What Unlimited Website Hosting actually means for you, FAQs.

What Unlimited Website Hosting means in web hosting plans.

There seem to be many definitions in what unlimited website hosting actually means. Many are classified as unlimited disc space, server space, storage etc. 

Others classify it as basically the ability to host unlimited websites on one web hosting plan. 

Many argue and rightfully so, that there is no such thing as “unlimited website hosting”. Hosting providers do find a way to limit your web hosting resources regardless of plan, unlimited or not.

So, who is right?

To some extent, all those definitions are correct. What unlimited website hosting means comes down to the web host provider themselves and their plans.

If for example, you have an unlimited website hosting plan and you really try to test the boundaries of that plan by hosting a gazillion sites with loads of content. 

Especially media like images and videos, then you will certainly begin to push the limits of those unlimited website hosting plans. 

Because in the end, no web host can offer unlimited website hosting. If one is determined, you can definitely push the boundaries on any unlimited website hosting plan.

However, let’s say you have a gazillion websites, but the content on them and their files are quite small. 

Let’s say you mostly host content in the form of text with very little imagery. Then theoretically, you may never actually experience the limits of those unlimited website hosting plans.

I personally have had an unlimited website hosting plan for almost 10 years now. I have yet been contacted by my web host provider to notify me that I was pushing the limits of my plan. 

Now, I have not hosted a gazillion websites on that plan. Maybe all together over the years 30- 40 websites perhaps. 

My websites are mostly text content type with images and embeds. 

But then again, embeds don’t really take up any server resources from your website only from the website that they are being hosted on.

I’m sure however, that if you really want to push the limits of an unlimited website hosting plan then you certainly can do so. 

However, for the majority of us who use an unlimited website hosting plan you probably will never see those limits pushed or notified by your web hosting provider that you are pushing them.

Let’s explore some FAQs on unlimited website hosting plans and to spell out some of the myths as well as determine the benefits and who an unlimited website hosting plan would best suit.

Who Is unlimited web hosting a good for?

Unlimited web hosting is good for those of us who are just starting out with their first websites. 

Although WordPress.com does offer a free blog plan. What attracted many of us to WordPress in the first place was WordPress.org’s open source ecosystem in the form of free themes as well as plugins that we can use. 

That is the hook for most of us to WordPress. I know it was for me. Although WordPress.com is a great company. 

In fact, the founders of WordPress.com were also the original founders of WordPress.org, the non-profit organization which created WordPress in the first place. 

However, WordPress.com’s plans are quite limited in what you could do with them since they are basically Managed WordPress Hosting plans. 

WordPress and all their plans take care of all the backend server issues like security, plugins and functionality, hosting speeds and optimizations etc. 

So if you are looking for someone to take care of all those details for you while you purely concentrate on creating great content, then I would highly advise you to check out WordPress.com and their plans.

However, if you are like me and like the freedom of the WordPress ecosystem, then going for a self-hosted web hosting plan is your best bet. 

Most of us starting out will choose a Shared Hosting plan. This is where unlimited website hosting comes into play. 

Many Shared Hosting plans do offer unlimited website hosting. 

However, you really need to check the details. 

Many Unlimited Shared Web Hosting plans will offer you unlimited websites, but they will actually state the amount of disk space or server space that you are allotted on that plan. 

Others will not and simply state you can host unlimited websites. Though, I would not let the latter scare you off from taking a plan. 

In fact, one of my current plans was just that, Hostgator’s Unlimited Shared Hosting plan. I didn’t really get into the details of that plan when I first signed up. 

But, I don’t remember limits on disc space or server space to be much of an issue when I first signed up. 

Actually, I have kept that same unlimited Shared Website Hosting plan from Hostgator for almost 10 years now. 

I currently have other web hosting plans that I use for other sites. But my Shared Hosting plan with Hostgator is a great backup plan. 

I’ll go into more of those details on why I still keep my Shared Unlimited Website Hosting plan from Hostgator below. 

This is also despite the fact I have other websites that are now hosted on other self-hosted web hosting providers.

What are the benefits of unlimited web hosting?

The main benefits of unlimited web hosting are:

• Host unlimited websites.

• Pay monthly or yearly.

• No need to set up a new hosting plan for every new website.

• Most unlimited hosting plans have one dashboard where you can manage your unlimited websites from.

• Price. 

Most unlimited web hosting plans are actually Shared Hosting plans, which are the cheapest of all self-hosting plans available.

Those are just a few of the benefits of unlimited website hosting plants. But those few benefits can be quite significant. 

