Neocities is a free static website hosting platform with a very different personality from most modern hosting providers.

It is not trying to look like corporate cloud hosting. It is not trying to be a WordPress host. It is not a drag-and-drop business website builder. Neocities is closer to the spirit of the old personal web: people making their own pages, sharing their own style, building small creative spaces, and learning HTML by doing.

That is exactly why Neocities deserves a place on FreeHostsFinder. Many free hosting searches are practical: “I need PHP,” “I need WordPress,” or “I need a website builder.” But some users simply want a place to make a personal website that feels like theirs. Neocities fits that need very well.

Neocities describes itself as a platform that empowers people to build independent, creative sites. It says it will always have a free website option, is open source, will not put ads or watermarks on sites, will not sell user data to marketers or AI companies, and supports easy site downloading and custom domains.

The free plan includes 1 GB storage, 200 GB bandwidth, a free site subdomain, subdomain SSL, a site editor, RSS feed, site profile, site tags, one-click backups, full AI blocking control, and no advertising. The Supporter plan is $5/month and increases limits to 50 GB storage and 3,000 GB bandwidth, while adding features such as custom domains, custom domain SSL certificates, WebDAV uploading, multiple site creation, no file upload type restrictions, hotlinking support, CORS support, less strict content security policy, and basic email support.

Neocities is a strong choice for personal static websites. It is not the right choice for PHP, MySQL, WordPress, ecommerce, or backend applications.

Link to the official Neocities website

Quick summary

Item	Details
Provider	Neocities
Hosting type	Free static website hosting / personal web hosting
Best for	Personal websites, creative pages, hobby sites, indie web projects, HTML/CSS learning
Free plan	Yes
Free storage	1 GB
Free bandwidth	200 GB
Ads on free sites	No advertising
Free subdomain	Yes
SSL on free subdomain	Yes
Site editor	Included
RSS feed	Included
Site profile	Included
Site tags	Included
One-click backups	Included
AI blocking control	Included
Custom domain	Supporter plan only
Supporter price	$5/month
Supporter storage	50 GB
Supporter bandwidth	3,000 GB
WebDAV uploading	Supporter plan only
Multiple sites	Supporter plan only
PHP/MySQL	Not supported
WordPress	Not supported as normal WordPress hosting
Best use	Creative static websites and personal web projects
Not ideal for	Business-critical sites, ecommerce, WordPress, PHP/MySQL apps, backend applications

Neocities’ official Supporter page lists both Free and Supporter plan features, including free storage and bandwidth limits, no advertising, CDN, subdomain SSL, backups, RSS, editor tools, and Supporter-only custom domains and WebDAV.

Best for

Neocities is best for people who want to make a personal static website with creative freedom.

It is a good fit for:

Personal websites
Hobby pages
Creative portfolios
Indie web projects
HTML and CSS learning
Small static blogs
Fan pages
Zine-style websites
Art pages
Writing pages
Small resource collections
Retro-style web design
Students learning basic web publishing
People who want a website that does not feel like a template

Neocities is especially useful when the purpose is expression. You do not need to make a polished startup landing page. You do not need to follow a corporate template. You can make a small, strange, personal, colorful, simple, quiet, or experimental website.

That is part of its charm.

Not ideal for

Neocities is not the right platform for every website.

You may want another hosting type if your project needs:

PHP
MySQL or MariaDB
WordPress
cPanel
Server-side scripts
Database-driven content
User accounts
Ecommerce checkout
Payment processing
Contact form backend
Large file hosting
Business email
Client production hosting
Full backend application hosting
A drag-and-drop website builder for business pages

Neocities is static hosting. That means you upload files such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other supported static assets. It does not run backend code or database applications.

If your website can be made from static files, Neocities can work well. If your website needs a server-side system behind it, Neocities is not enough by itself.

Free plan overview

Neocities’ free plan is generous for personal static websites.

The free plan currently includes:

1 GB storage
200 GB bandwidth
No advertising
Global Anycast CDN
Free site subdomain
SSL for site subdomain
Full AI blocking control
One-click backups
Site tags
RSS feed
Ability to follow favorite sites
Site profile
Neocities site editor

This makes the free plan suitable for many personal web projects. One gigabyte is enough for a lot of hand-built HTML pages, CSS files, small images, and lightweight assets if you avoid uploading large videos or unnecessary heavy files.

