Free Web Hosting: What You Really Get and Where to Find It

A stage with a large illuminated 'FREE' sign and silhouettes of performers, symbolizing free hosting.
It's free! - Photo: William White on Unsplash
Free web hosting exists, but with limitations you should know in advance. Here is an overview of one free plan that still works today, what it really gives you and what it does not, and when it is better to switch to paid hosting.

Free or just cheap?

WordPress is free, as are many other website solutions, but for a site to be available on the internet it needs hosting and a domain, and those are usually paid for.

For a modest site, free hosting can be enough. The problem is that most search results for "free hosting" lead to offers where "free" eventually turns into "cheap", which is a big difference. Still, there are sites that really do offer a free plan.

The free plan at biz.nf

One of the sites that still offers free hosting today, with no forced ads on the user's site, is biz.nf. All you need to do is choose the free plan (Free Plan) on their site and open an account. According to the biz.nf website (September 2026), the free plan includes:

  • 1000 MB of disk space,
  • 5000 MB of data transfer,
  • hosting for one domain,
  • a free subdomain,
  • one-click WordPress installation,
  • no ads placed by biz.nf on the user's site.

The link to biz.nf is an affiliate link. Under the terms of their affiliate program, biz.nf pays me 10 cents for every active free account opened through this link and a commission if the user later upgrades to a paid plan. Nothing changes for you, neither the price nor the terms.

What should you expect?

  • A free domain is no longer part of the free plan. biz.nf used to give free domains with free hosting, but today free domain registration (.com, .net, .org and others) is offered only with paid plans, for one year. The free plan comes with a subdomain, and your own domain can be bought separately and connected to the hosting.
  • PHP and MySQL versions. The biz.nf website lists PHP 5/7 and MySQL 5, which are old versions. Current WordPress recommends PHP 8, so before setting up a WordPress site check which version is actually available on the account.
  • Technical limits. Free plans limit the number of files, the upload size and the number of emails sent, and some PHP functions and outgoing connections are disabled. When this article was first published, these included, for example, a 15 MiB upload limit and up to 31 sent emails per month. The exact values change, so check them on the biz.nf website before opening an account.

When should you switch to paid hosting?

Free hosting is good for learning, trying things out and a small personal site. For a site you expect something from, with your own domain, an SSL certificate, regular backups and support, paid hosting is the better choice. If the free plan is not enough, I recommend paid hosting at unlimited.rs.

The link to unlimited.rs is an affiliate link: if you buy hosting through it, I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you. I receive nothing for simply opening the link or registering.