What I really like about an unlimited web hosting plan is that if I have an idea for a website, all I need to do is simply buy the domain name which is anywhere between $10 and $15. Then, within an hour or two I can get a fully functioning website live on the internet.

All this without having to ask for permission from my web host, no having to worry about using up a predetermined allotment.

What are the disadvantages of unlimited web hosting?

Although personally the benefits of unlimited web hosting far outweigh the disadvantages of an unlimited web hosting plan, there are some that you should be aware of. 

These are:

• Slower page loading speeds on average.
• Most, if not all, unlimited web hosting plans are Shared Hosting plans. As such they also carry some of the negatives that go with Shared Hosting.
• Depending on the web host, you may actually exceed your bandwidth or storage limitations. This can be especially true if you host a lot of media heavy imagery, video clips, interactive Javascript functions etc.
• Some web hosting providers who offer unlimited website hosting plans will automatically bill you if you exceed the resources of those so-called “unlimited website hosting plans” and charge you for that accordingly.

Those are just some of the disadvantages of unlimited website hosting plans. 

The bottom line is you need to be aware of any limitations that are set for these so-called “unlimited website hosting plans” before you decide which one is right for you.

Does unlimited websites mean unlimited domains?

Although unlimited websites do mean you can host unlimited domains, it does not mean that you can get free unlimited domains on an unlimited website plan. 

An unlimited website hosting plan means you can host unlimited websites as well as domains which are basically one in the same. 

However, some may misunderstand the meaning and think that unlimited websites means that you will also be able to get unlimited domains from your web hosting provider. This simply isn’t the case. 

Any websites you host on an unlimited hosting plan will require you to buy that domain name. 

The good news is of course, that domain names are quite cheap, ranging again from $10 to $15 per year, per domain. 

But they are usually not included in an unlimited website hosting plan.

Can I get unlimited web hosting for free?

There is no such thing as a “free lunch”. 

However, there are many times that web hosting providers will offer an unlimited web hosting plan for free. 

Although you should be aware of any limitations that a free unlimited web hosting plan may include. 

Usually on most so-called “free” unlimited web hosting plans you are limited in the amount of websites you can host on them. 

Also, a free unlimited web hosting plan may actually be just an introductory offer or limit you to one free hosting plan per account.

These web hosting providers do offer a free web hosting plan of one form or another. 

Some free web hosting plans have unlimited website hosting and others put caps on them as well as other restrictions. 

Anyway you could check some of these Hosting Providers which claim to offer “free” unlimited web hosting out on your own and see for yourself:

• WordPress.com

• Github.com (only static pages, one website per account)

• 000WebHost.

• AccuWeb Hosting.

• Byethost.

• AwardSpace.

• x10Hosting.

• InfinityFree.

• Freehostia.

• 100WebSpace.

With the exceptions of WordPress.com and Github.com, you should read the reviews, check out how long they’ve been in business as well as their terms and conditions before making any commitment. 

The last thing you need is for one of them to go out of business leaving you and your websites twisting in the wind without hosting.

Do you have to buy hosting for each domain?

The beauty of unlimited website hosting plans is that you do not have to buy hosting for each domain. 

You can host as many domain names or domains on one plan as you want. But you do have to buy each domain name as I had mentioned above.

Unlimited web hosting, a means to an end. Final thoughts.

Unlimited web hosting is definitely a reality and not a scam for the most part. 

However, you really do need to read the fine print if you are concerned about any types of limitations. 

The most common types of limitations on unlimited web hosting plans usually means that the amount of server space you get will be limited as well as the amount of data storage and resources allowed per plan may also have limits. 

So, if you are concerned you should really check those out. 

For the most part, unless you were planning on hosting a gazillion sites with tons of media and other resource intensive content, most will never have to worry about exceeding any types of limitations on these unlimited website hosting plans.

Finally, if creating and running websites is going to be a part of your career and professional life, then having an unlimited website hosting plan should be a given. 

Even if some of your websites may have greater needs down the road, for example, faster and more reliable page loading speeds, better security and customer service etc., then you may want to upgrade to another web hosting plan like a VPS or a Cloud Hosting plan. 

But, even if you do decide that some of your websites may warrant a higher level of web hosting, you should always keep that unlimited Shared Website Hosting plan as a backup. Why? 

Well, many Shared Website Hosting plans that offer unlimited websites hosting can cost only around $100 a year. So, if anything else they’re great for a backup host. Unlimited Website Hosting is definitely well worth it.