Building a website from the ground up is as enjoyable as it is tedious. However, the main obstacle for many is getting a free domain name. A domain name is essential. Think of it as your business address that allows your shop or store to be found.
In the same fashion, a domain name allows your website to be found by visitors. It doesn’t have to be long; in fact, a short domain name is better. It should be simple enough for people to remember it. Now, there’s a problem; what if the domain name is taken? Well, you have to think of another one or find the domain’s name owner and buy it.
Luckily, you won’t have to buy anything today. At least not for a while. We’ll explain how to get a free domain name and start working on your website even on a limited budget.
How to Get a Domain Name for Free: All You Need To Know
Let’s first clarify a few things we deem important. First, you should know that a free domain name isn’t yours forever. In fact, domain names are never free – at least not for the time being. We’ll go back to our analogy with your business address.
Think about renting an apartment for your modeling agency. You will have to pay a monthly fee to use it. The same goes for domain names that must be paid. Regardless of which registrar you use, it can alter the agreement at any moment without previous notice.
Thus, be sure to frequently review the registration agreement before opting for one.
Before we proceed with our guide on obtaining a free domain name, we first want you to go to the WHOIS database. You’ll need to type in the domain name you want to use and see if it’s available. If it is, follow the steps below.
1. Use a Free Domain Name Registrar
The simplest way to register your web domain for free is using a free registrar. If you’ve done a bit of digging, you’ve noticed two registrars:
- Freenom
- DotTK
Both offer free domain names but with a few caveats. First, they’re usually optimized for personal use because of their lack of security. Another thing to consider is the lack of transfer rights, which differentiated them from their paid counterparts.
Freenom and DotTK also don’t let you use “.com” or “.net” extensions. Instead, you can choose only from the 5 free ones, such as “.ml“, “.tk“, “.cf“, “.gq“, and “.ga.” The problem with these extensions is that they look rather… strange. How often have you seen these?
Probably never. If you have a business-focused website or you plan on selling products and services, this can be a big issue. Another point to make is that these free web domains aren’t yours. They’re still owned by DotTK or Freenom, hence the problem of transfer rights.
As they’re not yours, you can’t transfer your website to a new domain if you ever want to do that. Unfortunately, Freenom and DotTK are the only options for those willing to go this route.
However, the other two methods below provide a top-notch free web domain for a year!
2. Opt for a Website Builder
Let’s talk about website builders. As their name implies, these tools are hand-crafted to help you build your website without coding and other fluff.
Some of these, like Wix, let you get a free domain name for a limited time; in this case for a year.
It’s more than enough to get you on your feet, though.
Wix is our favorite pick here. It’s one of the simplest website builders, plus, it offers feature-rich plans to help you craft your website the way you want. We’ll explore it and a few more options soon. For now, let’s clarify that a free domain is available as part of a plan.
This means you can’t just waltz in and claim the name for free. You’ll have to buy a plan and make a website, which shouldn’t be an issue because the domain name can’t “exist” without a website. Here are the two website builders to get a web domain for free:
1. Wix (The Best Option)
As said, Wix is our #1 option for this cause. This website builder offers four plans to pick from, all offering a free domain for a year. All plans also include 900+ customizable templates, with excellent drag-and-drop tools to build the website promptly.
Look at Wix’s subscription plans and you’ll see how affordable it can be. You can start at only $17/mo if you opt for a bare minimum. Yet, even this plan offers a free web domain. We recommend the Business plan whose price is $36/mo but with many commodities.
For example, there’s 100 GB of storage space and ample eCommerce features, with Wix’s famous marketing suite. In our Wix review, we highlighted its lightning speeds according to the GTmetrix test. This is topped up by plenty of clever AI tools for various purposes.
Wix is great for SEO, content creation, email marketing, and site analytics. Plus, if you’re dissatisfied with any aspect, you can always use a 14-day money-back guarantee to be reimbursed.
Get a Free Domain Name With Wix
2. Squarespace
Another option for obtaining a free website domain is Squarespace. You’ve heard of it and likely know it’s another intuitive website builder.
We tested Squarespace as well, praising its countless templates, eCommerce features, and intuitiveness. Like Wix, it also lets you get a free custom domain name (1 year).
This is available in every plan; from Personal to Commerce. Squarespace starts at $16/mo (Personal) but this plan is pretty basic and is mostly suited to bloggers. Small businesses are better off with the Business plan at $23/mo which allows them to sell services and products.
