Looking for a free database hosting service?
There are over 330,000 hosting providers in the world and not all of them offer free hosting for your databases.
As with all free services, free database hosting services allow users only limited database resources. This is why this service works best for small sites drawing minimal traffic. Websites with large traffic should pay for better database hosting services.
In this article, we have covered 7 free database hosting providers that you can sign up for. Most of these services will allow you to scale as your website grows.
Websites already drawing large traffic can also sign up for these services for a trial. Once you are satisfied with a service, you will need to upgrade to paid plans to access larger memory, bandwidth, better infrastructure, security, and other services.
And don’t worry, the hosting services covered in this article offer different database management systems. For instance, HelioHost offers PostgreSQL and Cloudways supports MariaDB. Choose the provider that meets your needs.
If you are interested in free web hosting please read: Best Free Web Hosting
Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the best free database hosting services.
In a hurry? Have a quick look.
- 000Webhost – Best for PHP/MySQL projects
- InfinityFree – Best free MySQL database hosting
- Cloudways – Best free (3-day) cloud database hosting
- Hostinger – Cheap unlimited database hosting
- A2Hosting – Best for performance (premium)
- HelioHost – Free DB host for PostgreSQL or SQLite
- Kamatera – Free DB with different server locations
The 7 Best free database hosting services
After carefully considering criteria like performance, level of control, ease of management, storage spaces, and upgrade facilities, among other things, the following database hosting services were chosen.
These services were then categorized based on the type of database management systems they offer so that it’s easy for the reader to choose the service.
| Provider | Free Plan | Free Cheapest Premium Plan | Disk Space (Free Plan) | MySQL DB | No. of DB Allowed |
| 000Webhost | Forever | $1.99/mo | 300MB | Yes | Unlimited |
| Cloudways | 3 Days | $10/mo | 25GB | Yes | Unlimited |
| InfiniteFree | Forever | $3.99/mo | Unlimited | Yes | 400 |
| Hostinger | No | $1.99/mo | 50GB | Yes | 2 |
| A2 Hosting | No | $2.99/mo | 0.7MB | Yes | 5 |
| HelioHost | Forever | $1+/mo | 1000MB | Yes | Unlimited |
| Kamatera | 30 Days | $4/mo | 20GB | Yes | Unlimited |
Let’s dive into each database hosting provider and see what they are offering.
1. 000Webhost
Overall Best Free Database Hosting
- Native website builder
- Free templates
- 99% uptime guarantee
- Free
Pros
- Ease of use, automatic 1-click WordPress installation
- Access to cPanel and Softaculous
- Multiple support channels
- Decent site performance for a small website
Cons
- Buggy native site builder
- Lack of direct support through telephone or live chat
- Very limited disk space and bandwidth
- No email accounts or SSL certificates
000WebHost is one of the longest-standing free hosting providers in the market. They host hundreds of websites on a single server and allocate small resources like an FTP account, a MySQL database, 300MB disk space, 3GB monthly bandwidth, Cloudflare-protected nameservers, etc.
To launch a website, the hosting service offers automatic setup wizards and custom control panels. As for security, you get 24/7 server monitoring, DDoS protection, and basic server-level firewalls.
Price
000WebHost is popular as a free hosting service as it allows you to create a small website on its server without charging anything. But since the free plan offers limited bandwidth and no email account, or direct support, the hosting provider has launched premium plans with better resources for $1.99 per month.
Specifications
- Free plan – Forever
- Cheapest plan price – $1.99/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL
- Disk space – 300 MB
- Bandwidth – 3GB
- Number of databases – Unlimited
2. InfinityFree
Best Free MySQL Database Hosting
- Free subdomain
- cPanel Equipped
- Unlimited disk space and huge bandwidth
- Free
Pros
- Offers free SSL certificate to all your domains
- Supports 400 MySQL databases
- Supports Linux operating system and Apache webserver.
- 99% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Despite unlimited storage claims website often encounters the “server limit reached” message
- Does not support the installation of Let’s Encrypt and other SSL certificates services Server is located only in the UK
- Does not offer a website builder or email account facilities
- No one-to-one support via call, email, or live chat
InfinityFree is a free hosting solution. It offers a Linux-based cPanel and supports Softaculous. It has only one data center in the UK but supports Cloudflare CDN to help enhance performance.
