6 Best Free Web Hosting for Students on a Budget in 2024

Most hosting services for students either lack user-friendly design or have frustratingly poor performance. This can be a significant hurdle when you need to focus on your studies and don’t have the time (or money) to deal with hosting issues. Plus, hosting can get expensive fast and even more so if you choose a host with a lot of add-on or hidden costs.

I tried to find the best free hosting options for students that don’t compromise quality. I’ll be honest: most free hosts offer limited storage space, lack of support, and reliability issues. Ironically enough, this means many free hosting services aren’t worth the cost. To account for this, I’ve also included some affordable (but not quite free) options on this list. For a modest price, these hosts can deliver way better performance than you’d get with other free options.

Overall, I found Wix to be the best choice, especially if you need to build a website for free. It offers completely free hosting for sites created with its website builder and offers plenty of options for different types of website projects. Start a free website with Wix or keep reading to discover other notable hosting options for students.

What We Look for in the Best Free Hosting for Students

When seeking free hosting solutions for students, I focused on services that meet the essential needs of students who may be new to web hosting.

• Free or affordable plans. I’ve chosen services that offer robust features without a financial burden, allowing you to focus on your projects without worrying about costs.
• Ease of use. A user-friendly interface is essential to get your web hosting up and running. The platforms I recommend are straightforward, making it simple to manage your website even if you’re not technically savvy.
• Good performance. Despite being free, you should still expect dependable performance from your host. I ensured the services on my list provide reliable uptime and decent loading speeds, so all your projects run smoothly.
• Easy upgrade options. As your needs grow, so should your hosting capabilities. I looked for hosts that offer seamless upgrades to more powerful features as your skills and project demands increase.

1. Wix: Completely Customizable Free Website Builder for Students1

If you’re looking for a platform that severely minimizes all the backend hassle of hosting while giving you creative control, Wix is my go-to recommendation. It offers full access to all its customization tools, even on the free plan. You can start from scratch or pick from over 800 stunning templates made for all kinds of websites, making it perfect for building a unique site for an assignment or a professional portfolio for your future​.

All Wix sites (even the ones created for free) come with an SSL certificate. On the free plan, you can get up to 500 MB of storage and bandwidth, which is more than enough for a class project or a test website. Thanks to Wix’s separate mobile editing and optimization features, you can also ensure great performance scores for both the desktop and mobile versions of your site.

If you like Wix and are looking for enhanced features, Wix’s discounted premium plan for students is budget-friendly by cutting yearly subscription costs by half. With this plan, you can enjoy enhanced features like increased storage, removal of Wix ads, and the ability to connect a personalized domain – key for a professional online appearance​.

Features

• Collaborator roles. Wix’s premium plans allow you to assign specific roles and permissions to collaborators. This is perfect for group projects or student organizations where multiple people need to access and manage the website.
• Backend containers. With premium plans, you can use backend containers for advanced web development projects.
• Marketing features. You can access blogging software on free student accounts, but upgrading to a premium plan unlocks more powerful marketing tools, including email campaigns and social media integrations.
• Free design and coding lessons. Wix offers a free learning platform for educators and students to learn the fundamentals of website design and development. Through its Tomorrow Classroom program, you can access interactive tutorials and guided projects.

Read our expert Wix review for more details.

2. Hostinger: Affordable, Easy-to-Use Hosting for Students1

Hostinger shines as a budget-friendly choice that doesn’t skimp on performance. With plans starting as low as $2.99 per month, you get robust hosting services that ensure your student projects are always online. Its globally distributed servers contribute to consistent accessibility and swift loading speeds. This is important for maintaining a good user experience even during high traffic periods​.

Hostinger is ideal for students who are looking for a beginner-friendly option. Its proprietary hPanel control panel offers all the functionality of the classic cPanel for hosting management, but with a much more user-friendly interface. Adding features or installing applications is hassle-free, which eases the learning curve if you’re managing your first website​.

Though you won’t find completely free options on Hostinger’s website, Hostinger does offer fully free plans through 000webhost. While more limited (300 MB of storage space, up to 150 unique visitors per day), this option allows you to experience basic web hosting without any financial commitment. If you find the resources limiting, Hostinger makes it super easy to upgrade to a premium plan without losing any of your work.

