Free vs. paid websites:
Which is right for you?

Technical Support

Free:

How much support will they give you -- technical, logistical, ...? If their server crashes, will they restore your site, or will they say "tough luck, buddy"? Because you're usually locked in to a specific domain name and site location with free servers, you may need to be ready to solve your problems yourself, use an online users' forum, or wait...

Paid:

Technical support varies from company to company and type to type. When you're having a problem or you notice that your site is down in the middle of the night, 24-hour phone support can be nice. (1&1 includes 24-hour toll-free phone tech support. Their first-level support peple don't always solve my problems, but they often do... and I can get answers if I persist. To be fair, though, the amount and quality of support you get for a package that costs just a few dollars per month is amazing.)