Free vs paid web hosting: what you can publish and when to upgrade

You do not have to pay just to put a first website online. But “free” can mean using a provider subdomain, publishing static files only, or going without backups and server processes. Identify what your project needs to run before choosing a plan.

What Hostbrid’s free Dev plan includes

Dev lets you publish up to three projects on *.hostbrid.dev subdomains with no monthly plan fee or lock-in. The plan costs €0, although activating Dev requires a payment card. It can suit a landing page, portfolio, documentation site or static website built with HTML, Astro or a React/Vite build.

“Static” means the server delivers HTML, CSS, JavaScript and image files. If your app needs a Node process, a permanent Docker service, a database or background jobs, check that the plan you choose includes that service and enough quota. A free static-site allowance does not mean a server process is free.

Review Projects features and the current plan comparison before enabling a feature. Limits and prices can change.

When a free plan is enough

Dev may fit while you are testing a result, can use a hostbrid.dev address and do not depend on a backend that must keep running. Test the public version from another device: routes, images, forms and links must work without relying on localhost.

If you have only HTML, CSS and JavaScript files, follow the guide to publish AI-generated HTML. If the site still works only on your computer, start with publishing a website from localhost.

Reproducible example: publish a static Astro site

The Astro example repository contains a small site with a home page and a Markdown note. The published result lets you check the home page and open /notas/primera-noche/ directly. To reproduce it, clone the repository, install its locked dependencies with npm ci, and run npm run build; the output directory is dist. Connect the repository in Projects and publish that output as a static site. The step-by-step Astro guide gives the reproducible branch, preset, public variable and dist output settings.

This check confirms that both public routes load and that the demo has its own canonical URL. It does not show that an app with an API, accounts, payments or a database works as a static site: the example does not implement those services. Before repeating it on your account, check Dev’s quota and terms, including the card required for activation.

Signs that you need a paid plan

Compare paid plans when you need a custom domain, backups, email or a staging environment, or want to run a Node or Docker service. Confirm each feature in the plan table before buying. Domain registration and renewal are billed separately from hosting.

If your site has logins, payments, forms or uploads, identify where the API, database and file storage live. Publishing the frontend does not move those services. Before changing the domain, test a copy of the app and decide how to protect its data and roll back.

A quick check before you choose

1. Does your final folder contain static files, or must a process keep running?
2. Is a provider subdomain enough, or do you need your own domain?
3. Where are data, forms, accounts and payments handled?
4. Which backups, support, storage and limits does the plan include?
5. What will the plan and domain cost at renewal?

A free plan may be enough while a static site is being tested. For a public site that depends on a custom domain or persistent services, choose a plan that includes them and verify its current price and quota at checkout. Compare Projects plans, or read what hosting an AI-built website needs.