subject: Free versus Paid Web Hosting Solutions [print this page] Starting a website can be quite an adventure and you will find so many options that will help in site creation and hosting. You have the options of free or paid web hosting, which have their pros and cons.
Domain Name Preferences
Free Services
When looking for a webhost, the first thing you should consider is your domain name. A free host means longer domain name as you will have to include the host name in your domain name. For example, if you're free host is "example.com", your domain will be "myname.example.com". Some free hosts do allow you to select other options to the domain name instead of the "example.com". This is an advantage because you will be able to come up with a name that is in sync with your website.
Paid Up Services
Paid up hosting services allow you to register your very own domain name. As an example, you can have "www.myname.com" as your domain without the host name extension. This has several advantages especially directing traffic and email hosting, options. Not to mention the pleasure of fully owning your own website.
WYSIWYG Interface for Site Builder
Most free hosts have features that make it possible for you to create your own website from scratch, even without any knowledge of HTML or CSS. These hosts are perfect if you are a beginner or are on a tight budget.
Some paid hosts do allow for a WYSIWYG interface, though it may be quite a process to edit your pages or make other changes. If you have learned or gained experience in web design, you will have no problem with either paid or free hosts.
Features for Your Website
You can start and run a website successfully on any kind of a budget. A free host gives you plenty of flexibility. However, expect some limitations and checks with these sorts of hosts.
Free hosts do provide features like free themes and layouts as well as free forum applications and so on, but you may not be able to upload videos or have more than 5 registered email addresses for your website. If you can live without these features, free hosting is what you need.
Paid hosts also have their own packages to suit your budget. Some will range from a basic package consisting of your own domain name, 10 email addresses and a handful of themes, all the way to unlimited space, themes, emails and other useful features. You can choose whichever types of package that will help you start your website easily.
Downtime of the Host's Servers
Webhosts use virtual servers, to support the domains registered to them, and sometimes they can be down, that is, you cannot log in or view your website. Most paid hosts and some free ones promise high speeds and nearly no downtime, so this is your best shot at having a successful website. You do not want your visitors or customers to try viewing your site only to be told it's unavailable.
