Can You Get WordPress Hosting for Free?
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world. Launching a blog or website with WordPress is very easy, and with the Premium version available for free, it’s also very affordable. However, just like any other product or service, there are limitations to what you can and cannot do with WordPress if you choose to host with them for free.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the options that are available to you when you choose to host with WordPress for free. We’ll also answer the question, “Can You Get WordPress Hosting for Free?”
Free vs Premium Hosting
When you choose to host with WordPress, whether you go with the free or the premium version, you will initially be presented with the option to select a hosting plan. What’s the difference between the two?
The free version of WordPress hosting offers you 1GB of storage, and in most cases, a free domain. However, as we’ve already established, this is not an entirely free-hosting plan. The free version of WordPress hosting has some restrictions that you need to be aware of.
For example, if you want to use WordPress for a business or commercial endeavor, you will need to purchase a paid version of WordPress hosting. Another significant difference between the two is that the free version of WordPress hosting will terminate your account if you use more than 10GB of storage. As we’ve established, most shared hosting plans come with 1GB of storage, so if you go this route, you will most likely exceed the 10GB limit and have your account suspended.
Even if you do not plan to use more than 10GB, you will still need to purchase a paid version of WordPress hosting if you wish to use more than 1GB of storage. In the end, both versions of WordPress hosting are extremely affordable and straightforward to set up and use.
Paid vs Free SSL
Another significant difference between the two versions of WordPress hosting is the availability of a free SSL certificate. An SSL certificate authenticates your website to visitors and establishes a secure connection between your website and their web browser. In addition to visitors feeling more comfortable completing transactions online, as a website owner, you get a sense of reassurance when using an SSL certificate.
Let’s assume you’re setting up a blog or a small business website, and you wish to do so using WordPress. If you look at the image above, you’ll see that the SSL certificate for nytimes.com is free, while the one for thewashingtonpost.com costs $199. In addition to the price difference, you should also be aware that the Washington Post gets a free domain when you host with them. While the NY Times gets a free domain, SSL is not included.
Most shared hosting plans include one free domain, and many businesses offer several domains for free.
As you may have guessed, the cost of setting up and maintaining a blog or a small business website using WordPress is quite affordable, and with the Premium version of WordPress available for free, it’s also quite easy.
Database Backups
One of the significant advantages of the free version of WordPress hosting is the 24/7 database backup service that is included with it. Depending on your choice of web host, this backup service may be available to you as a premium feature.
As you may imagine, with a CMS like WordPress, it’s quite easy to lose track of what you’ve written if something happens to your local database. To prevent this from happening, the free version of WordPress hosting will automatically back up your database every day at midnight. In the event of a system crash or server malfunction, you can also restore your database from this backup easily.
Free vs Pro Version
The free version of WordPress hosting allows you to set up and launch a blog or a business website quite easily, but it also has some significant limitations. If you’re looking for a robust, feature-rich platform that can grow with you, and you plan to use WordPress as your CMS, then you should consider the paid version of WordPress hosting. In that case, you should also look into purchasing a premium domain and getting a free SSL certificate as soon as possible.