Writer: Sean Garrity
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
Attention all first-time site owners: if you’re searching for a beginner web hosting plan and intend to commit for a year, you really shouldn’t pay for a domain name. It’s completely unnecessary!
Almost every reputable shared hosting provider will include a free .com domain name with a one-year hosting plan. Why spend up to $20 annually when you can secure it without any cost?
Plus, the best web hosting with a free domain offers the lowest prices for unlimited websites, email accounts, and databases on shared servers. A free domain with a shared hosting plan allows you to log in with instant activation.
The cost of a domain name varies by registrar and TLD extension but averages $10 to $20 per year. Web hosting plans with a free domain offer can be a great way to publish a blog or eCommerce store at a low annual cost.
Here, I’ll discuss the best web hosting companies with free domain offers for new users.
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Best Hosting Packages with a Free Domain
We’ve carefully selected the companies listed below to ensure they offer top-notch web hosting plans that come with a free domain upon sign-up. While these offers don’t cover Windows servers, VPS plans, or dedicated servers, many do provide similar packages and benefits.
You might need to upgrade your hosting package from the entry-level tier to access the free domain, but don’t worry! These hosts offer some of the best deals available.
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 |
Hostinger is a budget host with the lowest prices in the industry on shared hosting plans. The Premium Web Hosting offer at Hostinger includes a free domain name, support for 100 websites, MySQL database options, and unlimited bandwidth.
If you’re just buying a domain, a .com domain costs $9.99 to register and $16.99 per year to renew. The company also offers deals on other extensions with various discounted and renewal rates.
Every eligible domain registration includes free WHOIS privacy protection to keep your credentials under lock and key in public databases.
Pros
Cons
- No free-forever email hosting
- Only live chat support
At Hostinger, web publishers can grab .xyz, .website, .site, .online, .tech, or .store extensions for just $0.99 a year. Renewal prices vary by extension, but you can register domains for three years to lock in the best rates. Hostinger truly offers the most competitive domain prices around.
2. 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 |
IONOS manages more than 22 million domains for customers around the world, representing a global powerhouse with unbeatable value.
All four of the web host’s shared hosting plans include one year of free domain registration with one of the popular domain extensions.
Pros
- Free professional email
- Daily backup and recovery
- Free Wildcard SSL certificate
- Unlimited storage, websites, and databases
Cons
- Complaints about site speed
- No enhanced CPU and MEM resources on base plans
In addition to dedicated time with a personal consultant, IONOS gets new customers started with automatic daily backups, speedy servers, and their own control panel for domain name, email address, FTP, and file management.
Use a standard domain for the free offer at IONOS and host unlimited websites at the cheapest rates available online.
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 trusted brands in web hosting. The best deal at HostGator is their Baby Plan which includes the performance of 2 CPUS with a shared LAMP runtime environment including cPanel.
With Softaculous, developers can effortlessly install over 400 open-source scripts compatible with MySQL databases and PHP. At only $3.09 per month, the Baby Plan offers an affordable entry point. Plus, HostGator provides a wealth of other features to kickstart your website hosting journey.
Pros
- Unmetered bandwidth
- WordPress preinstalled
- Free malware scanning
- A cPanel integration
Cons
- No phone support on base plan
- Extra costs for security features
- Only U.S.-based data centers
Domain name extensions renew at $22.99 to $129.99 at HostGator. The price of renewal on .com domains is $22.99 per year.
The .host extension is the most expensive with renewal costs at $129.99 per year. The .org and .net extensions renew at $20.99 and $22.99 per year respectively, with bargains on other deals.
4. 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 |
Bluehost has one of the most complete web hosting packages for support of unlimited websites with a free domain on sign-up. The company offers a managed cPanel platform with multiple design and development tools for WordPress.
Enjoy a free site builder, AI-driven templates, and a Cloudflare CDN plan. A free domain name is included for one year on Bluehost hosting plans.
Pros
- Free CDN
- Managed WordPress updates
- AI site creation tools
- A complete security suite
Cons
- Only chat support
- High renewal rates
The renewal price is higher than the registration price for domain names purchased at Bluehost.
The listed renewal price per year for the .com extension is $21.99, $19.99 for .net, and $18.99 for .org. The initial discount registration cost on these domains varies from $12.99 to $18.99 per year.
5. 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 |
GoDaddy has one of the best all-around web publishing solutions for small business owners. The Deluxe and Ultimate plans support multiple websites with options for MySQL or PostgreSQL databases, while the Economy plan offers the best deal.
GoDaddy’s cPanel servers come with great benefits like managed security, a choice of data centers, fast SSD storage, and a free domain name when you sign up.
