A quick statistical analysis of this issue reveals that, in most cases, "free hosting" is offered in exchange for advertising on your website. This means the hosting provider will automatically place an ad at the beginning, and sometimes at the end, of each page of your website. Sometimes, hosting providers use pop-up ads instead of banners, which often irritate website visitors.
It doesn't matter what you're asked to do in exchange for free hosting. You're given free hosting in exchange for placing ads on your website. It's called free because you don't have to pay money, but in reality, you do.
Those who offer free hosting claim, and even convince you, that they're doing you a great favor by providing it. They know that if you think the service is free, you won't complain about downtime or unresponsive technical support. But none of this comes for free!
But it seems those who offer free hosting services always forget to remember that they're not charities. They're businesses and always looking for ways to make a profit.
It would be more correct to use the term "barter hosting" or "hosting financed by advertising", and the use of the word "free" in this case is misleading.
Common problems with free hosting
It's no surprise that free hosting is worse than paid hosting. In the hosting industry, the problems that plague paid hosting are almost a given for free hosting. Timely technical support is almost unattainable with free hosting. Excessive downtime and slow servers have become the norm rather than just common problems.
Yes, you can find free hosting where you don't need to place ads on your pages. But that doesn't mean the company isn't profitable! A free account is only sufficient for a small website with limited bandwidth. The only thing a hosting company gives you is free hosting while your website/business is just getting started and/or if your needs are limited.
They think, or are confident, that you'll switch to their paid hosting (most hosts also offer paid hosting) once your website "outgrows" the size and/or bandwidth of your account. Sure, you get a free start, but hosts will provide you with far fewer resources than you could buy for $1 per month. So what they give you isn't much.
Some free hosting providers only allow subdomains and directories, resulting in your URL looking something like: YourWebsite.YourHoster.com or www.YourHoster.com/YourWebsite. This means that if you move your website, you'll lose all those hard-earned links, you'll never receive emails sent to you, and so on. You're tied to your hosting provider!
So what does the hoster gain in this case? First, the hoster gets brand exposure by being listed in countless directories dedicated to free hosting. Second, they get to put their name in your URL and in the URLs of many other websites. Branding again! Furthermore, if the hosting services are at least acceptable, the hoster will earn a solid reputation, which is often worth more than pure gold. Ultimately, all of the above means more work for their business.
This is how it was and still is: some hosting providers start their business with a great offer of "free hosting." Their names are plastered all over the internet. After some time (usually a year or more), the company stops offering free hosting services. Some of their "free" clients agree to become paying customers, while others decide they'd rather trade their work for oblivion than pay. However, by this point, the hosting provider has established its trademark, its brand. It can also attract a significant number of customers who convert to paying customers.
The Secret to High-Quality Free Hosting
If you don't want to spend money on hosting, the best solution is to get it as an additional service when you purchase a domain name. You'll receive all the services listed in the "Free Hosting" plan in full.
Please also note that the only requirement for using the "Free" plan is purchasing a domain name from our company. This will prevent any third-party advertising from appearing on your website. You can transfer your domain to another host or upgrade to a different (paid) plan at any time—there are no restrictions on such transfers.
Our company's "Free" tariff plan is permanent; it won't disappear over time or be converted to any other tariff plan.
Is it profitable for us to offer free hosting? Yes, because we receive a share of our revenue from domain name registration. Furthermore, the free plan's resources are limited, so we don't worry about overloading our servers or slowing them down.
We are always glad to see you among our clients.