Being an authoritative website that scrutinizes the web hosting service, we have to touch upon a subject that is very frequently discussed within different online communities, and that is the question of best free web hosting.
The modern man has multiple ways to interact with online content, from mobile devices to laptops, desktop computers but also indirectly through other traditional media such as television, newspapers and magazines.
All of these medias will mention or quote different online sources for acquiring information from them. There is no getting around online information, and moreover, anyone can publish online information through social media or a free website.
What is a free web hosting service?
A free web hosting service is usually a third-party service that enables you to publish a website without a paid domain or hosting service. Because these free services do not require you to own a domain name, usually the free website is published under a subdomain.
It is important to note that regarding the provided resources, in most cases you are limited to a finite amount of data, number of images, bandwidth … etc. but we need to discuss the cons with a more in-depth discussion.
What are the negative sides of a free website hosting?
My number one thing I have to mention when someone mentioned free website hosting is that these platforms make you agree to an end-user licence agreement which implies that they are the owners of the intellectual property you build with that website.
What this means is literally that you do not own the free website, but even scarier is knowing they have full rights to take that site offline any time they feel like doing so. By accepting such EULA you are giving them off-hands to do what they like with your website, and as such I do not like it.
Besides ownership rites, other issues and problems that may arise from using a free web hosting service is that the limited resources are usually on a virtual hosting platform with hundreds or thousands of other websites.
What this means is that your free website will be fighting other free sites for the little resource provided, and thus will be operating slow, which translates into sluggish user experience and negative SEO impact.
Which are the most popular free web hostings?
The most renowned free web hosting service is WordPress .ORG though we can also mention Google Blogger, Wix or MyBusiness as a somewhat of a means to get a free website.
While these are some of the recognizable names in the IT industry you may ask why would such highly profitable companies provide free services?
The truth is that most of them aim to hook you up into their hosting platform, and once you are too much invested into their service they aim to make you a paying customer.
Who should choose such free web hosting services?
Students and people with free time on their hands who want to try their skills or learn how to make a website can use these free web hosting services as a training ground.
Using free WordPress as an experiment can give you some insight into the process of making websites with this platform and as such a free test-drive is a good way to decide if it suits you.
However, bearing in mind what we mentioned about the end-user licence agreement and intellectual property, I cannot recommend using these platforms for a high value or a commercial online project.
The truth is that there is no free web hosting service that can be named as the best, all of them have an angle of their own and are not there to give you a free website.
Alternatives to a free web hosting service
The bottom line of any free web hosting service is to appeal to you with an attractive free offer and after you are hooked like a little fish, they will pull the cord and have you for dinner.
Ok, not literally, but they will aim to have you pay for services… However, I cannot suggest that you use such free web hosting services when there are alternatives such as a web hosting plan for under $2 per month that can provide you with a better website performance, more resources and full ownership of the intellectual property you create with the online project.
Be smart, if you want to play around and test then sure use a free web hosting but do not get invested too deep but instead go independent with an affordable hosting.