Inside this Article
What We Look For in the Best Free PHP Web Hosts1. Hostinger: Low-Cost PHP Hosting With All the Support and Features You Need2. IONOS: All PHP Versions and Helpful Support at a Low Cost3. 000webhost: Free PHP Hosting and Decent Security4. GoogieHost: No Ads and Free PHP Hosting5. AwardSpace: Free PHP Plan Includes 24/7 Support6. Freehosting: Free PHP Support and Lots of StorageChoose a PHP Provider Based on Your Needs, and Be Aware of the Limits of Free PlansFAQ
Short on Time? These Are the Best Free PHP Web Hosts in 2024
- Hostinger – Inexpensive PHP hosting with impressive performance from superfast LiteSpeed servers.
- IONOS – Supports all PHP versions and provides generous resources and strong security.
- 000webhost – Free PHP hosting ideally suited for beginners.
What We Look For in the Best Free PHP Web Hosts
There are a few truly free providers on my list, but the top services have low-cost plans with lots of features that essentially pay for themselves. This is what I focused on in my search:- Security. Up-to-date security is important for all websites. A combination of firewalls, antivirus, and anti-malware solutions will protect your website from DDoS attacks and secure your customers’ data. Regular backups are also important for data recovery and website restoration in the case of an attack.
- Latest PHP versions. Having the most recent version of PHP is important for better website security and performance. However, you may need to access other versions if you have an older site or multiple websites with different PHP versions. For this reason, I prioritized hosts with customizable settings and support for multiple PHP versions.
- Caching. Caching stores static versions of pages of your website for your visitors, such as the About page, instead of building them each time someone visits. This speeds up your website loading speed and improves overall performance.
- Value for money. I prioritized free or affordable hosts that include additional features like SSL certificates, a domain name, email accounts, and other great perks.
- No ads. None of the web hosts on my list display ads on your website, including the free hosts.
![Hostinger PHP hosting page explaining the benefits of PHP hosting.](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--1.png)
Hostinger Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthFree SSLNumber of SitesPriceFree Months
More detailsA free domain name is included with some hosting plans from Hostinger
Features
- Multiple CMS. Hostinger has optimized servers and one-click installation for Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress.
- Proprietary control panel. The Hostinger hPanel’s minimalist design and intuitive interface make managing your hosting easy.
- Superb performance. In our tests, Hostinger posted impressively fast loading times and superior reliability – especially when compared to the free and budget hosts we tried.
- Generous freebies. All plans include malware scanning and a website builder. One email account is featured in the Basic plan, while a free domain name for one year is included in the Business and Premium plans.
PHP version | PHP 5.2 – 8.1 |
Free SSL? | ✔ |
Free plan? | ✘ |
Starting price | $2.99 |
2. IONOS: All PHP Versions and Helpful Support at a Low Cost
![IONOS Web hosting](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--2.png)
IONOS Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthFree SSLNumber of SitesPrice
More detailsA free domain name is included with some hosting plans from IONOS
Features
- Uptime guarantee. IONOS offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and achieved 100% in our independent tests.
- Free domain name. All plans include a free domain name for one year.
- Stellar security. IONOS offers enhanced data, website, and email protection.
- PHP Extended Support. IONOS supports older PHP versions, which will fix security vulnerabilities. This support comes at an additional monthly cost.
PHP version | PHP 4.0 – 8.2 |
Free SSL? | ✔ |
Free plan? | ✘ |
Starting price | $1.00 |
![screenshot of 000webhost free PHP hosting plan](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--3.png)
000webhost Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthFree SSLNumber of SitesPrice
More detailsFeatures
- Control panel. 000webhost has an easy-to-use cPanel with a range of administrative tools, like one-click installers and domain name management.
- Website builder. 000webhost uses Hostinger Website Builder, a drag-and-drop tool that can get your website going in minutes.
- Security. Secure your website with built-in firewalls, DDoS protection, and a dedicated administrative team.
- Easy to upgrade. While it’s free to use, 000webhost also has paid plans if you need more server space or resources. You can also upgrade to a low-cost Hostinger plan.
