11 Best Web Hosts With Free Site Migration (Feb. 2024)

I’ve worked on many websites hosted by average web hosts, but my clients usually hesitate to migrate to greener pastures because the process is daunting and complex.

Most people blame the difficulty of migrating as the key reason for sticking with their current hosts. Migrating your site doesn’t necessarily mean fleeing a terrible host. Sometimes, your needs change and you want more compatibility or a better mix of affordability and reliability.

Whatever the reason, the best hosts with free site migration will do all the heavy lifting for you. Let’s explore some options.

SiteGround is the perfect host to migrate a WordPress website. For starters, this is one of the few WordPress-approved hosts — along with Bluehost and DreamHost. SiteGround is best known for its quality and customer support.

More about SiteGround:

• Has excellent customer service, perfect if you have questions or concerns about migrating your site
• The migration process is easy to follow and requires no technical knowledge
• Also offers free, one-click WordPress installation

SiteGround doesn’t mention anything about free migration for non-WordPress websites. But if your website runs on WordPress, all you need to do is install the SiteGround WordPress migrator plugin. The plugin will generate a token to initiate the migration.

You should note that SiteGround’s renewal price is higher than most, but we think it’s worth it for the features and performance you get.

Bluehost is also great for migrating WordPress websites and is more affordable than SiteGround, making it one of the best shared web hosting providers. The managed WordPress hosting provider also offers unlimited storage, making it a great option for websites with high storage requirements.

More about Bluehost:

• Offers live chat support if you have questions or concerns about migrating your website
• The free migration offer only lasts for 30 days after signup
• It covers one WordPress site (you may need to pay extra for multiple website transfers)

Bluehost consistently proves why it is a WordPress-endorsed hosting provider. Its free WordPress website migration service is an excellent example of how it goes above and beyond to help WordPress users settle in smoothly.

The best part is that Bluehost allows you to review the website before it goes live. That way, you can review it before launching the website on the new platform.

A2 Hosting has a knack for speed and is another great option to get your site up and running shortly after migration. The web hosting company takes care of the entire process as you sit back and wait for your website to go live again.

More about A2 Hosting:

• Has a dedicated team of website migration specialists who focus on migrating websites
• Handles everything, giving you peace of mind
• Comes with a free website migration form request you’ll need to fill out to initiate the process

This web host is the perfect alternative if you have limited knowledge about website migration. All you need to do is fill out the website migration form after signing up for a hosting service, and the host will take care of everything.

A2 Hosting doesn’t restrict its migration services to specific websites or hosting packages. Whether you choose shared, VPS, or dedicated server hosting, the free migration offer still stands.

InMotion Hosting has one of the best customer support teams in the web hosting world. That’s because it maintains an in-house crew of customer service professionals with more than 280 hours of training each.

More about InMotion Hosting:

• Offers between two to four hours of website migration assistance
• The exact time it dedicates to assisting you with migration will depend on your web hosting plan (only for VPS and dedicated hosting clients)
• Shared hosting customers can migrate their website for free directly via InMotion’s control panel

Although not officially endorsed by WordPress, InMotion also offers free WordPress migration. This is one of the best web hosting migration services for small websites.

If you’d like to migrate a large-scale website, you may need to contact support for further assistance. And since this host offers top-notch customer support, you shouldn’t have that much of a problem getting the help you need.

Hostwinds offers a nice balance of power and affordability for beginners and small businesses. Hostwinds has one of the best website migration processes you’ll find. This free migration service is only available upon request.

More about Hostwinds:

• Offers website migration services for all hosting plans, from shared, business, to cloud
• Follows an easy, three-step process to complete the migration
• Has a no-downtime migration approach, keeping your site up and running even during the migration

The no-downtime migration process is a game changer. Many clients would rather stay with a host they don’t like than risk being offline for a considerable amount of time.

That’s understandable since some migration processes can take up to a week, depending on the amount of files transferred and other factors. The zero-downtime process, therefore, means you won’t have to worry about your site going offline after initiating the migration.

Hostinger always has many free tools to offer, including website migration. But the host will only migrate websites built with an open-source CMS such as Joomla or WordPress.

More about Hostinger:

• Offers free website migration upon request
• Its website migration service does not include email account migration (you’ll need to do that manually)
• Allows users to track the status of the website migration process

If you use a custom web builder such as Blogger, Shopify, or Wix to build your website, you can’t migrate it to Hostinger. But you can use its free website builder tool to recreate the website.

For most people, that can be quite inconvenient and risky. I’d only recommend choosing this option if you really want to redesign your website from scratch and have the technical knowledge to do it.

DreamHost works well with WordPress websites, which is why it also appears on the list of WordPress-approved hosts. If you’re not a fan of SiteGround or Bluehost, you should consider DreamHost instead. You can easily migrate your WordPress site for free with the DreamHost Automated Migration Plugin.

More about DreamHost:

• Offers a DreamHost Automated Migration Plugin to transfer WordPress websites
• The plugin works on any DreamHost account with an active hosting subscription
• Also offers migration services for non-WordPress websites

Although DreamHost is a WordPress-endorsed web host, that doesn’t mean it can’t help you transfer any other kind of website. On the contrary, the host can help you accomplish that for a small fee.