Squarespace has a 14-day free trial and lets you test the grounds before you commit. On top of that, you can save 36% if you pay annually. Discounts for both Wix and Squarespace are available via the blue buttons so that you can get your free web domain name more easily.
3. Get a Free Domain With Hosting Providers
Going back to the physical business analogy, let’s again mention your modeling agency apartment. You need a business address so that models can come to you. But the apartment is even more important and that’s your hosting.
Instead of buying a domain name separately, you can just register a free custom web domain with a hosting provider in a bundle. The premise is the same as before.
The domain name is free for a year but that doesn’t matter because you’ll renew the plan anyway. Otherwise, you’ll lose access to your website.
Not all hosting providers offer a website domain for free, but some of the best do. They include:
1. Hostinger (Our #1 Recommendation)
Hostinger is fast, cheap, and flexible, making it an ideal option to register a free website domain name.
Every web hosting plan comes with this feature and if you opt for the Premium one, which is the cheapest, you’re looking at a price of less than $3/month.
Even this plan is packed with features, such as 100 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, AI website builder, DDoS protection, and even WHOIS privacy protection, which comes as standard. The Business plan at roughly $4/mo for 48 months is also viable.
It doubles your storage and implements NVMe disks, with advanced eCommerce features, AI SEO tools, 24/7 support, and much more. The renewal price of the domain after a year depends on its extension and “.com” is a known TLD at $16.99 annually.
Find out more about the web host in our full Hostinger review.
Get a Free Web Domain With Hostinger
2. Hostgator
Hostgator’s free domain name is available in all web hosting plans. We love its performance, fast SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and features like malware scanner and Cloudflare CDN. Hostgator lets you register a free web domain for a year, like other options.
However, it’s a tad more expensive, as the starter, Hatchling plan is $3.75/mo. Opting for the annual plan bumps the price to $4.95/mo, and the monthly plan is $12.95/mo. You should also consider its renewal price, which is a lot higher than Hostinger, our #1 pick.
For the “.com” domain extension, you’ll pay $22.99/year, which is $6 on top. Moreover, if you include domain privacy, you’ll pay $15 annually for each domain.
3. Bluehost
Bluehost is great for simplicity and ease of use, ranking it as one of the top choices for beginners. Its prices are also kept in check and you won’t be fleeced. Best of all; its 4 plans include a free domain name for 1 year so that you can start right away.
The Basic plan is $2.49/mo, alas, with only 10 GB of NVMe storage and basic DDoS protection. WHOIS privacy protection is a bonus and you’ll have to shell out $0.99 each month. As always, the domain renewal price depends on its extension.
The free domain name promotion applies to roughly 10 of them, including .com, . info, .org, .us, .tech, etc. The renewal price for “.com” is $21.99 and domain privacy costs $15 annually, making Bluehost’s offer pricier than Hostinger’s equivalent.
The Final Verdict
With a couple of ways to get a web domain for free, we think you’re off to a good start. Unfortunately, you can’t get it for free forever, and if you could, you’d be stripped of features like WHOIS privacy, additional security, and eCommerce additions.
By far the best way to go is either a website builder like Wix or a solid web hosting provider like Hostinger. Since you need a website to go with your domain name, you’ll need the features from these services, so you’re not technically paying for the domain.
You’re paying to build and host your website from the ground up. As explained, you’ll enjoy a whole year for free, after which, you’re looking at a low renewal price of roughly $17 per year. At only over $1.4 a month, the domain name is pretty much free.
FAQs about Free Website Domains
We’ll provide a few more bits of information to aid your free domain name creation. Here are some of the frequently asked questions.
Can I alter my domain name after I register it?
No, you can’t. Once you register and pay for it, this name is solidified. The only way to “change” it is to register a new domain and use it to redirect to your old one. However, you’ll have to pay for a new domain name, which produces additional costs.
What is WHOIS domain privacy protection? Is it necessary?
The WHOIS database includes private information about each domain. WHOIS privacy protection hides this information from WHOIS, ensuring that no one can access it. We don’t think it’s necessary but saying it doesn’t mean a lot would be a lie.
WHOIS protection is welcome if you care about your privacy and don’t want snoopers to gather information about your website.
To make your information confidential, you can pay for WHOIS privacy protection, which usually costs roughly $15+ annually, depending on the hosting provider.
We chose Hostinger earlier because WHOIS privacy protection is included for the first year in all plans.
What happens to an expired domain name?
It expires and the domain is deactivated unless you pay for renewal. Worse yet, an expired domain name becomes available for someone else to purchase it. That’s why it’s crucial to renew it on time or at least a few days in advance.