The 200 GB bandwidth allowance is also generous for normal personal sites. For most small creative websites, bandwidth is unlikely to be the first limitation. Still, image-heavy pages, large downloads, and unoptimized media can use bandwidth faster than expected.

The free plan does not include custom domains. If you want your own domain name, you need the Supporter plan.

Key features

1. A real home for personal websites

Neocities is not just a hosting service. It is also a community around personal websites.

That makes it different from platforms that treat websites only as business assets or deployment outputs. Neocities encourages people to build independent, creative sites. Its About page directly says it is here to empower people to develop independent, creative websites.

This is useful for people who want the web to feel more personal.

A Neocities site can be:

simple
handmade
nostalgic
artistic
experimental
educational
personal
playful
text-heavy
image-heavy
completely different from modern templates

That freedom is the main reason many people like it.

2. No ads or watermarks

Neocities says it will never put ads or watermarks on sites and will never sell user data to marketers or AI companies.

This is a very important point.

Many free website platforms show branding, banners, or platform ads. Neocities takes a different approach. It is funded by supporters and donations rather than by embedding advertising into member sites. Its Supporter page also says Neocities will never put advertising on your site and is powered by users.

For personal websites, this matters. A site feels more like your own when it is not carrying someone else’s advertisement.

3. 1 GB free storage

Neocities gives free users 1 GB of storage.

For static websites, this is usually enough if you build carefully.

A simple personal site with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, small images, buttons, icons, and pages can stay far below 1 GB. The storage becomes more of a concern when users upload large images, audio, video, game files, zip files, or many uncompressed assets.

For best results, users should compress images, avoid using the site as file storage, and host large videos elsewhere.

Neocities is best for websites, not for becoming a media warehouse.

4. 200 GB free bandwidth

The free plan includes 200 GB of bandwidth.

For most personal static websites, that is generous. A small HTML page with optimized images will not use much bandwidth per visitor.

Bandwidth becomes more important when your pages contain:

large images
GIF-heavy designs
audio files
video files
downloadable files
uncompressed graphics
many large assets on every page

For a typical personal site, the bandwidth limit should be comfortable. For a large media-heavy project, you should optimize assets or consider becoming a Supporter.

5. Built-in site editor

Neocities includes a site editor on the free plan.

This is useful for beginners because it gives them a place to edit files without setting up a full development workflow.

A beginner can start with basic HTML and CSS, edit files in the browser, and see the website grow piece by piece.

This is part of the learning value of Neocities. It encourages people to understand what their website is made of.

6. Easy site downloading and anti-lock-in values

Neocities says it supports easy site downloading and has an anti-lock-in philosophy.

This is valuable.

Some website builders make it difficult to move away because the site exists only inside their system. Neocities is closer to normal static files. Your HTML, CSS, images, and scripts are portable.

That is good for beginners because it teaches healthy habits. Your website should not feel trapped.

7. RSS feed, site tags, profile, and community discovery

Neocities includes features such as RSS feed, site tags, site profile, and the ability to follow favorite sites.

These features help Neocities feel more like a community than a plain file host.

A user can discover other websites, follow creators, and become part of a wider independent web culture. This makes Neocities especially interesting for creative users, artists, writers, hobbyists, and people who miss the more personal side of the internet.

8. Supporter plan for custom domains and more space

The Supporter plan costs $5/month and includes 50 GB storage, 3,000 GB bandwidth, custom domains, custom domain SSL certificates, WebDAV uploading, multiple site creation, no file upload type restrictions, hotlinking support, CORS support, less strict content security policy, and basic email support.

This is useful when a free site becomes more serious.

The Supporter plan is not only about higher limits. It also supports the project and helps keep Neocities ad-free and community-funded.

Important limitations to know

1. Static hosting only

Neocities is for static websites.

It does not provide:

PHP
MySQL
server-side scripts
WordPress installation
cPanel
backend APIs
databases
ecommerce processing
user account systems

This is the biggest technical limitation.

If you want to build a personal HTML/CSS site, Neocities is a good fit. If you want to install WordPress or run a dynamic web application, it is not.

