13+ Cheap Domain Registration Hosts (March 2024)

A domain name isn’t just a line of text that tells the browser what website to load. Studies have shown that domain names impact how users perceive a website and interact with a brand.

That also explains why some domain names cost millions of dollars. But I bet if you had $1 million, you wouldn’t spend it all on a domain name, especially with the availability of cheap domain registration hosts.

Let’s explore some great options.

$17.00/Year Domain Renewal

I’ve hosted three websites at IONOS over the last year and a half. One was for a client who wanted a PCI-compliant host, and the other two were small business websites. Like most hosts, IONOS welcomes you with a free domain offer valid for one year.

Although the domain renewal fee at IONOS is slightly more than what you would pay at Hostinger, it is worth it if you are looking for a PCI-compliant host. Compliance aside, IONOS is also one of the cheapest web hosting providers I know.

The best part of IONOS is that there’s no catch, it just offers more value for less money. The only downside I’ve experienced with this web and domain hosting service so far is the lack of priority support for the Business plan.

I had to wait about 15 minutes to reach a customer support representative. That’s not too bad, given what I’m paying. Besides, the elaborate and content-rich knowledge base helped solve half of the technical issues I had.

$12.47/Year Domain Renewal

HostArmada is not only cheap but also includes plenty of free features and functionalities. Here, you’ll get SSL certificates, website and domain transfer, and site optimization for free.

As if that’s not enough, HostArmada also provides and supports unlimited parked domains, subdomains, websites (only for Web Warp or Speed Reaper plans), FTP accounts, emails, and MySQL databases.

This cheap domain name registrar and host makes an excellent choice for any website or application requiring a scalable, reliable, and stable hosting environment. Whether it’s an eCommerce store, a startup website, a blog, or anything in between; the possibilities are endless.

The best part is that even after renewal, HostArmada maintains its status as an affordable host. It’s not one of those hosts that use discounts to attract your attention before slapping you with high renewal fees.

$16.95/Year Domain Renewal

Like InMotion, ScalaHosting will give you a free domain, but only with specific hosting plans. Let’s quickly review the various hosting packages to expect.

Choose the Start, Advanced, or Entry Cloud hosting packages to get a free domain for the first year. The Mini package, ScalaHosting’s base shared plan, won’t get you a free domain and can only accommodate one website. Any plan above that can house as many websites as you wish.

On top of the free domain offer, you’ll get a free SSL certificate. Mind you, the free SSL certificate offer stands regardless of your choice of hosting package.

ScalaHosting is an excellent choice for web projects that require many databases. You won’t have to worry about losing them thanks to the daily offsite backups, which are also free.

$13.99/Year Domain Renewal

I learned about Hostinger from my classmates at a web development boot camp. Of course, when you’re a student, you want the cheapest web hosting deal out there to host your web applications and other projects.

At the time, I was working on a project called Pomodoro Panda, an online productivity timer. It helps with deep focus, especially in an age when paying attention is a luxury only few can afford thanks to TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and other social media distractions. Long story short, I signed up for a hosting plan at Hostinger and got the domain PomodoroPanda.com for free.

The Business hosting package I chose has daily backups, unlimited free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, and up to 100 free email accounts. I also got a free CDN and 200 gigabytes of NVMe SSD storage.

Even better, Hostinger offers managed WordPress services. That means you won’t have to worry about updating, patching, or optimizing WordPress. You can put that energy into what matters the most — building your website. And if you want to make that easier, you should try the host’s AI-powered website builder.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

Bluehost should be at the very top of your list if you want to build your website on WordPress. This host is popular with small businesses for two reasons: affordability and reliability.

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system. Today, more than 43% of websites on the internet run on WordPress. Even tech giants such as Microsoft and Mozilla host their websites on this popular CMS. A hosting plan from Bluehost can help you deploy the same software used by the bigwigs in the tech industry.

By casting its net into the WordPress market, and earning its official endorsement, Bluehost captures even those looking for domains for their WordPress websites.

But don’t get me wrong; this veteran host doesn’t only serve the WordPress market. Think of it as the McDonald’s of web hosting. Yes, it sells burgers and fries (WordPress hosting) but also has coffee and breakfast sandwiches on its menu (e.g. game server hosting).

$22.17/Year Domain Renewal

GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain registrar, has registered more than 84 million domains. Today, it also hosts about 20 million websites.

To paint a clearer picture of how far ahead GoDaddy is in the domain name registration market, let’s look at its closest competitor, Namecheap. This host is home to about 17 million domains.

Even if GoDaddy stopped registering domains now, Namecheap will need about six years to catch up. That’s almost impossible since NameCheap came into existence in 2000, and has registered 17 million domains so far.

That’s not a small number by any stretch, it’s just that GoDaddy has raised the bar too high. You can get a free domain at GoDaddy in three ways: by signing up for a WordPress hosting plan, hiring a GoDaddy web designer to build a WordPress site for you, or purchasing a hosting plan with this service.

$14.00/Year Domain Renewal

InterServer has quite an impressive catalog of domains. Here, you’ll find extensions you didn’t even know existed.

