5 of the Best Free Cloud Hosting Providers

The role of web hosts play is becoming increasingly important, as these companies offer business clients high-tech web services, which are critical for modern web management in a business environment. 

While most businesses traditionally use in-house web hosting, another popular type is cloud hosting. Some web hosts offer free cloud hosting services, but knowing which providers offer the most valuable solutions is important.

Continue reading to learn more about free cloud hosting trials, how they benefit businesses and five of the best free cloud hosting providers leading the market. 

An Overview of Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is an online service that helps businesses host their websites, house domain names and manage their databases. This type of hosting falls under two important classifications: Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). It usually provides users with the essential services needed for effective website management.

These cloud hosting services leverage offsite server resources owned and operated by cloud hosting providers. Companies understand the ever-changing needs of a modern business, so they offer various plans to suit all types and sizes of companies.

Because it only requires following a few simple steps, it’s easy for a small business to create a website. However, companies must first choose which type of hosting they need and what hosting plan is suitable for their business.

Benefits of Enterprise Cloud Hosting

Compared to traditional web hosting, cloud hosting offer several benefits:

• Scalability and flexibility
• Reliability
• Physical security
• Effortless yet effective website management
• Clients only pay for services they need
• Often includes 24/7 support
• Increased efficiency
• Easy deployment and integration
• Frees up employees to focus on other, more meaningful tasks
• Offers customizable storage options and user management
• Provides faster disaster recovery, which keeps costs down

Another advantage of cloud hosting is that it eliminates the need for companies to purchase in-house hardware or software. Companies can still run their websites in virtual environments even without traditional hosting equipment. 

Additionally, companies that choose to host their site on-premise take on more responsibilities. They must install the right software, learn how to manage servers and monitor the site to ensure it’s constantly accessible. The costs associated with these tasks are high, especially for companies without a dedicated IT department or employees with knowledge of web hosting. 

More and more organizations are choosing cloud hosting over other types of web hosting due to the benefits outlined above. According to Gartner, worldwide spending on public cloud services will grow by 20.4% this year and could reach almost $600 billion in 2023.

5 Best Free Cloud Hosting Providers for Business

When a business must choose a suitable web hosting provider, they must consider several factors, including expected site traffic, provider reliability, ability to scale, essential features, price and more. 

While many cloud hosting companies claim to offer free trials or free hosting services, they might not be telling the whole truth. Because they’re trying to remain profitable, few provide any valuable services for free. What good is a free service if it’s slow, unreliable or fails to meet a company’s expectations?

Providers can offer free trials to customers, which is a widespread practice. It gives clients a taste of what’s included in the provider’s services so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to pay for them.

Using a cloud provider’s free offerings is a great way for company leaders and website managers to test their products and services without making significant investments. Below are a handful of examples of free cloud hosting providers and some of the free services they offer for clients.

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

The world’s most popular cloud services platform is Amazon Web Services (AWS). A report titled The AWS Ecosystem in 2022 from HG Insights and Intricately’s Global Sensor Network states that AWS is the largest cloud provider, with 1.45 million business clients and over $64 billion in revenue. 

AWS offers a free cloud computing plan for customers—called the AWS Free Tier— with three different options: a 12-month free tier, short-term trials and an Always Free offer. AWS offers more than 100 products to try out for free. 

When businesses test out these solutions, they can determine which ones best suit their unique needs. Some early-stage startups are eligible for AWS Activate Founders, a program providing free resources, expert tools and support to help new businesses grow. 

2. Kamatera

Another free cloud hosting provider is Kamatera. This company provides solutions for companies looking for maximum versatility and scalability and those who want to leverage raw computing power. 

Kamatera’s Cloud Hosting infrastructure is distributed across state-of-the-art data centers to run any version or edition of Windows and Linux. Kamatera’s data centers are in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, enabling companies to instantly launch new servers in any of these regions. 

Users can sign up for a no-commitment, free Kamatera account and participate in a 30-day trial. The trial includes a small cloud server (up to $100 worth, 1000GB of storage and 1000GB of traffic.

3. Google Cloud

Eligible customers can use the Google Cloud platform, which offers a free trial and free tier options. New customers receive $300 in free credits to explore Google Cloud and determine if it’s the right fit for their business. 

Google Cloud offers a handful of cloud hosting services based on various business use cases:

• WordPress on Compute Engine: simple websites, blogs, low-medium traffic and offers an open-source content management system
• LAMP stack on Compute Engine: dynamic content, hosting for sites and applications and supports MySQL, PHP, Apache HTTP Server and Linux
• Firebase Hosting: global CDN, web apps, static content and end-to-end HTTP serving for custom site domains
• Cloud Run: fully managed infrastructure, access SQL database on Cloud SQL, autoscaled HTTPS endpoint and supports Ruby, Go, Python, Java, Node.js and more
• Compute Engine: specific memory, GPU needs and SSD, total control and flexibility and offers configurable servers and virtual machines (VMs)

Additionally, customers can verify their business email to get even more free credits to explore and assess Google Cloud hosting.

4. Cloudways

Cloudways offers convenient, simplified cloud hosting for its customers. Over 75,000 businesses use Cloudways services to maintain a high-performing, reliable online presence. It provides 24/7 real-time support from experts, and G2 named it the top hosting provider for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). 

According to the provider’s homepage, their solutions remove the complexity of web hosting so companies can focus on other demanding aspects of their business. Cloudways also has well-known relationships with partners like Cloudflare, Google Cloud, AWS, Vultr, DigitalOcean and Linode. 

Users can start a 3-day free trial without using a credit card, pay as they go and avoid any commitments because Cloudways allows them to cancel anytime. 

5. IBM Cloud

Last but not least, IBM, one of the biggest names in cloud computing, offers the IBM Cloud Free Tier. Users can create a free account and explore over 40 of IBM’s products with no time limits. The account is always free and these IBM Cloud products are free for the companies enrolled in IBM Cloud’s Lite plan. 

Users who sign up for IBM Cloud’s Free Tier plan receive $200 in credit to spend on apps and services, which are available for 30 days after the purchase date. Some popular IBM Cloud products include its Code Engine, Object Storage, Cloudant, Kubernetes Services and Watson Assistant, Discovery, Machine Learning (ML) and Studio.

Evalute Free Cloud Hosting Provider Trials Before Investing in a Solution

Every business professional, regardless of title, understands the importance of a company website. It serves as an online headquarters for a business, allowing the company to acquire new customers, provide information to existing customers and showcase its products and services. 

Web hosting might seem complicated to the average person, but the cloud hosting providers above offer helpful resources and services to make hosting and maintaining websites a breeze. Businesses should consider enrolling in these free trials to determine which provider is right for them.