Pros
- A cPanel integration
- Automatic daily backups
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Multiple domain tools and services
Cons
- SSL certificate is not free forever on base plan
- Site security is only free for 1 month
The Economy plan at GoDaddy promises 25 GB of NVMe SSD storage, cPanel management, and accessible customer support whenever you need it.
For the initial three months, you’ll receive two free Microsoft 365 mailboxes, significantly boosting your online business’s productivity potential.
6. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.79
- Web hosting with free domain, free SSL, and unmetered bandwidth included
- NVMe SSD storage with up to 20x faster load times on all plans
- 1-click installs for WordPress and 400+ apps, free migration
- Independently owned since 2001
- 90-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 human support
- Get started on InMotion Hosting now.
Dave McQuilling
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD/NVMe | Select Plans | 5 minutes |
InMotion Hosting offers one of the best high-performance environments at the cost of a budget hosting plan. The company’s Launch plan includes unlimited bandwidth and NVMe SSD storage capacity.
UltraStack servers operate at 6x better speeds than other options with NGINX reverse-proxy caching. Free SSL certificates, marketing tools, and a security suite are included in the plan.
Pros
- Free SSL and email addresses
- Free marketing tools
- Choice of data center location
- Free website builder
Cons
- No phone support on base plans
- Extra costs for backups
- High renewal rates
InMotion Hosting gives customers the choice of .com, .net, .org, .us, .biz, or .info. domain registrations. The cost of renewal for each domain extension is $23.00 per year. Like most hosting plans, the free domain offer is only good for the first year on a new account.
7. Hostwinds.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.54
- Unlimited SSD storage, databases, and email
- FREE site migration with cPanel and Softaculous
- Instant upgrades without downtime
- FREE around-the-clock monitoring
- Automatic nightly backups available
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Jack Wallen
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 6 minutes |
Hostwinds includes an offer for a free domain name for the first year or the use of specific DNS settings with a registrar for a custom domain.
The normal cost of a new .com registration on the site is $19.06 per year. Hostwinds offers shared, business, cloud, and reseller hosting. The company supports unlimited domain names, bandwidth, and SSD storage on the Ultimate plan.
Pros
- Unlimited disk space and bandwidth
- Free SSL and dedicated IP
- Unlimited email accounts and domains
- Free website builder
Cons
- Only a 3-day money-back guarantee
Hostwinds has dedicated many of its resources to developing a Cloud Server platform with payment billed on an hourly basis like Google Compute Engine. These plans are a good option for Docker development requirements, but you will need to configure your domain with DNS.
8. DreamHost.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.89
- Web hosting with a free domain and handcrafted website
- Free domain privacy protection for life included
- 350+ domain extensions with flexible auto-renewal and locking options
- NVMe SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 100% uptime
- ICANN accredited with 24/7 award-winning support
- Get started on DreamHost now.
Christina Lewis
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
DreamHost offers hundreds of domain name extensions for registration and a free domain with its signature hosting plan. The company is popular for high-value WordPress hosting, even earning a coveted recommendation from the content management system‘s dev team at Automattic.
The DreamHost plans include unlimited domains with database, PHP, and storage for script installation.
Pros
- AI website builder
- WordPress installer and free site migrations
- Built-in traffic analytics
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- No free email features
- Only U.S.-based data centers
At DreamHost, registering a .com domain costs only $4.99 per year, with a renewal fee of $19.99. Plus, you enjoy free domain privacy protection for as long as your account remains active.
To transfer domain names, DreamHost offers a free migration service and SSL. Be sure to take advantage of their legendary customer support.
What Is Web Hosting with a Free Domain?
The budget web hosting sector is highly competitive with thousands of companies offering products built with cPanel, WHMCS, and shared Linux servers.
“One of the ways that web hosting brands distinguish their services is by offering a suite of bonus offers that include a free domain name registration on new accounts.”
The free domain offer applies to .com, .net, .org, .info, and other TLD extensions with the first year of service provided for free by the web host. The value of these offers varies per year depending on renewal fees.
Best Features in Free Domain Web Hosting Plans:
- Unlimited Domains: Web development with open-source MySQL and PHP scripts.
- cPanel Administration: Configure server settings and manage email, FTP, etc.
- Free SSL Certificates: Let’s Encrypt, AutoSSL, and PositiveSSL are top choices.
- SSD Storage: For 20x faster web server speeds in I/O transfer request processing.
Domain name pricing also varies between registrar companies. A .com registration at GoDaddy costs $12.17 for the first year and renews at $22.17 per year.
The same domain name only costs $11.28 to register at NameCheap with annual renewals priced at $16.98.
Buying and managing domain names at a registrar requires the use of DNS settings that connect global routing for your site to a shared or dedicated IP address at the web host.
The use of a free domain offer bypasses the registrar costs and establishes the root user of a cPanel account.
