How to Get a Free Domain Name (and What to Expect After Year One)

In practice, "free domain" means one of two things: a domain name bundled at no charge with a web hosting or website builder plan (free for the first year, paid after), or a genuinely zero-cost option like a subdomain or a historically free country-code extension. Whether you want to get a domain name for free as part of a budget launch or need to build your online presence without upfront costs, this guide covers five methods, what each really costs when the free period ends, and how to check prices before you commit.

What does "free domain" actually mean?

When a hosting provider advertises a free domain name, the first year of domain registration is covered as part of a paid plan. The domain is registered in your name, you own it, and you can transfer it, but ongoing costs begin at year two. Registration fees normally start from year two, and the range varies: some extensions cost $1.00–$3.00 per year, while others, like .com, typically run $10.00–$15.00 annually.

Free domain registration as a promotion means the registrar waives the first-year fee. Look past the headline offer and check the renewal price. Also check whether domain privacy (also called WHOIS privacy) is included, since some providers charge extra for it, and watch for any hidden fees that appear at checkout.

The second category is genuinely free: subdomain addresses from platforms like GitHub Pages, Netlify, and WordPress.com, where no registration cost ever applies. These come with trade-offs in portability and branding worth understanding before building on one.

One significant change in the free domain landscape: Freenom, which provided permanently free country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) registrations for years including .tk and .ml, shut down its free service in early 2024 following legal action from Meta. The era of perpetually free country-code extensions is over. Any current claim of a "forever free" top-level domain (TLD) should be verified carefully.

How to get a free domain with a web hosting plan

The most common path to a free domain is through a web hosting plan. Providers like Hostinger, Bluehost, Namecheap, and DreamHost come with a free domain on qualifying annual plans. The domain is registered in your name, is transferable, and is not locked to the hosting account. What changes is the price after year one.

Review details before signing up

Prices in the table above are a snapshot in time and should be considered indicative only. Before signing up, read the fine print to confirm which domain extensions qualify for the offer and what renewal charges apply once the promotional period ends, whether after one year or a multi-year term. Some providers include non-.com extensions such as .online or .site by default as part of their free domain offer. While these alternatives often have lower renewal costs, they generally have less immediate brand recognition than .com.

Most hosting packages also include free email and a free SSL certificate for the first year, but check whether those are included long-term or only during the promotional period.

When evaluating providers, look beyond the bundled free domain name and hosting offer. Reliable web hosting matters as much as the included domain: check for uptime guarantees, fast web hosting speeds, and support response times. Domain registration is available for the first year at no charge on most qualifying plans. If you later want to move your domain to a lower-cost registrar, Cloudflare Registrar offers at-cost renewal pricing worth comparing.

For .com renewal prices, year-two costs at most providers land between $10.00 and $15.00. Over a multi-year period, the difference between providers adds up enough to make comparison worthwhile. If your goal is to keep domain costs low after year one, reviewing ongoing pricing across providers before you register is time well spent.

Before you commit to a hosting plan, check what that "free" domain will cost to renew – TLD-List tracks registration and renewal prices from 50+ registrars.

How to get a free domain with a free website builder

Website builders including Wix and Squarespace include a free domain with their paid annual plans, typically a .com or the platform's preferred extension for the first year. The mechanics are similar to hosting bundles: the domain is yours, but ongoing charges begin in year two, and there are platform-specific conditions to know.

A free website builder gives you site creation and a custom domain in a single package, without a separate domain registration step.

Wix includes a free domain with any annual or multi-year paid plan. The domain is managed through Wix's own domain management system and can be transferred out. To transfer your domain later, account for ICANN's standard 60-day transfer lock that applies after the initial registration date. If you plan to move to a different platform, factor that window into your timeline before initiating any transfer.

Squarespace includes a complimentary domain for the first year on all annual plans. Following Squarespace's 2023 acquisition of Google Domains, domains registered through the platform now route through that infrastructure, which offers relatively straightforward transfer tooling.

In both cases, the domain is tied to the builder's billing cycle during your active plan. Cancelling before transferring can restrict access to domain management tools. Note the registration date, track when year one ends, and initiate any transfer before the plan lapses.

How to get a free website with a subdomain

If the goal is a fully functional free website with no recurring costs, free web hosting platforms that offer subdomains are a practical choice. The key difference: with a subdomain, the root domain belongs to the platform, not to you.

Before settling on a subdomain, run a domain search to check whether your preferred new domain name is available for registration at a reasonable price. If you can get a domain name for a few dollars a year, owning it outright is often the better call. A free web domain on a platform like WordPress.com is a useful starting point, but it comes with the trade-off that you do not own the root domain. Free hosting services are well-suited for prototyping and early-stage testing, but for any project where long-term continuity matters, owning the domain name outright is more durable.

Because the root domain remains with the platform, portability is unavailable. If you move or the platform changes its terms, the address cannot follow you. For personal projects, developer portfolios, or early-stage testing, these free website options work well. Free subdomains also make sense if you are evaluating whether a project deserves investment in a full domain name before committing to a quick MVP.

How to get a genuinely free domain extension

Outside of platform subdomains and hosting bundles, some domain extensions occasionally become available through promotional windows at zero cost for the first year. These are time-limited domain offers run by providers to drive adoption of newer generic top-level domains (gTLDs) or during seasonal campaigns, not permanent free registrations.

TLD-List maintains updated promotional pricing and promo codes across 50+ domain registrars and over 3,500 domain extensions, making it the most reliable way to find the perfect domain extension at the lowest available first-year cost.

Not every free domain extension is the right long-term fit. Extensions like .xyz and .online regularly appear in these promotions, while popular domain extensions like .com still carry broader trust. If geographic targeting matters, a .us domain can signal US-based presence, and .biz is recognized for business-focused projects, though it carries older connotations. The perfect domain extension is one that suits your audience and has renewal costs you can plan for.

Before settling on a particular extension, the broader ccTLD vs. gTLD SEO debate is worth understanding. Country-code domain names can signal geographic relevance, while generic extensions like .com or .net typically carry stronger international brand recognition. Not every free domain extension is the right long-term fit, so evaluate what it will cost going forward and whether it suits your audience.

As noted earlier, Freenom's free domain model ended in 2024. Any site built on those extensions should have already migrated. New registrations of .tk and similar Freenom-operated TLDs are no longer available through that platform.

FAQ: common questions about free domain names

When your free year ends, compare renewal prices across registrars on TLD-List before you pay more than you need to.

About the Author:

TLD-list

Editor team

Small crew of builders who believe a great idea should not be held back by a bad domain deal. We know this space inside out, from obscure new extensions to the registrar tricks that quietly inflate your renewal. We put that knowledge to work so you can spend less time worrying about domains and more time building the thing that matters.