Writer: Laura Bernheim
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
Think of your domain as the furniture you already own. Now, imagine finding the perfect home to showcase it. Choosing the right web hosting for your existing domains is just as important.
Even if you don’t already have a website, getting a jump on registering a cool domain name will make shopping for web hosting much easier. That way, you won’t be as concerned with finding a plan that includes a free domain registration with hosting.
Maybe you’re looking for a web hosting service that will help you move in with free migration, or that won’t mind if you’re a domain hoarder and let you host unlimited domain names. With the number of domain name registrations reaching more than 664 million worldwide, you’re not alone in wanting to grow your online presence.
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Best Overall Web Hosting for Existing Domain Names
While a free domain name is a nice bonus, ample disk space and lightning-fast processing speeds are often more essential.
Website owners who have already registered their brand’s online space can still get great hosting deals. They may want to focus on overall cost, better customer support, or the ability to host, register, or park multiple domain names.
Here, we’ll be looking at the best web hosting service providers for those with existing domain names. From shared web hosting to managed WordPress solutions, our goal is to connect you with a one-stop shop for all your website needs.
1. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- Best overall value: The most complete domain + hosting bundle at this price
- .com domains from $0.01 for the first year
- 300+ domain extensions with an AI domain name generator
- Free WHOIS privacy protection included with every domain
- ICANN-accredited registrar with 7 million domains registered
- Free domain included with most hosting plans
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Sead Fadilpasic
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 20 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
While many hosts strive to offer low-cost hosting, Hostinger goes above and beyond with amazing savings on website hosting and added features. The hosting provider’s prices — for everything from registration to domain privacy — are some of the cheapest you’ll find.
Millions trust Hostinger as their preferred web host because it’s incredibly user-friendly, making it simple to set up new websites or migrate existing ones and their domains.
- Number of websites: Up to 100 websites on select plans.
- Registration cost: $9.99, with renewals at $13.99 per year (or get a free domain with most hosting plans)
- Privacy: $5 per year
- Other features: Cloudflare DNS Firewall to protect nameservers from DDoS attacks, easy DNS management, SSD storage, and accelerated WordPress environments
Hostinger’s signature $2.69-per-month web hosting price tag extends to several domain extensions, including .ONLINE, .XYZ, or .TECH.
In addition to easy domain transfers, Hostinger offers a WHOIS lookup service for users to find useful information about a registered domain, including their own.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) maintains and updates WHOIS, the centralized database of domain contacts and registration information.
Moreover, Hostinger collaborates with cutting-edge technologies such as Cloudflare, LiteSpeed, Google Cloud Platform, and Jetpack to enhance both performance and reliability.
Other Top Web Hosting Options for Existing Domains
If you are unsure what shared hosting is, here’s a bit of a breakdown for you: Shared hosting simply involves multiple websites sharing the same server.
A single server can host hundreds, even thousands, of shared hosting accounts along with their domain names. Typically, you won’t notice the other websites on your server or how many resources they use, but this can mean fewer resources available for your site.
Shared hosting is much cheaper than VPS hosting, making it the go-to choice for users on a budget. If you use a shared hosting option, you’re more likely to be restricted by how many server resources your site can use or how many domains or websites you can have.
2. Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- Web hosting with a free domain & SSL included
- LiteSpeed servers with NVMe SSD storage and free Cloudflare CDN included
- WAF, DDoS protection, malware scanning, and daily backups
- Free expert site migration — in-house team handles everything
- 24/7/365 in-house support via live chat, phone, and tickets
- Get started on hosting.com now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 15 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Hosting.com combines high-performance hosting with hands-on migration support, making it a particularly good fit for anyone bringing an existing domain or website to a new provider. Its migration team will move your website, email, databases, and domain settings for free without taking the live site offline.
The company’s biggest strength is that it handles the technical work from start to finish. Customers can preview their migrated website on a temporary URL before approving the switch, which reduces the risk of downtime or broken functionality.
- Number of websites: Most plans support multiple websites, although the entry-level plan is limited to one
- Registration cost: Hosting.com does not include a free domain with its hosting plans
- Privacy: Available as an optional domain service
- Other features: Free unlimited migrations, NVMe storage, Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, dual web application firewalls, free SSL certificates, automatic backups, and 24/7 support
Hosting.com isn’t the cheapest provider on this list, but its performance tools and free expert migrations add considerable value for website owners who already have a domain. Every hosting plan includes migration assistance, and the team tests the copied site before changing its DNS records.
The provider also reports a 97% customer satisfaction rate and an average live chat response time of less than one minute. That level of support can be especially helpful when moving an established website, email account, or multiple domains from another host.
