Nigeria has experienced tremendous growth in its digital space over the years. The country currently has about 100 million internet users who are in and out of various websites on a daily basis. These websites are being hosted by different web hosting companies that go to a large extent to determine their performance and overall success.
In essence, businesses today need to own a website to connect with the massive opportunities available on the internet for success. It is also discovered that having a web host situated in the geographical location where the bulk of your visitors comes helps your website perform better.
Currently, there are hundreds of web hosting companies in Nigeria, but this list helps you make the best decision of the top free web hosting sites to consider.
Quickly, free web hosting sites will allow you to host your site, add scripts to it, receive limited file space, and limited bandwidth, but you will not be able to upload heavy files, use more spaces than already allocated, rent out, and maybe even own your own ads.
In fact, in most cases, it is often better to go for hosting plans that are less expensive than a totally free option. But then, you can get started with a free web host and migrate to a paid plan later if required.
Here are some General Shortcomings of Free Web Hosting Sites
While opting for the free web hosting option may be a good way to kickstart your online journey, there are however some limitations you may want to be prepared for. Even platforms that appear as the best free web hosting can become unstable, and in turn, result in downtime.
There are occasions you may be promised unlimited storage or bandwidth, however, restrictions are always put in place by providers to avoid having a negative return on their systems. These restrictions can cause slow performance of your website, reduce traffic, and limit your site’s growth.
Limited pages. Some free web hosting plans restrict the number of web pages you can create which in turn limits your site’s growth.
Most of the key features require paid upgrades. Many companies do this to get more people to sign up for their paid plans. When they limit the key features accessible to, over time, you’ll consider opting for a paid plan to use them.
5 Best Free Web Hosting Sites in Nigeria
1. Freewebhostingarea
Freewebhostingarea was founded in 2005 and is maintained by the work of volunteers who have teamed up to keep websites from disappearing suddenly from the web. They offer their services across different countries and languages around the globe.
Features provided on this free web hosting plan include 99.8% annual uptime guaranteed, instant activation, fast hosting with their multi-CPU dedicated servers, very fast SSD disks, and sufficient RAM.
They also provide 1500MB free web space, responsive customer support, daily/weekly backups, and no ads among other benefits you’ll receive. When you choose to buy a domain name from them to appreciate their immense free support, you can simply buy from their domain registration site: www.protonhosting.com
2. ByetHost
ByetHost provides rare support on their free plan which includes a self-service knowledge base and video tutorials to help you fix things yourself. The platform has hosted over 1 million websites across the globe with great features included in the plan.
When you host your website with ByetHost, you’ll enjoy 5 GB disk space, one MySQL database, a subdomain, unlimited bandwidth, and 24/7 support through their ticket system. The company is able to provide clients with innovative and unique servers and specifications since they host their own web servers, support, and also ensure their maintenance from within their data centers.
3. Free Hosting
Free Hosting offers free hosting that lasts through the entire lifespan of your website with every necessary feature and tool for building a website. They have two data centers for their paid and free hosting. The free hosting is imbued with quality features needed to be successful.
Some of the features available on the free plan include one domain, 10 GB disk space, one MySQL database, unmetered bandwidth (so long you do not violate their Fair Use Policy), and a ticket support system.
Simply opt in for your own domain name when you sign up. Better still, Free Hosting can help you pick and register a name. You can also use add-ons such as SSL certificates or additional mailboxes that are billed just once. These add-ons allow you to step up your game while keeping costs low at the same time.
4. AwardSpace
AwardSpace has been in the web hosting business for 16 years and has provided free web hosting features for users, and it includes one website, a free subdomain, PHP, 1GB disk space, 5 GB bandwidth, MySQL database, email sending, App installer, a 24/7 customer support via live chat, and no ads.
You can enjoy a free website for every need. And while the website provided to you will be totally ad-free, you can choose to monetize it by posting your ad.
You’ll also be able to monitor your bandwidth so as to be smart with your resources. Their paid plan begins at $2.99.
5. Freehostia
Freehostia refers to their ads-free hosting platform as ‘paradise on Earth.’ Well, if you might agree if you consider the free hosting solutions provided on the plan. When you subscribe, you’ll have access to 5 hosted domains, 250 MB disk space, 6 GB monthly traffic, MySQL v.5 databases, 3 email accounts, and 10 MB MySQL storage.
Despite being free, their load-balanced cluster platform has proven to be much faster than the commonly known one-server hosting platform solution. The company also makes available a website builder with complete templates. And in the case of any challenge with your work, you’ll receive support in less than an hour.
