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Evolution Host’s free servers are a scam?
Hey LET,
Sharing my recent frustrating experience with Evolution Host's free VPS sponsorship program (the high-spec Business package one they promote here or via email). I went through the whole process in good faith, only to get screwed over in a way that feels pretty shady. Here's the full timeline – judge for yourself.
Timeline:
- Applied for their sponsorship (via form/LET thread).
Got an email from Eoin approving my site for the Business package, with clear conditions:
- Add a visible mention/link to https://evolution-host.com/ in the main content of my homepage (not footer/header/sidebar).
- Add a mention + link to their VPS page in the README of all my GitHub repos.
I did exactly that within hours, then emailed back confirming the changes and asking for verification.
- Just over 24 hours later, reply from Brian:
> "Our apologies, but upon further review we will be forced to revoke our offer.
> Please feel free to remove the mentions from your site/GitHub.
> We apologize for any inconvenience caused..."
That's it. No specific reason whatsoever – no TOS violation, no site quality issue, no low traffic/SEO value callout, nothing. Just "further review" and poof, offer gone.
I removed the links right away, but honestly this feels extremely unprofessional and disrespectful. They gave explicit written approval, I jumped through their hoops promptly, they got the backlinks/exposure they wanted, and then – silence + revoke? This screams classic bait-and-switch: dangle a high-spec free server, get the links placed, then pull the rug out with a vague excuse. At minimum, they could have offered a downgrade, explained what failed the "further review," or just been upfront from the start. Instead, it left me feeling played like a fool after wasting time and effort.
I'm not outright calling it a deliberate scam (maybe internal policy changed overnight, who knows), but the way it's handled is trash and erodes any trust in their sponsorship program. I've seen similar flip-flops in LET history with other "free with backlink" offers, but this quick "approve → comply → revoke with zero info" is one of the worst I've personally dealt with.
Sorry if my tone here comes off a bit angry – I am genuinely pissed about how this was handled, and I apologize in advance if it sounds too heated. Just wanted to lay out the facts plainly so others can avoid the same disappointment.
Has anyone else hit this exact wall with Evolution Host's recent sponsorships (2025–2026 era)? Got approved conditionally, added the links, then had it revoked on "further review"? Did they ever explain why, or offer anything as fallback? Or is this becoming their standard MO for high-spec freebies?
I think I need to clarify the complete process:
First email:
Hello,
Thank you for your Evolution Host sponsorship request. I'm happy to say that your website would be eligible for the Business package if the following criteria is met:
A link to evolution-host is added to the homepage. The mention should be placed in the main content of the page and not in the footer/header/sidebar.
A mention of Evolution Host with a link to Evolution vps-hosting is added to the README file of all of your repositories on https://github.com/
Let us know once that has been added and we can get it verified on our end. Once verified, we'll be able to get your server deployed for you.
Website:
Plan: Business
Best regards,
Eoin
My reply:
Hi Eoin,
Thanks for the approval!
I've added the required links:
- On my blog homepage a mention with link to https://evolution-host.com/ in the main content area.
- In the README of my GitHub repositories under https://github.com/xxxx: added mention with link to https://evolution-host.com/vps-hosting.php.
Please verify and let me know if everything looks good. Looking forward to getting the Business VPS deployed!
Best regards,
Dejavu Moe
A few days later, @EvolutionHost responded:
Hey,
Thank you for the follow up.
Our apologies, but upon further review we will be forced to revoke our offer.
Please feel free to remove the mentions from your site/GitHub.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we wish you nothing but the best going forward.
Sorry again.
Let us know if we can provide any further assistance, we're happy to help.
Best regards,
Brian
My final reply:
Hello Brian,
Thank you for the rather abrupt message.
After approving the Business package in writing, waiting for me to add the links, and then revoking the offer the very next day with zero substantive reason provided, this feels more like bait-and-switch than a genuine sponsorship program.
I fulfilled everything asked in good faith, only to be told "upon further review" — yet no actual review feedback was given.
I'll remove the links, but honestly this experience has left a very poor impression of how Evolution Host handles applicants.
Best of luck with future sponsorships.
Dejavu Moe
This is the whole process of the incident. I don’t know if it is a scam or not. I only know that I was indeed fooled.
Comments
Have you lost money, time or dignity? No? Continue on.
Lost time in a way.
Getting this aggravated because you did not get something for free?
I think you should take a few days off and relax a bit.
In a sense, it is indeed a waste of my time, although other people's time is worthless to other "others".
I think the credibility of such merchants who regret temporarily is not worthy of trust.
wasted more time writing this
Ou boy... Welcome to low end world. You ain't see a thing if such merchants provoke you.
