Word of caution, though, nothing in life is truly free. And that applies to these VPS providers.
In reality, there are no hosting plans that qualify as 100% free VPS. That is to say, there's no version of a free VPS server where you'll never pay anything ever.
You can easily find a VPS free trial, however, and there are also many nearly-free hosting services that also get pretty close to providing a free experience. Let's take a look at some of the options that might make you feel like you're getting free VPS. At the end, we'll also talk about some of the potential pros and cons of going this rout.
VPS Plans That Are Close to "Free" include HostWinds VPS Hosting
hostwinds vps, lowest Price: $5.17 per month
If you’re searching for a forever-free VPS, I have some bad news: you aren’t going to find one that isn’t a scam. After extensive research on the best deals for VPS, I’ve run into many of these “free VPS hosts.” Each and every one turned out to be completely fake.
Now, here’s the good news: I found some high-quality VPS hosting services that offer free trials. But even then, some hosts like to make cancellation a real headache, or severely limit your capabilities until you take out your wallet.
To find out which trials are worth your time, I signed up to as many as I could and tested them thoroughly, cutting it down to the top five. Kamatera came out on top thanks to its highly customizable cloud infrastructure and generous 30-day $100 VPS trial credit. It’s also the only host to allow you to scale and customize your trial plan as needed (at least until your credit runs out). So, you can get a true feel for what a Kamatera VPS can do for you.
However, all of the following hosts offer top-quality VPS hosting and will let you try out a powerful VPS solution for free. So keep reading to find the best option for you. Or, if you can’t wait to get started, sign up with Kamatera today.
Short on time? These are the best web hosts with free VPS trials in 2023:
Kamatera – 30-day free access to a cloud VPS with $100 credit and some nice extras
ScalaHosting – Managed VPS with an intuitive control panel & “anytime” money-back guarantee
IONOS – Cheap unmanaged VPS you can try risk-free for 30 days
The Azure management system is quite robust. You’re able to build blockchain networks, utilize machine learning systems, and so much more. It can be complicated or those who don’t have a lot of technical prowess. With that said, you have a full year to get your bearings and learn the system before you need to start paying. Even if you don’t upgrade, Microsoft has a great selection of free features to take advantage of.
Why I chose it: Microsoft Azure is a robust platform, and the free tier provides a variety of services that cater to different needs.
Key Features:
12 months of free service
$200 credit to use other Azure services
Linux and Windows systems available
Up to 15 GB of outbound bandwidth
64 GB of SSD storage
Selection of “always free” services
Requires credit card for registration
Can be used for apps and mobile software
In my experience free hosting provider cannot be trusted and are also not reliable. It's better to go for a paid VPS service with the option for money back guarantee (min.30 days). That way you can try out their services and if you're unsatisfied with the service then you can claim the money back option and move on to another hosting service.
Also in order to compensate the free hosting models most hosting service will run annoying ads on your hosted websites and won't provide helpful live support.
A reliable VPS hosting provider provides the following key features:
-Availability and stability: The provider must be able to keep its servers up and running at all times, no matter what.
-Capacity: The provider should have ample capacity so that you can store your data and applications without running out of space.
-Performance: The provider should offer fast, reliable connections so that your websites and applications run smoothly.
-Customer support: You need customer support if you encounter any problems with your account or server. A good VPS hosting provider will have responsive customer service staff who can help you resolve any issues quickly.
AccuWeb Hosting is a seasoned provider that offers a full 30-day trial. While other companies require a credit card or have strict limitations on what you can do with a free VPS, that’s not the case with AccuWeb Hosting.
After signing up, which doesn’t require a credit card, you have full access to service. It’s completely ad-free and contains most of the same features you would be using with a paid account. For the free VPS service, data centers are in the United States. Paid plans can chose data centers from around the world. To keep your site protected, all plans come with server firewall and free backups.
Key Features:
One month of ad-free service
No credit card required
Windows-based VPS hosting
Full root access
2 CPU cores and 1 GB of RAM
35 GB of storage
500 GB of bandwidth
Weekly Backups
One dedicated IP address
Like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services is a trusted VPS service that’s used by developers and huge enterprises. Amazon makes it easy for website owners to learn about VPS systems with the free tier of their LightSail service. Not only are you getting a full service for 3 months without having to pay anything, but the plan comes with tutorials to get you started.
Once you create your virtual machine, you can configure it how you want through web-based tools. There’s also a mobile app for remote configuration. Several security features and free AWS products are available as well. One cool thing about AWS is that there is a monitoring system. It helps you keep track of your resources so that you can budget accordingly. In the case of the free plan, it’ll prevent you from doing too much and being charged.
Why I chose it: AWS is an industry leader, and their free tier allows beginners to explore their vast range of services without any upfront cost.
Key Features:
3 months of free VPS service
Several “always free” features
Includes 750 hours of use
Comes with 5 GB of storage
No credit card needed
Access to tutorials and guides
Intuitive control panel and management tools
x10Hosting appears to have a limited free plan. With over a decade of experience, this provider has a proven track record of smooth and reliable success. All of the plans, including the free option, are cloud-based. This has many advantages. The biggest is that the company is able to offer unlimited storage and bandwidth.
It’s a scalable solution that will grow with your needs. If you’re familiar with web hosting, you’ll be happy to know that the service comes with many features you’re used to. This includes the cPanel interface and a simple management system. The only downside to x10Hosting’s free plan is that you don’t have access to everything paid users have. There’s no root access and you won’t be able to control every aspect of the VPS.
Key Features:
Fast cloud-based service
Unlimited SSD storage and bandwidth
Linux-based VPS
512 MB of RAM
cPanel access
Once-click installs for software like WordPress
Free plan has limited features
Comments
Word of caution, though, nothing in life is truly free. And that applies to these VPS providers.
