The short answer for an Indian NGO
For most Indian NGOs a cPanel shared plan is enough. The site is a set of programme pages, a report or two, a contact form and a donation link, and L-Basic at ₹300 a month before 18% GST carries it with free SSL and one-click WordPress. A server is money spent on nothing a donor will see.
- Start with one shared plan and one domain the organisation owns.
- Put the free SSL on every page, especially checkout, and test one donation end to end.
- Keep the registrar and hosting logins with the organisation, not with a volunteer or a vendor.
What an NGO website needs from hosting
The requirements are smaller than a business site and less forgiving in one place. Nobody expects an NGO to run a web application; everybody expects the donate button to work during a campaign.
- HTTPS on the donation page and on the gateway callback, or the payment fails.
- Email that delivers, so receipts and volunteer replies do not land in spam.
- A WordPress login simple enough for a rotating volunteer to edit a page.
- Uptime during the weeks when a campaign is being shared on WhatsApp.
- A GST invoice in INR, because the accounts volunteer will ask for one.
None of that needs a VPS. A shared Linux account with cPanel, PHP and MySQL covers all five, and the cost of getting it wrong is measured in donations, not in server bills.
Free NGO hosting: the conditions behind the label
Free NGO programmes are real, and the ones ranking for this query follow a similar pattern. You apply with the registration certificate, the provider verifies the organisation, and the hosting is granted at no charge.
Read the conditions before you apply, because they are the price.
- Registration proof: 12A or 80G certificates, a trust deed, or Section 8 incorporation papers.
- A verification window, often a day or two, while someone reviews the documents.
- Resource statements such as unmetered storage, which are governed by an acceptable-use policy in practice.
- Periodic review, with suspension for inactivity or for use that falls outside the programme.
None of this makes the offers dishonest. It does mean a free account is a relationship with a review process, and a small paid plan is a bill you control. For an organisation that changes volunteers every year, that difference matters more than ₹300.
What a paid shared plan costs and includes
WebJi's shared plans are the same account an NGO would buy for any small site. Both prices are before 18% GST, and the invoice is in INR.
| Plan | Price (₹/month, before GST) | 1-Year (₹) | Best fit for an NGO |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-Basic | 300 | 3,000 | Programme pages, reports, contact form and a donation link |
| WordPress Unlimited | 400 | 3,000 | A WordPress site with more plugins, a blog and event pages |
Both run on Linux with cPanel, LiteSpeed and NVMe storage, and include a free SSL certificate, Softaculous one-click installs for WordPress and other CMSs, and mailbox hosting on the organisation's domain. Support is by email, 24/7, in Hindi and English.
If a funder needs a formal quote before approving the expense, email support@webji.services with the scope and the plan name; you get the figure before anything is paid. Shared hosting is the parent page for the full plan detail.
Domain, email and the donation page
Three accounts decide whether the site survives a change of staff: the domain, the hosting, and the payment gateway. All three should belong to the organisation.
- Register the domain in the NGO's name, with an email address the organisation controls. A .org.in name is the common choice for Indian non-profits; .org and .in work just as well.
- Create a mailbox such as donate@ or info@ on that domain, and send all receipts from it.
- Publish SPF and DKIM records for that domain so Gmail accepts the receipts. The steps are in business email setup.
- Install the gateway plugin and set the return URL to an HTTPS page. The SSL certificate on the plan covers it.
- Run one small live donation, then check that the receipt arrived and the amount shows in the gateway dashboard.
You know it worked when the test donation completes, the money appears in the gateway account, and the donor receives a receipt from your own domain rather than from a personal Gmail address.
When free hosting stops being enough
Free accounts are a fair start and a poor permanent home. Move when one of these appears.
- The campaign page slows down or times out when a message is forwarded widely.
- The account is suspended for inactivity, and the site is down while nobody is watching.
- A plugin the site depends on is blocked, or the storage cap is reached by photos and reports.
- The provider stops the programme, and there is no export path for the site.
Moving is a database export, the wp-content folder, and the same install on the new account. Plan it for a quiet week, keep the old account live until the new one loads, and change the nameservers at the registrar when you are ready.
When to email support
Email support@webji.services when the SSL certificate does not issue, a gateway callback fails after a donation is taken, or a migration needs the site moved without downtime. Include the domain, the plan, and the exact error the gateway or browser shows.
Email support is 24/7 in Hindi and English, with an average first reply under 60 minutes. The office phone is not a support line. Billing is in INR with 18% GST added on the invoice, and prices on this page are before that GST.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hosting is best for NGOs in India?
For most Indian NGOs a cPanel shared plan is enough: WebJi L-Basic is ₹300 a month before 18% GST, with free SSL, one-click WordPress and branded email. Free NGO hosting programmes exist but verify registration papers and can suspend an inactive account.
Is free hosting really free for NGOs?
Usually it is free in money and paid in conditions. Programmes ask for a registration certificate such as 12A or 80G, review the application over a day or two, and may cap resources or suspend the account if the site goes quiet.
What should an NGO website include?
A clear statement of the mission, programme pages, an annual report or impact page, a contact form, and a donation page served over HTTPS. Add the registration details and a privacy note that says what you do with donor data.
How much does hosting cost for an NGO site?
WebJi shared hosting is ₹300 a month for L-Basic and ₹400 a month for WordPress Unlimited, both before 18% GST. Neither needs a server; a VPS only makes sense when the site runs heavy custom software.
Can I take donations on a shared hosting plan?
Yes. Donation gateways work through a WordPress plugin, and they need HTTPS on the checkout and callback pages, which the free SSL on the plan provides. Test one small donation end to end before a campaign.
Which domain should an NGO use?
One the organisation owns and can keep for years. .org.in is the extension Indian non-profits commonly choose, and a .org or .in name works just as well. What matters is that the registrar login stays with the organisation, not with a volunteer or a vendor.