7 Best FREE PHP Hosting Providers (2023)

By : Kristina Tuvikene Kristina Tuvikene
Hours Updated

Free PHP hosting providers are in high demand for developing dynamic websites. Many among them offer free static hosting but show limitations when it comes to offering dynamic services.

A reliable PHP hosting provider can improve the performance of your website while enhancing its security. With effective PHP hosting services, you will experience reliability in terms of uptime, server compatibility, and security features.

Compared to cheap and good PHP hosting providers, an unreliable vendor may not meet your expectations in terms of services and features. Hence, you need to be careful while selecting the best free PHP host.

Below are the reviews of the best free PHP hosting companies that promise to meet user expectations. These hosting providers are not free but affordable and very reliable compared to free hosting providers. Read more…

Best PHP Web Hosting Providers: Affordable & Reliabl

 
#1 Best Overall
#2 Top Pick
Hosting Provider Hostinger HostPapa IONOS DigitalOcean
Php versions supported From 7.3 to 8.1 5.6, 7.0, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0 4.0 to 8.2 7.x and 8.x
Free SSL ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Free CDN ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Control panel hPanel cPanel 1&1 Control panel ServerPilot
Starting price $0.00 $2.95 $1 $200 free credit

Reviews
Excellent – 4.7
Excellent – 4.6
Good – 4.7
Good – 4.8
Moneyback Guarantee 30 days 30 days 30 days No
Link Visit Hostinger Visit HostPapa Visit IONOS Visit DigitalOcean

1) Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the leading PHP hosting providers, offering free and affordable services globally. The PHP hosting plans available from Hostinger offer updates on MySQL and PHP, better request processing through HTTP/2, improvised page loading speed, and Git integration.

Hostinger

Features:

  • PHP versions supported: Hostinger supports PHP versions starting from 7.3 to 8.2.
  • Version switching: The presence of hPanel makes switching between different PHP versions easy and can also configure PHP extensions.
  • Better response time: Object Cache minimizes the overall response time of a website by 3 times.
  • Databases and Frameworks: This popular service provider supports MySQL, MariaDB, Laravel, Code Igniter, CakePHP, Symfony, Nette, Smarty, and ZendFramework.
  • Developer tools: Drag-and-Drop website builder makes it easier to develop a free site with nil knowledge on web development.
  • One-click installer: One-click installer comes integrated and lets you install any applications easily and makes WordPress Hosting more commendable.
  • Free account Migration: Free site migration is available and extremely secure with enhanced DDoS protection.
  • Security: To prevent cyber-attacks from affecting the web hosting services, there are round-the-clock monitoring services, an integrated firewall, in-depth malware scanning, and Cloudfare server protection.
  • Backup: You can enjoy weekly automatic backups with cloud and web hosting plans. If you have a Business Hosting Plan, backups are available daily.
  • SLA: There is a 99.9% uptime commitment for a month. You can claim a 5% rebate from your monthly hosting fee if Hostinger fails to meet the uptime commitment.
  • Support: The technical support professionals are available 24/7 to review your queries. You can reach them through Live Chat and email.

Pros

  • In-house free CDN impresses with ultra-fast loading time.
  • Automatic WP updates ensure better security of websites.
  • LiteSpeed Servers enhance the performance of websites.

Cons

  • Daily backup option available only on Premium Plan.
  • WordPress Staging Tool not available with Premium Plan.
  • Only 100 GB SSD storage available with Premium Plan.

Pricing:

Here are the three pricing plans of Hostinger:

Plan Name Premium Business Cloud Startup
Storage 100 GB SSD 200 GB NVMe 200 GB NVMe
Bandwidth Limited 100 GB Unlimited
Free Domain No No Yes
No. of websites 1 1 100
Pricing $0.00 $1.99/month $2.99/month

Moneyback Guarantee: Yes, there is a 30 – day money back guarantee for all the plans.

Visit Hostinger >>

2) HostPapa

HostPapa is a reliable hosting service provider with a wide range of database support, email support, and PHP-optimized servers. With HostPapa, you can launch a fast-paced free site that can work on any server.

