responsive designs
• Unlimited sites with Google account
• Google branding

The collaboration features set Google Sites apart from other free builders. Multiple people can edit the same site simultaneously, and changes sync in real-time.

Limitations to consider:

• Your site address will be sites.google.com/view/yoursite
• Very limited design customization options
• Basic functionality compared to other builders
• No eCommerce features
• Cannot install apps or plugins
• Google branding throughout

Best for: Teams that need to collaborate on simple websites, internal company pages, or anyone who wants the simplest possible website creation process.

Get started with G Suite and Google Sites today!

10. Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform is the best free hosting company on the market.

With Google Cloud Platform, you can host your website for a free trial that lasts for 12 months. They also offer an Always Free tier, which provides limited access to many common GCP resources.

However, keep in mind that Google asks for your credit card information when signing up to verify your identity and distinguish actual customers from robots.

What you get with GCP’s free tier:

• 12-month free trial with $300 credit
• Always Free tier for basic resources
• Enterprise-grade infrastructure
• Global server locations
• Advanced security features
• Scalable resources
• Pay-as-you-go pricing after free tier

The Always Free tier includes enough resources to host a small WordPress site indefinitely. However, you’ll need to configure servers, databases, and security settings manually.

Limitations to consider:

• Requires advanced technical knowledge
• Credit card required for signup
• Complex setup process
• No customer support for free tier users
• Can accidentally exceed free limits and incur charges
• Not beginner-friendly

Best for: Developers and technically skilled users who want enterprise-grade infrastructure, people learning cloud hosting, or advanced users who need scalable resources.

Get started with Google Cloud Platform!

11. Amazon Web Services

If you want to host a static website on a free web hosting service, then you might want to check out Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS offers a few different types of free plans such as Always Free and 12-months free accounts.

The free AWS account might be a good solution for users who want to explore their platform and master their technical skills.

What you get with AWS free tier:

• 12-month free tier for new accounts
• Always Free tier for basic services
• Global content delivery network
• High-performance servers
• Advanced security options
• Scalable architecture
• Pay-as-you-go pricing

The free tier includes enough resources to host multiple small websites. The content delivery network ensures fast loading times worldwide.

Limitations to consider:

• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Complex configuration required
• Credit card required for signup
• Easy to accidentally exceed free limits
• Limited customer support for free tier
• Best suited for static sites, not dynamic WordPress

Best for: Developers learning cloud technologies, technically advanced users who want maximum control, or anyone hosting static websites that need global performance.

Get started with AWS!

That’s our list of the best free and cheap web hosting plans. Now, if anything is unclear, check out the commonly asked questions below.

FAQs: Best Free Web Hosting Services

Final Verdict: Which is the Best Free Web Hosting?

Weebly and WordPress.com are the best free web hosting options on the market.

Weebly lets you build a basic website for free, which is great for beginners. You don’t need to add a credit card or any other detail to set up your site.

However, the free version is very limited and you don’t have complete control over your website. Since you’re hosting on their servers, Weebly can also remove your site at any time without prior notice.

WordPress.com is ideally designed for bloggers with a 3 GB bandwidth space and access to WordPress themes. The website will be hosted on the WordPress.com free subdomain.

Unlike other web hosting providers, you don’t get a cPanel (control panel) and access to install premium WordPress plugins.

Free web hosting comes with limitations like storage space limit, no free email, no custom domain, and so on. You may start your site with a free web hosting company, but you’ll need paid hosting sooner or later.

Therefore, we recommend Bluehost, the best web hosting solution so far. The best part about Bluehost is the exclusive 50% discount for IsItWP users on web hosting.

On top of the premium hosting plan, you get a free domain name and a free SSL certificate for one year. This reduces your hosting cost to $1.99 per month, worth every penny you pay.

You can then install a free content management system like WordPress or Joomla to build your site.

For the budget-conscious, here’s my priority order:

1. Bluehost ($1.99/month) – Best overall value and reliability
2. Hostinger ($2.69/month) – Great for hosting multiple sites
3. SiteGround ($3.99/month) – Premium performance and support
4. WordPress.com (Free) – Best free option for bloggers
5. Weebly (Free) – Best free option for simple websites

We hope this guide helped you find the best free web hosting service for your site.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also want to check out the following article:

• What Is Web Hosting? (Shared vs. Dedication vs. VPS hosting)
• The Best WordPress Hosting Companies (Real Reviews, No B.S)
• How to Make a Website From Scratch (Step by Step)

These guides will further help you understand what is web hosting, find hosting resources, and set up a website from scratch.