Are you looking for reliable web hosting? You have probably heard that paid hosting is going to be more dependable than free web hosting services, but this isn’t necessarily true. Just because you can get something for free, it doesn’t mean that the actual product is lacking. Before you pass by those freebie offers, bear in mind that you ‘might’ be getting almost the very same hosting as you would with paid platforms. Unfortunately, the operative word here is ‘almost’ and those slight differences could be greater than you think. Here’s some of what you need to consider.
How Much Techie Background Do You Have?
Most often you will be comparing features like bandwidth, uptime, and disk storage space. Those are, indeed, important, but what do you really know about building and operating a website? One of the main differences between paid and free web hosting would be the amount of support you receive. If you are a techie, then free hosting is a viable option. Regrettably, the one really big difference can be the amount of tech support you’ll need.
The Purpose of Your Website
Storage space is also a big consideration. What kind of website are you looking for development? Will you be running a personal blog, monetized or not, which will utilize a lot of images? Those can take up more space than you’re allocated with free hosting, so keep this in mind. If you are going to develop a huge site that will require lots and lots of storage, you might want to opt for paid web hosting. How can you choose which images to upload and which to forego? With the right SEO tools, images can quickly gain you rank with the search engines, so keep that in mind.
Those Little Extras
Even free web hosting companies now have domain name searches available, so that is no longer a concern. However, paid web hosting companies usually have a ton of little ‘extras’ for you to choose from on the dashboard. Fortunately, you can find plugins and other elements by searching around the Web, but a good web hosting platform will have all that for you right there at your fingertips. Here again, it boils down to whether or not you know how to use and/or customize those plugins and widgets which would mean you just might need tech support.
In the end, the main difference is in the amount of knowledge you have. For some people, free web hosting is adequate. For others, paid hosting is preferred because of a higher level of tech support. Which is better? That’s really for you to decide because only you can estimate how much bandwidth you would need and how much disk space you’ll use to store your larger files. Take the time to compare products before choosing the wrong kind of hosting and then you’ll be able to judge for yourself. Which is better? You tell us!
