Frequently Asked Questions

The NearlyFreeSpeech.NET FAQ (*)

General (*)

What's the most important thing to know about your service?

What's the most common mistake people make while signing up for NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

Why do I have to enter my real name when creating a membership?

Can I beat your pricing if I get my own VPS?

How much does the average site really cost?

Do you provide email hosting services?

Is your service easy to use?

Do you provide DNS hosting services?

How many web sites can I host with a NearlyFreeSpeech.NET membership?

Do you register domain names?

How will I know if my account is about to run out of funds?

Why do you only offer prepaid service?

My web designer says I should use somebody else instead of you. What do you say?

Do you price-match your competitors?

How can you make money at these prices?

What is the minimum deposit?

Will you design my web site for me?

Do you offer collocation, dedicated servers, or VPS services?

No we do not.

There's no other way to put it: we're complete control freaks. Our policy is simple: if we don't have a remote-controlled explosive collar welded in place around your neck, we don't give you root on our network. Since there are currently no commercially-available remote-controlled explosive collars licensed for public use, we don't give you root on our network.

This is very good from a security and reliability standpoint, but it does rule out offering these sorts of services.

However, our hosting services have gotten more and more powerful over the years, to the point where you can do pretty much anything on our service that you can do with a VPS, dedicated server, or colo, as long as it's web-based. If you're under the impression you need a VPS or dedicated server to run your web site, try asking about it in our forums, because there might be a better way.

The notable exceptions to this are due to legal restrictions rather than technical ones. For example, handling credit card numbers directly on your site. (We recommend using a third-party service run by security experts instead. We use Stripe.) Similarly, if you are handling regulated health information, there really is no alternative to a provider that can offer HIPAA-compliant hosted services (and, regrettably, the massive associated expense).

What happens if I get slashdotted/reddited?

Are you about to pop up a "chat now with sales!" ad on me?

What if I want to set up a web site but don't have a domain name / don't want to fool with DNS?

Why don't you have a free tier?

What's the difference between bandwidth and storage?

Why doesn't your website look like other hosting provider sites?

Are your domain registration services intended for general-purpose usage?

What if my web site gets attacked?

Is your service only for controversial or extreme websites?

Should I set up my new small business website at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

Will you pre-approve my web site content or proposed use of your service?

How much will my site cost to host with you?

What kind of uptime can I expect with NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

Is this cloud computing?

Where are you located?

Do you offer telephone support?

Someone else uses your service and wants my help with it. How do I help them?

Should I use NearlyFreeSpeech.NET or a VPS?