Similar to my last topic, but they both can go in different directions. Which to you prefer and why, Paid or Free hosting? I prefer paid hosting due to the list of features, but you do have to pay for it and well. Paying for a forum isn't exactly on my to do list...
Yes, I agree. From my perspective, it doesn't necessarily matter what forum host you are using, or whether if it's paid or not. You're still creating a forum, and there's no limit to how popular it can get nor how many posts or registered members it can achieve.
I think paid, of course. with all the features and abilities we're given with. but what Rok said is also true. at the end, it doesn't really matter whether it's paid or free, as long as you give dedication to it. as to me personally, since I can't afford the paid hosts, I choose the free one. ^^
Free= They offer basic features (depending by host) if you use someone like 000webhost they really limit your features. If the free host is popular but doesn't get a lot of donations you risk the host shutting down due to they can't keep up with costs without revenue coming in. Support may be limited or Community help forum based. Paid= You get what you pay for. You can expect better customer support/response times. You could be on a much better server then a free host server and fianlly if the host is popular they could do frequent server updates.
I think paid hosting is better because of your freedom to do more that you cannot do with a free hosting. Although a free forum is very helpful to those who wants to open a board to have fun and build a community. I do agree that hosting has nothing to do with your site's popularity. Bottom line is that great content and activity is still what make people come to your forum
Free's great. I've never had payed before, but I'll be getting it soon for my forum. My expectations are HIGH
This may sounds strange coming from me as a forum hosting provider, but I always recommend to people that they start out on free hosting. Should their forum take off and become busier, then move to a paid provider. It gives you that bit more of a professional presence having a domain and hosting of your own, plus there is that extra level of support (not always offered by free hosts should you need it). My 2 pennys worth anyway!
Paid hosting all the way. You can't really reply on free hosting in my opinion, no matter what anyone says. Paid hosting is obviously better, since paying is always better then what you'll get for for free. I don't know why anyone wouldn't use paid, it is very cheap. Like, at HostGator, they are really good and very cheap. I'm sure anyone can come up with a few dollars a month to have a quality host. Although, in my case, i actually host any website i make off of my VPS, which i find to be better then any paid web host.
Paid hosting without a doubt. Free hosting can be there one day and gone the next. When this happens, you can't hold anyone responsible for any revenue losses. Been there, done that, a long time ago.
I prefer paid most site do not give full benefits to customers who have free hosting. But i have found one good site who rewards you by giving you more space the longer you are around
Free hosting helped me a lot, it allowed me to concentrate on the admin side whilst I got used to running a forum, after about six months I felt I was ready to do more of my own stuff, so moved to a paid host, now I can add my own MODS, and I have learned quite a bit of coding and can sort most problems out myself.
Yes. I think paid too. I like to go with HostGator because it is rated #1 reliable and the best customer service.
With free hosting, you need to make sure you take a look at the site and support and rate on what you get. Try looking up their uptime with host-tracker.com.
Well if you're not using more than 5.5GB disc space and have a small number of users then you should still be using free. It's just not worth paying for. ByetHost is perfect for this. The bigger you get the more you have to pay.