I wasn't trying to fall into this "self-incriminating trap"; I updated the full email exchange in the post, so you can see where my anger comes from.
It’s not that the application was not approved, but that the application was approved. I updated the README files of all GitHub repositories, the backlinks and descriptions of the main part of the website’s homepage as requested.
Finally, they told me that they regretted it and allowed me to delete the link.
Everything you say is correct, I'm just giving it a reference for future applicants.
If you are attacking me personally, I accept that, it's no big deal.
Sorry to hear your web/git were used for an advertisement free or charge and wasting your time.
Edit so it doesn't get more confusing.
I still think it very much sounds like you are pissed because you do not get things for free that you somehow thinks you are entitled to.
I have not read the terms and do not know the exact details of whatever deal you had or think you had with evolution-host, but if you are paying zero for the service my guess is that you had pretty much zero rights as well. It's a bitch, sure, and evolution-host might need to work a bit on their communications, but then again you got exactly what you paid for, didn't you?
The torrent website above is another applicant's website, and mine is the one above. Please keep your eyes open, haha.
Pertinent, correct, I completely agree.
The worst part I think is the commit history messed up. If fine, would you clear the previous commit and force push?
Please don't attack Evolution Host because I haven't lost anything, just a little time, not worth a penny.
I'm just giving other applicants a little reference and a little bit about potential "time" risks.
I don't intend to argue with anyone, I will end the discussion below this post.
Yes, I can, it just takes a little more time to operate.
I'd feel pissed if someone offered something to me and then revoked it no matter what it is or how much it's worth. It leaves a bad taste in one's mouth to feel fooled like that. Although I wouldn't call the servers a scam... That's a clickbait title for sure, but the insult is not losing out on something free but on having your excitement built up and then dashed.
If someone offers you a free three course meal at a fabulous restaurant and you get dressed and ready and go there and they suddenly change their mind, you'd probably feel pissed off. How is this any different, from a psychological perspective?
The thing is time and effort is not viewed as an asset not just here but pretty much everywhere. Unless you are at a loss financially you can't be complaining.
That's if you're complaining about a legal violation. I don't think OP is saying that they were wronged in that way. You can complain because someone built up your hope and then dashed that hope even if, or especially if, you have no recourse.
The world is full of instances where someone is given an award, a prize, a gift, etc. due to a technical mistake or an oversight which then has to be corrected. In every case, it really sucks for those involved.
Now, I'm not saying that EvolutionHost was in the wrong or that they should be called a scam. I'm just empathizing that it really sucks and feels awful to be told you're going to get something and then told it was a mistake.
No. Are you attacking me before I attack you?
For people which produce value - time is at essence. People who search for free service produce no real value to others. Their time is free as the service for which they seek. OP tried to pay for free service with his time, but payment was declined. He id free to chargeback (denounce provider) and he use that right.
Can I attack you both? Not for any reason. It just seems there is so much attacking going on in the world right now and I feel left out.
I'm happy to join in. I'll give you rock, and you'll give me scissors or paper?
No I'll just take the rock and go home with a free rock instead.
See? Violence is never the answer. Say no to violence and you can win a rock.
In 2017, Rubrik offered us a job and revoked it two weeks later.
We wasted 2 days of our dissertation-writing time on an in-person tour of their office (paid by them).
All we got is a fleece hoodie.
They got IPO in 2024 for $32.
Now they are worth $50 per share.
If we were working there, we would be employee ~50 and could afford a sedan now.
Wait, you can't just steal my rock and call it pacifism!
That's cheating with extra steps~
Rematch, but this time no running away with loot.
That was indeed a huge loss
, so it’s really not worth mentioning here haha.
I finished cleaning up my Git commit history while watching Let. There are only a dozen Git repositories, so it didn't take too much time and now everything is back.
Thanks Time Machine!
My heart has calmed down, thanks all of you.
I dunno if I'd call it a scam, but it's clear horseshit. Hopefully you learned a lesson about "free". And yea I'd be annoyed with them too, don't let anybody tell you your time and efforts are worth 0.
I occasionally scan their bullshit "offer" thread just for the drama that's sure to pop up but no idea why they're allowed to post. Reminds me of that tool with his shared dedis always trying to convince people to pay him for access that he might oops delete at any time.
Oh I figured it out, what's @Rubben say.. something something anything for $200? lol.
edit: too many occasionals.
The free ones are indeed the most expensive, and this time I paid the price for my greed - a little time.
Thank you for your advice, I gladly accept it.