Registering a domain name is like registering a business name so that no one can use your name.
Like business name registration, domain name registration costs some money. A lot of people want to skip this cost.
And that’s cool. We all want to save money. But the problem is, sometimes saving a few bucks can cost you later.
If you want to be on the safe side and at the same time wants to have a free domain name, read on. In this post, I’ll be sharing how to get a free domain name.
Now the first question is,
Is It Possible To Get A Domain Name For Free?
Technically NOT, because there is a fixed cost that every domain registrar have to pay to ICANN every year for a registered domain name. There is no way to avoid this fee if it’s a top-level domain like .com, .net, .in, etc.
So if a domain registrar offers a free domain name, there must be a catch! They may show ads on your site or anything like this get a return on their investment. And the worse thing is, you will not own the domain name. Your domain will be registered under the registrar’s name.
So what’s the best way to get a free domain name?
The answer is, go with a web hosting provider that offers a free domain name.
3 Best Web Hosts That Offer A Free Domain Name
A web host is a place where you will keep your site’s files like images, texts, etc. It will cost you some bucks as the web hosting companies always have to keep their servers up to make sure that your site is live.
Now the good news is, some of the best web hosting providers offer a free domain name. The catch is, you have to buy web hosting from them.
Let’s see some of the hosts that offer free domain name.
1. Bluehost
Powering over 2 million websites worldwide, Bluehost is considered as one of the best web hosts in the world. It is officially recommended by WordPress.org. So if you are going to create a WordPress site, Bluehost should be your first priority.
Bluehost offers a free domain name for one year. You can keep it on Bluehost after one year, or you can just transfer it to any domain registrars.
Noticeable Features:
- Auto WordPress Installation.
- 24/7 Expert Support.
- Unmetered Bandwidth and Space.
- Unlimited Website Hosting.
- 30 Days Money Back Guarantee.
Bluehost has 3 plans on its shared hosting – basic, plus, and prime. The plus plan is the best choice as it lets you host unlimited sites with affordable price.
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2. Hostinger
InMotion Hosting is another popular web hosting company that offers a free domain name. It provides fast web hosting solution with affordable price.
Noticeable Features:
- Get WordPress Installed During Checkout.
- Free SSD Drives.
- Free Data Backups.
- Unlimited Everything.
- 90 Days Full Money Back Guarantee.
Hostinger offers 3 plans on its shared hosting – Single, Premium, and Business. The Premium Shared Hosting Plan is the best choice for bloggers and small business owners.
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3. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the largest domain name registrar that offers web hosting services too. It has a crazy deal for you. You can get a free domain name with as low as $1/month web hosting. That means you can buy both domain and web hosting for just $12 for the first year.
But there’s a catch. The renewal price is pretty high.
It’s not a big problem as you can switch to other hosts like HostGator whenever you want.
Noticeable Features:
- One Click Installation of WordPress, Joomla, & Drupal.
- 99.9% Uptime Guarantee.
- Unmetered Bandwidth.
- Free Business Email.
- 24/7 Support.
There are 3 plans on GoDaddy Shared Hosting – Economy, Deluxe, and Ultimate. The economy is the best plan for a beginner.
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Are There Any Other Ways To Get A Free Domain Name?
Yes, there are some other ways. But those are not recommended. However, I’d like to tell you those methods.
1. Get A Free Domain Like .tk, .ml, etc
You can get a free domain for some extensions like .tk, .ml, .cf, .cu.cc, etc. But these domain names come with harsh terms and conditions which cost you more later. And moreover, you will not get the real rights of the domain name.
They may delete your domain name whenever they want. So it’s wise to stay away from these domains.
2. Get A Free Subdomain
Some free web hosting offers free subdomains of their websites (like yourdomain.freehost.com).
It’s not recommended cause these sites often show ads on the sites. Instead, I’d suggest you to go with Blogger.com or WordPress.com.
Final Thoughts – What Should You Do?
A domain name costs typically $7 – $15 per year. If it’s not a problem for you, go to Namecheap.com and buy a domain name.
But if you don’t want to pay the price for a domain name, go to a web host like Bluehost that offers free domain name.
And if you don’t have enough money to buy domain or hosting, go with a free blogging platform like WordPress.com and create a free site.
Let me know via a comment if you need any help regarding this.
18 Comments
Really enjoyed to read your blog, but i have one query can you please update me on that, now I already bought a domain from GoDaddy so is it possible to update it free for next years?
No, you have to pay the registration fee every year.
BTW, if you are not sure what to do after buying a domain name from GoDaddy read this post.
I’m really happy to see you wrote great article about free domain. But you know what ? I will never suggest any to use the free domain that they get while buying hosting.
You will know why when you compare the renewal price of that domain with other domain that you are buying directly.
Howdy rayhan, Can you explain why do some organizations offer free subdomains? Is it spam?
Do you mean subdomains like WordPress.com or Blogspot?
I mean about the providers like .co.nr, co.nz, co.vu etc..
Most of the time they will ask you to upgrade your account to get the all services.
Keeping a domain name and hosting account separate will involve extra operations, such as pointing DNS records from our domain registrar to the hosting company before launching and making our new website so it is much better to keep all our accounts in one place.
Great list Istiak, I’d also personally recommend these free domain providers to my audience.
Thanks.
Rgrds,
You may register the domain but it is not a good practice. The company may have the full control of the domain and they won’t release/give the domain unless you pay a high price.
hello sir.i want to get started my domain name for blogging.but m confused how i can start.i have so many thoughts in my mind but in what platform i should get started?please guide me
Follow this tutorial: https://roadtoblogging.com/install-wordpress-on-hostgator/
You suck at blogging dear, this is not a way how to get a free domain
Sorry dear. I’ll update the title and description of the post soon.
Indeed a great article :)
I’m surprised by seen your title “How to Get a Free Lifetime Domain Name For Your Blog”. I thinks there is totally free domain but is not. But it is good to have free domain with the hosting plan because I purchased hosting and domain from GoDaddy but they didn’t give me free domain.
I’m not satisfied with Godaddy so I recommend SiteGround!
Nothing in life is free! However, it’s an AWESOME deal by SiteGround.
That’s the great opportunity to having a lifetime free domain. Many of us still now confused about domain and hosting from the same company. Last week one of my friends said- is there any problem if he would register a domain and purchase hosting from the same provider? So what would be your answer?
Both are common practices. But I’d suggest newbie to buy domain and hosting from the same company to avoid hassle.