Features

• Free hosting from 000webhost. Hostinger’s subsidiary, 000webhost, provides fully free web hosting. It includes essential features like a website builder, one-click WordPress installation, and no ads, making it a great starter option.
• Impressive performance scores. Hostinger boasts excellent performance with fast loading times and high uptime. In our comprehensive tests, our WordPress website typically loaded in under 1 second.
• Free email on all plans. Every Hostinger plan includes free email accounts, allowing you to create professional email addresses that match their domain.
• WordPress optimization tools. Hostinger offers specialized tools for WordPress optimization, including caching and security features. These tools help students easily manage and enhance their WordPress sites for better performance and security.

Check out our full Hostinger review to see more features.

3. InterServer: Free Hosting for One Year and Affordable Monthly Plans for Students1

InterServer doesn’t normally offer free hosting, but it does give students enrolled at select US universities one free year of hosting. This includes unlimited hosted websites, bandwidth, and storage. InterServer is a reliable service in terms of performance and security, making it an excellent choice for students that need reliable hosting for school projects or to establish an online presence without initial financial commitment​.

I also like that InterServer eases you into its paid services after your free year is up. Unlike most hosting providers, InterServer’s monthly billing plans, starting at $2.50/month, don’t cost more than its longer-term commitments. That means that if you only need hosting for a semester-long project, you can sign up for a monthly plan without spending more than you would with a larger upfront investment.

However, since InterServer’s free hosting discounts apply only to select US universities, international students and students from non-eligible schools can’t take advantage of this offer – although I’d still recommend InterServer as a great option if you’re looking at unlimited resources and quality hosting at a low cost.

Features

• Unlimited email accounts. InterServer provides unlimited email accounts with its hosting plans. This feature is perfect for students who need multiple email addresses for different projects, coursework, and personal use.
• 30-day money-back guarantee. With InterServer’s 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try its hosting services risk-free. If it doesn’t meet your expectations, you can get a full refund.
• Secure hosting for your projects. InterServer’s InterShield Security suite offers comprehensive protection against malware, DDoS attacks, and other threats.
• 50% server capacity. InterServer operates its servers at 50% capacity to guarantee optimal performance and speed. This means that if your site experiences a burst of traffic or resource-intensive requests, the server will scale resources so your site will load quickly and handle traffic efficiently.

To learn more about InterServer’s benefits, read our expert review.

4. InMotion Hosting: Advanced Hosting Options With Student Discounts1

InMotion Hosting provides a wide variety of hosting plans with up to 50% off for students, making it accessible even if you’re on a tight budget. The shared hosting plan is a great starting point, while VPS and dedicated hosting options cater to more advanced needs, allowing you to grow as your skills develop.

Although its advanced hosting management options can be overwhelming for beginners, I’d recommend this for computer science students and those covering similar subjects. You’ll benefit from learning technical aspects through SSH access, staging environments, and customizable server settings. InMotion Hosting might be a little harder to grasp at first, but it’s by no means impossible.

After a short learning period, you can expect high-quality hosting with tons of user control. InMotion Hosting’s plans come with a 90-day money-back guarantee, giving you ample time to explore the platform risk-free, or even use it for short-term projects.

Features

• Linux-based hosting. With this open-source OS, budding programmers can have access to a myriad of popular languages, including PHP, Perl, Python, and Ruby. There’s also ample opportunity to customize the hosting environment to suit any type of project.
• Developer-friendly options. Hosting Plus, included in all shared hosting plans, allows you to control the Python, Node.js, Ruby, and GIT versions for your hosting.
• 3-year billing discounts. InMotion Hosting offers discounts of up to 50% off on 3-year billing cycles, making it an affordable long-term option.
• E-commerce support. InMotion Hosting supports e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce and Magento, enabling students to create and manage online stores easily.

Find out how well InMotion Hosting performs in our in-depth expert review.

5. Kamatera: Best Hosting Solution for Technically Proficient Students1

Kamatera gives you complete control over your server configurations, making it ideal for students who want to fine-tune their resources. The platform’s scalable plans and usage-based billing let you adjust CPU, RAM, and storage space as your needs evolve. While it’s more expensive than the other student-friendly options on my list, the ability to precisely configure your server is invaluable for honing your technical skills.

With Kamatera’s full root access, you can experiment with different OS setups and deploy complex applications. Although it’s not free, Kamatera offers a 30-day trial with a $100 service credit to explore its advanced cloud hosting environment. After that period, web development students can benefit from Kamatera’s unique billing options in exchange for a fully customizable hosting experience.