Can I Get Free Website Hosting?
If you’re searching for a web hosting company, there’s no doubt you will encounter offers for free website hosting. A free web host may offer a no-cost trial period, or always-free hosting — be sure to read the fine print.
An always-free hosting service will come with all kinds of limitations, such as a non-custom domain name, limited resources, and ads.
If you want to stay within a certain budget, we strongly advise you to pick a cheap web hosting provider instead. For a low cost, your cheap hosting service will provide you with perks such as unlimited storage, an email account, a free SSL certificate, and a free domain name for one year.
How Much Does a Domain Normally Cost?
The pricing of domain names varies across different registrars and web hosts. The largest registrars are GoDaddy, NameCheap, Tucows, and NetworkSolutions. For resellers, Enom is the most commonly used domain name registrar.
Most web hosting companies will offer middleman services from a larger registrar.
ICANN, the internet authority regulating the domain name system, has approved the expansion of TLDs available for registration to hundreds of new extensions like .shop, .club, .xyz, .live, .site, .store, and .me.
Price Estimates for Domain Names by Extension:
- .com: Register at $4.99 to $23.00 per year, renew at $16.99 to $23.00.
- .net: Priced in the same tier as .com and .org at most web hosting companies.
- .org: Register at $10.17 per year at GoDaddy, renew at $23.17 per year.
- .info: The cost is $3.48 per year at Namecheap, $5.17 per year at GoDaddy.
- .ai: Pay $79.98 for one year at Namecheap, $49.99 for one year at GoDaddy.
- .io: Register for $34.98 per year at Namecheap, $59.99 per year at GoDaddy.
Most free domain offers on shared web hosting plans will support the registration of .com, .net, .org, and .info domains, as well as most other budget extensions.
“There is quite a wide variance between the web hosting brands in the total number of domain extensions supported.”
It’s generally wise to manage domain names through DNS settings. It’s often cheaper to register a domain name directly with a registrar, and protecting your intellectual property through brand identity is more secure when using a third party for domain management.
A free domain will become the root user account in cPanel, which then becomes the basis of the addressing for add-on domains and public_html routing. It is also used for email addresses and site logins.
How Do I Choose the Best Hosting Plan with Free Domains?
Free web hosting is not usually available with a free domain offer but can be found where your registered domains are routed through custom DNS settings. Free web hosting normally includes subdomain support only with a custom user name.
A website builder plan requires a paid upgrade for custom domain name use.
“Most web publishers should avoid free hosting platforms based on site builders in favor of shared hosting with CMS sites like WordPress.”
The best hosting option for a free domain offer is a shared hosting plan from a service provider like Hosting.com, AccuWeb Hosting, or Liquid Web.
If you’re handling multiple domains or managing a high-traffic site, dedicated hosting services are your best bet. But here’s the thing: platforms like Google Cloud hosting and other public clouds usually don’t offer free domain deals.
Managed VPS hosting with cPanel is a cheap web hosting solution compared to a dedicated server with a free domain from the web host and a free SSL certificate. Search for free domain offers on managed VPS plans.
Main Aspects to Consider with Free Domain Hosting Plans:
- Renewal Cost: Look for plans with the lowest renewal costs on domain registration.
- Vendor Lock-In: Move code and domains from host to host using DNS settings.
- WHOIS Privacy: A free domain privacy service compares to costs of $10+ per year.
- Brand Identity: Maintain domains on a third-party registrar for better IP control.
Google Sites is a site builder platform that now allows a custom domain to be used as a hosting option. Google Cloud hosting can be expensive compared to hosting.com, AccuWeb Hosting, and Liquid Web.
A site builder plan at GoDaddy, Wix, Weebly, and other hosting provider companies will not support a custom domain name on a free plan. The best web hosting service for a free domain offer is a WordPress host with a shared hosting plan that runs cPanel admin.
Google Domain Name Servers will work with all web hosting services. Managed WordPress hosting with a free domain is the easiest way to get online with a new site quickly.
You need a free SSL certificate, free website development tools, and a site builder on cheap web hosting plans to get the best web hosting services with a free domain.
Choose Google Sites for the best free web hosting with a site builder over WordPress host services for a more simple and easy-to-use solution. Otherwise, prepare to invest in web development services for your site.
Why Should I Choose Web Hosting With a Domain Included?
The best web hosting providers include a free domain offer on shared, VPS hosting, dedicated server, and reseller hosting plans as part of a suite of bonus offers.
A free domain offer is most common on shared hosting platforms with Linux or Windows servers. The cost of the free domain can be discounted from the total price of the annual hosting plan.
“A free domain offer is best when you need to launch a new website and do not have an address for the project.”
A free domain offer is ready immediately for self-publishers to sign in and begin building a new site.