If it is unable to complete the migration for any reason, you’ll receive a refund. In addition, similar to Hostinger, DreamHost cannot migrate websites built on proprietary site builders such as Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, or Wix.

Liquid Web offers free website migration, but it may charge you a fee based on your unique needs on rare occasions. You shouldn’t be too worried, though, especially when migrating a standard website with basic features.

More about Liquid Web:

• Follows a systematic step-by-step process, updating you along the way
• Has a team of highly trained website migration specialists that handle every step of the process
• Offers expert advice on your hosting needs before and after migration

This host follows a five-step website migration process. It involves selecting your hosting package, accessing your old server, preliminary testing, syncing with the new server, and publishing your website.

Near the end of the process, you should expect about an hour of downtime, but the host promises to try everything possible to keep the downtime to a minimum.

Nexcess website migration is 100% free of charge, so you shouldn’t have to worry about incurring additional costs. But that’s not the only reason to choose this web host. It offers four migration options: automated, life-and-shift (the default option), replatforming, and refactoring.

More about Nexcess:

• The migration process involves minimal downtime
• Promises to do it right the very first time
• Offers migrations regardless of your website’s size and complexity

I’m a big fan of the immense confidence this web host inspires, especially regarding website migration. It gives you peace of mind knowing that your website is in the hands of experts who know what they’re doing.

Its options for migrating your site are meant to appeal to users of all experience levels, so you’re sure to find a process that works for you.

ScalaHosting has all the tools you need to migrate your website for free with no downtime. It’s also one of the best managed VPS hosting providers, so users who need more control and support should take a closer look.

More about ScalaHosting:

• Promises to take charge of the migration process from start to finish with no downtime
• Humans, not software, are in charge of the migration process
• Lets you migrate as many websites as you want at no additional cost

You’ve got to admire ScalaHosting’s dedication to ensuring a fast and painless website migration procedure. And the fact that it lets you migrate unlimited websites at no cost makes it the perfect host if you have multiple websites to transfer.

That’s quite rare in this industry, as most hosts will migrate only a limited number of websites and then charge you a fee for anything extra.

HostAmarda offers two types of website migration options: manual and full cPanel migration, both of which are free.

More about HostArmada:

• Provides free website migration services upon request
• Can help transfer email accounts, subdomains, add-on domains, FTP accounts, aliases, and more, depending on the migration option you choose
• The migration service applies to all its web hosting packages

The manual transfer option is much easier. All you need is your FTP or SSH login details and your PHPMyAdmin access credentials. Once you have these, HostArmada will take care of the rest.

Free site migration is when your web hosting provider offers a no-cost way of migrating your website to its platform. This usually happens in one of two ways. The first is a full-service migration, through which the web host handles everything for you. The second, which is popular for WordPress sites, is when the web host offers a free migration plugin.

A migration plugin allows you to click and drag files in an easy-to-use interface that transfers your website quickly.

Some hosts offer free site migration, while others charge a small fee. You may find web hosts that offer free migration but charge a small fee for certain complex websites or processes. Ultimately, the migration method you choose will probably depend on your experience and skill level. If you’re unsure about how to migrate a site, it’s best to choose a host that does it for you.

Yes, you’ll find plenty of free hosting options out there. However, the drawbacks tend to outweigh the advantages. You can get away with a free web hosting service for a school project or to practice coding, but for professional websites, you need to invest in a paid service.

Entirely free web hosting providers are usually not as secure. Some will run ads on your website or cPanel or even restrict the amount of hosting resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage, you can use. If you’re on a budget, it would be better to opt for cheap web hosting.

If you’re not ready to commit, a web host with a free trial should be good enough to test the waters.

As I mentioned earlier, you can go about the process in two ways: using a plugin or migrating the site manually. Here are some steps to follow:

Using a Plugin:

1. Choose a migration plugin suitable for your CMS. Examples include Duplicator, UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, and WP Migrate DB.

2. Install and activate the chosen plugin in your CMS.

3. Configure the plugin with source and destination server details.

4. Create a backup of your website using the plugin.

5. Initiate the migration process within the plugin.

6. Update DNS settings to point to the new server after migration.

7. Test your site to ensure everything works correctly.

Migrating Your Site Manually:

1. Create a full website backup, including files and databases.

2. Set up the new server or hosting environment with the required software and configurations.

3. Use an FTP client to transfer website files from the old server to your local computer and then to the new server.

4. Export and import your database from the old server to the new one.

5. Update configuration files to reference the new server and paths.

6. Test your website on the new server to ensure proper functionality.

7. Update DNS settings to point to the new server.

8. Monitor and troubleshoot any issues that may arise post-migration.

That’s it. Your website is now fully migrated. Please note that the specific steps may vary depending on your web hosting provider, content management system (CMS), and migration tools used.

A free website migration service is usually complimentary, not necessarily a sign of reliable hosting. Fortunately, you don’t need to search further because we have identified the most reliable hosts that offer free migration.

Ultimately, your needs will determine the right host for your website or application. Once you’ve found what you need, the next step is to use free migration to bring your website to its new home.