Limited resources, bandwidth and customization options can prevent your site from appearing the way you want it, especially since you will likely have a cap on the amount of content and storage your host can support. Unfortunately, free web hosting plans only come with the most basic features.
Long answer: whether or not your web hosting is really “free” depends on what kind of website you are trying to build and what features come included in your free hosting plan.
Short answer: yes, if all you need are the most basic features and you don’t mind some inconvenience, you can host your website for free (or close to it).