Best Reasons to Choose a Free Domain Hosting Plan:
- Launch a New Site: When you need to launch a new site, a free domain saves money.
- Discount Prices: Free offers that bill at excessive rates of renewal are not discounts.
- Low-Cost Websites: Budget cPanel hosting with a free domain is the best deal.
- Development Support: Use your root domain for staging, testing, and sandboxes.
The simplest way to start with a free domain is by creating a new website using WordPress. With cPanel plans, you can utilize the Softaculous script installer to explore over 400 open-source tools for building your website.
The web host provides MySQL database and PHP runtime support for the code. Open-source scripts allow publishers to launch eCommerce, social networking, blog, forum, wiki, and gallery sites easily.
To enhance your website’s capabilities, you can use free themes, modules, and plugins with extensible script platforms. ASP.NET developers on Windows servers can also enjoy a free domain name with shared plans for building new sites.
Can I Have Free Hosting and a Free Domain?
Free web hosting platforms like Weebly, Wix, WordPress, and GoDaddy are based around site builder software with subdomain support. Free plans generally require the use of a subdomain address like mysite.wordpress.com instead of a custom domain name.
“The use of a registered domain name on free hosting accounts requires the purchase of the domain in advance.”
You’ll want to use DNS settings for routing on these plans just like you would with subscription services. If you’ve already registered a domain name, providers like AtSpace, FreeHosting.com, AwardSpace, and FreeHostia offer the best support for custom domains on free hosting plans.
Recommended Free Hosting with Custom Domain Name Support:
- AtSpace: 1 GB disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and 30 MB database storage.
- FreeHosting.com: 10 GB storage with PHP, MySQL, email, FTP, and SSL certificates.
- AwardSpace: 1 GB storage, 5 GB bandwidth, MySQL, and options for PHP 5/7.
- FreeHostia: 5 domain names with 250 MB storage and 6 GB monthly bandwidth.
Most web hosting companies will offer you a free domain name only if you commit to an annual or multiyear contract with upfront payment. This approach is the best way to snag the lowest prices and discounts on shared web hosting plans.
A free domain offer usually comes as part of a package with other bonus services like Google and Bing Ad credits, developer tools, offsite backups, or security upgrades.
Look for cPanel hosting plans with support for unlimited websites, databases, email addresses, storage, and bandwidth for the best deals. A free domain offer allows web publishers to host websites as low as $.99 per month on shared hosting platforms.
Should I Sign Up for Shared WordPress Hosting With a Free Domain?
There is no standardized formula across web hosting platforms that offer managed WordPress hosting. Some companies provide free themes, developer tools like WP-CLI, preinstallation of scripts, and a sandbox environment for staging or testing changes.
Other companies offer NGINX or LiteSpeed servers for high performance with Varnish Cache and Redis installed for better webpage caching.
Having support for Web Application Firewalls (WAF), site file virus scanning, and DDoS protection is essential for WordPress hosting. We suggest opting for companies that offer these features in their managed WordPress platforms.
Key Features of the Best Managed WordPress Hosting Plans:
- Free Themes: Look for Managed WordPress plans with free theme offers for design.
- Security Tools: Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), anti-virus, and DDoS protection.
- Developer Utilities: Command-line tools like WP-CLI, Git, SSH connections, etc.
- Advanced Caching: Platforms with pre-installed Varnish Cache and NGINX solutions.
- CDN Integration: A free Cloudflare CDN account will offer the fastest page load speeds.
Most shared web hosting platforms on Linux and Windows servers will provide runtime support for WordPress with MySQL and PHP. Shared hosting plans with cPanel and Softaculous allow developers to install WordPress along with 400+ other open-source scripts for site building.
“It is more common to find support for unlimited domain names with WordPress on shared hosting plans.”
Managed WordPress platforms more commonly limit support to a lower number of websites. Most web publishers will get the best value from a combination of a shared hosting plan and managed WordPress tools. Use dedicated hosting solutions for high-traffic websites.
Save Money on Domains With Shared Web Hosting Plans
Snagging a free domain name with your web hosting plan is a fantastic way to save money and enjoy extra savings on your yearly services.
This setup is especially beneficial for multidomain publishers using shared hosting to manage many domain names. These plans offer unmetered storage and bandwidth, covering web development costs from $4.95 to $6.95 monthly.
You can host a single domain name for as little as $0.99 per month with budget-friendly cPanel hosting companies that offer free domain name registration as part of the signup deal.
When you’re starting a new website or blog, having a free domain name lets you dive right in on a shared hosting platform without delay.
Make use of the free domain offer when you need to launch a new website or broaden your brand identity with a new TLD extension. The best shared hosting plans offer free domain registration as part of a broader suite of free tools for web development, SEO, and marketing.
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