Web hosting for students in India from ₹99 a month.
Put your final-year project, portfolio or college club site on a real domain. The Basic plan is ₹99 a month billed yearly, with free SSL, PHP and MySQL, and you can pay by UPI without a credit card.
One price for everyone, and it stays that price
There is no separate student plan and no coupon to hunt for. Basic is what most students pick: one site, 70 GB of SSD space and everything a PHP or WordPress project needs. Pay yearly and it is ₹99 a month; pay for three years and it is ₹49.
- 1 website
- 70 GB pure SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 2 MySQL databases · 10 subdomains
- 10 email accounts on your domain
- Free SSL · PHP selector · backup tools
- 10 websites
- 150 GB pure SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 20 MySQL databases · 100 subdomains
- 20 email accounts on your domain
- Free SSL · PHP selector · backup tools
- Unlimited websites
- 300 GB pure SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited databases and subdomains
- Unlimited email accounts
- Free SSL · PHP selector · backup tools
Prices in rupees, no GST or extra fees. Renewal is the same price. Add a domain at checkout: .xyz ₹209 first year, .co.in ₹699 or .in ₹889 a year. See the full shared hosting range, or the ₹99 plan on its own page.
What a student can run on Basic
Basic is shared hosting: a PHP and MySQL stack on pure SSD with a DirectAdmin control panel. It runs everything below. It does not run Python or Node.js back ends, and we say so here rather than after you have paid.
Portfolio site
A portfolio in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, or a WordPress portfolio theme. Put the link on your résumé and LinkedIn.
Final-year project in PHP and MySQL
Library systems, attendance apps, e-commerce demos: upload the PHP, import the SQL, and it runs on a real domain for your viva.
WordPress blog
WordPress Manager installs WordPress in one click. A blog with a year of posts about what you are learning says more to recruiters than a certificate.
College club or fest site
Coding club, NSS unit or fest registrations. Ten subdomains are included, so events can live on fest.yourclub.in without a second plan.
Laravel and CodeIgniter apps
Composer-based PHP frameworks run here. Pick PHP 8.x in the selector, upload the project, point the document root at public and set your .env.
PHP version selector
Switch PHP versions from the panel, so an older project written for PHP 7.4 and a new Laravel app each get the version they expect.
Free SSL and 10 mailboxes
A Let's Encrypt certificate is issued automatically, so the padlock shows during your demo. Ten mailboxes on your domain are included.
Not supported: Python and Node.js
Django, Flask, Express and Next.js server rendering will not run on shared hosting. A static React or Vue build is fine; the API must live elsewhere.
Set up in 15 minutes
Five steps from this page to a live site. No credit card, and no hosting experience needed. Stuck at any step? Open a ticket with a screenshot.
Pick a plan
Choose Basic above with yearly billing (₹1,188), or 3 years for ₹49 a month and no renewals during your course.
Add a domain
Search for a name at checkout. A .xyz is ₹209 for the first year; a .co.in or .in costs more but renews at the same price.
Pay by UPI
Choose UPI and approve in Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm or BHIM. Debit cards, net banking and wallets also work. The account is set up once payment clears.
Log in to DirectAdmin
Your welcome email has the panel link and password. Files, databases, email, SSL and PHP versions all live in DirectAdmin.
Install or upload
Install WordPress from WordPress Manager, or upload a zip of your project into public_html with File Manager or FTP.
Project checklist for final-year students
Most "works on localhost, not on the server" problems come down to five things. Check them before the demo, not the night before.
- Import the database in phpMyAdmin. Create a database and user in DirectAdmin, open phpMyAdmin, import your .sql export, then update the database name, user and password in your config file. The host is usually localhost.
- Match the PHP version. Check what XAMPP or WAMP runs on your laptop (phpinfo() tells you) and pick the same version in the PHP selector. Old projects break on PHP 8 because mysql_* functions are gone; use 7.4 or move the code to mysqli.
- Check your .htaccess. Clean URLs and framework routers need the .htaccess file uploaded too. File Manager hides dotfiles by default; turn on "show hidden files".
- Turn on SSL and force HTTPS. The certificate is issued automatically once the domain points to us. Set the site URL to https:// so forms and scripts do not trigger browser warnings.
- Show it on a real domain. Examiners can open yourproject.co.in on their own phone. That lands better than a localhost tab, and the link goes on your résumé afterwards.
