If you've always wanted to build a Web site about yourself, your hobbies, or your family, many free Web host options are out there--too many, in fact. To help you choose, we start with three popular sites, EarthLink, Yahoo, and Tripod (owned by Lycos).

In addition to offering various paid plans and even plans suitable for small businesses, each Web host also offers free hosting. Our favorite, EarthLink, offers the best deal in free Web sites, providing the tools to build your own site and the ability to get technical support while doing so. The free option is limited to EarthLink subscribers, but we were nonetheless impressed by the offering. Our next favorite, open to anyone, is Yahoo GeoCities. While Yahoo GeoCities offers considerably less file storage space than EarthLink and doesn't provide much technical support, it does give you the tools you need to succeed. And then there's Tripod, a service from Lycos.com. Tripod offers more file storage space than Yahoo GeoCities, but its Web-building tools are clumsy in comparison. Finally, only EarthLink offers free Web sites without paid advertising.