Hello,

Im wondering if there is a free hosting service which i can use as a test platform to upload a wordpress blog, plugins, themes, etc via ftp. Im currently using wamp to test, but unfortunatly when i run into trouble there is no way for me to provide easy access to the "site" for support/help.

Id like to have a free host so that i can give others easy access over the internet to provide opinions or support before i go with a paid service.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

You may be better off getting a really cheap hosting package at about $2 per month.

I'd probably do my research on free hosting on forums like freewht.com and freewebspace.net/forums

Go with a host that allows unlimited add-on domains and features Fantastico in the control panel for easily adding blogs. Then you can add all the extra test sites you want at only the cost of a domain registration. I think you can even add subdomains and install blogs on these at no extra cost as well. But you are going to probably get paid hosting of some sort.

You can do things like host a blog through blogger or wordpress pretty dependably, but I don't think you can depend on a free host being a good setup for the long term.

Hiya,

Sorry I am new here and just registered because I read this post.

I don't know of any free web hosters but the cost of paid web hosters has gone down big time in the last couple of years.

I was with oneandone.co.uk for a while but I found their website hard to use.

I am now with ircdirect.co.uk and tbh I like it better. It only costs 99p a month and i get unlimited space and bandwidth. I also get unlimited mysql databases too.

Anyways that is my advice.

If you really want free space though I suggest freewebs.co.uk as I used to use them yonks ago lol.

Ian - Newbie

Thanks for the input guys. I have used 1and1 in the past and i liked them, but i simply cannot afford any cost atm for 2 reasons, i dont know if i am going to actually go live with my site, and lastly im unemployed.

As for blogger/wordpress hosting i unfortunatly need access to the root directory and to edit the collective php files and css files. I need something that will allow me to ftp in and upload my own package.

Really the primary need for this is, as i said, not long term. Instead im looking to use it as a means for allowing particualr individuals or groups access to my site for the purposes of diagnosing problems or getting feedback.

Anyhelp would be great, i have seen a few websites that claim to offer what i want, but im concerned about the safty and accuracy of their claims. Thanks.

Is there a reliable, safe, secure free host?

Never heard of such a beast before, pay a little bit and don't take risks.

We are talking about $10/mo (paid monthly) with unlimited add-on domains (hostgator). That is your hosting cost per month - Two big mac meals. Then, domains, (with a fatwallet coupon code) will go for about $7 per year. So, for $13/mo you could run 5 websites with their own domain names. Or, perhaps get the bare minimum hosting at a monthly rate ($5-$7/mo) that offers Fantastico and test out one blog. If you can not afford $7/mo (or don't want to risk this small amount) then you probably should forget about online income and just focus on a regular job.

What you going to do when you get an email like this halfway through the month

The domain xxxxxxxxx.com xxxxxxxx has reached its bandwidth limit
(529258.31/512000.00 Megs).

Please contact the system admin as soon as possible.

!! Do not respond to this message. Your reply will go nowhere. !!

I would not suggest a host that openly offers free hosting. They often wait till traffic comes to your site and then closes your account till you put out the $$.

im currently using this hosting: novahost.org

they have cpanel which is the best control panel and great speed and space. but i think they aren't taking any more new accounts

I'm sure these web hosts do exist. However, that will be difficult for you to find this web host. That might be a web hosting service not for everyone.
BTW on freewebspace.net you may find some nice free web hosting reviews and suggestions.
Good luck

Thanks for the input. $5-$10/month doesnt seem like alot until your income is $0/month. As for the bandwidth, id estimate that the usage would be very low, maybe 10 visits a month.

Actually a member here who runs a web host has offered to sponser me if i have my own domain name and allow some ads to be posted in the webspace which i am happy to agree to. At $7/year i can afford to do this.

Im not looking to make money or monetize my website, my interest is purely to educate myself and at the same time offer an informative site to people with similar interests.

I use byethost.com and donot have any problems with them

Originally Posted by ctbinccp

Thanks for the input. $5-$10/month doesnt seem like alot until your income is $0/month. As for the bandwidth, id estimate that the usage would be very low, maybe 10 visits a month.

Actually a member here who runs a web host has offered to sponser me if i have my own domain name and allow some ads to be posted in the webspace which i am happy to agree to. At $7/year i can afford to do this.

Im not looking to make money or monetize my website, my interest is purely to educate myself and at the same time offer an informative site to people with similar interests.

There are some forums which have good lists of free web hosting providers. And you will be able to get a lot of information there.
Some of them have been mentored in this thread as far as I can see.

I've used both Freehostia and XtreemHost for blogging in the past. Both are free but XtreemHost is better for blogs but FreeHostia is more reliable.

It would be a very arduous task to find all the above features with a free hosting account. How much ever one may talk of hi-tech computing resources, multiple processors et.al, the fact still remains that the free hosting provider has to pay for those things to be in place.

Without earning anything or next to nothing, it would be very difficult to sustain quality of the service provided. Over a period of time, it is going to take a dip.

Such services may be used for personal blogs, for having just about some internet presence through some write-ups etc, or some photo album links. But other than such not so serious work, one should stay away from the free hosting providers.

As so many of the members here have said before, prices of hosting plans have come down. Its now so cheap and with such a lot of resources in terms of space, bandwidth etc.

Spending a bit of $$ and being hassle free should be the way to go folks!

Originally Posted by CompTronicsTec

Thanks for the input. $5-$10/month doesnt seem like alot until your income is $0/month. As for the bandwidth, id estimate that the usage would be very low, maybe 10 visits a month.

Actually a member here who runs a web host has offered to sponser me if i have my own domain name and allow some ads to be posted in the webspace which i am happy to agree to. At $7/year i can afford to do this.

Im not looking to make money or monetize my website, my interest is purely to educate myself and at the same time offer an informative site to people with similar interests.

What about Angelfire? When I was in my high school's web design course, we used that... You don't get much space and there are ads, but it is free and I do believe you have access to the root.

If you are looking forward to reliability, better choose a paid hosting provider