You want to put a website online, but you do not want to spend money yet. That makes perfect sense. 

Maybe you are a student working on a class project or running a small business on the side and just want to test an idea before committing cash. 

The problem is that some free web hosting options out there can frustrate you. Slow loading times. Ugly ads are plastered on your site. Hidden fees. 

And if you try to leave, good luck getting your files back.

On the bright side, Free hosting that actually works does exist. You just need to know where to look and what to expect.

I will show you six realistic ways to host a website for free. Some are traditional hosting providers with real cPanel access. 

Others are website builders that include hosting automatically. There are even options for developers who want a free virtual private server.

I’ll also walk you through the limitations of these options.

But if you are willing to work within a few reasonable restrictions, you can get your site online today without pulling out your wallet.

6 Ways to Get Free Web Hosting That Actually Works

1) Look at Providers Offering Free Hosting

If you have hosted with Truehost or registered a domain with us, you might not know this, but we have a free plan called Webhosting Lite.

It is for people who want to test the waters without paying a deposit.

The Webhosting Lite plan gives you:

• 1 GB SSD Storage and 1GB Bandwidth
• You can host one website
• You get access to the 1-click installer for apps like WordPress
• Free automated SSL certificate, which is great because it keeps your site secure and helps with search rankings.
• One email account and a backup once a week.
• And yes, it is fully powered by cPanel.

To get all these web hosting features for KSh 0.00, you need a domain managed by us. This means you either register a new domain with us or transfer an existing one.

If you want to take it up a notch and look really professional, we have a deal where you get a .co.ke domain and hosting for Ksh 999 annually.

This isn’t free, but it is incredibly cheap for what you get. You keep cPanel, SSD storage, and all the features, but you get a proper local domain that makes your business look legit.

Other free hosting options are:

Feature	Freehosting	InfinityFree
Storage	10 GB	5 GB
Bandwidth	Unmetered	Unlimited
Email account	1	N/A
cPanel	Yes	Yes
Free subdomain	No	Yes
One-Click App Installer	Yes	Yes
Free SSL	Not specified	Yes

2) Use a Website Builder

If you just want a website up fast and do not care about cPanel or FTP access, use a website builder like Truehost.

The hosting is included automatically. You do not need to configure servers or worry about uptime. 

Our website builder includes:

• Free Hosting included (we manage the servers)
• Free SSL for security
• Free subdomain (e.g., mybusiness.olitt.com) to start instantly
• Map your domain later if you buy one
• Drag and drop editor to add your business info and upload images
• Powerful marketing tools, including SEO, Emails, and social media integrations

It’s pretty simple.

You only need to choose from our templates designed for different business ideas, then customize with ease using our editor. And boom! Publish your website. 

Wix is another option that gives you the design tools and the hosting in one place. When you create a site on Wix, it’s automatically hosted on their secure, global servers. 

You can check out their offer if you want to compare different website builders with free hosting.

3) Free virtual private servers (VPS)

Are you a tech person? I got options for you, too. 

If you are a developer or a serious IT student, a free VPS is the holy grail. You get full root access to a virtual computer. You can host multiple websites, run a game server, or set up a VPN.

Your options:

Oracle Cloud

Oracle offers the most insane free tier in the industry. Their always-free tier gives you up to 4 CPU cores and 24GB of RAM, saving you a lot of money.

You can split these resources across smaller machines or use a single powerful 4-core, 24GB RAM server to run anything you want. 

The catch is that you have to provide your credit card details for identity verification, but you will not be charged as long as you stay within the free limits.

OVHcloud

OVHcloud does not offer a free, forever VPS, but they do offer $200 in free credits for your cloud projects. You have 30 days to use that credit. 

You can deploy an e-commerce website, test Kubernetes clusters, or harness AI. It is perfect if you need a temporary server for a school project or to test a business idea before buying.

4) Student deals

If you have a .edu email address, you are leaving money on the table.

Tech companies want students to become paying customers later, so they give away free hosting credits now.

• GitHub Student Developer Pack: This is the best one. You get hundreds of dollars in credits from various partners.
• DigitalOcean: You get free credits to spin up droplets (their name for VPS).
• AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Azure (Microsoft): Both offer significant credits that easily cover a year or more of hosting for a portfolio or blog.

These are not forever free, but if you are a student, you can host your projects for free for the duration of your degree.

5) Static site hosting (GitHub Pages / Netlify)

If your website is just HTML, CSS, and maybe a little JavaScript (with no PHP or a database like MySQL), you do not need a traditional host.

You can host it for free on GitHub Pages or Netlify.

• You write your code or build your site locally. 
• You push the files to a GitHub repository. 
• GitHub Pages or Netlify automatically grabs those files and deploys them to the internet.

They provide a free SSL certificate (HTTPS) and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), which helps your site load quickly worldwide. 

This actually works and is quite fast. It is best for personal portfolios, documentation sites, or simple business landing pages.

6) Turn Your Old PC Into a Server

You do not have to pay a company at all. If you have an old PC or a Raspberry Pi lying around, you can turn it into a web server.

Install a Linux operating system, such as Ubuntu Server. Configure it to serve your website. The tricky part is the internet connection. 

Most home IP addresses change frequently, and your internet service provider blocks port 80.

You can solve this with No-IP or Dynv6. They give you a free domain name that automatically updates whenever your home IP changes. 

Then, add a free SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt. This works fine for personal projects and is a great way to learn system administration.

Free Web Hosting FAQs

Is there a totally free website hosting?

Yes. Providers like Truehost and InfinityFree offer free plans, but be aware of limitations on storage, bandwidth, or features. 

Where can I get a website hosted for free?

You can get a website hosted for free on Truehost. We have free hosting that you qualify for by buying a domain from us or transferring an existing domain to us.

We also have the website builder offer that includes free hosting.

Is it possible to make a 100% free website?

Yes. You can use a website builder like Truehost, Olitt, or Wix with a free subdomain to make a site 100% free.

Is InfinityFree really free forever?

InfiniFree is free forever. They have been running the free hosting for years. However, the free hosting has some limitations, such as file size limits.

Is free hosting safe?

It is safe, especially for basic needs. Reputable providers like Truehost offer free SSL certificates to secure data. 

However, if you plan to sell products or collect credit card numbers, you should pay for hosting. Free hosting sometimes lacks the strict security compliance needed for e-commerce

Does free hosting have limitations?

Always. Expect limits on CPU usage, memory, number of files, or email sending capabilities. Free hosting is for learning and testing, not for running a high-traffic business

Ready For Free Hosting that Actually Works?

Free hosting is great, but it’s never perfect. You will always face some limits, like storage caps or slower speeds. That is the trade-off for paying nothing. 

But for learning and testing ideas, you can try out the free options.

If you are a student in Kenya wanting to practice, try our Truehost Webhosting Lite plan. You get:

• 1 GB storage
• Free SSL
• One-click WordPress install
• Full cPanel access.

If you want a professional site fast without touching code, check out our Olitt Website Builder. Free hosting, free SSL, and drag-and-drop editing. You can be live in under an hour.

For everyone else, you now know where to go. Own a domain? Try Freehosting.

Need a PHP sandbox? Use InfinityFree. Building a simple portfolio? Go with GitHub Pages.

Pick one that fits your skill level and build your vision.