Outside of the most coveted domain names, your domain name is usually one of the lowest costs of being online. However, how to get a free domain name is always one of the first questions new website owners ask. Yes, free domain names are available, but they aren’t always the best choice for your business.
Even though dot TK and Freenom no longer work, there are still legitimate ways to get free domain names. We’ve also got the scoop on how to get discounts on paid domain names and what to watch out for when shopping for a domain.
Real Ways To Get a Free Domain Name
In spite of Freenom’s demise, there still are ways to get a free domain name. However, most free domain names come with downsides, such as lack of control, or come with fees at renewal time. Still, depending on your budget and how long you need the name, a free domain name might work well for you.
Get a Package Deal
Many new website owners start out by taking advantage of a sign-on offer with a website host. Most website hosts offer a first-year free domain name on some hosting plans. The best website hosts generally include extras such as SSLs as well. A big advantage of using these free-for-the-first-year offers is that most hosts handle pointing the new domain name to your website for you.
While convenient and affordable, there are some details to be aware of before accepting a package deal to get a free domain name.
- Renewal prices for the next year might be overpriced. You can usually get a better rate from a stand-alone domain name registrar.
- Watch for non-transferable domain names. A few hosts may register the domain name under the company name, so you don’t actually own it. In those cases, you would lose the name if you ever left the web host.
- Your host might not have the TLD you want.
- Add-on fees quickly raise the price. Some hosts charge extra for SSLs, domain privacy or even to lock the domain.
Web Hosts Offering Free Domains
While many hosts offer free domains for a year or more with annual billing, most limit which TLDs are included.
Web hosts offering free domains with some annual hosting plans include:
Use a Subdomain
By far, the most common type of free domain name is a subdomain. A subdomain is a prefix added to a custom domain name. For example, subdomain.example.com.
While most of us think of a custom domain name as the whole website address, but it actually breaks down into prefix.second-level domain.top-level domain. Top-level domains are sometimes called domain extensions and include .com, .edu and .io. The custom name part you choose is the second-level domain (SLD).
Most free website builder plans include a free subdomain for your website with the builder’s branding as the main domain name. For example, free websites on Wix follow the format, yourname.wixsite.com. The only part you can change for free is the subdomain.
Downsides of a subdomain
While search engines see subdomains as separate from second-level domains so SEO isn’t damaged, the biggest issues come from consumers.
Many potential customers don’t understand how subdomains work and will believe your company is part of the website builder company. Those who understand what a subdomain is often jump to the conclusion that your company is less reputable for using a free subdomain address. Finally, subdomains mean your customers need to remember a longer address when viewing ads, which often lowers engagement.
What Happened to Freenom?
The primary source of free domain names for years, Freenom shut down operations in February 2024 after being sued by Meta. Freenom was a free domain name registrar that offered a handful of TLDs, primarily .TK, for free under a strict set of usage rules. Users could register a domain free for personal use for 12 months at a time. Websites using the free domains would host ads served by Freenom and businesses were supposed to pay a small fee for domains.
The idea was that businesses and users upgrading to remove ads would fund the business. For Tokelau, the tiny New Zealand island home of .TK, Freenom’s rental of the rights to .TK was an economic blessing at first.
Unfortunately, bad actors quickly flocked to the .TK domains. Cybercriminals used these quick and easy-to-get domains to create fraudulent websites with purposes such as delivering malware, collecting ransomware payments and harvesting keywords by spoofing financial institutions. In fact, domains managed by Freenom were responsible for 14% of global phishing attacks in 2023.
How Much Do Domain Names Cost?
Domain costs vary greatly, but most run between $10 and $35 per year. That said, very high-demand domain names may go to auction or be sold privately for thousands or more. For example, OpenAI bought ai.com in 2023 for several million.
For normal demand domain registrations, most registrars offer lower discounted rates for new registrations, with renewal rates costing more. You can choose to renew annually or pay for multiple years upfront to lock in pricing, but remembering to renew is vital, as someone else can take the name if you let the registration expire.
Domain registrars mostly set their own prices, but competition keeps most costs in check. How many registrars work with each extension (also called a top-level domain (TLD)—the part after the dot) makes a difference as well. There are a lot of other agencies and organizations also involved in the process, but registrar competition is one of the main cost control measures.
Some TLDs cost more than others as well. For example, a custom domain ending in .uk might only cost around $6, while the same name ending in .tech could cost over $40. When picking a TLD, do keep in mind that some website visitors draw opinions based on your TLD.
There are over 1,500 TLDs available, although it may be hard to find a domain registrar that offers the less popular ones. Some TLDs have restrictions as well. For example, the .realtor TLD is only available to those with ties to the National Association of REALTORS and The Canadian Real Estate Association.
Take some time to look through available domain extensions to find the TLD that best fits your needs from the domain registrar you want to work with.
Regardless of how you get your domain name, remember that it takes time for it to go live. Once you register a domain name, it can take up to 72 hours to activate. During that time, the technical part of domain registration happens—the domain name servers (DNS) share information worldwide and the Whois public database of IP address (domain name) owners is updated.
Low-Cost Domain Name Options
If you’ve ruled out the free domain name options and don’t want to spend a fortune on big-ticket auctions, there are some excellent low-cost ways to get a domain name without breaking your budget.
But before you start, be sure you are buying from an authorized registrar. You can check whether a domain registrar is authorized by visiting the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) website and using its registrar search tool.
Top Tips To Lower Domain Costs
- Take advantage of promotional offers.
- Use multi-year registration discounts.
- Opt for a less popular TLD such as .biz or .site.
- Look for registrars, such as Cloudflare, that include domain privacy, SSLs and CDNs at no additional cost.
Compare prices and features with multiple registrars before buying. For example, one name I checked was $42 per year plus $7 for privacy with registrar A but only $25 per year with registrar B, including privacy.
Bottom Line: You’ve Got Options For Your Site’s Domain
Whether you choose a free domain or pick a paid domain name, the important part is to pick what meets your company’s needs. Pop-up shops may work quite well on free subdomains, while e-commerce sites may need the credibility and control of a paid domain name.
Likewise, you may need to start with a free domain name and then move to registering a paid domain name once your budget grows. The many options and price ranges of domain names give you the choices you need to best support your business as it grows.
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