Writer: Andrew Wandola
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
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.
Many people blame the difficulty of migrating as the main reason for staying with their current hosts. But switching your site doesn’t always mean escaping a bad host. Sometimes, your needs evolve and you seek more compatibility or a better balance of cost 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.
1. SiteGround
If you’re new to website building and migration and need a little help, SiteGround is the perfect host for you. The company offers free site migration for any sites hosted on its platform. If you have a WordPress site, you can also take advantage of its in-house WordPress Migrator plugin.
SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE site transfer or new site setup
- FREE daily backups, CDN, email, and SSL
- 24/7 expert support with no wait on phone or chat
- Feature-rich hosting plans for all businessesÂ
- Beginner-friendly Site Tools control panelÂ
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Lynn Cadet
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB Google Cloud SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 6 minutes |
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
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.
2. Hosting.com
Hosting.com 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.
Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $3.99
- Free SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and malware scanning are included on all plans
- Imunify360 security suite + Web Application Firewall (WAF)
- 99.9% uptime commitment
- Automated daily backups with easy restore options
- Free site migration, including files, databases, and emails
- Get started on hosting.com now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 5 minutes |
More about hosting.com:
- 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.
Hosting.com doesn’t limit its migration services to specific websites or hosting packages. Whether you choose shared, VPS, or dedicated server hosting, the free migration offer applies across the board.
3. Bluehost
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.
Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- Support for up to 100 websites and unlimited email hosting
- 1-click WordPress installs and software updates
- Support for popular shopping carts with FREE SSL
- Up to $200 in Microsoft and Google Ad credit
- Industry-leading hardware and uptime rates
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Sead Fadilpasic
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
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 great thing about Bluehost is that it lets you preview your website before it goes live. This way, you can ensure everything looks good before launching on the new platform.
4. InMotion Hosting
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.
InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.79
- FREE SSD drives included with all hosting plans
- Zero-downtime website transfers and migrations
- FREE backups, SSL, and DDoS protection
- Choice of East Coast or West Coast datacenter
- Multi-language support for PHP, Ruby, and Perl
- Get started on InMotion now.
Dave McQuilling
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
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
While InMotion isn’t officially endorsed by WordPress, it still provides free WordPress migration. This service ranks among the best for small websites looking to transition smoothly.
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.
5. Hostwinds
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.
Hostwinds.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.54
- 500% faster speeds via SSDs
- LiteSpeed web server performance
- FREE dedicated IP address
- 99.999% uptime guarantee
- Datacenters in Dallas and Seattle
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Jack Wallen
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 5 minutes |
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.
6. Hostinger
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.
Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- 24/7/365 ticket and live chat support
- 99.9% network uptime guarantee
- FREE domain, site builder, backups, SSL certificate, and AI tools
- Unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts
- Speedy NVMe SSDs optimize performance
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Sead Fadilpasic
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 25 GB SSD – 100 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
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.
7. DreamHost
DreamHost works well with WordPress websites and once appeared on the list of WordPress-approved hosts. If you’re not a fan of Hostinger or Bluehost, you should consider DreamHost instead. You can easily migrate your WordPress site for free with the DreamHost Automated Migration Plugin.
DreamHost.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.89
- Unlimited traffic, storage, websites, and email
- US-based customer support available 24/7
- 200% faster performance with SSDs
- Free AI website builder
- Enjoy preinstalled WordPress and FREE transfer
- Get started on DreamHost now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
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 has tons of WordPress-focused features, 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 the migration isn’t completed for any reason, you’ll get a refund. Similar to Hostinger, DreamHost can’t migrate websites built on proprietary site builders like Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, or Wix.
8. Liquid Web
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.
LiquidWeb.com
Monthly Starting Price $3.50
- Heroic Support® and fully managed hosting
- Linux or Windows options with cPanel, InterWorx, or Plesk
- Industry leader in customer loyalty and NPS score
- Servers proven faster than AWS and Rackspace
- 100% uptime guarantee plus built-in backups
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 40 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD | New or Transfer | 7 minutes |
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.
9. ScalaHosting
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.
ScalaHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.51
- AI-powered security blocks 99.98% of web attacks
- NVMe SSD storage and built-in caching for fast page loads
- Free domain, SSL, CDN, and daily backups on all plans
- Your price never increases — rate locked for life
- 24/7 expert support with 15-second average response time
- Get started on ScalaHosting now.
Laura Bernheim
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime | 10 GB – 100 GB NVMe | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
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.
This is quite uncommon in the industry, as most hosts will migrate only a few websites for free and then charge you for any additional ones.
10. HostArmada
HostAmarda offers two types of website migration options: manual and full cPanel migration, both of which are free.
HostArmada.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- Cloud SSD hosting across 11 global data centers
- LiteSpeed servers, NVMe SSD, and Cloudflare CDN included
- Imunify360 security with AI-powered malware protection
- Free SSL, daily backups, and website migration on all plans
- 24/7/365 support — tickets answered within 10 minutes
- Get started on HostArmada now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | 15 GB – 40 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
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.
What Is Free Site Migration in Web Hosting?
Free site migration means your web hosting provider offers a no-cost way to move your website to their platform. This usually happens in one of two ways.
There are two primary methods: the first is full-service migration, where the host manages everything for you. The second, popular for WordPress sites, involves using a free migration plugin provided by the host.
A migration plugin allows you to click and drag files in an easy-to-use interface that transfers your website quickly.
Some hosts provide free site migration, while others might charge a small fee. You might come across web hosts that offer free migration but may require a fee for more 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.
Are There Free Web Hosting Options?
Sure, you’ll find lots of free hosting options. However, their drawbacks often outweigh the benefits. Using a free service is okay for a school project or coding practice, but for professional websites, investing in a paid service is crucial.
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.
How Do I Migrate a Website?
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.
Bring Your Website Home With Free Site Migration
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.
HostingAdvice.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). HostingAdvice.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.
Our site is committed to publishing independent, accurate content guided by strict editorial guidelines. Before articles and reviews are published on our site, they undergo a thorough review process performed by a team of independent editors and subject-matter experts to ensure the content’s accuracy, timeliness, and impartiality. Our editorial team is separate and independent of our site’s advertisers, and the opinions they express on our site are their own. To read more about our team members and their editorial backgrounds, please visit our site’s About page.
