Cheapest way to host a portfolio site (2026)
The cheapest ways to host a design portfolio in 2026, from free static hosting to $2.99 WordPress, with the catches in each. Prices checked 18 October 2026.
By Talha Riaz, UI/UX, brand and packaging designer
Updated , 5 min read
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The cheapest way to host a portfolio site is free static hosting plus a domain of about $10 a year. The catch is that it needs a code-based workflow. If you’d rather not touch code, the cheapest options cost more and have catches of their own, so this article covers what each one costs and where it gets expensive.
I haven’t tried every host listed here. This site, Pixel & Ship, runs on Cloudflare’s free plan, and the rest of the information comes from each company’s own pricing and documentation pages, checked on 18 October 2026.
What a portfolio actually needs
Three things: a place to host the files, a domain you own, and a way to change the content. Hosting can be free. The domain isn’t, but it’s small. The editing method is what decides the price.
Free hosts, with their catches
The three recommended options, with their full prices, are listed further down this page. Before them, here are the free hosts and what to know about each.
- Cloudflare: the free plan lists unlimited bandwidth, unlimited static requests, 500 builds a month and unlimited sites. It’s the one I’d pick for a code-based portfolio.
- Netlify: the free plan is $0, includes custom domains with SSL, and runs on 300 credits a month. Netlify says free-plan limits are hard, and when a site reaches its monthly limit it pauses until the next cycle.
- GitHub Pages: free, but GitHub says Pages isn’t intended as free hosting for an online business or a site mainly for commercial transactions. It has a 1 GB site limit and a soft 100 GB monthly bandwidth limit.
- Vercel: the Hobby plan is free, but Vercel says it is for non-commercial, personal use only. If your portfolio exists to win paid clients, check whether that counts before you build on it.
The real cost over four years
| Option | Monthly | Four years (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare static hosting + domain | $0 + about $0.90 for the domain | About $42–45 for the domain |
| Hostinger WordPress | $2.99 on a 48-month term | $143.52 upfront, domain free in year 1 |
| Framer Basic | $10 on yearly billing | About $480 |
These are list prices as of 18 October 2026, and they assume nothing changes. The Hostinger figure covers the first 48 months only; after that it renews at $10.99 a month. The domain on the first row is about $10.46 a year now and $11.17 a year from 1 November 2026.
Which one should you pick?
- You can work with code, or you have a developer: use free static hosting on Cloudflare and buy a domain.
- You want a visual editor and the lowest price: WordPress on Hostinger, as long as you’re happy to do the updates and to pay $10.99 a month after the first term.
- You want no code and no upkeep: Framer Basic at $10 a month. I built my own portfolio in Framer, and my guide to building a portfolio in Framer shows the steps.
- You haven’t decided on a builder: see Framer vs Webflow for designers and Webflow vs WordPress for a design portfolio.
1. Cloudflare static hosting
Best for designers who can work with code and Git, or who have someone who can, from $0 hosting, plus about $10 a year for a domain
The free plan lists unlimited bandwidth and unlimited static requests, 500 builds a month, and 100 custom domains per project. This site, Pixel & Ship, runs on it.
What's good
- $0 hosting with unlimited bandwidth and static requests
- You can connect your own domain
- No renewal jump, because there is no hosting bill to renew
What's not
- You need a code-based workflow: a site generator or hand-written pages, plus Git
- No visual editor, so every change goes through code
- The pricing page doesn't say anything about commercial use, so read the terms if your portfolio sells services
2. WordPress + Hostinger
Best for the cheapest managed hosting, with a point-and-click editor, from $2.99/mo on a 48-month term ($143.52 upfront)
Hostinger's Premium WordPress plan covers up to 3 sites, includes a free domain for the first year, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What's good
- Lowest price for a hosted site you can edit in a browser
- Free domain for the first year
- Up to 3 sites on one plan
What's not
- Renews at $10.99 a month after the first term
- The $2.99 price needs a 48-month commitment
- Updates, backups and security are your job
3. Framer
Best for designers who want the cheapest no-code builder with a custom domain, from Basic, $10/mo on yearly billing
The free plan gives you a Framer domain only. Basic adds a custom domain, a small CMS (2 collections, 1,000 items) and 30 site pages. Framer's pricing page also lists a complimentary domain with yearly billing.
What's good
- No code, and it works like Figma
- Free plan to build and test on
- Hosting and a CMS are included in the price
What's not
- A custom domain needs the paid Basic plan, since Free has none
- Basic is limited to 30 site pages
- Costs far more over time than the other two options
Ready to choose?
Cheapest overall
Cloudflare static hosting
- Try Hostinger(opens in a new tab)
Cheapest managed option
WordPress + Hostinger
- Try Framer(opens in a new tab)
Cheapest no-code builder
Framer
Questions people ask
Can I host a portfolio for free?
Yes, if you can work with code. Cloudflare's free plan lists unlimited bandwidth and unlimited static requests, with a free tier that lets you connect your own domain. Builders like Framer also have free plans, but they only give you a Framer domain, not your own.
Is GitHub Pages good for a portfolio?
It's free, with a published-site limit of 1 GB and a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB a month. But GitHub says Pages isn't intended as free hosting for an online business, so it suits a plain portfolio better than one that sells services directly.
Can I use Vercel's free plan for a portfolio?
Vercel says its Hobby plan is for non-commercial, personal use only. A portfolio that you use to win paid work may count as commercial, so read their fair use guidelines before you rely on it.
What does a domain cost?
A .com is about $10 to $11 a year at a registrar that sells at cost. Mine renews at $10.46 a year at Cloudflare Registrar, rising to $11.17 from 1 November 2026 after a registry price increase.
Why is cheap hosting often more expensive later?
Because the low price is usually for the first term. Hostinger's $2.99 a month is for a 48-month term, then it renews at $10.99 a month. Check the renewal price before you buy.
Written by Talha Riaz
UI/UX, brand and packaging designer
Designer with 8+ years across UI/UX, brand identity and packaging, and 76 projects for clients in the US, UK and Middle East. I built my own portfolio in Framer and have helped build and update client sites in Webflow.
More about me