I recently migrated my site from expensive shared hosting to Cloudflare Pages—and it’s completely free. That got me thinking about when free hosting actually makes sense, and when you’re better off paying for traditional hosting services.

The hosting landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years. What used to require a $10/month shared hosting plan can now be done for free. But that doesn’t mean free hosting is always the right choice.

Here’s what I learned from comparing Cloudflare’s free offerings against traditional hosting options.

The free hosting revolution: what’s actually available

Cloudflare has quietly built one of the most generous free hosting ecosystems on the web. Here’s what you get for zero dollars:

Cloudflare Pages

Static site hosting with excellent performance. You get:

• Unlimited sites and builds
• Global CDN with 200+ locations
• Automatic HTTPS
• Git integration (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
• Custom domains
• Build time: Up to 20 minutes per build (most builds complete in seconds to minutes)
• Bandwidth: Unlimited

Cloudflare Workers

Serverless functions that run at the edge. You get:

• 100,000 requests per day
• 10ms CPU time per request
• Global deployment in 200+ cities
• Extremely fast cold starts (often negligible)
• Support for JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and more

Cloudflare R2 Storage

S3-compatible object storage. You get:

• 10GB storage
• 1 million Class A operations per month
• 10 million Class B operations per month
• No egress fees (unlike AWS S3 and similar services)

The catch: These services are designed for specific use cases. They’re not trying to replace traditional hosting—they’re trying to solve different problems.

Traditional hosting: when you actually need it

Not everything works on free static hosting. Here’s when you need traditional hosting:

Shared Hosting

The old standby. You get:

• Full server environment (PHP, MySQL, etc.)
• cPanel or similar control panel
• Email hosting
• One-click installers for WordPress, Joomla, etc.
• Technical support

Best for: Small business websites, WordPress blogs, simple e-commerce sites.

Cost: $3-15/month depending on features.

VPS Hosting

More control, more responsibility. You get:

• Full root access to your server
• Choose your operating system
• Install any software you want
• Better performance than shared hosting
• More security control

Best for: Developers who need custom server configurations, small applications, learning server administration.

Cost: $5-50/month depending on resources.

Cloud Providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)

Enterprise-grade infrastructure. You get:

• Virtually unlimited scalability
• Hundreds of services (databases, AI, analytics, etc.)
• Global infrastructure
• Advanced security features
• Pay-as-you-go pricing

Best for: Large applications, complex architectures, businesses that need enterprise features.

Cost: Can range from $10/month for minimal usage to thousands per month for enterprise workloads.

The real cost comparison: beyond the monthly fee

Monthly hosting fees are just the beginning. Here’s what most people forget to factor in:

Hidden costs of traditional hosting

• Domain registration: $10-25/year (prices vary significantly between registrars)
• SSL certificates: Usually free via Let’s Encrypt (included with most hosts)
• CDN: $0-50/month (Cloudflare’s free tier is often sufficient)
• Backup services: $0-20/month
• Email hosting: $0-10/month
• Development time: Setting up and maintaining servers

Hidden costs of free hosting

• Development time: Learning new tools and workflows
• Feature limitations: Some things just aren’t possible
• Vendor lock-in: You’re tied to Cloudflare’s ecosystem
• Support: Limited or community-based support

When free hosting makes sense

Free hosting is perfect for:

Static websites

Blogs, portfolios, documentation sites, landing pages. If your site doesn’t need server-side processing, static hosting is often better than shared hosting.

Performance: Static sites typically load faster than dynamic sites on shared hosting. Security: Fewer server-side attack vectors (though client-side security still matters). Cost: Free vs. $5-15/month.

Simple applications

Single-page apps, simple APIs, basic web services. Cloudflare Workers can handle surprisingly complex applications.

Example: A contact form that sends emails, a simple API that returns data, a webhook handler.

Learning and experimentation

Trying new technologies, building prototypes, testing ideas. Free hosting removes the financial barrier to experimentation.

Small businesses on a budget

Restaurants, local services, simple brochure sites. Many small businesses don’t need the complexity of traditional hosting.

When you need traditional hosting

Pay for hosting when you need:

Dynamic content

WordPress, custom PHP applications, databases. If your site generates content dynamically, you need a server environment.

Complex applications

E-commerce platforms, user management systems, real-time features. These require server-side processing and databases.

Specific software requirements

Certain CMS platforms, specific programming languages, legacy applications. Not everything works on static hosting.

Professional support

Businesses that can’t afford downtime, applications that need guaranteed uptime. Paid hosting usually comes with better support.

My experience: migrating from shared hosting to Cloudflare

I was paying $12/month for shared hosting that I barely used. The site was slow, I was getting constant plugin update emails, and I was locked into WordPress whether I wanted to be or not.

The migration to Cloudflare Pages took about 4 hours:

1. Export content from WordPress (30 minutes)
2. Convert to markdown (2 hours)
3. Set up Astro project (30 minutes)
4. Deploy to Cloudflare Pages (30 minutes)
5. Configure DNS and SSL (30 minutes)

The results:

• Performance: Site loads in 0.5 seconds vs. 3-4 seconds before
• Cost: $0/month vs. $12/month
• Maintenance: Almost zero vs. constant plugin updates
• Flexibility: Can use any static site generator, not locked into WordPress

The trade-offs:

• Learning curve: Had to learn Astro and modern web development tools
• Features: Lost WordPress plugins and themes
• Workflow: Content is now in markdown files instead of a web interface

Domain registration was another eye-opener. DreamHost was charging me almost $25 for a .com domain after the first year. They hook you with cheap first-year offers, then jack up the prices. Moving my domains to Cloudflare saved me significant money—though your savings will depend on your current registrar’s pricing.

The bottom line: choose based on your needs, not just cost

Free hosting isn’t always the best choice, but it’s often better than people think. The key is understanding what you actually need.

For most personal projects and small business websites, free static hosting is probably your best option. The performance is better, the security is better, and the cost is zero.

For complex applications or when you need specific features, traditional hosting still makes sense. But even then, consider whether you could build a simpler version that works on free hosting.

The hosting landscape is changing rapidly. What was impossible on free hosting a few years ago is now trivial. The tools are getting better, the free tiers are getting more generous, and the performance gap is widening.

My advice: Start with free hosting. You can always upgrade later if you need more features. But you might be surprised by how much you can accomplish without paying a monthly hosting bill.

The web doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes the best hosting is the one that costs nothing.