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A plain-English comparison
GitHub Pages or web hosting for your small business?
GitHub Pages suits simple static sites. Web hosting adds email, forms and ways to manage your own content. Compare what your business needs below.
15 GB hosting: £45 for your first year, then £75 a year. GitHub Pages hosting can be free.
Start with the basics
What is GitHub Pages?
GitHub Pages publishes website files from a repository — GitHub's project folder for code. Its free hosting suits personal projects, developer portfolios and open-source documentation.
It serves static files: ready-made pages, styles, images and JavaScript that runs in the browser. It cannot run server-side code such as PHP to process forms or power WordPress.
A technical person needs to set up and maintain the publishing workflow. Changes go through the repository and a deployment process. Builds can publish automatically, without uploading the whole site manually, but someone must be able to fix a failed build.
Use your own domain
- Register a domain. Buy a name such as yourbusiness.co.uk from a domain provider, separately from the free hosting.
- Set up Pages. Choose your website's branch or publishing workflow in the repository.
- Add and verify your domain. Follow GitHub's instructions to point its DNS records to Pages. Records differ for the bare domain, www and other subdomains.
- Check the address and HTTPS. Wait for DNS changes and the certificate, then enable HTTPS and test.
Keep existing email records intact when changing website DNS. GitHub's custom domain guide has the exact records and current steps.
What it means in practice
What each option includes
A static site can look excellent. Forms, bookings and content updates are where the differences matter.
| What you need | GitHub Pages | Gravity Host |
|---|---|---|
| A website | Static pages from a code repository. No server-side code or WordPress installation. | Bring your website, install WordPress in one click, or use the free Website Builder. |
| Contact forms | A separate service must process and email submissions. A mailto link only opens the visitor's mail app. | Working contact form in the Builder. Other sites need a suitable form handler or WordPress plugin set up. |
| Bookings or a shop | No built-in system. External tools are separate; GitHub's commercial-use rules below still apply. | Run compatible software or link to your existing service. Plugins, payment processing and setup may cost extra. |
| Email at your domain | No mailbox hosting. You need a separate provider for hello@yourbusiness.co.uk. | Unlimited email addresses included. Mailboxes and website files share your plan's storage. |
| Updating your site | Edit source files and publish through a workflow. Publishing can be automated; the person who built it usually maintains it. | Edit in the Builder or WordPress, or update your own files, depending on how you built the site. |
| Storage and traffic | Up to 1 GB published, a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB per month, and build limits. | 15 GB for website and email on the entry plan. Change size any time. |
| HTTPS and recovery | HTTPS available. Repository history lets technical users recover source files; it does not back up external forms or mail. | Free SSL, security filtering and daily backups you can restore yourself. |
| Help and support | Documentation and community help. No included support line to build or manage your business website. | A real UK person in Carshalton replies by message or ticket. Get in touch. |
Read the published rules
Check the commercial-use rules
Free hosting does not permit every kind of website. The GitHub Pages limits say:
“GitHub Pages is not intended for or allowed to be used as a free web-hosting service to run your online business, e-commerce site, or any other website that is primarily directed at either facilitating commercial transactions or providing commercial software as a service (SaaS)”
Check these rules if your site's main job is taking orders or running your business. An external checkout does not remove the restriction.
The size and publishing limits
- Published sites “may be no larger than 1 GB”.
- There is a “soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB per month”.
- The standard Pages build service has a “soft limit of 10 builds per hour”.
- Deployments time out after 10 minutes.
GitHub also says Pages must not be used for “sensitive transactions like sending passwords or credit card numbers”. An HTTPS padlock does not change that restriction. Refer to the full limits and rules for exceptions and updates.
What our hosting gives you
A website, email and help in one place.
Gravity Host is based in Carshalton, with UK servers. Start with 15 GB and choose how you want to build.
Email at your own domain
Create unlimited addresses, such as hello@ and accounts@. Website files and email share your plan's storage.