The hosting provider claim 99% uptime, unlimited storage, and bandwidth along with the promise of free SSL and subdomains.
Price
InifinityFree has three plans. The free plan offers 5GB RAM, unlimited domain hosting, unlimited bandwidth, and 1 FTP account.
The other two premium plans offer higher bandwidth, disk space, FTP, and email accounts. They cost $3.99 and $6.90 per month respectively. The free plan has no time limit you can use it for as long as you want.
Specifications
- Free plan – Forever
- Cheapest plan price – $3.99/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL
- Disk space – Unlimited
- Bandwidth – Unlimited
- Number of databases – 400
3. Cloudways
Best Free 3-day Cloud Database Hosting
- Pre-configured servers such as Amazon
- CloudFlare, Sucuri, WAF included
- Full Root Access
- Free 30-day cloud
Pros
- Builtin caches and SSD-based hosting for blazing fast speed
- 1-click unlimited WordPress installations & staging sites
- 60+ data centers for outstanding
- data availability with minimal latency time
- Manual and automated backups stored offsite
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no locked-in contracts
- 24 hours live chat support
Cons
- Very short 3 days trial period
- No domain name registration,
- No cPanel/Plesk control panel, or email hosting
- A significant learning curve due to the complicated UI design
Cloudways isn't a traditional hosting provider. It's an affordable Programming as a Service (PaaS) that allows you to set up and manage servers from the best cloud hosting services like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode.
Cloud hosting can be difficult to operate and manage but with Cloudway’s simplified process, you can manage your server without any technical knowledge.
Cloudways is a great service for popular websites and small businesses that need powerful hosting but without too much complexity.
Price
Cloudways is not a free database hosting provider but you can try out their service free of cost for 3 days. If you like the service, you will need to become a paid member to continue using their hosting server.
Cloudways has monthly and daily pricing plans. Their cheapest monthly plan is $10 per month and the cheapest hourly plan is $ 0.0139.
Specifications
- Free plan – 3 days
- Cheapest plan price – $10/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL & MariaDB
- Disk space – 25GB
- Bandwidth – 1TB
- Number of databases – Unlimited
4. Hostinger
Cheap Unlimited Database Hosting
- Easy-to-use custom in-built hPanel
- In-built website builder
- Unlimited DB
- Starting from $1.99
Pros
- Data centers are located in 7 different countries covering 4 continents
- LiteSpeed Web Servers with built-in cache engine
- 100 free business email accounts with a 10GB storage limit
- Free website builder, weekly or daily backups
- Free SSL certificate and website migration service
- hPanel and Zyro website builders are beginner-friendly tools
Cons
- Lack of free trials
- No daily backups with the cheaper plans
- Free domain name not included in their cheapest plan
- Despite a 30 days money back guarantee, privacy protection, domain name renewals, and redemption fees are non-refundable
Hostinger is one of the world's most popular hosting providers. It offers cheap shared hosting plans for low-traffic sites and cloud and VPS hosting for large websites.
The hosting provider comes equipped with a custom inbuilt dashboard called hPanel which makes it easy to navigate between features. It offers reliable and fast performance along with security measures and a 24×7 support system.
Price
Hostinger is a premium service without any free trial. The hosting provider offers shared hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting services.
Shared hosting starts at $1.99 per month, cloud hosting at $9.99 per month, and VPS hosting at $3.49 per month.
Hostinger was also featured in our best unlimited hosting providers article.
Specifications
- Free plan – No
- Cheapest plan price – $1.99/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL
- Disk space – 50 GB
- Bandwidth – 100 GB
- Number of databases – 2
5. A2 Hosting
Best for Performance
- Fast Site speed
- Advanced technologies like NVMe
- Pre-configured cache
- Start from $2.99/month
Pros
- Servers are located in 4 countries across 3 continents
- 24×7 server monitoring and malware scans
- Unlimited email accounts and unlimited subdomains
- Free SSL certificates and free migration facilities
- Speed-boosting technologies with high-end plans
- cPanel site management and Softaculous auto-installer
Cons
- Free domain names are not included
- Does not support Windows hosting
- Below-average performance in the cheap shared hosting
- Expensive hosting plans due to high renewal rates
- High prices for short-term plans
A2 Hosting has been around since 2001 and for almost two decades the hosting service has been focusing on providing the fastest page loading speed.