3. HostGator.com
Monthly Starting Price $3.75
- Web hosting with a free domain, free SSL, and Cloudflare CDN
- Free domain locking and auto-renewals on all plans
- Unmetered bandwidth with WAF and DDoS protection
- One-click installs for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more
- 24/7/365 support via phone, chat, and knowledge base
- Get started on HostGator now.
Lynn Cadet
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
HostGator is one of the oldest and most well-known web hosting options out there, appealing to both first-time site owners and experienced developers.
HostGator provides all the services you’d expect when searching for a web host and domain registrar. Alongside budget-friendly shared hosting and a custom website builder, HostGator guarantees 99.9% uptime, a 30-day money-back promise, SiteLock security, and numerous other features.
- Number of websites: Plans support between 10 and 100 websites.
- Registration cost: $12.99 for the first year, with renewals costing $22.99 per year afterward (HostGator gives new customers a free domain with web hosting)
- Privacy: $14.95 per year
- Other features: Unmetered bandwidth, easy DNS management, email and domain forwarding, auto-renewals, and domain locking
Thanks to a thorough checklist and informative knowledge base articles, HostGator ushers you through the domain transfer process — you may even get an additional discount for migrating your existing domain.
Even better, the hosting provider will even handle moving your website files from your previous host and getting everything set up on your WordPress or cPanel hosting account with HostGator.
As you’d expect, HostGator shines in customer support, offering 24/7 assistance via phone and live chat. You can upgrade to their premium hosting options, including cloud services, managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting plans.
4. GoDaddy.com
Monthly Starting Price $5.99
- World’s largest domain registrar, trusted by 20M+ customers around the world
- Web hosting with a free domain, SSL, and email included
- NVMe storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 99.9% uptime
- Automatic daily backups and free website migration included
- Award-winning 24/7 support via phone and chat
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
Lynn Cadet
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 25 GB – 100 GB | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
If we were just evaluating domain hosts, this would be at the top of the list. GoDaddy is the world’s most popular domain registrar — and it’s not even close.
The web host has over 84 million domain names under management, thanks to brand recognition and aggressive marketing in the early days of the web. As you can imagine, domains remain a major part of GoDaddy’s business model.
- Number of websites: The introductory plan supports one website, while higher-tier plans support multiple websites.
- Registration cost: $12.17, with renewals at $22.17 (GoDaddy gives new customers a free domain with annual shared hosting packages)
- Privacy: $11.99 per year for full domain protection
- Other features: Bulk domain searches and purchasing, domain backorders with daily availability monitoring, brokerage services, and three tiers of additional domain privacy services, plus domain auctions and other investing services
Perhaps the GoDaddy domain-related feature we most appreciate is the automatic, hands-free domain transfer. You can even get a 31% discount on the already reasonably priced service by transferring six or more domains.
GoDaddy falls to this spot, though, for being on the more expensive side when it comes to web hosting. Renewals are pricey, and we’d like to see better email hosting features and integrated tools for WordPress, SEO, or website design.
5. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- Web hosting with a free domain and free SSL included
- AI domain name generator plus domain lock and auto-renewal
- WordPress.org recommended host with 1-click WordPress setup and install
- Domain privacy protection and free website migration
- 24/7 expert support via phone, chat, and knowledge base
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Sead Fadilpasic
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
One of the most recognized and trusted brands in the hosting industry, Bluehost offers a lot of different features and alternatives when thinking about cheap web hosting.
We especially appreciate that Bluehost recently updated its infrastructure to include high-speed solid-state drives, ensuring that visitors get to your website even quicker. Bluehost also offers a free domain, free SSL, and a free content delivery network for its lower-tier plans.
- Number of websites: Plans support between 1 site and 100 sites
- Registration cost: Initial registration is $12.99, with $19.99 annual renewal fees (Bluehost offers a free domain registration with hosting)
- Privacy: $2.95 per month (Available for free on the top two shared hosting plans)
- Other features: Free domain locking and auto-renewal, easy management via the streamlined control panel, and easy email integration with Microsoft 365
Domain registration is incredibly simple with Bluehost, which will also monitor your website’s availability around the clock.
You’ll get a discount on domain privacy at signup and have the option to enhance your hosting service by adding automated daily backups, one-click restores, extra security measures, and SEO tools.
Bluehost customers can also give their site a dedicated IP address and an enhanced SSL certificate. A dedicated IP address gives your website a unique address and enhanced stability instead of sharing one with hundreds of other sites (some of which might cause trouble).
6. IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.00
- Web hosting from $1/mo with a free domain & SSL included
- Free domain privacy protection included with every domain
- 500+ domain extensions with an AI domain name generator
- 99.9% uptime, daily backups, and free website migration
- Personal consultant assigned after every order
- Get started on IONOS now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Championing affordability and a user-friendly hosting service, IONOS offers a great array of features. Right off the bat, each customer receives unlimited disk space, databases, websites, and addon domain registrations — perfect for those with an established domain portfolio.
Other free web hosting perks include an SSL certificate, built-in security, a custom control panel, and a website builder.
- Number of websites: Unlimited on most plans
- Registration cost: Free domain with a web hosting plan, or $1.00 first-year registration with $17.00-per-year renewals
- Privacy: $1 for the first year, then $15 annually
- Other features: Free domain privacy to protect against unauthorized transfers, automatic domain renewals, unlimited websites and storage, plus free SSL certificate and email accounts
Even better, the IONOS domain fees are lower than those of many other competitors. Customers get a free registration at signup, but additional domains are remarkably affordable. Sure, the renewal seems a bit steep, but we found that to be in line with others in the industry.
Best Domain Hosting for WordPress
Already have a domain and a WordPress site? Why not streamline everything with a hosting provider that excels at both? It’s a great way to simplify your online management.
WordPress hosting is specifically designed with the world’s most popular content management system in mind.
WordPress-specific performance tweaks and security enhancements are some common benefits, along with automatic platform updates. When it comes to hosting a domain with WordPress, what could be better than free site and domain transfers?
Take a look at our favorite hosts for domains and WordPress.
7. SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- Best for performance: WordPress sites average 78% faster speeds after migrating to SiteGround
- Free AI agent manages your WordPress site via simple chat
- Smart WAF, AI bot protection & geo-distributed backups
- Free staging, WP-CLI, SSH, Git, and one-click migrations
- 4.9/5 Trustpilot — 98% customer satisfaction for 10+ years
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Lynn Cadet
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB Google Cloud SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 6 minutes |
With more than 2 million domains under management, SiteGround offers a plethora of trusted hosting options, including WordPress and WooCommerce options for your new site.
By leveraging the Google Cloud Platform, the hosting company enjoys inherent speed and scalability. What’s even more impressive is that SiteGround can offer hosting plans that offset 100% of their energy usage with renewable energy.
- Number of websites: Cheapest plan comes with just one website, but you can get unlimited domains on all others
- Registration cost: $19.99 per year and renews at $19.99 annually
- Privacy: $12 per year and renews at $24 annually
- Other features: SG Site Scanner monitoring service that checks your site daily for malicious code, Google Cloud infrastructure, custom WordPress migrator plugin, or hands-free website transfers
We appreciate SiteGround immensely for the company’s hands-on, personal approach to support. The team has engineered all sorts of custom solutions to make your experience as pleasant as it can be.
WordPress site transfers can be done using a simple plugin, or you can have the SiteGround team handle the transfer of your files and domains. If you encounter any other issues, their support team is available around the clock and typically responds within minutes.
As a registrar, SiteGround offers more than 50 domain extensions for sale. You may not find all the bells and whistles, but we can promise the user experience will be top of the line.
8. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $5.09
- UltraStack NVMe hosting makes WordPress up to 40x faster
- Automatic WordPress updates, free SSL, and malware scans
- Free domain, free cPanel, and free expert migration on all plans
- BoldGrid drag-and-drop WordPress builder with free themes
- 90-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 award-winning human support
- Get started on InMotion now.
Dave McQuilling
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 – 300 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
With cutting-edge technologies and high-speed hosting services, InMotion Hosting inherently lends itself to ideal WordPress hosting. The company offers unbeatable pricing and features for all your WordPress needs.
Customers begin with fast SSD disk space, move on to NGINX web servers, and benefit from a free CDN as well as automatic WordPress updates and security patches.
- Number of websites: Between 2 and 40
- Registration cost: $23.00 per year (or get a free domain with web hosting) and $23.00 renewal
- Privacy: $15.99 per year
- Other features: Shared, virtual, and dedicated server WordPress hosting options, plus domain locking and automatic renewals
There is a lot to love about InMotion Hosting, including its server migration, automatic security checks and patching, free SSD storage, hack and malware protection, as well as an assortment of other features.
But most plans are surprisingly limited in how many websites and domains can be supported. InMotion has three shared hosting plans for WordPress and supports up to 40 websites. You’ll need to upgrade to the managed VPS packages to unlock unlimited websites.
What is Domain Hosting?
Domain hosting refers to a platform that manages your domain name and helps you connect it to your website, email accounts, and other web services.