SSL and daily backups
Free SSL provides HTTPS. Security filtering and daily backups are included; restore a backup yourself if a change goes wrong.
Moving over is included
We check your site before helping you move it. If a closed platform cannot export it, we explain what needs rebuilding first.
A person nearby
A UK person in Carshalton replies in plain English, by message or ticket. Get in touch about what your site needs to do.
Room to change
Change your hosting size any time. There is no long contract, and hosting has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Domain registration is separate.
First year and renewal
What will you pay each year?
15 GB hosting is £75 a year, with 40% off your first year: £45. Domains are separate. All figures below are in pounds, using our listed prices for a standard domain.
| What you buy | GitHub Pages | Gravity Host: 15 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting only | £0 for hosting on free Pages. Email and other services are separate. | £45 first year, then £75 a year. Email and Website Builder included. |
| Add a .co.uk domain | £10 total each year for hosting and domain. Domain through us: £10 a year. | £55 total in year one, then £85 a year. Includes the domain at £10 a year. |
| Add a .com domain | £15 total each year for hosting and domain. Domain through us: £15 a year. | £60 total in year one, then £90 a year. Includes the domain at £15 a year. |
| Design and extra services | Allow for whoever builds and maintains it, plus any separate email, form, booking or shop service. | DIY Builder included. Bespoke design, paid themes or plugins, and external services are additional if you choose them. |
Choose either domain, or use one you own. Registration and renewal both cost £10 a year for .co.uk or £15 for .com. Find your domain name.
Which fits you?
Choose for the site you need
GitHub Pages suits…
- Personal projects with a few static pages.
- Developer portfolios maintained by someone comfortable with code.
- Open-source documentation updated in GitHub.
Free static hosting may be enough if your site fits the rules and you can handle the technical upkeep.
Web hosting suits…
- Businesses needing their own email and working enquiry forms.
- Sites you update in WordPress or the Builder.
- Shops or booking sites with compatible software and hosting help.
You still need to choose the site software. Hosting alone does not create a booking system or fill a shop with products.
Keep the work you already have
Bring your site with you
Moving to Gravity Host is included. We can copy your published static files, check pages and links, and help point your domain here. Keep your source code in GitHub for future changes.
Tell us how the site is built and which forms or services it uses: those connections may need separate setup.
Or use both services
If your site fits GitHub Pages' rules, leave its static pages there and use Gravity Host for email and a form endpoint. You must connect the form to that endpoint; hosting does not do this automatically.
Your website and email can also live together here, with your code in GitHub. Get in touch to work through the website and email settings by message.
A few practical questions
Before you choose.
Is GitHub Pages really free?
Yes, GitHub Pages offers free static hosting from a public code repository. A custom domain costs extra, and services such as email, form processing or bookings are separate. You also need someone comfortable setting up and maintaining the site. Check that your intended use fits GitHub's published rules.
Can a GitHub Pages site have a working contact form?
Yes, if the form sends its submission to a separate form service or a suitable endpoint on other hosting. GitHub Pages itself cannot run the server-side code that processes and emails the enquiry. Our Website Builder includes a contact form; a site you bring with you may need its form connected separately.
Can I keep my domain and existing email?
Yes. You can keep your domain name and use it with either option. Website and email settings can point to different providers. If you use Gmail or Google Workspace already, you can keep using it. Tell us what is in place before changing your domain settings so your mail keeps going to the right service.
Do I have to use WordPress on Gravity Host?
No. Bring a static website, install WordPress in one click, or use our free Website Builder. If your site needs a particular programming language or service, Get in touch so we can check compatibility before you order.
How do I get help, or change plans later?
Support is by message or ticket, with a real UK person based in Carshalton. Get in touch before ordering if you want help choosing. You can change your hosting size any time, there is no long contract, and hosting has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Domain names are separate.
A home for your business online
Bring your website. We'll help with the hosting.
Start with 15 GB, email and the free Website Builder for £45 in your first year, then £75 a year. Or send us a message first and tell us what you need.