If you want to use Kamatera’s adaptable cloud servers without delving into technical management, you can opt for its managed services for an extra fee. It’s not a negligible amount, but it’s a great option if you have big plans for your project that would benefit from managed server maintenance.

Features

• Pre-configured open-source apps. Kamatera offers over 75 out-of-the-box apps and add-ons, including cPanel, Plesk, Joomla, OpenVPN, MongoDB, and more. You can even set up a Minecraft server or start a message board with phpBB.
• Hourly-based billing. Students can take advantage of Kamatera’s flexible hourly billing, making it cost-effective for short-term projects.
• Plenty of supported server OS options. Kamatera supports a wide range of server operating systems. In addition to Windows and Linux, you can also install Debian, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and others, or add your own licensed OS.
• Worldwide data centers. With 21 data centers across the globe, Kamatera ensures low latency and high performance for your project or app, no matter where you’re located.

To see if Kamatera is right for your project, check out our expert review.

6. GoogieHost: Completely Free but Limited Hosting1

GoogieHost offers a compelling package for students with its completely free hosting service. With 1 GB of disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and free subdomains, this host is ideal for students just starting out with web design. The simplicity of setting up a site with Softaculous auto-installer and managing it via cPanel makes GoogieHost a good beginner-friendly choice too.

While GoogieHost is indeed free, it comes with limitations. For instance, the disk space provided can quickly become insufficient if your site grows or requires more extensive data storage​​. Also, the process to qualify for free hosting can take some time as GoogieHost vets all applications, which might eat into your project timeline.

Despite these limitations, GoogieHost is a suitable choice for students who need a straightforward, free solution for small-scale projects. The inclusion of a free SSL certificate and the absence of forced ads enhance the overall value​.

Features

• Ultra-cheap paid plan. GoogieHost offers an ultra-cheap paid plan for students who need more resources. For less than a tenth of the price of other hosting plans, you can host an unlimited number of websites under one account, get unlimited storage, and 100 business emails.
• Cloudflare protection. Every hosting plan includes Cloudflare protection, offering enhanced security and faster load times for student websites.
• Built-in WordPress manager. The built-in WordPress manager simplifies the installation and management of WordPress, making it easy for students to create and maintain their WordPress site.
• FTP and MySQL databases available. GoogieHost offers 2 FTP accounts and MySQL databases, providing flexibility for managing multiple projects.

Read our expert GoogieHost review to learn more about its features.

We’ve Found the Best Free Web Hosting for Students

Many struggle with balancing budget constraints with the need for quality hosting, but it’s especially difficult for students. Thankfully, some platforms cater specifically to these unique requirements.

Wix is perfect for students1 just beginning their digital journey. Its user-friendly interface and free plan with robust features enable students to create many types of websites without an initial investment.

For those needing slightly more advanced features at a minimal cost, Hostinger’s affordable plans are hard to beat1. It provides low-cost plans with some of the best loading speeds I’ve seen. Its features are ideal for projects that require more than the basics.

On the other hand, InterServer is best for scaling projects1. It offers free student hosting for one year and a very affordable renewal rate, which is great for managing long-term projects without the fear of price hikes.

FAQ

What are the best free web hosting services for students just starting with web design?

Wix offers complete customization and ease of use, especially for beginners in web design. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop features that make it simple to design and manage your website, and a forever-free plan gives you full access to all its design features.

Which sites give free web hosting for students?

InterServer offers one year of free web hosting specifically for students based in the US. This plan is quite beneficial for educational purposes, providing a cost-effective solution for students to establish an online presence without initial investment​.

Do any web hosting providers offer special discounts for students?

InMotion Hosting offers up to 50% off for students. This makes it a more affordable option for students who need reliable hosting services for their academic or personal projects. InMotion Hosting is known for its excellent customer service and robust hosting solutions, which include various tools beneficial for web development and design​.

How is free web hosting different from paid hosting services for students?

Free web hosting typically offers limited resources compared to paid services. For instance, you might encounter restrictions on bandwidth, storage space, and the absence of a custom domain. Paid hosting services offer greater customization, more storage, better security, and superior support, which are crucial for more serious or large-scale projects​. If you’re ready to make the leap to paid hosting, take a look at our curated list of the best web hosts in 2024.