PHP version | PHP 5.2 – 8.0 |
Free SSL? | ✔ |
Free plan? | ✔ |
Starting price | $0 |
![A screenshot of Googiehost's free PHP plan that details its optimized PHP, free SSL certificate, uptime and web servers](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--4.png)
GoogieHost Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthNumber of SitesPrice
More detailsFeatures
- Impressive Speed. If you’re using WordPress, you can take advantage of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin that boosts speed.
- Cloudflare CDN. The free plan comes with access to Cloudflare’s content delivery network. This will help your site to load faster for international visitors and offer some extra security.
- Free subdomain. Free subdomains come with the free plan, and you can connect your own domain name if you have one.
- Control panel. The free plan lets you choose between DirectAdmin control panel or cPanel. You can easily install WordPress with the Softaculous installer.
PHP version | PHP 5.6 – 8.0 |
Free SSL? | ✔ |
Free plan? | ✔ |
Starting price | $0 |
5. AwardSpace: Free PHP Plan Includes 24/7 Support
![Awardspace free web hosting landing page detailing included features.](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--5.png)
AwardSpace Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthNumber of SitesPrice
More detailsA free domain name is included with some hosting plans from AwardSpace
Features
- No ads. AwardSpace does not automatically install unwanted ads on your website.
- Proprietary control panel. The control panel is easy to use and has the Zacky website builder, with lots of themes to get your website ready in minutes. You can install WordPress or Joomla in less than 5 minutes.
- Host multiple websites. The free plan supports 1 main website and up to 3subdomains.
- Firewall. The free plan comes with automatic firewall protection – an important security feature for protecting your website.
PHP version | PHP 5 & 7.0 |
Free SSL? | ✘ |
Free plan? | ✔ |
Starting price | $0 |
6. Freehosting: Free PHP Support and Lots of Storage
![a screenshot of Freehosting's free PHP plan, bandwidth, and domain name](https://dt2sdf0db8zob.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-best-free-php-web-hosts--6.png)
FREEHOSTING Web Hosting
Plan NameStorageBandwidthFree SSLNumber of SitesPrice
More detailsFeatures
- cPanel. The free plan includes cPanel, as well as the Softaculous installer, which lets you easily install hundreds of apps.
- Low-cost premium features. A variety of features can be purchased with a one-time fee, like SSH, subdomains, SSL, PHP mail, additional MySQL databases, and more. It’s important to mention that if you pay for all of these features, you’ll get more value for your money from a paid plan.
- No ads. Freehosting does not place unwanted automatic ads on your website.
- Nice freebies. A free blog, user-friendly website builder, and single-click app installer are all nice-to-have inclusions.
PHP version | PHP 7.0 |
Free SSL? | ✘ |
Free plan? | ✔ |
Starting price | $0 |
Choose a PHP Provider Based on Your Needs, and Be Aware of the Limits of Free Plans
The best PHP hosting provider is the one that meets all of your requirements. Personal projects and prototypes can be refined with free plans. If you want to reliably meet the needs of your audience, there are some real benefits to choosing a low-cost provider over a truly free plan. For the best low-cost, long-term PHP host, Hostinger is my top recommendation. It has very affordable plans that remain budget-friendly on renewal, plus it offers many premium features. Best of all, Hostinger’s LiteSpeed servers and LSCache plugins offer top performance for PHP-dependent sites. If you want unlimited resources, consider IONOS. It supports multiple versions of PHP and has lots of great security features, which help to keep your site secure and ready for visitors. On the other hand, if you want a truly free PHP hosting provider, go with 000webhost. It’s user-friendly and features the same LSCache plugins as Hostinger. However, you won’t have access to Hostinger’s LiteSpeed servers.Here’s a quick summary of the best free and almost free PHP providers to help you decide:
Standout feature | Caching | Latest PHP version | Starting price | ||
Hostinger | Great performance, affordable prices | LiteSpeed cache plugins | 8.1 | $2.99 | |
IONOS | Unlimited resources, strong security | Full page caching | 8.2 | $1.00 | |
000webhost | Free, decent performance | Free cache plugins | 8.0 | $0 | |
Googiehost | No ads, free SSL | LiteSpeed cache plugins | 8.0 | $0 | |
AwardSpace | Multiple CMS, auto firewalls | Free cache plugins | 7.0 | $0 | |
Freehosting | cPanel, no ads | ✘ | 7.0 | $0 |