Where to host a static portfolio

Portfolio hosting is mostly file taste

A static portfolio is images, case-study HTML, and maybe a light JS gallery. The hosting question is where those files live with HTTPS and a domain you control—not which platform has the flashiest framework matrix. Decide with criteria: build locally or remotely, rewrite rules, mail, CDN needs, price honesty.

StaticHost hosts finished files—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, and generator output. You build locally or in CI you control. The platform does not run npm, Hugo, or Jekyll for you. Upload a zip of the site root or connect GitHub to a tree that already contains those files. HTTPS is available on the preview hostname immediately; custom-domain certificates issue only after DNS verifies. nginx is effectively try_files $uri $uri/ =404 with no SPA fallback to index.html. There is no email product and no bundled CDN product. Plans: Starter $9/mo (1 site, 2 GB), Pro $30 (3 sites, 10 GB, staging), Scale $65 (10 sites, 30 GB), Business $130 (30 sites, 100 GB, teams). Short trial (~1 day); no forever-free tier.

What this host is (portfolio lens)

A place to put index.html, project pages, and optimized images. Preview for client review before DNS. Rollback when a heavy shoot upload goes wrong. Storage tiers that make you think before uploading unresized RAW derivatives. Staging on Pro helps when a case study needs legal review before it replaces the live grid.

What this host is not

Not Behance. Not a managed Lightroom cloud. Not PHP contact forms with local mail(). Not a history-mode React portfolio without prerender. Not free forever. Not a global image CDN control panel—optimize before upload, or put hot assets on a dedicated image service while the HTML stays here.

Decision criteria

Image budget. Compress before upload. Starter’s 2 GB vanishes if you ship 8 MB PNGs per frame.
Update cadence. Rare → zip. Frequent case studies in git → GitHub of built output.
Contact. Use form SaaS or mailto:; do not pick a host because it once bundled inboxes.
URL design. Real HTML files per project (/work/acme/index.html) beat SPA paths the server cannot see.
Client count. Freelancers with one portfolio: Starter. Studios with many branded portfolios: Scale/Business.
Proofing. HTTPS preview without DNS lets art directors review on real devices.

Worked example: campaign landing page for a weekend sale

Odd portfolio moment: you are a freelancer whose “portfolio piece” this week is actually a campaign landing page for a client’s weekend sale—static, timed, disposable in two weeks, still needs a trustworthy host.

You build the page locally. Host on StaticHost as its own site (Pro if you already use a site slot for your portfolio). Preview for the client on HTTPS. Attach sale.client.com only after approval. When the sale ends, keep the deploy for your case study screenshots or take it down—your portfolio site stays untouched on another slot.

This is why site-count plans matter for portfolio people who also ship client microsites. Mixing campaign detritus into your personal index.html tree creates embarrassing leftovers in view-source.

Failure: expecting email mailboxes from web hosting

Portfolio owners often want [email protected] on the same vendor as the site. StaticHost does not sell mailboxes. Choosing it “because hosting usually includes email” leads to MX mistakes or abandoned contact promises.

Separate the decisions: StaticHost (or any static file host) for the portfolio files; a mail provider for inboxes; a form provider for structured leads. Your footer can still show the address. DNS MX records stay with the mail vendor while web records point at StaticHost. Conflating them is a selection error, not a missing checkbox on the static product.

If a contact form library assumes server-side PHP mail(), replace it before go-live. The portfolio host will not grow a sendmail binary to save the library.

Portfolio-specific selection tip

Prefer hosts that show HTTPS preview without DNS so art directors can review on a real URL. Prefer clear storage numbers over “unlimited images.” Prefer explicit 404 behavior so you design project URLs as files. StaticHost matches those preferences; build-centric platforms match different ones.

When a framework export is involved, remember the host will not run the build—your dist is the portfolio, not your src.

Questions people actually ask

Can my portfolio be a Vite or Astro export?

Yes—build locally, upload the output directory. The host will not run the build for you.

What plan for portfolio + two client microsites?

Pro at $30/mo (3 sites, 10 GB, staging) is the usual fit.

Will a JS gallery router work on deep links?

Only with files on disk or hash routing. No SPA fallback rewrite is provided.

Do you include a CDN for large images?

No CDN product is bundled. Optimize images; consider a dedicated image CDN in front of hot assets if you outgrow simple origin delivery.