See your site on its new server before you switch DNS
Get a shareable link to your website on its new host in seconds. No hosts file, no waiting for DNS.
Three steps, about ten seconds
Enter your domain
We ask your new host's nameserver for your new server's IP address, or you can enter it yourself.
We check and connect to the new server
You see each check as it happens. Every request then goes straight to that IP, whatever DNS says today.
Share the link
Open it on any device, or send it to a client. It works like the real site.
Built for the moment before go-live
Migrations
Check everything moved before you point DNS at the new host.
Client sign-off
One link your client can open on their phone. No hosts file for them.
New builds
Review a site on its production server before launch day.
Hosting support
Send customers a link to check their site mid-migration.
Preview link vs hosts file
| Feature | SitePreview | Hosts file |
|---|---|---|
| Works on phones | Yes | Rarely |
| Shareable | Send a link | Each person edits |
| Admin rights | Not needed | Required |
| Clean-up | Expires itself | Remember to undo |
| Admin logins, payments | May not work | Work fully |
Common questions
All FAQs →Do I need an account?
No. Anyone can create a preview that lasts 3 days. A free account gives you:
- Links that last up to 30 days
- A dashboard of all your previews
- Extend, pause, label and delete the links you create while signed in
- Warnings when a preview's homepage returns an error or its server stops answering
Can I share the link?
Yes. That's what it's for. Anyone with the link can open it without an account, so only share it with people you trust to see the site.
Does it work if my new server has no SSL certificate yet?
Yes. We accept self-signed, expired and mismatched certificates, because a server that isn't live yet often has one of these. If the server doesn't answer on HTTPS at all, we connect over HTTP. Your preview link itself always uses HTTPS.
Why can't I log in to WordPress admin (or another admin area)?
Admin areas often check that requests come from the exact domain, or set security cookies that don't carry over to the preview address. Use the preview to check the public site, and log in to admin areas directly on the new server: with a temporary URL from your host, or by pointing your own computer at the new server with a hosts-file entry (your results page gives you the line to add).
Will search engines index my preview?
No. Every preview link tells search engines not to crawl it, and links expire automatically.