HostPapa

Features:

  • Php versions supported: HostPapa supports Php versions 5.6, 7.0, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2.
  • Version Switching: Latest upgraded servers make it easy for users to switch between different versions of PHP from the account.
  • Databases and Frameworks: This web hosting provider supports MSSQL, Concrete5, Typo3, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and MySQL.
  • Developer tools: WP Toolkit allows developers to manage, configure, and install WordPress. HostPapa also supports the PHP programming language Soholaunch.
  • One-click installer: One-click installation is available to easily install the Bulletin Board app.
  • Free account Migration: Free migration service is available for new users.
  • Security: With Protection Power enabled, your website stays safe from hackers and receives real-time alerts against vulnerabilities and malware attacks.
  • Backup: The automated backup service offers 50GB storage for all your critical data, be it emails, web pages, or databases.
  • SLA: HostPapa guarantees 99.9% uptime for the month. If, by any chance, the uptime drops below 99.9% , you can claim a refund only if the account is activated initially.
  • Support: For troubleshooting, you can directly seek help from customer support available through Live Chat, phone, and email.

Pros

  • You can choose from over 400 free apps to add functionality to your free website.
  • Servers are optimized for fast loading of websites.
  • Highly intuitive and user-friendly dashboard.

Cons

  • Automated backup of 1 GB is not available with Start and Plus plans.
  • Web Application Firewall is only available with the Ultra plan.
  • Unlimited disk space is unavailable with Start and Plus plans.

Pricing:

Here are the three pricing plans of HostPapa:

Plan Name Start Plus Pro
Storage 100 GB SSD 100 GB SSD Unlimited SSD
Bandwidth Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Freebies Domain, 10 Emails Domain, 100 Emails Domain, Unlimited Emails
No. of websites 1 10 Unlimited
Pricing $2.95/month $5.95/month $5.95/month

Moneyback Guarantee: There is a 30 – day money-back guarantee available but not applicable to any add-on services like setup fees, free subdomain names, mobile websites, and privacy.

Visit HostPapa >>

3) IONOS

IONOS is another free PHP hosting service provider that caters mostly to small and medium industries. It also offers cloud services and is an ideal hosting solution for start-ups.

IONOS

Features:

  • Php versions supported: IONOS supports older Php versions 4.4, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4. It also supports the latest Php versions, 8.0 – 8.2, at no extra cost.
  • Version Switching: Users can easily switch Php versions from the IONOS Control panel as well as restrict using the Extended Support facility for older Php versions from the panel.
  • Databases and Frameworks: This PHP hosting platform supports Oracle, MS SQL, MySQL, ODBC, CUBRID, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Firebird/Interbase, Active Record, Chain of Responsibility, MVC, and HMVC.
  • Developer tools: The Compute SDK is perfect for developers working on Java, Node JS, Python, Ruby, Github Repo, GoLang, Go, Puppet, Chef Knife, Ansible, Terraform, and Docker Machine.
  • One-click installer: With the On-Click Installation option, users can easily install from a list of 70+ apps.
  • Free account Migration: You can transfer a domain to IONOS from another provider or within IONOS for free.
  • Security: IONOS blocks illegal login attempts and protects your website against any spam and virus attacks.
  • Backup: There is support for daily backup available for free. The hosting provider also offers daily jetpack backup for 12 months.
  • SLA: When it comes to internal network performance, IONOS promises a 99.95% uptime guarantee. In case of guarantee failure, you will receive 5% of the monthly fee for every 30 minutes of downtime. The credit will never exceed 100% of the monthly fee.
  • Support: Customer support is available round the clock. You can address your queries via email, direct phone, or Live Chat.

Pros

  • Offers web hosting solutions for Windows® Server 2022.
  • AI-enabled services are available to protect against threats.
  • Recover your device or server with a single click.

Cons

  • URL filtering is not available on the Starter Plan.
  • Continuous data protection only with Ultimate Plan.
  • There is a hidden setup fee for hosting plans.

Pricing:

Here are the four pricing plans of IONOS:

Plan Name Plus Essential Starter
Storage Limitless disk space 10 GB disk space 100 GB disk space
Bandwidth Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Freebies Domain, professional email, Wildcard SSL Certificate Domain, professional email, Wildcard SSL Certificate Domain, professional email, Wildcard SSL Certificate
No. of websites Unlimited 1 10
Pricing $1/month $4/month $6/month

Moneyback Guarantee: There is a 30 – day money-back guarantee for users availing any of the plans.