They also offer uptime and a money-back guarantee which makes A2 Hosting one of the most reliable hosting providers out there.
While using the hosting provider you will notice that the cPanel has an old-fashioned design but it's functional, convenient, and easy to use. It's one of the few hosting services that offer basic (SSL certificates, DDoS protection) as well as advanced protection (malware scan, dual firewall).
Price
A2 Hosting is a premium service and they don't offer any trial period. You can sign up with their shared hosting plans as it's cheap for the first year.
If you like the service then you can upgrade to better shared hosting plans or to other hosting plans like managed hosting, VPS hosting, etc.
The cheapest introductory shared hosting price is $35 for hosting a single site for a year. The renewal price for the same plan is $100 for another year.
Specifications
- Free plan – No
- Cheapest plan price – $2.99/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL & MariaDB
- Disk space – 0.7GB
- Bandwidth – Unlimited
- Number of databases – 5
6. HelioHost
Free DB host for PostgreSQL or SQLite
- Support PHP, ASP.NET, JAVA, PYTHON, PERL
- 1 GB Storage
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Free
Pros
- Free service
- 3 databases (i.e. MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite)
- Offers Plesk hosting control panel that may look familiar as it has a user interface similar to the WordPress admin panel.
Cons
- Lack of security features, free domains, SSL certificates, website builder, advanced speed boosting technologies, and backup
- Single database center located in the US
- Existing customers complain of slow loading speed
HelioHost has been offering free hosting for hobbyists for over a decade. It is supported by an impressive community of over 10,000 users and relies on donations from many of its users.
To support the organization community members even offer support to users via phone, chat, and online forums for free.
HelioHost is quite transparent about the donation and has a dedicated Wiki section of their site disclosing how much money they earn and where is the money spent.
Price
HelioHost is a free forever hosting provider. They offer different servers dedicated to different activities. For instance, some servers are ideal for carrying out experiments and others are better for small blogs drawing low traffic.
There are 4 free and 3 paid servers to choose from. The paid servers offer more server resources and better loading speed. Paid plans start at $1+ per month.
Specifications
- Free plan – Forever
- Cheapest plan price – $1+/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite
- Disk space – 1000MB
- Bandwidth – Unlimited
- Number of databases – Unlimited
Our focused guide on free PostgreSQL hosting complements these options, offering a deeper dive into specifically PostgreSQL-oriented services.
7. Kamatera
Different Server Locations
- Advanced cloud infrastructure
- 13 data centers located around the world
- Advanced management services
- 30 days free
Pros
- Wide range of configuration options are available
- Highly flexible, scalable, and customizable
- 30 days free trial with $100 credits
- Impressive 99.95% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Focus on enterprise-level customers
- Not a beginner-friendly platform
- The free trial requires payment details
Kamatera is a cloud-hosting platform founded back in the mid-90s. They offer 20 years of expertise and the most advanced technologies to enterprise-level businesses.
With Kamatera, you are not bound to a single plan. You can pick and choose the services you need from options like operating systems, processors, SSD storage, memory (RAM), public IPs, data centers, and OS add-ons, among other things.
This type of service model is useful in scaling businesses and cutting down unnecessary costs. Kamatera even allows you to scale down when your business takes a hit.
Price
Kamatera is not a forever free service. You can use the service for a month free of cost but beyond that, you will need to become a paid subscriber. A hosting plan with basic configurations starts at $4 per month.
Specifications
- Free plan – 30 days
- Cheapest plan price – $4/mo
- Supported databases – MySQL & MS SQL
- Disk space – 20GB
- Bandwidth – 1000GB
- Number of databases –
What is the best free cloud database as a service?
With so many great database hostings to choose from, you must be wondering which one to select. Our first recommendation would to be try out the hosting services that offer free trials (i.e. Kamatera and Cloudways). But if you don't have the time to run trials then just go for Kamatera.
Kamatera is highly customizable and scalable thanks to a wide variety of features like cloud servers, storage, private network, firewall, server migration, cloud consulting, disaster recovery, and 13 database location centers, among other things.
