Website owners are often faced with a difficult decision from the very beginning of their online adventure. This decision is to choose a web hosting service for your website. Not only are there hundreds of web hosting companies that offer their services at affordable prices, but there are also some that offer free hosting to their customers. Here we take a detailed look at the main differences between having a free hosting service versus a paid hosting service and the impact it can have on your website.

Price

The first difference is the price. Free web hosting allows website owners to host the website completely free of charge. There are no fees involved in uploading files to your server. There are no charges for keeping the website hosted on the server over time. Paid web hosting services, on the other hand, charge a small fee for website owners to host their website. Payment for web hosting services is usually prescribed based on a monthly interval. You can choose to sign up for 12 or 24 months and receive deep discounts or you can stick to a monthly plan to ensure you’re happy with the service.

Speed

An important aspect of web hosting that you need to consider is bandwidth. This determines the speed at which data is transferred from the hosting server to the Internet user visiting your site. The higher the bandwidth, the faster your site will load and the faster users will be able to view videos, images, and download files. Free web hosting services usually restrict the amount of bandwidth your website has, and as a result, this will affect your website’s load time and speed when visitors try to browse your site. If you have a relatively new site without many visitors yet or your site does not consist of many images and videos, then restricting your bandwidth will have little or no effect on you. Conversely, if you plan to grow your website or have a large website with lots of graphics, then a paid web hosting option with unlimited bandwidth is your best solution.

Space:

The amount of web space you need for your website is also important if you plan to grow your website, or at least have the flexibility to expand it at a later date. Free web hosting services often limit the amount of web space allowed by your website, the number of pages your website can have, or both. Therefore, it is important that if you have a website that can become quite large and significant, you will need server space from a web hosting company that will provide you with plenty. Many paid web hosting services also provide unlimited space for your website, which helps give you peace of mind.

functionality:

The functionality and control of your website is probably one of the most important aspects when considering a web hosting solution. You want to be in control of your own website and be able to do whatever you want with it. Most free web hosting accounts do not allow you to use your own domain name. Alternatively, you should use a subdomain or internal domain of your own website. This can be seen as a downside as you will have poor branding of your products and services. Also, many free hosting options place their own ads on your website. You cannot remove these ads and they can be annoying and distracting to your potential online visitors.

In conclusion, the price would be the only advantage that a free web host would have compared to a paid web host. It is also a known fact that it may also cost you more and make you sacrifice more if you do not have a proper and reliable web hosting service for your website. If you have taken the initiative to start your own website, your next step is to find an affordable web hosting solution without restrictions.