Are you looking to create a website, but are not sure which host to choose or what your needs are? Don’t panic: we have everything here to help you find your own server and get your site online in no time.
What is a host?
Let’s go back to the basics: what is, in truth, a web host? The principle is quite simple to understand if it is explained with concepts that you already know. You see, a website does not magically appear on the web: it is hosted somewhere. On what is called a server, which is to simplify a kind of computer made to be constantly powered and accommodate connections from all PCs around the world.
A website, like everything virtual, is made up of files that you need to access, and which are translated by your web browser (like Chrome, Firefox or Safari). This is where the host comes into play. This is the service that will offer you (or rent) servers so that you can “host” your website. You can even host any type of data there, since it is also by this principle that online game servers are created or that files are stored “in the cloud”.
Having a good web host is important. Depending on your project, you will need more or less storage space and enough power to accommodate more or fewer connections at the same time. This is where our comparison comes in. Note that many accommodations also offer to register a domain name. Because yes: accommodation is not everything, it must also be made accessible.
A domain name facilitates access to a website: it transforms a web IP address (like 86.120.1.121, for example) into an easy-to-remember phrase, like Phonandroid.com for example. When you type “Phonandroid.com” in your address bar, that name will actually tell your web browser to connect to the IP address linked to its name. Entities providing these services are commonly referred to as registrars, and many hosts are also registrars.
The best free hosting providers in 2023
Why a free host? There can be several reasons. If you just want to store a few files online, or want set up a small website which will only have about ten pages at most, it may be interesting to turn to these free hostings rather than paying full price for paid hosting which could be too ambitious for your projects. Here is our selection of free hosts that have a good reputation.
Free
And yes: Free is not just an internet service provider. It also offers free hosting, whether or not you are a customer elsewhere. The free offer gives access to 10 GB of storagePHP and MySQL/PostgreSQL, unlimited emails and a webmail client. It is also possible to access your server via FTP.
Its main flaw is that it automatically integrates advertising into your website, but you have to get paid somewhere. Moreover, this hosting does not allow you to have your own domain name since all pages are hosted in a subdomain on free.fr. If you want to start touching a little web development, going through a Free hosting is an excellent solution.
PlanetHoster
PlanetHoster is a paid host, but its free World Lite offer is one of the best available on the web. For good reason: it really has the idea of inspiring people to create their own websites, and therefore has no real limits. It does not include advertising, offers 750 MB of storage, integrates PHP/MySQL, and allows you to start effectively with Sitebuilder in particular.
So yes: it is little space. But when you start coding your first sites by simply writing “Hello World” in blue and bold, you will realize that it is far from being the code that takes up the most space on a server. More than enough to start programming, yes, but not for storing data. Note, however, that like Free, the free formula does not allow you to have a fully personalized domain name.
Cicadas
LesCigales has the advantage of being a reputable French host for a long time. Its free offer only offers you 100 MB of storage, but allows you to touch PHP, MySQL, Perl, Shell and CGI: enough to train you on a fairly complete and modern base of technologies. An email @lescigales.org will also be provided to you, at the same time only one url in .lescigales.org.
11VM
Again French, the 11VM host stands out by offering unlimited monthly traffic and a bandwidth of 100 Mb/s. You have the choice between 4 free offers between 250 Mb and 1 GB (with advertisements on the latter). Again, PHP and mySQL are included, but you won’t get a fully personalized email address or domain. This is an interesting solution to start in website creation.
The Best Paid Hosts in 2023
If you have more ambition than just testing the waters, you will necessarily need more storage space and probably a domain name of your own to create your website. In which case, you can turn to these reputable paid hosts.
OVHcloud
OVHcloud is the new name of the OVH company. It is quite simply the French leader in terms of accommodation. The basic offer includes 1 GB of disk spaceunlimited traffic, 2 email accounts of 5 GB, a domain name free for the first year and a MySQL database for €1.91/month.
The management interface has now evolved to become very readable, and OVHcloud still offers automatic installation on the server of popular solutions such as WordPress, Prestashop, Joomla or even PHPbb. Enough to mount your site without even having to connect for a single second to your server in PHP. A godsend if you want to set up your small online store or your blog without the fuss.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Very affordable rates | Interface still a little hard to read |
| Anti-DDoS protection and SSL certificate included | Not the best pure performance level |
| Top service |
Scaleway
Scaleway is the more official and professional version of Free hosting, since this host is quite simply part of the same parent company: Iliad. Its first offer ”The Essential” at €9.99 tax excl./month allows you to have a domain name with an unlimited number of e-mail accounts, 500 GB of SSD storage. If this basic offer is much more expensive than its competitors, it is complete and efficient for setting up a site without worrying about performance.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Large storage spaces | High base price |
| Responsive customer service | |
| Quality material |
Gandi.net
Gandi is also an old-timer, but for good reason: he’s a champion of stability and openness. You can take advantage, from the basic offer at €7.90 incl. VAT/month, of many programming languages (PHP, Node.JS, Python, Ruby), modern or not, and a database in the format you want (MySQL, pgSQL, MongoDB). Above all, the service integrates an efficient system of regular snapshots so that you never lose any of your files, even in the event of a hard blow. On the other hand, for this price you can only host one site and have access to a storage space of 20 GB. More expensive than the average therefore, but it is the price of security.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Clear, unambiguous offers | High tariffs |
| Excellent customer service | |
| Very stable platform |
IONOS
Only old ones, but it’s not for nothing. Ionos, formerly called 1&1, has long been known to be excellent value for moneyand its IONOS offer is one of them. For only €1.20 incl. VAT/month for the first year (then €12 incl. VAT/month), you have access to 250 GB of storage, an e-mail box and 250 databases with a domain name and an SSL certificate included. Enough to start building a community around your first site, before potentially having to expand storage.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Reduced prices the first year | Slow customer support |
| Very easy to start a blog | |
| Good value for money |