In reality, there are no hosting plans that qualify as 100% free VPS. That is to say, there's no version of a free VPS server where you'll never pay anything ever.
You can easily find a VPS free trial, however, and there are also many nearly-free hosting services that also get pretty close to providing a free experience. Let's take a look at some of the options that might make you feel like you're getting free VPS. At the end, we'll also talk about some of the potential pros and cons of going this rout.
VPS Plans That Are Close to "Free" include HostWinds VPS Hosting
hostwinds vps, lowest Price: $5.17 per month
If you’re searching for a forever-free VPS, I have some bad news: you aren’t going to find one that isn’t a scam. After extensive research on the best deals for VPS, I’ve run into many of these “free VPS hosts.” Each and every one turned out to be completely fake.
Now, here’s the good news: I found some high-quality VPS hosting services that offer free trials. But even then, some hosts like to make cancellation a real headache, or severely limit your capabilities until you take out your wallet.
To find out which trials are worth your time, I signed up to as many as I could and tested them thoroughly, cutting it down to the top five. Kamatera came out on top thanks to its highly customizable cloud infrastructure and generous 30-day $100 VPS trial credit. It’s also the only host to allow you to scale and customize your trial plan as needed (at least until your credit runs out). So, you can get a true feel for what a Kamatera VPS can do for you.
However, all of the following hosts offer top-quality VPS hosting and will let you try out a powerful VPS solution for free. So keep reading to find the best option for you. Or, if you can’t wait to get started, sign up with Kamatera today.
Short on time? These are the best web hosts with free VPS trials in 2023:
Kamatera – 30-day free access to a cloud VPS with $100 credit and some nice extras
ScalaHosting – Managed VPS with an intuitive control panel & “anytime” money-back guarantee
IONOS – Cheap unmanaged VPS you can try risk-free for 30 days
The Azure management system is quite robust. You’re able to build blockchain networks, utilize machine learning systems, and so much more. It can be complicated or those who don’t have a lot of technical prowess. With that said, you have a full year to get your bearings and learn the system before you need to start paying. Even if you don’t upgrade, Microsoft has a great selection of free features to take advantage of.
Why I chose it: Microsoft Azure is a robust platform, and the free tier provides a variety of services that cater to different needs.
Key Features:
12 months of free service
$200 credit to use other Azure services
Linux and Windows systems available
Up to 15 GB of outbound bandwidth
64 GB of SSD storage
Selection of “always free” services
Requires credit card for registration
Can be used for apps and mobile software
In my experience free hosting provider cannot be trusted and are also not reliable. It's better to go for a paid VPS service with the option for money back guarantee (min.30 days). That way you can try out their services and if you're unsatisfied with the service then you can claim the money back option and move on to another hosting service.
Also in order to compensate the free hosting models most hosting service will run annoying ads on your hosted websites and won't provide helpful live support.
A reliable VPS hosting provider provides the following key features:
-Availability and stability: The provider must be able to keep its servers up and running at all times, no matter what.
-Capacity: The provider should have ample capacity so that you can store your data and applications without running out of space.
-Performance: The provider should offer fast, reliable connections so that your websites and applications run smoothly.
-Customer support: You need customer support if you encounter any problems with your account or server. A good VPS hosting provider will have responsive customer service staff who can help you resolve any issues quickly.
AccuWeb Hosting is a seasoned provider that offers a full 30-day trial. While other companies require a credit card or have strict limitations on what you can do with a free VPS, that’s not the case with AccuWeb Hosting.
After signing up, which doesn’t require a credit card, you have full access to service. It’s completely ad-free and contains most of the same features you would be using with a paid account. For the free VPS service, data centers are in the United States. Paid plans can chose data centers from around the world. To keep your site protected, all plans come with server firewall and free backups.
Key Features:
One month of ad-free service
No credit card required
Windows-based VPS hosting
Full root access
2 CPU cores and 1 GB of RAM
35 GB of storage
500 GB of bandwidth
Weekly Backups
One dedicated IP address
How about 3 months of free VPS?
Like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services is a trusted VPS service that’s used by developers and huge enterprises. Amazon makes it easy for website owners to learn about VPS systems with the free tier of their LightSail service. Not only are you getting a full service for 3 months without having to pay anything, but the plan comes with tutorials to get you started.
Once you create your virtual machine, you can configure it how you want through web-based tools. There’s also a mobile app for remote configuration. Several security features and free AWS products are available as well. One cool thing about AWS is that there is a monitoring system. It helps you keep track of your resources so that you can budget accordingly. In the case of the free plan, it’ll prevent you from doing too much and being charged.
Why I chose it: AWS is an industry leader, and their free tier allows beginners to explore their vast range of services without any upfront cost.
Key Features:
3 months of free VPS service
Several “always free” features
Includes 750 hours of use
Comes with 5 GB of storage
No credit card needed
Access to tutorials and guides
Intuitive control panel and management tools
x10Hosting appears to have a limited free plan. With over a decade of experience, this provider has a proven track record of smooth and reliable success. All of the plans, including the free option, are cloud-based. This has many advantages. The biggest is that the company is able to offer unlimited storage and bandwidth.
It’s a scalable solution that will grow with your needs. If you’re familiar with web hosting, you’ll be happy to know that the service comes with many features you’re used to. This includes the cPanel interface and a simple management system. The only downside to x10Hosting’s free plan is that you don’t have access to everything paid users have. There’s no root access and you won’t be able to control every aspect of the VPS.
Key Features:
Fast cloud-based service
Unlimited SSD storage and bandwidth
Linux-based VPS
512 MB of RAM
cPanel access
Once-click installs for software like WordPress
Free plan has limited features