2. Custom domains require Supporter

Custom domains are available on the Supporter plan, not the free plan.

For casual personal sites, a Neocities subdomain is fine.

For a professional portfolio, public project, or long-term brand, a custom domain may be important. In that case, the Supporter plan is the practical path.

The positive side is that Supporter also includes custom domain SSL certificates, so the custom domain can be secured properly.

3. Free users have file type restrictions

The Supporter plan includes “No File Upload Type Restrictions,” which means free users should expect some upload restrictions.

This is common for static hosting communities because unrestricted file hosting can be abused or become expensive.

For most normal personal websites, this is not a problem. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and normal website assets are the main use case.

If your project needs unusual file types, large files, audio, video, or downloadable packages, check Neocities’ current upload rules before building.

4. Not ideal for business-critical websites

Neocities can host a simple static business card-style page, but it is not primarily a business hosting platform.

It does not provide business email hosting, PHP, databases, ecommerce tools, customer management, or backend systems.

A small static profile may work. A real business website with forms, customer workflows, sales funnels, content management, and support expectations will usually need another platform.

5. No normal CMS or blog engine

Neocities does not provide a full CMS like WordPress.

You can create a blog manually with static pages, RSS, or a static site workflow, but it is not the same as logging into WordPress and writing posts through a dashboard.

For people who like hand-made sites, this can be enjoyable. For people who want a content management system, it can be inconvenient.

6. You need to be comfortable with HTML/CSS or willing to learn

Neocities is beginner-friendly in spirit, but it is not the same as a drag-and-drop website builder.

To get the most from it, users should be willing to learn:

HTML
CSS
file organization
image optimization
links and paths
basic JavaScript if needed
simple static website structure

This is not a bad thing. It is one of the reasons Neocities is valuable. But users looking for instant business templates may prefer a visual builder.

Who should use Neocities?

Personal website creators

Neocities is excellent for people who want a personal website that feels handmade.

It is good for pages about your interests, writing, art, collections, projects, hobbies, or online identity.

Students learning HTML and CSS

Neocities is a strong learning environment for HTML and CSS.

It lets students see how files become a real website. That is more educational than only using a visual editor.

Artists, writers, and hobbyists

Creative users can use Neocities to build pages that do not need to look like commercial websites.

It is good for zines, art pages, writing archives, fan pages, small galleries, and personal experiments.

Indie web and retro web fans

Neocities has a strong connection to the indie web and the idea of personal, independent websites.

If you miss the feeling of the early web, Neocities may feel more welcoming than corporate website builders.

Users who dislike ads and platform lock-in

Neocities’ no-ad, no-watermark, anti-lock-in values are a major reason to consider it.

If those principles matter to you, Neocities is worth trying.

Who should avoid Neocities?

Users who need WordPress

Neocities does not host normal WordPress sites.

WordPress requires PHP and a database, while Neocities is static hosting.

Users who need PHP and MySQL

If your project needs PHP scripts, MySQL databases, Laravel, or server-side forms, Neocities is not the right host.

Users who want drag-and-drop business templates

Neocities is not mainly a business website builder.

If you want ready-made sections, visual editing, and no-code business templates, another platform will be easier.

Ecommerce website owners

Neocities is not suitable as a full ecommerce platform.

You may link to external shops or payment pages, but Neocities does not provide store management, checkout, inventory, payments, or customer accounts.

Large media-heavy projects

The free plan has 1 GB storage, and static hosting is not the best place for heavy videos, large downloads, or media archives.

For media-heavy projects, use dedicated media or storage services.

Neocities for personal websites

This is where Neocities shines.

A personal Neocities site can include:

about me page
interests
blog-like notes
art gallery
writing archive
links page
small projects
favorite resources
photo pages
web experiments
guestbook-style links through external tools

The best Neocities sites often feel personal rather than polished. They have character. They look like someone made them by hand because they did.

That is the appeal.

Neocities for portfolios

Neocities can work for creative portfolios, especially if the portfolio itself benefits from a handmade style.

It may be useful for:

artists
writers
illustrators
indie creators
students
experimental designers
web hobbyists

For a corporate-style portfolio or client-focused business site, a polished builder or professional hosting may be better.

