Neocities Review
Neocities is the GeoCities revival done right: free, ad-free static hosting with a real creative community and a $5 Supporter tier that unlocks custom domains and power-user tooling. If your site is hand-written HTML and heart, host it here; if it needs a database, look elsewhere.
Review last updated 2026-08-20 · How we rate hosts
Scorecard
Pros
- Free static hosting with 1 GB storage, 200 GB bandwidth and zero ads or tracking
- The web's friendliest creative community, a deliberate GeoCities revival
- Fast global CDN delivery for plain HTML/CSS/JS sites
- Supporter tier adds custom domains, WebDAV and CLI deploys for $5 flat
- Funded by supporters, not ads or data mining
Cons
- Static only: no PHP, no databases, no server-side code and no email hosting
- Custom domains require the paid Supporter plan
- No backups or staging; you manage your own copies
- Community platform first, so no SLA and minimal formal support
Neocities plans & pricing
Promotional monthly rates as of August 20, 2026; most require the listed prepaid term and renew at the higher rate shown. Confirm on Neocities's site before buying.
| Plan | Intro price | Renews at | Storage | Sites | Bandwidth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeShared Hosting | $0/mo | $0/mo | 1 GB | 1 | 200 GB/mo | Static sites only (HTML, CSS, JS, media); no PHP, databases or custom domains on the free tier; no ads ever |
| SupporterShared Hosting | $5/mo | $5/mo | 50 GB | Unlimited | 3 TB/mo | $5/mo; adds custom domains with SSL, multiple sites, WebDAV uploads, CLI deploys and larger file types |
Our Neocities review
Neocities was founded in 2013 by Kyle Drake as an explicit revival of GeoCities: a place where anyone can hand-write HTML and publish it for free, without ads, tracking or an algorithmic feed deciding who sees it. A decade on it hosts hundreds of thousands of sites, and browsing them remains the point - the platform has tags, follows and a genuine culture of personal homepages, shrines, zines and web art that exists nowhere else at this scale.
As infrastructure, the free tier is quietly excellent for what it covers: 1 GB of storage and 200 GB of monthly bandwidth, served over a global CDN with free SSL on your yoursite.neocities.org address. Sites are plain static files - HTML, CSS, JavaScript and media - edited in a pleasant in-browser editor or uploaded by drag and drop. Because nothing executes server-side, pages are fast and effectively unhackable, and the free tier's costs to you are honest: no ads on your pages, ever.
The boundaries are just as clear. There is no PHP, no database, no forms processing and no email, and the free tier does not allow custom domains or certain file types. Neocities is not where you run WordPress or a store; it is where you put the kind of site you can open in a text editor. For contact forms or comments you wire in third-party services, which is standard practice for static hosting everywhere.
The $5 Supporter plan is one of the better deals in hosting. It jumps storage to 50 GB and bandwidth to 3 TB, unlocks custom domains with SSL, multiple sites under one account, WebDAV uploading, a CLI for scripted deploys and bigger allowed file types. Functionally that puts it in the same room as paid static hosts, and the money visibly funds an independent, supporter-backed operation rather than an ad model - the company is open about being sustained by its community.
What Neocities does not offer is corporate reassurance. Support is a small team answering email, there is no SLA, no backups beyond what you keep yourself, and occasional slowdowns happen. A business landing page probably belongs on a commercial static platform. But judged as what it is - a free, principled, community-run home for the handmade web - Neocities is not just good for the price; it is one of the most likable projects on the internet, and the Supporter tier is worth $5 even if you never hit the limits.
Notable facts
- Founded in 2013 by Kyle Drake as a deliberate GeoCities revival
- Hosts hundreds of thousands of static sites funded by supporters, not ads
- Supporter tier adds WebDAV and CLI deploys, unusual for a $5 plan
At a glance
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Data centers | US (origin), Global CDN |
| Hosting types | Shared Hosting |
| Starting price | $0/mo |
| Support | email, knowledge-base |
Frequently asked questions
Can I run WordPress or PHP on Neocities?
No. Neocities hosts static files only: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and media. There is no server-side code, database or email. Use a static site generator like Hugo or Eleventy and upload the output, or choose a shared host for dynamic sites.
Can I use my own domain on Neocities?
Yes, on the $5/month Supporter plan, which includes SSL for custom domains along with 50 GB storage, 3 TB bandwidth, multiple sites and WebDAV/CLI uploads. The free tier uses yoursite.neocities.org addresses.
Bottom line
Neocities is the GeoCities revival done right: free, ad-free static hosting with a real creative community and a $5 Supporter tier that unlocks custom domains and power-user tooling. If your site is hand-written HTML and heart, host it here; if it needs a database, look elsewhere.
Check current Neocities pricing →
