{"id":1675,"date":"2006-09-17T22:48:06","date_gmt":"2006-09-17T17:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T07:58:55","slug":"nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"NearlyFreeSpeech Web Hosting: Pay Only for What You Use"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>NearlyFreeSpeech<\/strong> (NearlyFreeSpeech.NET) is a web host with no fixed monthly plan: you add money to an account and pay only for what your sites actually use. We first covered it in 2006, and it is still running today. Here is how its pay-as-you-go model works and who it suits.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67053\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"NearlyFreeSpeech pay-as-you-go web hosting\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nearlyfreespeech-hosting-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> NearlyFreeSpeech.NET is deposit-based hosting. You prepay a small amount, and charges for each site, its storage, bandwidth and server resources are deducted as they happen, with no contracts and no required monthly fee. It suits small, low-traffic sites and technical users. If your balance runs out, your sites are suspended until you add funds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6addd187a23ca\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6addd187a23ca\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#How_NearlyFreeSpeech_pricing_works\" >How NearlyFreeSpeech pricing works<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#What_happens_when_your_balance_runs_low\" >What happens when your balance runs low<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_hosting_right_for_you\" >Is NearlyFreeSpeech hosting right for you?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Good_fit\" >Good fit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Less_suitable\" >Less suitable<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_really_free\" >Is NearlyFreeSpeech really free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_still_in_business\" >Is NearlyFreeSpeech still in business?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#Does_NearlyFreeSpeech_support_databases\" >Does NearlyFreeSpeech support databases?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/nearlyfreespeech-webhosting-pay-for-actual-usage\/#What_happens_if_I_run_out_of_funds\" >What happens if I run out of funds?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_NearlyFreeSpeech_pricing_works\"><\/span>How NearlyFreeSpeech pricing works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most hosts sell a monthly package of storage, bandwidth and features that you may never fully use. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nearlyfreespeech.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NearlyFreeSpeech.NET<\/a> turned that around back in 2006 with a simple idea: charge only for what your sites actually use, deducted from a prepaid balance. That is still the core of the model today, though the details have grown:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Deposit-based account:<\/strong> you add funds and usage is deducted as it happens. There are no long-term contracts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Per-site charge:<\/strong> each website is billed daily, at a level that depends on whether it is a non-production, production or critical site.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Usage charges:<\/strong> bandwidth, disk storage and server resources (CPU and memory) are billed by use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Extras:<\/strong> MariaDB database processes, DNS, email forwarding and domain registrations have their own charges.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Optional subscription:<\/strong> a paid membership adds services and discounts, but the basic account has no monthly minimum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Prices change over time, so check the official pricing page before signing up.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_when_your_balance_runs_low\"><\/span>What happens when your balance runs low<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You are notified when your balance gets low. If it runs out, your hosting is suspended rather than billed to a card, and it comes back when you add funds. Back in 2006 any unused balance could also be refunded, which made it low-risk to try.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_hosting_right_for_you\"><\/span>Is NearlyFreeSpeech hosting right for you?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When I first wrote about it I had no personal experience with the service, but the idea made sense: why pay for features, bandwidth and storage you might never use? It still fits some people better than others.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Good_fit\"><\/span>Good fit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Small personal sites, portfolios and static pages with little traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Developers comfortable with SSH, command-line tools and configuring things themselves.<\/li>\n<li>People who want to avoid long contracts and pay strictly for use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Less_suitable\"><\/span>Less suitable<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Beginners who want one-click installers, a cPanel-style dashboard and phone support.<\/li>\n<li>Busy sites, where usage-based bills can add up and a flat plan may be cheaper and more predictable.<\/li>\n<li>Anyone who would rather not watch an account balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are comparing hosting types, read our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/11\/shared-virtual-dedicated-hosting\/\">shared vs VPS vs dedicated hosting<\/a>. Whatever host you choose, keep regular backups; here is how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/02\/backup-websites-on-hosting-server\/\">back up websites on your hosting server<\/a>. We also looked at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/lifetime-domain-web-hosting-deals-value-for-money\/\">lifetime web hosting deals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_really_free\"><\/span>Is NearlyFreeSpeech really free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. It is not free hosting, but there is no fixed monthly plan, so a tiny, low-traffic site can cost very little.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_NearlyFreeSpeech_still_in_business\"><\/span>Is NearlyFreeSpeech still in business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. NearlyFreeSpeech.NET still offers usage-based hosting, domain registration and related services.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_NearlyFreeSpeech_support_databases\"><\/span>Does NearlyFreeSpeech support databases?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. It offers MariaDB database processes, billed separately from website hosting.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_if_I_run_out_of_funds\"><\/span>What happens if I run out of funds?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your hosting is suspended until you add money to your account.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NearlyFreeSpeech (NearlyFreeSpeech.NET) is a web host with no fixed monthly plan: you add money to an account and pay only&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-domain-hosting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67054,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions\/67054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}