Top web hosting with free domain options in 2024
Through independent research and testing, our team of experts offers transparent and thorough reviews of web hosting providers. We use the same testing criteria for all providers to offer a fair and unbiased assessment of each hosting service.
Our in-depth articles include feedback about our hands-on hosting experience and other crucial information for potential customers.
Learn more
In today's digital era, choosing a website hosting provider may take much work. Many providers strive to attract new customers by offering exceptional features and deals, such as free domains (TDLs).
However, selecting the right one can be overwhelming. Each provider has unique features, limitations, and terms for free domain registration, making it challenging for users to make an informed decision.
I recognized this dilemma, and with the help of the Cybernews expert team, I tested various web hosting services that offered free domain registration and picked the best ones. In this article, I will provide information about each provider's specifics, service quality, and the terms of their free domain offerings.
Shortlist of best web hosting plans with free domain by Cybernews
- Bluehost – the best web hosting with free domain for $1.99/month
- Hostinger – reliable host with a free domain from $1.66/month
- IONOS – cheap host with a free domain for only $1.00/month
- DreamHost – fast web hosting with the widest choice of free domains from $2.59/month
- SiteGround – versatile host with a free domain for $1.99/month
- HostGator – user-friendly host with a free domain from $2.29/month
6 best web hosting services that include free domain – detailed list
I reviewed each provider's test results and picked the best web hosting providers based on their performance, reliability, and the terms of their free domain offerings. Here's my detailed list of top hosting providers offering free domain registration.
1. Bluehost – top web hosting provider with a free domain
| Price: | $1.99 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 30 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 17 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get up to 81% OFF Bluehost |
Bluehost is the best hosting provider with free domain registration. It offers affordable prices, great performance, and a very user-friendly experience, making it suitable for beginners as well as more advanced users.
Key features. Bluehost offers a selection of 17 free domains, including the most popular ones like .com, .net, .org, and others. However, the domain renewal prices align with standard industry rates after the year of use. Bluehost is also rich in features and performance. Its cPanel integration simplifies website management by providing a centralized, user-friendly interface and comprehensive tools. Also, it has additional features like free SSL certificates, which provide crucial security benefits, and a WordPress staging area, which makes it a top contender in this list.
Pricing and plans. Bluehost provides a free domain with all its plans, purchased for 12 months or longer. Its services start at only $1.99/month, and to ensure customer satisfaction, it provides a free trial, allowing users to test the platform before committing.
| Type of hosting | Starting price | Best for |
| Shared hosting | $1.99/month | Individuals for personal blogs, small businesses, low-traffic websites in general |
| WordPress hosting | $1.99/month | Anyone – all Bluehost plans support WordPress |
| WooCommerce hosting | $89.98/month | eCommerce, both growing and established companies |
| Cloud hosting | $29.99/month | Bigger businesses, especially with high traffic, anyone looking for enhanced reliability and security |
| VPS hosting | $46.99/month | Anyone looking for enhanced security and performance, businesses and individuals that expect medium-to-high traffic, larger eCommerce |
2. Hostinger – trusted website hosting with a free domain
| Price: | $1.66 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 30 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 15 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get up to 87% OFF Hostinger + free months |
Hostinger is an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable hosting provider with free domain registration. It's inexpensive, fast, easy to use, and most importantly it offers loads of resources on almost every hosting plan.
Key features. Hostinger offers a range of TLDs for free, including popular choices like .com, .net, and .org. However, the renewal prices for these domains after the first year are standard market rates, which might be a consideration for long-term planning. Hostinger provides robust performance and user-friendly features. It uses performance-boosting technologies like LiteSpeed servers, which enhance your website's speed and reliability by handling the processes more efficiently. Also, Hostinger is one of the best WordPress hosting providers, as you can install it with just one click. Also, it has a WordPress AI assistant, so if you make an error while creating a website, the AI will fix it for you instead of just telling you where it is.
Pricing and plans. Hostinger's free domain is available with all hosting plans – Single, Premium, and Business – for 12 months or longer. The subscription starts at $1.66/month, and you can grab a free trial to try out the editor before committing to a purchase.
| Type of hosting | Starting price | Best for |
| Shared hosting | $1.66/month | Startups and small businesses, freelancers, blogs |
| WordPress hosting | $1.66/month | Small websites built on WordPress |
| Cloud hosting | $6.45/month | Small businesses and blogs that are experiencing growth |
| VPS hosting | $4.24/month | Small and medium-sized businesses experiencing massive growth |
3. IONOS – best-priced hosting provider with a free domain
| Price: | $1.00 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 30 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 9 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get up to 91% OFF IONOS |
Key features. IONOS lets you choose from a range of TLDs, including the most popular .com, .net, and .org. However, these domains are free for the initial period, after which their prices align with industry standards. IONOS is also very secure, as it includes a Wildcard SSL with all its plans. This feature secures your single domain and all its subdomains with only one certificate, making it easier for your budget, as you don't have to get a new certificate for each subdomain.
