Free Web Hosting for Charities in Canada: What You Get and How to Apply

Free web hosting for charities in Canada is available, but usually only to CRA-registered charities, and free plans have limits. 4GoodHosting’s free charity plan includes 1 GB of storage, 1,000 GB of transfer, one email account and cPanel. It has no databases, so it can’t run WordPress. If your charity needs WordPress, a shop or many email accounts, a paid plan with 4GoodHosting’s 15% recurring charity discount, or a free nonprofit program such as Google for Nonprofits, may suit you better. Below is a comparison of the options and how to apply.

Key points

• Eligibility usually means a CRA registration number. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) that aren’t registered charities often don’t qualify.
• Free plans suit simple sites: a few pages about your mission, contact details and a donate button that links to a donation platform.
• No database means no WordPress on 4GH’s free plan. Plan for this before you build.
• Budget for the domain. It isn’t included in 4GH’s free plan.

Registered charity vs non-profit: which are you?

This difference decides what you qualify for.

You can confirm your status and number in the CRA’s List of charities. Your registration number is your 9-digit business number followed by RR and a 4-digit reference number (for example, 0001).

4 ways to get a charity website online for free (or close to it)

4GoodHosting details from 4goodhosting.com, November 3, 2026. Google and WordPress.com details from their help pages; their programs change, so confirm before you apply.

What does 4GoodHosting’s free charity hosting include?

According to the free charity web hosting page:

• 1 GB (1,000 MB) of storage and 1,000 GB of transfer [VERIFY: the home page lists the charity plan at 500 MB of storage; confirm which is correct and make the two pages match]
• Up to one email account with webmail
• cPanel control panel and AWStats visitor statistics
• No databases, so it’s for static or HTML websites, not WordPress
• Domain not included. It’s charged at standard rates. See domain names.

What fits in 1 GB: a well-built static site of 10–30 pages with compressed images takes up a small fraction of that. Video, large PDF libraries and full-resolution photo galleries are what fill it. Host video on YouTube or Vimeo and embed it.

How to build without WordPress: use a static site (HTML/CSS written by a volunteer, or exported from a static site generator), or ask whether 4GH’s website builder works on the charity plan [VERIFY: whether the website builder can be used on the free charity plan]. Our guide what is a website builder? explains the options.

How to apply for free charity hosting (4 steps)

1. Find your registration number in the CRA List of charities and check that your legal name matches exactly.
2. Choose your domain. Many Canadian charities use a .ca domain, and CIRA requires a Canadian presence, which a registered Canadian charity has. Budget for the domain.
3. Fill in the short form on the charity hosting page. It asks for the charity name, registration number, email address, contact name and contact number.
4. Wait for verification. 4GoodHosting checks your name and registration number with the CRA’s Charities Directorate and aims to finish within 72 hours. You can then set up email and upload your site through cPanel.

Questions? 4GoodHosting’s team is reachable at 1-866-708-4678 or support@4goodhosting.com.

When should a charity choose paid hosting instead?

Choose paid hosting when you need any of these:

• WordPress (for news, events, volunteer sign-up forms or donation plugins), which needs a database
• More than one email account for staff and volunteers
• Online donations or a shop on your own site, which brings PCI obligations. See our PCI compliance guide for small business [VERIFY: confirm post 03’s URL is live before publishing this link]
• More storage, staging sites or managed updates

4GoodHosting gives eligible charities a 15% recurring discount on regular paid web hosting packages. For example, Shared Cloud plans start at $2.95/mo introductory (Personal, $106.20 prepaid for 36 months) and $6.95/mo (Business, which includes a domain) on a 36-month term. [VERIFY: whether the 15% applies to prepaid multi-year terms or only monthly billing, as the page says “monthly hosting fees”; and whether it covers Managed WordPress, VPS and add-ons]

If you’d rather not manage updates and security yourself, Managed WordPress hosting starts at $19.95/month (or $14.44/mo on a 36-month term) and includes free SSL, staging and Imunify360. Our earlier post on managed WordPress hosting for Canadian non-profits goes into more detail.

Common mistakes with free charity websites

• Registering the domain to a volunteer’s personal account. Register it in the charity’s name and keep the login in a shared password manager. When volunteers move on, charities often lose their domains.
• Letting the domain expire. Turn on auto-renew and use a role email (such as info@) for renewal notices.
• Building on WordPress, then discovering the free plan has no database. Decide on the platform first.
• Collecting donor data without a privacy policy. Even simple contact forms collect personal information under PIPEDA, and under Law 25 in Québec.
• No HTTPS. Make sure SSL is active before you share any form.

Frequently asked questions

Can non-profits (not registered charities) get free hosting?

4GoodHosting’s free plan is for registered Canadian charities whose number can be verified with the CRA. A non-profit without a registration number should contact the provider to ask about options. Other programs, such as Google for Nonprofits, have their own eligibility rules.

Can I run WordPress on free charity hosting?

Not on 4GoodHosting’s free plan, because it has no databases. Choose a paid plan, which comes with the 15% charity discount, or build a static site.

Is a domain included?

No. The domain is charged at standard rates. Regular paid plans from Business Cloud up include a domain.

How long does approval take?

4GoodHosting aims to verify your charity with the CRA within 72 hours of receiving your application.

Why not just use a free website builder?

You can. Free builder plans usually show ads, use the builder’s subdomain and limit plugins, and your data may be stored outside Canada. A custom domain on Canadian hosting looks more trustworthy to donors.

Can I move from the free plan to a paid plan later?

Usually yes, but confirm the upgrade path with your provider. A static site can be moved as files. Moving to WordPress means rebuilding the site.