A domain host typically acts as a domain registrar to help you stake a claim on a domain. Your information is recorded on a registry, which is then managed by ICANN (which also maintains the WHOIS database).
Domain registration typically costs between $10 and $30 per year, although pricing varies by extension and registrar. Many registrars allow customers to register or renew a domain for multiple years at once.
Registering a domain gives you the exclusive right to use it for the length of the registration term. You can continue controlling the domain as long as you renew it and comply with the registrar’s terms.
Why Do I Need Domain Hosting?
Simply put, domain hosting enables visitors to access your website. Kind of important, right?
Think of a domain name like your home’s address. It links your website to the vast web community and allows domain name hosting to offer additional features, such as email, enhanced DNS, and privacy settings.
Without domain hosting, users will not have a memorable or easy way to find your website online. Without web hosting, there won’t be a website to access in the first place.
Domain hosts, which typically facilitate registrations, provide DNS (Domain Name System) services that help computers connect a human-friendly domain name with a server-friendly IP address.
In addition to helping visitors connect to your website, DNS also includes other functionalities summed up by these DNS records:
- MX: Directs incoming email messages
- CNAME: Connects alias domains, like www.example.com and example.com
- A: Matches a domain name with the physical IP address of the host server
- TXT: Provides additional information to verify domain ownership, increase email security, and other tasks
As you can tell, domain hosting is critical to your online brand’s survival — and goes beyond just the URL to your website. Because having a custom domain is one of the primary components of professional email addresses, you’ll definitely want to pick a top-notch domain host.
How Do I Choose the Best Web Hosting for Existing Domains?
It’s important to evaluate your website’s unique needs before picking the best web host for you. Consider the amount of traffic your site gets and decide on the type of server space (shared, VPS, or dedicated) and other essentials you need for seamless operation.
For websites hosting existing domains, be sure to check out domain renewal prices and the fees associated with transfers or privacy protection. Your management tools and interface will also guide your experience and overall satisfaction.
You may also want to take into account whether you require a website builder as well. Website builders are sometimes included in web hosting and help you build, design, and market your website to your audience.
Choosing the right web host or website builder really depends on your specific needs. Take a look at the list below to focus on what matters most for your website.
- Price: In addition to the cost of signup, be sure to check for renewal rates and skim the fine print for any hidden fees or obligations.
- Technical needs: Are modern programming languages supported? What about a CDN, staging environment, WordPress optimization, security protections, and scalability?
- Ease of use: Think about who will be doing the bulk of the domain management or website oversight and content creation.
- Support: How important is it that someone is available 24/7? Are you comfortable with email, phone, and/or chat support?
We believe that getting the most value for your money is always wise. Web hosts often charge extra for premium servers, enhanced security, and advanced hosting features, so spending a bit more can truly be worthwhile.
Ultimately, one of the most important things to look for in a potential new host is support and customer assistance. One of the most annoying things when looking for a new web host is not having the support you need and being unsure of how to proceed.
Can I Move My Domain Name to a Different Host?
You don’t have to transfer your domain registration when moving to a new web host. You can leave the domain with its current registrar and update its nameservers or DNS records to point to your new hosting account.
If you prefer to manage your domain and hosting in one place, you can transfer the registration to your new provider. This is a separate process from migrating your website files, databases, and email.
If you ever find yourself in a bind, don’t worry — your web host has got you covered with a comprehensive knowledge base and 24/7 support. Some hosts will even handle everything for you.
If you decide to transfer the domain registration, the process typically looks like this:
- Disable domain security measures: Your current registrar likely has your domain locked to avoid theft and unauthorized transfers. Undo this.
- Get the authorization code: An EPP code will be generated and sent to the email address associated with the domain.
- Notify your new domain host: Verify which domain you want to move and supply the EPP or AuthCode.
- Wait (and possibly pay): Your new host should take care of the rest. Some ask you to renew the domain’s registration or pay for the transfer, but everything should be done within a few days.
A registrar transfer typically takes five to seven days. DNS changes are separate and may take up to 48 hours to propagate, although they often update much sooner.
Move Your Existing Domain to a Better Web Host
Moving an existing domain to a new web host doesn’t have to disrupt your website or email. The best providers offer migration assistance, straightforward DNS management, reliable support, and enough room for your website portfolio to grow.
Hostinger delivers our favorite balance of affordability and usability, while Hosting.com stands out for its hands-on, zero-downtime migration service, making it especially appealing to website owners who want the technical work handled for them.
Before choosing a provider, compare its website limits, renewal pricing, migration policy, and support options. You can then either transfer your domain registration or leave it with its current registrar and point it to your new host.
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