“Where can I host my HTML website?” is really three questions: Will they take a folder of files? Will I get a trustworthy HTTPS link quickly? Can I attach a domain I own without renting a server? You do not need a forty-host roundup. You need decision criteria and a clear sense of what one honest host is — and is not.

Criteria that matter for HTML sites

File delivery. You should upload a zip or connect a repository that already contains the finished site. If the product only offers a drag-and-drop website builder and cannot take your designer’s HTML, it is the wrong aisle.

Preview before DNS. A good host gives you an HTTPS preview so clients can review without touching the public domain yet.

Domain you own. Pointing your registrar’s DNS at the host should be documented in plain language. A free subdomain is a preview convenience, not ownership.

Honest limits. No pretending email, CDN, and unlimited everything are included when they are not.

Human-scale pricing. Know monthly numbers before you fall in love with a dashboard.

What SiteHost is

SiteHost publishes website files. You zip HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images (or use GitHub), get an HTTPS preview, then connect a custom domain when ready. There is no cPanel and no built-in website builder. Trial is short — about a day — then paid plans: Starter $9 for one site and 2 GB; Pro $30 for three sites, 10 GB, and staging; Scale $65; Business $130 for teams. No forever-free tier. No email hosting. No built-in CDN (optional Cloudflare later if you want it).

What SiteHost is not

It is not WordPress hosting, not a VPS classroom, and not a place that invents pages from prompts. If you need mailboxes, buy mail separately. If you need a full CMS for a newsroom, look at CMS-focused hosts. If you only have a Figma file, finish an HTML export first.

Decision shortcuts

  • You have a client microsite in HTML → file host with zip upload and preview.
  • You need five editors changing copy daily → different product.
  • You want one URL you own for a campaign → file host + domain at a registrar.
  • You want $0 forever → accept ads, sleeping projects, or surprise limits; SiteHost is paid after a short trial on purpose.

Worked example: agency client microsite

Bright Harbor Agency builds a six-section microsite for a product launch: HTML, shared CSS, light JavaScript for a FAQ accordion, and optimized images. They need the client to review on a phone by Wednesday and go live on the client’s domain Friday. They choose SiteHost because zip upload and HTTPS preview are immediate, and DNS can wait until creative sign-off. They publish on Pro so staging holds a bold color experiment while the live preview stays client-safe. Thursday the client approves. Friday they point launch.clientbrand.example using the records SiteHost shows. Mail stays at the client’s existing Google Workspace — MX untouched. The agency never handed the client a free subdomain as if it were the brand.

Read next: website hosting for beginners, how to host a front-end website, how to host static website files.

Failure: treating a free URL as a domain you own

Free preview-style URLs feel convenient until a client prints them on packaging. A host-branded address is not a domain you own. You cannot move it cleanly later the way you move clientbrand.example between hosts. You do not control renewal the same way. For agency work, use the HTTPS preview for private review, then attach the client’s real domain before any public campaign. Never let a temporary URL become the logo lockup. Ownership lives at the registrar; hosting is where files live.

Pricing honesty while you decide

Starter fits one microsite. Pro fits agencies juggling a few launches with staging. Scale and Business exist when site count and team access grow. Paying after a ~1 day trial beats discovering a “free” host throttles the launch day traffic or stamps their brand on your HTML.

Questions to ask any host (including this one)

  • Can I upload a zip of HTML today?
  • Do I get HTTPS on a preview before DNS?
  • What exact plans and storage numbers apply?
  • Is email included or separate?
  • What happens when I leave — are my files just files?

If answers get vague, keep walking.

A note on “unlimited”

Unlimited is a marketing word. Prefer numbers: 2 GB on Starter, 10 GB on Pro. HTML microsites rarely need more if images are compressed. When someone promises unlimited everything plus free email plus a builder plus a VPS, you are reading a flyer, not a fit checklist.

Hand-off notes agencies leave for clients

Write down: registrar login owner, SiteHost plan, where the master zip lives, where mail lives, and who may publish. HTML hosting is simple until nobody remembers which email owns the domain renewal. A one-page handoff beats a clever dashboard.

Storage and image discipline

Starter’s 2 GB is plenty for a microsite with compressed images. Agencies get into trouble by shipping photographer originals. Agree on max image dimensions in the kickoff. If a launch needs more room or several concurrent microsites, Pro’s 10 GB and three sites are the practical step — not a leap to a VPS.

Review culture that protects launch day

Use the HTTPS preview as the only review URL until legal and brand sign off. Ban screenshotting half-broken local folders as “proof.” When feedback arrives, publish a new zip and reply with the same preview link plus a note of what changed. Domain pointing is a ceremony after consensus, not a tool for gathering comments.

Choose where to host HTML by matching the shape of your files to a product that respects them. Preview early, own your domain, and keep mail out of the website cart.

Questions people actually ask

Can I host plain HTML without WordPress?

Yes. That is the point of a file-oriented host like SiteHost. Upload the files you have.

Is a free host fine for client work?

Risky for anything public-facing under a client brand. Short trial plus paid Starter or Pro is usually clearer for professional handoff.

Do I need a CDN on day one?

No built-in CDN is required to launch. Optional Cloudflare can wait until you have a performance reason.

Who buys the domain — agency or client?

Prefer the client’s registrar account. You point DNS; they keep ownership if the retainer ends.