Pricing and plans. IONOS offers a wide selection of hosting solutions, including a free domain and SSL, with all its plans. It doesn't have a free trial, but its starting price is just $1.00/month, so it's a low-risk opportunity.
| Type of hosting | Price | Best for |
| Shared hosting | $1.00/month | Beginners and basic websites for portfolios, blogs, passion projects, and small businesses |
| WordPress Pro hosting | $1.00/month | WordPress developers, designers, and agencies |
| VPS hosting | $2.00/month | More advanced users who want better resources, control, and performance |
| Dedicated server hosting | $75.00/month | High-traffic websites, organizations, online stores, and advanced users |
4. DreamHost – website hosting with excellent uptime and many free domains
| Price: | $2.59 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 97 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 22 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get DreamHost, now 72% OFF |
DreamHost is an exceptional hosting provider that offers a wide range of free domains. It is ideal for those who value uptime reliability and various hosting solutions.
Key features. DreamHost lets you choose from 22 free domain options, including popular TLDs like .com, .net, and .org. However, it's crucial to know that the renewal costs for these domains will revert to standard market rates after the initial period. DreamHost is one of the most reliable providers, as it assures that its servers will run 100% of the time without downtime. Also, DreamHost offers free SSL certificates with all of its hosting plans. This means your website visitors can confidently browse your site, knowing that their data is encrypted and secure.
Pricing and plans. DreamHost offers free domain registration on all hosting plans, Starter and Unlimited, for annual or longer-term subscriptions. Its hosting services start at a budget-friendly $2.59/month, and it doesn't provide a free trial. However, its 97-day money-back guarantee compensates for that.
| Type of hosting | Price | Best for |
| Shared hosting | $3.95/month | Personal blogs, small business websites, portfolios, and startups with low traffic |
| VPS hosting | $10.00/month | Growing businesses, eCommerce sites, medium-traffic websites, and developers who need more resources and control |
| WordPress hosting (managed) | $12.99/month | WordPress-based businesses, bloggers, online magazines, and sites built on WordPress that require high performance and minimal maintenance |
| Dedicated hosting | $165.00/month | Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, resource-intensive apps, and businesses with specific compliance requirements |
| Cloud hosting | $4.50/month | Startups with fluctuating resource needs, SaaS companies, large eCommerce sites, and businesses requiring high availability and scalability |
5. SiteGround – excellent web hosting for businesses of all sizes with a free domain
| Price: | $1.99 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 30 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 7 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get up to 88% OFF SiteGround + FREE TRANSFER |
SiteGround is a widely recognized web hosting provider for its exceptional versatility. Because of its adaptiveness, it's a safe choice for small to large-scale businesses looking for a hosting provider with a free domain.
Key features. For the first year, SiteGround offers 7 domain options for free, including popular choices such as .com, .net, and .org. After that, the renewal costs for these domains will revert to standard market rates. With its plans, SiteGround includes various server locations across four continents, so your website's performance will stay good no matter where you are. Also, SiteGround is one of the few providers with a website staging tool for shared hosting. With this feature, you can create a carbon copy of your website to test changes or make improvements without interrupting your original website's uptime. SiteGround is also one of the fastest hosting providers I have tested with the Cybernews research team. In fact, during our in-depth testing, its response time averaged 217ms.
Pricing and plans. SiteGround includes a free domain in all its hosting plans, with the cheapest starting at $1.99/month. This provider doesn't offer a free trial for their hosting services. However, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which provides a risk-free opportunity to try it out.
| Type of hosting | Starting price | Best for |
| Reseller hosting | $3.99/month | Clients looking to sell hosting services to other clients |
| WordPress hosting (managed) | $3.99/month | Businesses, blogs, online magazines |
| WooCommerce hosting | $1.99/month | Clients who intend to manage a website with an online store |
| Cloud hosting | $100.00/month | Clients looking to grow a business website with managed services |
6. HostGator – easy-to-use hosting provider with a free domain
| Price: | $2.29 |
| Money-back guarantee: | Yes, 45 days |
| Free domain: | Yes, up to 15 options |
| Current deal: | Black Friday! Get up to 81% OFF HostGator |
HostGator is one of the biggest providers in the web hosting industry. It is also a strong contender for newcomers to the web hosting space because it offers a user-friendly interface at an affordable price.
