The details
Subscribing to a free web host often means accepting many restrictions but it isn’t the case with the Byethost website.
Apparently, it boasts so many handy features that you’ll forget you’re using a free web host. The company offers unlimited data transfer, 5GB of webspace, MySQL databases, and a Softaculous platform that allows automatic installation of lots of web applications including WordPress.
Apart from its free plan, ByetHost offers premium hosting solutions like dedicated servers, email and VPS hosting, domain registration as well as shared hosting.
Speed
Most free web hosting services hardly offer the best speeds and ByetHost doesn’t change the narrative either.
After performing several speed tests in different locations we experienced extremely slow load speeds of up to 1.2 seconds. This is obviously slower than the top competition but an improvement from the other free hosts like Infinity Free (1.3 seconds).
Uptime reliability
This is one feature ByetHost shines in, reporting an uptime of 100%. It’s no marketing gimmick; the uptime remained 100% throughout our one-week test. However, the response time was a little slower than comparable hosting plans managing 325ms.
Customer support
Having reliable customer support is critical especially when using a free web host. Unfortunately, ByetHost doesn’t perform too well in this area.
It lacks a live chat and customers can only get help by creating a ticket on its VistaPanel dashboard. While we received a response in less than an hour, this kind of support isn’t too reliable when you need to solve an urgent problem.
The knowledge base doesn’t help much either as it lacks tutorials or articles. However, you will find a link to iFastNet’s blog which has resources covering insightful topics.
Limitations
Whereas the company doesn’t limit the bandwidth, you can only make 50,000 hits a day. This is a pretty reasonable number but it makes ByetHost appealing to casual bloggers and beginners only.
We also noted that the company isn’t too proactive at safeguarding one’s website. While it offers Hotlink protection, Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate, and SiteLock, we never saw advanced security features to protect your website from DDoS attacks.
Final verdict
Byethost is worth a try if looking for specific features. For example, if looking for automatic installation of web applications like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more, then ByetHost may come to your aid.
We also loved the fact that we didn’t have to pay setup fees, and the company was pretty generous with its domain offerings. However, if speed and security are a big deal, it’s best to explore other options.