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What it costs to host a small website in 2026
A small website can cost $0 a month to host in 2026. Novence, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, and GitHub Pages all have free plans that accept your own domain with free SSL. Novence Free also includes a contact form. Website builders such as Wix and Squarespace start at about $16-17 a month. The only unavoidable cost is the domain name itself, usually $10-20 a year.
By Novence · Published · Updated
How much does each host charge?
Prices below are the published US prices on the date shown at the bottom of this page. Builder prices are the annual-billing rate.
| Host | Free plan | Your domain on free? | First paid plan | Contact form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novence | $0: 1 site, 10 GB bandwidth, business use allowed | Yes, 1 domain with SSL | Pro $29/mo | Built in: 50/mo Free, 2,000/mo Pro |
| Netlify | $0: 300 credits/mo, hard limit | Yes | Personal $9/mo | Netlify Forms, free on credit plans |
| Vercel | Hobby $0, personal non-commercial use only | Yes | Pro $20/mo | Add a form service |
| Cloudflare Pages | $0: 500 builds/mo | Yes | Not needed for most small sites | Add a form service |
| GitHub Pages | $0 for public repositories | Yes | GitHub paid plan for private repositories | Add a form service |
| Lovable | $0 on a .lovable.app address | No | Pro $25/mo | Build it in the app |
| Bolt | $0 on a .bolt.host address, 10 GB | No | Pro $25/mo | Build it in the app |
| Wix | $0 on a Wix address with Wix ads | No | Light $17/mo | Wix Forms |
| Squarespace | No free plan (free trial only) | No | Personal $16/mo | Form blocks included |
Can I really host a business website for free?
Yes, if the site is static: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, which is what most AI assistants produce for a business site, portfolio, or landing page. Static hosting is cheap to run, so several hosts give it away.
Watch the terms. Novence allows business use on every plan, including Free. Vercel Hobby does not allow commercial use, so a business site needs Pro. Netlify Free pauses sites when the monthly credits run out. Novence Free has hard caps too, and it never bills you for going over.
What costs are easy to miss?
The monthly plan is rarely the whole bill for a small site.
- The domain name: roughly $10-20 a year at most registrars, paid to the registrar, not the host.
- A form service if your host has none. Formspree Free is 50 submissions a month and Web3Forms Free is 250.
- Removing a badge or ads, which often needs a paid plan on builder platforms.
- Usage over the free limit. Some hosts pause the site, and others bill the extra on paid plans.
What does Novence cost as a site grows?
Free is $0 with 1 site, 1 custom domain, 10 GB of bandwidth, 20 deploys, and 50 form submissions a month. Business use is allowed. It is not a trial, and no card is needed.
Pro is $29 a month for 20 sites, 10 custom domains, 200 GB of bandwidth, 2,000 form submissions, preview links, one-click rollback of the last 5 deploys, and 5 team seats. Scale is $149 a month for 125 sites and 100 domains, for agencies.
Facts checked 29 September 2026. Sources: Novence pricing · Netlify pricing · Vercel Hobby · Cloudflare Pages limits · GitHub Pages limits · Lovable plans · Bolt hosting plans · Wix plans · Squarespace pricing
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to host a small website?
A free static host. Novence Free, Netlify Free, Cloudflare Pages, and GitHub Pages all cost $0 and accept your own domain. You still pay for the domain name.
Do I need to pay for SSL?
No. Every host in the table provides free HTTPS certificates.
Why do website builders cost more?
Builders include the editor, templates, and hosting in one subscription, and connecting your own domain needs a paid plan.
Can I move later without paying twice?
Yes, with a static site. Your files are plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so you can move them to another host and point your domain there.
Publish your site free
One prompt or one command. Your domain and SSL included on Free. No credit card.