Free Hosting
Free web hosting has received a bad wrap for years, and for good reason. The smarmy games many of these companies have to play to be competitive in a field full of ya-who's and fly-by-nighters make this a particularly unattractive place to be.However, some folks simply don't want to pay for web hosting. This presents a bit of a dilemma.
Many companies therefore have adopted a hybrid type of a model. Offering free hosting and attempting to monetize through banner advertising, third party emails, and other nefarious means. They usually also offer upgraded packages in the hopes of converting ad revenues into subscriber revenues. Some of the web's best companies have gone this route and been swallowed in their deal with the devil.
So where does this leave you if you are looking for free web hosting as a consumer? Some good advice suggests seeing free and paid web hosting as distinct offers and therefore looking for them from entirely different entities is probably the best way to make sure that your hosting provider is actually poised to service your needs rather than vice-versa.
If you are looking for free web hosting, find a provider who only offers free web hosting. If you are looking to pay for hosting, find a provider who doesn't offer a free package--otherwise they may well be mired in the business and marketing tug-of-war suggested here. And ultimately that will not serve you.
More Information
Free Web Hosting providers:
Paid Web Hosting providers: