Pricing & comparisons
How much does static website hosting cost in India?
10 August 2026 · 3 min read
A static site (a portfolio, a landing page, a small business brochure site) has no database and no server-side code to run. It's just files. That means it should be cheap to host, but a lot of Indian hosting listings still quote prices built around full LAMP-stack shared hosting, which bundles far more than a static site uses. Here's what drives the cost, and where the free options are real.
What changes the price
For a static site, the cost drivers are narrow: storage (how many MB your files take up), bandwidth (how much traffic you get), whether you need a custom domain and SSL, and whether pricing is billed in INR or USD. Support, databases, and server compute, the things that make general shared hosting more expensive, aren't relevant to a site that's just HTML, CSS, JS, and images.
Why shared hosting quotes look higher than they should
Most Indian shared hosting listings price a cPanel plan built for WordPress and PHP — a database, server-side scripting, email hosting, and more storage than a handful of static pages will ever use. A static site doesn't touch most of that, but it's usually billed the same rate anyway because static-only tiers are rarely sold on their own.
Usage-based platforms like AWS S3 and CloudFront flip the problem the other way: there's no fixed monthly bill, which is cheap for a low-traffic personal site, but it means setting up a bucket, a distribution, and a certificate by hand, and the bill can grow if traffic spikes unexpectedly.
The free tier is real
MakeMySiteLive's free plan is one permanent full site — not a trial — with 50 MB storage, a free subdomain, free SSL, and unlimited microsites for single-file pages, all with no credit card required. It shows a small branding badge, which is the trade-off for it staying free indefinitely rather than expiring after a set period.
Upgrading to a Pro site removes the badge and adds a custom domain, password protection, and PWA settings, priced in INR for Indian customers specifically so there's no currency-conversion surprise on the invoice.
Costs worth checking before you commit
Domain registration is a separate line item everywhere — no host, including MakeMySiteLive, sells the domain name itself as part of hosting. Some shared hosts charge bandwidth overage fees past a traffic cap; usage-based platforms have no cap but no predictable monthly number either. And tax handling varies — MakeMySiteLive bills through Dodo Payments as merchant of record, which manages applicable tax and invoicing directly, so there's nothing extra to calculate.
Static hosting options, roughly compared
| Option | Typical starting cost | Billed in | Custom domain | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting (Hostinger/GoDaddy-style) | ≈₹100–₹300/month | INR | Extra, separate purchase | cPanel + FTP upload |
| Netlify / Vercel | Free tier, then usage-based team pricing | USD | Yes, on paid tiers | Git-connected deploys |
| AWS S3 + CloudFront | Pay-as-you-go, no fixed monthly price | USD | Yes, manual setup | Manual bucket + CDN config |
| MakeMySiteLive (free) | ₹0 — 1 permanent free site | — | Not on free tier | Upload a ZIP or HTML file |
| MakeMySiteLive (Pro) | ₹99/month or ₹999/year | INR | Included | Upload a ZIP or HTML file |
Key takeaways
- ✓Static sites don't need a database or server compute — most shared hosting prices are built around those anyway.
- ✓Usage-based platforms (S3, CloudFront) have no fixed monthly fee but need manual setup and can grow with traffic.
- ✓A free, permanent tier exists. The trade-off is a small branding badge until you upgrade.
- ✓Domain registration is billed separately from hosting everywhere, including here.
Frequently asked questions
Is static hosting really free in India?
Yes, and it's a free tier, not just a trial. MakeMySiteLive's free plan includes one permanent full site (50 MB storage, free subdomain, free SSL, small branding badge) plus unlimited microsites for single-file pages, with no time limit and no credit card required to start.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. Creating an account and publishing your free site doesn't require payment details. A card is only needed if you upgrade to a Pro site for a custom domain, branding removal, or password protection.
Is GST included in the price shown?
Billing is handled by Dodo Payments as the merchant of record, which manages applicable tax (including GST) and issues its own invoices — you don't need to file or calculate it separately.
What if I need more storage than the free tier?
Additional storage is available as an add-on beyond the base 50 MB per site, so you're not forced onto a much larger, more expensive plan just because one site's assets grew.