Visit IONOS >>

4) DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean is a cloud-based PHP web host that manages and monitors Droplets – Linux-based VMs. Other hosting features include proficiently managing the IaaS and Cloud Computing services and Kubernetes.

DigitalOcean

Features:

  • Php versions supported: There is support for Php versions 7. x and 8. x.
  • Version Switching: Using the DigitalOcean Control panel, you effortlessly upgrade to new versions.
  • Databases and Frameworks: You can easily manage the database and frameworks using MongoDB, MySQL, HarperDB, ClusterControl, HQbird Firebird, Lake FS, EdgeDB, and Apache Kafka.
  • Managed databases: The Managed Databases in DigitalOcean handle critical metrics like throughput, connections, indexed vs. sequential scans, and cache-hit ratio.
  • Optimum level scalability: Best in class scalability feature allows users to review and resize their database clusters to upgrade storage, RAM, and CPUs.
  • Developer tools: There is support for various developer tools like RabbitMQ, Docker, Knative, Dokku, NKN Commercial, Apache Pulsar, Hansura Graphic QL, and Plesk.
  • One-click installer: DigitalOcean allows developers to create resources and manage setups using the one-click installation feature.
  • Automated failover: In disruptive situations or sudden failures, the data handling process in managed databases will be switched to a standby node. It prevents maximizing the downtime factor.
  • Free account Migration: There are no charges for migrating data into DigitalOcean’s managed database.
  • Security: The security milestones achieved by DigitalOcean are AICPA SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 Type II certification, GDPR Compliant, and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) STAR Level 1 completion.
  • Backup: Every hosting plan from DigitalOcean comes with a weekly or daily backup option.
  • SLA: This hosting provider assures a 99.99% uptime SLA guarantee per month on their Droplet services. If the services fail to meet the uptime guarantee, you will be paid 100% of the downtime at an hourly rate.
  • Support: Support is available via a dedicated chat engine. You can also use Slack to reach their Technical Account Manager.

Pros

  • Full support for LINUX apps, along with customization options.
  • Spaces CDN improves performance and reduces page loading time.
  • Cloud resources are managed effectively due to a clean and user-friendly user interface.

Cons

  • Droplet snapshots come with an additional fee.
  • Data centers are available only at few locations.

Pricing:

Here are the partial pricing plans of Basic Droplets in DigitalOcean. It also offers $200 free credit.

Basic Droplets
CPU Types Regular Premium Intel Premium AMD
Storage 10 GiB SSD 25 GiB SSD 25 GiB SSD
Memory 512 MiB 1 GiB 1 GiB
Transfer 500 GiB 1000 GiB 1000 GiB
Pricing $4/month $7/month $7/month

Moneyback Guarantee: The company does not offer any moneyback for the plans.

Visit DigitalOcean >>

5) GoogieHost

GoogieHost is one of the most popular PHP hosting providers to offer premium SitePad builder to develop your website with simple Drag-n-Drop facility. It comes with both free and premium paid hosting services. With this hosting provider, you can now maintain your free website effectively due to the availability of several tools and the best features.

GoogieHost

Features:

  • Php versions supported: Php versions are 5.6, 6, 7, 8, and above.
  • Version Switching: This free web host allows you to switch between versions at no additional cost.
  • Databases and Frameworks: Googie Host uses MySQL database and Django framework.
  • Developer tools: Developers can now work with PHP’s latest versions, cPanel, and MySQL to develop and host websites.
  • One-click installer: The Softaculous Auto Installer option allows developers to install add-ons for websites with a single click.
  • Free account Migration: Transfer your data and other accounts to your Googie Host server at no extra cost.
  • Security: This web hosting service provider comes with a very effective Malware Checker that detects and deletes harmful malware from the website. The Hotlink Protection option prevents files from your website from getting copied.
  • Backup: There is no option for a full backup of your website. However, the CMS offers the option to restore any backup using easy procedures.
  • SLA: This free php web hosting provider guarantees 99.99% uptime for any developed PHP website. In situations where they fail to meet the guarantee, they provide 5% credit of the monthly hosting fee.
  • Support: Post your queries in the Googie Host support forum. The support team will reach you accordingly.

