Paid and Free Web Hosting
Paid and Free Web Hosting: The Pros and Cons
There are two web hosting options available for you if you want to build and create a website. You can opt for a free hosting or paid website hosting. If you will get a paid web hosting plan, then there are sub-categories in this option. There are shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and other packages that can be offered by a hosting company.
For the purpose of this article, we will only explore the main advantages and disadvantages of free and paid hosting so you can choose wisely which one would be best for your website.
Free Website Hosting
It costs nothing to set up a website on free hosting. This is probably the biggest advantage that you can get from it. You can use the host’s server space and get your own web address at no cost to you.
There are also free website hosting sites that can offer free templates, drag and drop web building tools, Fantastico script auto-installer, and free FTP. If you are new to web building and you want your hands to get dirty in this kind of work, then you can easily start a website using a free host.
However, you will be forced by the free hosting provider to display ads on your pages. This is mandatory for most free hosts so your site will look unprofessional. Your site address is also a sub-domain only of the web host.
Free web hosts do not extend technical support for users so you are left on your own to troubleshoot problems. Worse, reliability of free hosts is also a big concern as they can take down your site without notice.
Paid Web Hosting
With paid hosting, you will get full control of your web space and your pages will not be plastered with annoying ads. Some paid hosting plan also provide free top level domain so your site will look very professional and trustworthy to visitors.
Paid hosts also provide 24/7 technical support if ever you need one. Most importantly, you can install your own scripts and web services because you are paying for the server space.
Cost is a big problem with paid hosting. You need to pay a monthly hosting fee so make sure that your website will earn in order to cover the cost of hosting.
It is best if you can use both hosting plans. Free hosting allows you to practice your skills and test your websites while paid web hosting is more reliable and ideal if you want visitors to trust your site.
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