Two MySQL databases is enough
One for the project, one for a WordPress blog or a second module. If you genuinely need more, Professional has twenty at ₹149 a month billed yearly.
Keep your code and .sql file off the server too. The panel's backup tool exports everything in one file; download it when you finish and again before you present.
Stuck on the import? Send us the error in a ticket. We will not write your project, but we will get it running.
For colleges and training institutes
We have hosted websites since 2016, and more than half of our customers are in Kerala, many of them students and freelancers. If you teach web development or run a college department, here is how we can help.
Institute site plus student accounts
Host the institute's site on Professional or Unlimited, and give each batch its own Basic account so students learn on a real panel with their own domain.
Affiliate programme for trainers
Trainers who recommend HostKarle earn 30% commission, paid on renewals too, not just the first order. Join the affiliate programme from the client area.
Group pricing on WhatsApp
Need accounts for a whole batch? Message us on WhatsApp with the number of students and what they will build, and we will quote. Institutes in Kerala can also see our Kerala hosting page.
Domain ideas for students
Your own name is the best domain a student can register: firstnamelastname.in or .co.in works for a portfolio for years after college. For a one-year project demo, a .xyz is the cheapest way in. Search below and add it to the same checkout as your hosting.
.xyz renews at ₹1,729 a year, so it suits a project that lives for one year. .in, .co.in and .com renew at the same price you paid. Full list on the domains page. Already have a domain? Point its nameservers to ns1.fastnsdns.com and ns2.fastnsdns.com.
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Open a ticket for technical help. For sales and billing, message us on WhatsApp at +91 94343 44325.
Is there a student discount?
Not a separate one, and we would rather say so than invent a coupon. Basic is ₹99 a month billed yearly (₹1,188), or ₹49 a month on a three-year plan (₹1,764), for everyone, at renewal too. Colleges, institutes and student groups needing several accounts can message us on WhatsApp for group pricing.
Do you offer free hosting for students?
No. Free hosting usually means adverts, a subdomain you do not own and an account that vanishes when you need it most. We offer ₹99 a month with nothing hidden: SSL, email, backups and the control panel are included, and renewal costs the same.
Can I host my college project built in PHP and MySQL?
Yes, that is the most common student project we host. Upload the PHP files through File Manager or FTP, import the database in phpMyAdmin, match the PHP version to your XAMPP or WAMP setup, and it runs on your own domain with free SSL.
Can I host a Python, Django, Flask or Node.js project?
No. Shared hosting runs PHP and MySQL only, so Python and Node.js back ends will not work here. A static HTML, CSS and JavaScript front end, including a React or Vue build that calls an API hosted elsewhere, is fine. A project that must run Python or Node needs a VPS instead.
How do I pay without a credit card?
Choose UPI at checkout and pay from Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM or any UPI app. RuPay and other debit cards, net banking and wallets work too. Payment goes through Razorpay or Cashfree in rupees, with an invoice. More on paying by UPI.
What does it cost to renew?
The same as you paid the first time: Basic renews at ₹1,188 a year, with no introductory pricing. Domains renew separately: .in at ₹889, .co.in at ₹699, .xyz at ₹1,729.
What happens when I finish college?
Whatever you decide. Keep the account as your portfolio or freelance site, or let it expire; nothing is charged because there is no auto-debit. You get an invoice by email before the renewal date and pay it only if you want another year. Take a full backup from the panel first.
Can I get a refund if it does not work for me?
Yes, within 2 days. Ask within 48 hours of your first purchase and we refund the hosting fee in full. After that, refunds are only for a prolonged outage on our side, and domains are never refundable. Read the full refund policy.
Can I host on a subdomain without buying a domain?
You need a domain; a hosting account is set up on one, and we do not guarantee a free temporary URL. The cheapest start is a .xyz at ₹209 for the first year. It renews at ₹1,729, so if you will keep the site, a .co.in at ₹699 or a .in at ₹889, which renew at the same price, cost less over time.
Can I run WordPress on the student plan?
Yes. WordPress Manager in the control panel sets up WordPress in about a minute, database included. A blog, a club site or a portfolio theme runs comfortably on Basic.
Put your project on a real domain this week.
Basic is ₹99 a month billed yearly, free SSL and email included, paid by UPI. Questions first? Ask us on WhatsApp.
Also on HostKarle: shared hosting plans · ₹99 hosting · pay with UPI · domain search · refund policy