Pros

  • 1000mb SSD space available to host several websites.
  • Supports updated version of Google Map.
  • Choose from 500+ templates when designing the website using SitePad.

Cons

  • Single website hosting with a Free Plan.
  • Unlimited disk space is available only on the Premium Plan.
  • Unmetered bandwidth is not available with the Essential Plan.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans of GoogieHost:

Plan Name Essential Starter
Storage 1000MB SSD Unlimited NVMe
Bandwidth 100 GB Unlimited
Freebies Domain, email, SSL Certificate Domain, email, SSL Certificate
No. of websites 1 Unlimited
Pricing Absolutely Free $0.01/month

Moneyback Guarantee: Yes, there is a 30 – day money back guarantee.

Visit GoogieHost >>

6) InfinityFree

InfinityFree is a free php web hosting platform where you can develop websites using PHP programming language and other tools. You can now host your favorite free WordPress website using MySQL and PHP.

InfinityFree

Features:

  • PHP versions supported: Currently, there is only support for PHP version 7.4. Shortly, PHP version 8 will be introduced.
  • Version Switching: Premium Version supports switching between different PHP versions.
  • Databases and Frameworks: This web host supports My SQL and Mongo DB.
  • Developer tools: With a highly intuitive cPanel, the tools that can be accessed are MySQL database control, phpMyAdmin, and online FTP Manager.
  • One-click installer: You can install the add-ons to your website with a single click.
  • Free account Migration: Free account migration is possible once you upload the file into the htdocs folder.
  • Security: InfinityFree has a strong security system that checks and protects the websites against malware and bots.
  • Backup: A manual backup option is available where users must manage the process and safely store the files.
  • SLA: The company promises an uptime percentage of 99.0% – 99.99%. Due to some system errors and DDoS attacks, the uptime percentage may be affected. In case of free service, there is no compensation offered for downtime.
  • Support: You need to visit the Community Forum or Knowledge Base to get answers to most of your queries.

Pros

  • Unmetered bandwidth is available with a Free Plan.
  • Unlimited number of free website hosting facilities.
  • You can host any domain for free.

Cons

  • No Email accounts in the Free Plan.
  • The Super Premium Plan does not come with unlimited bandwidth allocation.
  • No free trial options are available.

Pricing:

Here are the three pricing plans of InfinityFree:

Plan Name InfinityFree iFastNet Super Premium iFastNet Ultimate Premium
Storage 5 GB Unlimited Unlimited
Bandwidth Unlimited 250 GB Unlimited
Freebies Domain, Free SSL Certificate Domain, Free SSL Certificate Domain, Free SSL Certificate
FTP Accounts 1 100 Unlimited
Pricing $0/month $3.99/month $6.90/month

Money-back Guarantee: Claim for a refund within 7 days of availing the service.

Link: https://www.infinityfree.com/

7) A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is one of the fastest PHP hosting companies with its 20 times faster turbo speed. This platform supports numerous versions of PHP, and its team tests the features regularly to maintain compatibility.

It is a reliable web hosting provider that offers you with stable releases of PHP in all its managed and shared web hosting. You can use it to create projects on stable PHP versions or maintain compatibility with the latest releases.

A2 Hosting

Features:

  • Php versions supported: A2 hosting supports various Php versions like 4.4, 5.1 – 5..6, 7.0 – 7.4, 8.0, and 8.1.
  • Version switching: It provides easy-to-use version switching in its control panel.
  • Databases and Frameworks: There is support for MySQL up to date, Maria DB, Postgre SQL 9.6, and Node. Js, Python 2.7, 3.3, 3.4, and Ruby 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1.
  • Developer tools: This PHP hosting provider comes with pre-installed phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin, Apache 2.4 for high performance, SSH Access and Rsync, auto git repository development, FTP/FTPs, WordPress tool kit, and much more.
  • One-click installer: A2 Hosting provides a Softaculous 1-click app installer that you can use for installing apps in cPanel. Install WordPress, Drupal, CRMs, Frameworks, and much more.
  • Free account Migration: The existing customers get a free account migration for upgrading, and the new users can move to A2 Hosting with support’s assistance.
  • Security: Wide scale security measures like FireWall, a virus scanner, Brute Force Defense, KernelCare, Reinforced DDoS protection, 2FA, Hackscan, and 24/7 network monitoring are available.
  • Backup: A2 Hosting has auto-backup with snapshots, JetBackup in the control panel, 100% free backup, and you can also use Backup Manager to restore your entire website.
  • SLA: You get a 99.9% uptime commitment. In rare cases, more than 0.1% of unscheduled downtime A2 Hosting provides you with 5% credit for a monthly fee.
  • Support: It offers a technically skilled team of Guru Crew 24/7 through email for all your technical issues and queries. This tool also includes live chat, phone support, a knowledge base, and FAQs.

