Free WordPress hosting is tempting!
But is it right for your website? Let’s find out!
Despite the benefits of free WordPress hosting, there are a few drawbacks to consider before settling on one. This article will help you to make an informed decision by exploring the common limitations associated with free WordPress hosting.
There are 2 main types of unpaid web hosting
1. Freemium hosting is often used to lure people in, but it has a number of restrictions that require payment to unlock. From a hosting company’s perspective, you’re not merely a customer but a potential sale. So they are really keen to understand your needs and convert you into an actual sale.
2. The second model utilizes ads to monetize your website, with the intent of displaying other people’s ads on it. Advertisers are the primary focus for companies, and they strive to cater to their needs.
Let’s have a closer look at the limitations of free WordPress hosting.
Limitation #1: Less Storage Space & Bandwidth
Providing free web hosting services with powerful servers, but unlimited disk space, bandwidth or other resources is not a sustainable business model. Managed WordPress Hosting offers the advantage of unrestricted storage and bandwidth, making it stand out from the competition. This gives you a competitive edge and makes managing your website much easier.
Going beyond the allocated CPU and RAM limits could lead to you being penalized or forced to upgrade your plan at higher rates. Moreover, if you fail to pay within the deadline, your service may be terminated. Most upgrade notifications are inconvenient and cost an excessive amount of money. If you are already using the platform, the vendor considers that you would pay their prices rather than looking for better value outside.
Storage space offered with a free WordPress hosting package is usually limited, bandwidth is restricted and individual file sizes have their own restrictions. This can make it difficult to install plugins and other features.
Limitation #2: Slow, Unhelpful Or Non-existent Support
Sluggish website performance? Can’t get good help with DNS or SSL?
Free hosting can be a real pain when you need help from customer support. You often pay for what you get in terms of quality service.
Brace yourself for having to take matters into your own hands, as responses to queries may take days or weeks. Be prepared for the uncertainty and delays in getting isues resolved. Free hosting plans may not offer full access to support services or prioritize your enquiries. This can be problematic when you need help with technical issues.
While there are some cheap wordpress hosting plans that offer little to no support, MilesWeb prides itself on offering fast and helpful assistance. We take great care in ensuring our customers are satisfied with the service they receive. We proactively monitor the performance of the websites along with prompt server maintenance process.
Investing your time and energy in this may not be the best idea if you’re trying to make the most of it.
Limitation #3: You Are Not A Priority For Technical Support
Generally, if any security issues or bug is identified on your server, it is the responsibility of your hosting provider to resolve it. This could involve reconfiguring your operating system, PHP setup or database. With multiple servers and many customers to assist, unpaid customers are not the highest priority. This is true for every free hosting account.
It’s better to have your data and website hosted on servers that are kept in perfect condition by experienced professionals. This can help you be sure of the highest security and efficiency for your business.
Be prepared for the bug patching and security updates to take some time, leaving your website exposed to threats and the cyber attackers have more possibilities to infiltrate your server.
Limitation #4: Your Domain Name Limits You
Many free WordPress hosting packages do not offer the option of having your own domain name. Instead, you will only be able to use a subdomain, like example.wordpress.com, instead of your personalized web address (e.g., example.com).
Establishing a brand identity for your website can prove to be quite challenging when using a subdomain. This is because it can be difficult to draw customers and visitors to your page without an independent domain. Not having a domain name can become a huge hindrance for your website’s reputation. It may seem unprofessional to visitors and result in decreased customer engagement and conversion. Thus, investing in your own domain is essential to ensure that you can establish an authoritative presence in the online space.
With managed and paid hosting, you have everything you need in one place to maintain your website. You’re no longer locked into someone else’s domain – you have greater control and freedom over your web address.
Limitation#5: There Are Other People’s Ads On Your Website
Several WordPress hosting services that come at no cost may display ads on your website to generate revenue for themselves. You have no control over the type or placement of ads. This is dangerous not just for you, but also for your website visitors and can destroy the professional look of your site.
The most disheartening part is that your rivals could be paying these free web hosting businesses to display adverts on your website.
If you don’t wish to be someone’s ad platform, it’s best to stay away from free hosting options.
Related: What Can WordPress Hosting Do For Your Business?