Who would have thought of domain extensions such as .guitar, .diet, and .flowers? The idea itself doesn’t seem too far-fetched but is still unique in a world dominated by .com domains.

It feels as if you only need a name in mind, and this host will pull the perfect domain name extension from its shelves. You can even filter your search based on parameters including country, geographical location, generic domain, and top-level domain.

The flip side here is the price to pay (literally speaking) for choosing a domain. However, regarding pricing, InterServer is up there with the cheapest.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

You must choose a specific hosting package to get a free domain at InMotion Hosting. If you’re looking for cheap web hosting plans, head straight to shared hosting plans.

Here, you’ll find four options: Core, Launch, Power, and Pro. The free domain offer only applies to the last Launch, Power, and Pro plans. If you choose the Core plan, you must purchase the domain separately or point to it if hosted elsewhere.

Migrating domains or even pointing to them is sometimes hectic. That’s why I wouldn’t recommend buying a domain elsewhere if you can get it all under one roof.

Choosing any of the three shared hosting plans with a free domain at InMotion is the smarter option. You will receive unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, free email addresses, and excellent customer service, among other tools and features.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

A2 Hosting won’t give you a free domain, but you’ll get a pretty decent deal. For starters, A2 Hosting is one of the fastest web hosting providers out there, and a jack of all trades. Besides shared hosting, it also offers VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, reseller hosting, WordPress, and email hosting.

If you care about hosting your website or application on turbo-charged servers fully equipped with NVMe SSD storage, A2 Hosting’s offers are irresistible. Even without offering a free domain, I find its pricing quite reasonable.

You’ll pay almost half the domain renewal amount the first year if you also decide to host your website or application with A2 Hosting. That’s nothing compared to what you get in return.

Remember, speed is king in the modern era of search engine optimization. The last thing you want is to do everything under the sun to optimize your website for speed, but find yourself stuck with a web hosting provider that isn’t fast or reliable. That will be the least of your worries when you register your domain and sign up for a hosting package at A2 Hosting.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

HostGator may not be as popular as some others on this list, but I’ve used web hosting services long enough to understand that popularity does not necessarily mean high quality.

HostGator continues to command a significant client base today, even with the emergence of newer hosts. That’s partly because it is a battle-tested host.

Many users, myself included, still love HostGator’s traditional and authentic look. It’s like a good old Chevrolet Corvette.

Note the free domain offer is only available for 12, 24, or 36-month hosting contracts. You’ll find free domains with HostGator shared, WordPress, and Cloud hosting plans.

$17.89/Year Domain Renewal

Some web hosting companies may claim to offer affordable pricing but end up charging high renewal fees. At Hostwinds, things are quite different.

While it might not offer a free domain, this host is honest with its pricing. Whatever amount you pay for a domain when you sign up for a hosting package at Hostwinds is the same amount you’ll pay when you renew it.

That pricing consistency makes it a great host if you don’t like surprises further down the road — and none of us do.

Look at it this way: Most hosts that offer free or discounted domains won’t let you choose certain extensions or hosting packages. So, by paying a few dollars more with Hostwinds, you have more freedom to choose the hosting package you want for your website or application.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

Most hosts I’ve reviewed so far offer common domain name extensions such as .com, .net, and org. DreamHost has these standard domains and many more.

If you’re looking for something more geo-specific, say .co.uk for UK-based clients, .asia for the Asian market, .co.nz for New Zealanders, or anything in between, you’ll find it at DreamHost. Even in the United States, DreamHost has location-specific domain extensions, such as .miami and .nyc, to power your next big idea.

As with other hosts, DreamHost has some conditions. First, you must sign up for a one or three-year hosting plan on Shared Starter, Shared Unlimited, or any other DreamPress plan to get a free domain name.

Second, some domain extensions may not qualify for the free plan. While you can still obtain them, you’ll need to pay a small domain registration fee.

$19.99/Year Domain Renewal

SiteGround has registered more than 3 million domains, and it’s not difficult to see why. This is one of the few hosts that hand you a free domain regardless of your choice of hosting package.

Whether you’re looking for the base shared hosting plan (StartUp) or anything up the ladder (GrowBig or GoGeek), you’ll get a free domain for the first year. It’s also worth mentioning that SiteGround is another WordPress-approved host.

That endorsement makes it an excellent choice for hosting a WordPress website or building a WooCommerce store. The same applies if you want to build any PHP application.

The domain isn’t the only thing you’ll get for free at SiteGround. You also receive a free CDN, SSL certificate, unlimited email, and unlimited databases, regardless of your hosting plan.

$14.99/Year Domain Renewal

AccuWebHosting is a great DreamHost alternative. This host has a variety of unique extensions such as .tv and . download.

As expected, not every hosting plan at AccuWebHosting comes with a free domain. Under shared hosting, you’ll need to choose the Enterprise Pro++ plan.

AccuWebHosting’s policies regarding free domain registration are pretty much the same as most hosts I’ve covered so far. For example, you must be a new client to activate this offer. You also must choose a 12-month, 24-month, or 36-month billing cycle.

This offer only applies to selected Linux hosting plans. If you want to host your website on a different operating system, including Windows, you won’t qualify for the free domain.