Pros

  • All plans provide expertly tuned servers.
  • You get unlimited domains as an add-on.
  • Every plan comes with a dedicated IP address.

Cons

  • A2 Optimized Site Accelerator is included only in Turbo plans.
  • It provides a LiteSpeed Web Server with higher plans.

Pricing:

Here is a list of pricing offered by A2 Hosting for shared hosting. These are monthly hosting packages that are billed every 12 months.

Plan Name Start-up Drive Turbo Boost
SSD 100 Unlimited Unlimited
RAM 1 GB 1 GB 2 GB
No of database 5 Unlimited Unlimited
No of websites 1 Unlimited Unlimited
Pricing $2.99 $5.99 $6.99

Money-back guarantee: 30-day full refund, 30-90 days prorated refund of unused web hosting services.

Visit A2 Hosting >>

Main use case of PHP

PHP is an open-source scripting language primarily for developing multifunctional and dynamic websites. This open-source scripting language also develops several web-enabled apps and content management systems. Using PHP, you can work on the website’s backend, commonly known as server-side scripting. It can work on several backend processes like sending and receiving emails, creating sessions, handling databases, etc. In short, PHP can improve the performance of a website.

FAQS

PHP web hosting can be best described as a type of web hosting that involves reading and executing a website developed using PHP programming language.

You can. But make sure you look for a trusted PHP hosting service provider to meet your requirements.

If you are a newcomer or small business owner looking for a safe, effective, and affordable solution, Hostinger is one of the best free PHP hosting providers in 2023.

It would help if you chose VPS, Dedicated, or Shared hosting options as per your requirement. A reliable web hosting provider will also offer the following essential features:

  • Website uptime monitoring
  • unlimited bandwidth speed
  • Database optimization
  • Free domain name
  • Number of emails
  • Security and backup services

Step 1) From the admin dashboard, visit Tools and then click on Site Health.

Step 2) From the admin dashboard, visit Updates. If there is any update available, it will show.

Step 3) Click the Update tab. Your PHP version will be updated.

Verdict

Talking about PHP web services, there are several hosting companies. In terms of features, scalability and affordability, here are our top 3 tool recommendations:

  • Hostinger: Hostinger is a reliable web hosting provider that tops our list due to its affordability and powerful set of features like GIT integrations, daily backup, and easy version switching.
  • HostPapa: HostPapa offers unlimited bandwidth, a minimum of 100 GB of storage space, and free domain. The presence of cPanel allows users to easily manage their websites.
  • IONOS: IONOS is a highly secure PHP web hosting provider that assures reliability and affordability. Those on a tighter budget can try IONOS, which has unlimited storage options and free domain registration.

Best PHP Web Hosting Providers: Affordable & Reliabl

 
#1 Best Overall
#2 Top Pick
Hosting Provider Hostinger HostPapa IONOS DigitalOcean
Php versions supported From 7.3 to 8.1 5.6, 7.0, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0 4.0 to 8.2 7.x and 8.x
Free SSL ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Free CDN ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Control panel hPanel cPanel 1&1 Control panel ServerPilot
Starting price $0.00 $2.95 $1 $200 free credit

Reviews
Excellent – 4.7
Excellent – 4.6
Good – 4.7
Good – 4.8
Moneyback Guarantee 30 days 30 days 30 days No
Link Visit Hostinger Visit HostPapa Visit IONOS Visit DigitalOcean
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