Limitation #6: Free Hosting Expires After A Limited Time
Although many of the free website hosting services look great at first, they often turn out to be just short-term trials with limited time. After utilizing the free WordPress hosting for some time, you may find that you need to upgrade and pay for the services. Unfortunately, these costs can be quite high when compared to other standard WordPress hosting fees.
If you’re signing up for a “free” trial but you need to enter your credit card information, be extra-cautious. Some companies will automatically renew your subscription when the trial period ends, and they’ll start charging you the total price. Before registering for a free hosting service, go through the terms and conditions.
There’s nothing wrong with an introductory promo discount. In fact, MilesWeb offers a huge discount for the first month. But as the free web hosts hide the price, you can expect some not-so-happy surprises.
Free-hosting can only be a short term offer before the charges kick in. Be cautious!
Limitation #7: Tools & Interfaces That Are Hard To Use
Tools and interfaces offered by the free web hosting companies can be challenging and difficult to use. Additionally, the help documentation is also poor. In this case, you might have to spend a lot of time in trying to figure out how to use the available resources.
When you opt for paid hosting, some part of the cost is often the licensing fees for an industry standard platform like cPanel or Plesk.
The truth is that the free hosting systems are not as user-friendly as compared to the industry standard options.
Limitation #8: Old PHP Versions That Can Cause Issues
Some web hosts that provide free hosting use the older PHP versions that can cause issues with website speed, WordPress compatibility and website security.
Older PHP versions do not perform as quickly as the latest version, making the latter more efficient and beneficial. Additionally, older versions of WordPress may not be compatible with the most up-to-date version. Last but not least, outdated PHP versions are less secure than the current version and leave your website vulnerable to malicious attacks.
It is essential to always be aware of the PHP and WordPress version you’re using, as this can have a major effect on your website’s speed and security. Lack of control over these versions can leave you vulnerable to issues such as slow loading times and threats to data.
Limitation #9: Connecting Email To Your Website And / Or Domain
Free hosting can result in unreliable email delivery and various related issues, such as: not receiving emails from certain domains, emails getting stuck in queues or bounced back. This is why it’s important to opt for a paid hosting service for your business needs.
- Many of the free web hosting services don’t include any sort of email hosting, unlike our WordPress Hosting packages which offer ample mailboxes. This can make it difficult to have a matching email address for your website’s domain.
- Free hosting providers that offer email and allow anyone to create an account are a magnet for spam emails. If you’re not careful with your hosting provider, then your emails may end up in spam folders instead of inboxes. This is because services like Gmail can “blacklist” a host if it’s known for carrying too much spam. To avoid this, make sure to choose a reputable host who uses anti-spam measures.
To ensure that your website address matches your email accounts and other online services, you should avoid using the free hosting services.
Limitation #10: Server Resources
Paid hosting plans from premium companies can provide users with an abundance of disk space and a healthy amount of bandwidth that cannot be found with free hosting companies. This extra space and capability can enable more efficiency in business operations.
With free hosting packages, users have to share resources such as bandwidth and storage among multiple websites; which limits how much individuals can access. It is not uncommon for you to be confined with insufficient disk storage and bandwidth – in some cases, this restricts you from adding WordPress plugins or themes. Such an issue can be quite inconvenient.
Quality WordPress hosting does not come for free, and for a good reason. A closer look at the charges reveals that 30% of the money is spent on leasing server space in secure data centres, A majority of the budget is allocated to other necessities like server maintenance and website security, therefore paid and managed web hosting companies are considered to be authentic.
The cost of hosting is not the only thing to consider when making a decision – there are other important factors that should be taken into account as well. Poor quality hosting can have a detrimental effect on your reputation. It may inject ads into your website, cause slow loading times for visitors, or even get your emails marked as spam.
All these factors can lead to a negative perception of your brand. Free hosting services may come with security risks due to outdated or unrepaired systems, making your data vulnerable. By attempting to save money, you might end up losing time (and feeling the extra stress) due to complicated systems and unhelpful customer service.
Despite the zero-cost package, you may eventually be required to pay some charges for technical support.
All of that might be okay if you’re working on a low-stakes website that doesn’t have to last forever. But often it’s best to steer clear of free WordPress hosting providers. If you think that might be the right course for you, have a look at our article about reasons to opt for managed WordPress hosting, and see if our WordPress hosting is what you, and your budget needs.