$15.88/Year Domain Renewal

Namecheap is the world’s second-largest domain registrar after GoDaddy and is probably the cheapest domain registrar in this list. That’s unsurprising, given its name.

You get a free domain if you choose a shared hosting plan. However, this offer does not apply to common extensions such as .com, .net. or .org. But that’s not too bad for extensions such as .fun, .online., .site, .tech, and .digital, among others.

Namecheap will give you up to 50 free SSL certificates to add your cheap domains.

This host also offers free automatic backups for its shared hosting plans and a free WHOIS domain privacy service. All in all, Namecheap is a budget-friendly domain registrar and host, ideal for hosting websites that aren’t resource-intensive.

Here’s how domain registration hosts work in a nutshell: The web hosting company offers a hosting package and domain registration under one roof. That means you won’t have to cross the street to register your domain elsewhere.

Every web host I cover in this article is a domain registration host. Some offer free domains for the first year, while others charge a small registration fee.

Domains don’t usually come at a fixed rate. Their price depends on many different factors, but mostly the name and extension.

For perspective, the Cars.com domain, valued at $872 million at the time of writing, still holds the record of the world’s most expensive domain. But don’t panic; yours won’t cost anything close to that. Below is an estimate of the introductory costs of popular top-level domains at GoDaddy and their renewal rates.

Costs of popular TLDs:

• .com — starts at $22.17 per year (Free for the first year if you purchase hosting).
• .net — $14.99/year (Two-year purchase required. Renews for $24.99/year).
• .org — $9.99/year (Two-year purchase required. Renews for $22.99/year)
• .ai — $59.99/year (Two-year purchase minimum. Renews for $139.99/year).
• .us — $4.99/year (Renews for $19.99/year)

Domains with relevant keywords, such as Cars.com, will cost more. Top-level domains (.com, .net, and .net) will also likely cost more since they are more recognizable. Shorter domain names are also easy to memorize, which ultimately influences their price.

Yes, you can get a free domain if you sign up for a web hosting plan that comes with a free domain. SiteGround, IONOS, Bluehost, and Hostinger are good examples of web hosts that offer free domain names.

Don’t forget that domains don’t grow on trees; even hosts that offer free domains will charge a renewal fee, usually a year later. So, as you plan for your web hosting expenses, keep domain name renewal fees in mind.

HostArmada has the cheapest domain name renewals, followed closely by Hostinger and InterServer. These hosts will also give you a free domain when you first sign up.

HostArmada Domain Renewal Cost: $12.47/year

An important factor to keep in mind is that the free domain offer only applies to selected web hosting packages. So, choose a hosting plan with a free domain attached to it.

Hosts with the cheapest domain renewal costs:

• HostArmada — $12.47/year domain renewal
• Hostinger — $13.99/year domain renewal
• InterServer — $14.00/year domain renewal
• AccuWebHosting — $14.99/year domain renewal
• Namecheap — $15.88/year domain renewal
• ScalaHosting — $16.95/year domain renewal
• IONOS — $17.00/year domain renewal

Domain registration fees are usually non-refundable. If a web host offers a money-back guarantee, you typically only receive a refund for the hosting service, not the domain.

Namecheap offers hosting plans with domains for less than $1 for the first year (usually with a coupon code). But these are less memorable domain extensions such as .biz, .uno, .xyz, and .website.

For .com domains, I recommend signing up for a web hosting plan that comes with a free domain. That’s even a cheaper and better option since you’ll get a more memorable domain extension with premium hosting.

You can create websites for free with Google Sites, but you don’t get free Google domain names. If you don’t hook your website to a custom domain, Google will place it under the “sites.google.com” domain (e.g., sites.google.com/your-site-name).

In the summer of 2023, Google announced that Squarespace acquired all domain registrations and related customer accounts from Google Domains​​. New domain registrations must now go through Squarespace or another domain registrar, not Google directly.

A subdomain is similar to a child of your main website domain. For example, if your website is example.com, a subdomain could be sales.example.com.

So, what’s the whole point of having a subdomain when you can put everything under a single domain name? It’s a way to organize and separate different sections of your website without needing to buy a new domain name each time.

As a developer, I use subdomains to test new versions of a website or application before pushing it to the main domain (something like test.example.com). That’s just a fraction of the many ways to use a subdomain.

Your brand or the purpose of your website should be the priority. You should opt for something memorable, catchy, and easy to spell.

For best results, keep it short.

Also, avoid numbers and hyphens (since they are easy to mistype and difficult to memorize), and try to use keywords that describe your business or content. This helps both visitors and search engines understand what you’re all about.

The future matters, too. Like a tattoo, your domain name will stick with you for a long time. You should ensure it’s something you won’t fall out of love with a few years down the road.

One more thing to keep in mind: creativity is the key to finding the perfect domain name. No matter how many domains appear taken, there’s always one waiting for you to claim it with a click of a button.

Fortunately, some domain registrars, including GoDaddy, have harnessed the power of AI to provide even more creative domain name suggestions. Feel free to use AI domain availability and suggestion tools to find a domain name you and your site visitors will love.