That said, Kamatera is not the most user-friendly hosting service and it is not free. If you want to avoid a learning curve then use beginner-friendly hosting providers like Hostinger and A2 Hosting. And to access free hosting services, sign up with 000WebHost, InfinityFree, and HelioHost.
FAQs
To host a database for a website you need to sign up with a database hosting provider. There are several hosting services to choose from. You need to select one that meets your requirements and budget.
If you want to use free hosting services then sign up with 000WebHost, InfinityFree, and HelioHost. But know that free services offer limited features and you may need to switch hosting in the future after your website takes off.
You can also consider pay-as-you-go hosting services like Kamatera and Cloudways. These hosting providers allow you to pay for the cost of the server and hosting tools while you are using them not before or afterward.
This means on months when your website draws more visitors and burns more hosting resources you pay more than in months when business is slow.
Pay-as-you-go hosting services are ideal for websites that draw large traffic because it allows them to save expenses when the business is down.
Yes, all web hosting includes a database by default. You get a single database for a single website but some hosting services will allow you to create more databases. Depending on your hosting service, you can create unlimited databases or only a handful.
Hosting your database on a dedicated server can be a good idea if you can afford to rent two servers.
The upsides of a separate database server include a boost in performance as your website and database are using independent resource pools and better security as your database will be safe if your website server is compromised and vice versa.
But the downside is the cost of renting two different servers which can put a hole in your pocket.
It is fair to pay more than $100 a year for database hosting if you are serious about keeping your site’s data secured.
A database is an important part of your website. It stores crucial data like site settings, login credentials, posts, and pages, installed software among other things.
You stand to lose this data along with years of blood, sweat, and tears if your database gets compromised. So it makes sense to use a good database hosting even if it costs you over $100 annually.
A server is a digital space where files and folders from your website are stored. A database also stores data from your website (e.g. site settings, login credentials, posts and pages, installed software, etc) but it runs on your server.
In other words, your website server stores your database, and the database collects and stores certain data from your website. Think of it like a Russian doll set where wooden dolls of decreasing sizes are placed inside one another.
In normal VPS hosting, the service providers offer a server where you can install software like MySQL, Nginx, Apache, etc.
But in MySQL VPS hosting, the service providers have already installed MySQL and you can use it without worrying about the management of the database because the hosting providers are responsible for its management and security.
If you would like to configure and manage MySQL database and other software on your own, then purchase the normal VPS hosting service.
But if you want to use the MySQL database in a VPS hosting but without the administrative hassles, go for MySQL VPS hosting.
Yes, it's okay to host a MySQL database in Bluehost. Bluehost is one of the world’s most popular, reliable, and secure hosting providers out there.
They will protect your MySQL database from hacks and corruption. To ensure better security of the database, consider moving your database to a different server, separate from your website server.
That way, if your website server is ever compromised, then your database will remain safe on a separate server.
000Webhost is the best and cheapest database hosting platform out there. You can use the hosting provider for free as long as you want but to access better resources you will need to upgrade and it will cost you $1.99 per month.
With the free plan, you get a built-in firewall, DDoS protection, custom control panel, free subdomains, website builder, 300MB disk space, 3GB monthly bandwidth, Cloudflare-protected nameservers, and limited support.
Upgrading to the paid plan will ensure you have access to more disk space, bandwidth, better support, and much more.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of thousands of hosting companies offering hosting services to your website server and database. With so many choices out there, it can be hard to find the right service for your blog and business.
Having built websites for years, we decided to use our knowledge to create a list of the best free database hosting providers so that it’s easier to find a service that meets your requirements.
After considering several hosting providers and their offerings, we have concluded that the 7 following database hosting services are the best ones in the market:
- 000Webhost – Best for PHP/MySQL projects
- InfinityFree – Best free MySQL database hosting
- Cloudways – Best free (3-day) cloud database hosting
- Hostinger – Cheap unlimited database hosting
- A2Hosting – Best for performance (premium)
- HelioHost – Free DB host for PostgreSQL or SQLite
- Kamatera – Free DB with different server locations
If you have any questions about free database hosting providers, leave us a comment below.
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