For a creative portfolio with personality, Neocities can be a good home.

Neocities for students

Neocities is very good for students learning the basics of the web.

It helps students understand:

HTML
CSS
file paths
images
links
page structure
static hosting
publishing
backups
web identity

A student can build something small and real without paying.

It is less suitable for assignments requiring PHP, MySQL, WordPress, or backend code.

Neocities for static blogs

Neocities can be used for a static blog, but it is not a normal blogging platform.

You can write posts as static HTML pages, create an index page, use RSS, and update manually. For some people, that is part of the fun.

For others, it will feel too manual.

Use Neocities for static blogging if you like control and simplicity. Use a CMS if you want a full writing dashboard.

Neocities for small business websites

Neocities can technically host a simple static business card page, but I would not make it the first choice for most business websites.

It may work for:

one-page personal service profiles
artist pages
small creative businesses
simple information pages
temporary project pages

It is less suitable for:

lead-generation sites
ecommerce
booking systems
customer forms
business blogs
marketing funnels
larger brand websites

For a business, Neocities is best only when the website can remain simple and static.

Free plan vs paid upgrade

Neocities Free is already useful for many personal websites.

Use the free plan if:

you want a personal site
you are learning HTML/CSS
a Neocities subdomain is acceptable
1 GB storage is enough
200 GB bandwidth is enough
you do not need custom domains
you do not need WebDAV
you do not need unrestricted file types
you want an ad-free creative web space

Consider becoming a Supporter if:

you want a custom domain
you want custom domain SSL
you need more storage
you need more bandwidth
you want WebDAV uploading
you want multiple sites
you need fewer file type restrictions
you want to support the Neocities community

The Supporter plan is currently $5/month and includes 50 GB storage, 3,000 GB bandwidth, custom domains, SSL certificates for custom domains, WebDAV, and more.

The upgrade is not only a feature upgrade. It also supports the ad-free and community-funded model that makes Neocities different.

Final opinion

Neocities is one of the most interesting free hosting platforms because it is not only about hosting files. It is about giving people a place to make independent, creative websites.

The free plan is generous for static personal websites: 1 GB storage, 200 GB bandwidth, no advertising, free subdomain, subdomain SSL, CDN, backups, RSS, site profile, site editor, and community features.

Its limitations are also clear. Neocities is static hosting. It does not support PHP, MySQL, WordPress, ecommerce, backend applications, or business systems. It also keeps custom domains and some advanced features for Supporters.

Use Neocities if you want a personal, creative, handmade website and you are willing to work with static files. Avoid it if you need traditional web hosting, a CMS, server-side features, or a professional business website platform.

For the right person, Neocities is not just free hosting. It is a small corner of the web that can still feel personal.

Link to the official Neocities website

FAQ

Is Neocities free?

Yes. Neocities says it will always have a free website option, and the official Supporter page lists a Free plan with 1 GB storage and 200 GB bandwidth.

How much storage does Neocities Free include?

Neocities Free includes 1 GB of storage.

How much bandwidth does Neocities Free include?

Neocities Free includes 200 GB bandwidth.

Does Neocities show ads on free websites?

No. Neocities says it will never put advertising on your site and will never put ads or watermarks on sites.

Can I use a custom domain on Neocities Free?

Custom domains are part of the Supporter plan, not the free plan.

How much does Neocities Supporter cost?

Neocities Supporter costs $5/month and includes 50 GB storage, 3,000 GB bandwidth, custom domains, custom domain SSL certificates, WebDAV, multiple site creation, and other features.

Can Neocities run WordPress?

No. Neocities is static hosting and does not run normal WordPress, which requires PHP and a database.

Can Neocities run PHP or MySQL?

No. Neocities is not traditional PHP/MySQL hosting. It is for static websites.

Is Neocities good for beginners?

Yes, if the beginner wants to learn HTML, CSS, and static website publishing. It is less suitable for beginners who want a drag-and-drop business website builder.

Is Neocities good for business websites?

Only for very simple static pages. It is not ideal for business websites that need contact form processing, ecommerce, CMS tools, customer accounts, or backend systems.

“Neocities is best when you do not want your website to feel manufactured — you want it to feel made.”

Neocities Review