Key features. All HostGator customers can choose a free domain from a list of 15 options, including the most popular .com, .org, and .net. The free period lasts 1 year, after which the domain renewal prices revert to standard rates. Regarding its features, HostGator uses the traditional and popular cPanel with a native user interface. Such a combo is great for beginners and simplifies the learning process. Also, HostGator’s customer support is quick and friendly. When I tested it, I didn’t have to wait long for replies, and my issues were fixed in just a few minutes. Plus, the extensive knowledge base includes video tutorials, which are excellent if you’re a visual learner.
Pricing and plans. HostGator's hosting plans are well priced, starting at just $2.29/month. In addition, with any 12-month or longer subscription to their plans – whether it's the Hatchling, Baby, or Business plan – you'll also get a free domain. Additionally, HostGator offers its customers a 45-day money-back guarantee, so you can test their services risk-free.
| Type of hosting | Price | Best for |
| Shared hosting | $2.29/month | Very easy to use for small-to-medium websites |
| WordPress hosting | $3.09/month | Easy to use and optimized for better performance, it's best fit for small-to medium-websites |
| VPS hosting | $34.99/month | Best fit for online stores and high-traffic websites looking for better performance. Need some technical skills |
| Reseller hosting | $19.95/month | Best for those looking to run their own web hosting business or website designers looking to sell their services |
| Dedicated hosting | $141.19/month | Provides complete customization freedom, but explicit technical skills are needed. It is the best fit for enterprises |
Compare the features of each website hosting with free domain registration
| Brand | Rating | Free domain possibilities | Free domain registration | Starting price | Money-back guarantee | Customer support | Free SSL | Uptime guarantee |
| Bluehost | Yes, up to 17 domain options | 1st year | From $1.99/month | Yes, 30 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 99.9% | |
| Hostinger | Yes, up to 15 domain options | 1st year | From $1.66/month | Yes, 30 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 99.9% | |
| IONOS | Yes, up to 9 domain options | 1st year | From $1.00/month | Yes, 30 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 99.99% | |
| DreamHost | Yes, up to 22 domain options | 1st year | From $2.59/month | Yes, 97 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 100% | |
| SiteGround | Yes, up to 7 domain options | 1st year | From $1.99/month | Yes, 30 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 99.9% | |
| HostGator | Yes, up to 15 domain options | 1st year | From $2.29/month | Yes, 45 days | 24/7 | ✅ Yes | 99.9% |
How do we test and rank best web hosting providers with free domain?
At Cybernews, we use our testing methodology to ensure that our reviews are precise and detailed. To find the best providers, with the help of our experts, I looked at 56 hosting services and picked the ones that offered free domains. Then, I ended up choosing 5 providers that met my criteria. Here's how I tested these providers further:
- Specifications and features (40%). I checked and compared each provider's offerings. My prime focus was on storage and bandwidth capacities, which are crucial for the website's functionality. I also ensured that my top picks offered additions such as SSL certificates, email hosting, and security measures.
- Performance (30%). With our experts, I used tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix, which gave us vital data on uptime, server response times, and page loading speeds. These details are essential for your website's smooth user experience.
- Terms and conditions (30%). I paid special attention to the terms and conditions under which providers give free domains. These details vary with each provider, but after the first year, they all return to their standard domain renewal prices.
Once I gathered all the data, I ranked the providers based on these factors, identifying which ones outperformed the rest.
Hidden costs: are free domains really free?
Choosing the right hosting provider with a free domain requires careful inspection. Many providers target customers who take the word "free" for granted without reading the purchase terms.
That can lead to various issues afterward. For example, the domain may no longer be free after one year, and the provider could charge a high renewal fee. Or, if you decide to register a new domain instead and ask for a refund for hosting, the regular price of the "free" domain may be deducted, too.
That's why it's crucial to carefully read the purchase terms before buying. After purchase, you may no longer be able to undo the agreement.
How to choose the right web hosting plan with a free domain
Choosing the right hosting provider with a free domain requires careful consideration. That's because providers can hide details in the terms, which can be annoying afterward. Here's a list of crucial aspects to check.
Renewal conditions
Hosting providers often offer free domains only for the first year. After your free period ends, you may have to pay the renewal price, which sometimes can be expensive. That's why knowing the renewal rates before your purchase is essential.
Domain ownership and transfer
It's crucial to understand the domain's ownership and transfer policies. Sometimes, your control over the domain can be limited during the free period because the hosting provider may be the domain owner. In that case, if, for example, you decide to transfer the domain to another provider, you may not be able to do so.
Security
While a free domain may seem appealing, you must consider your website’s security. Look for hosting providers that offer essential security measures such as SSL certificates, malware protection, firewalls, and automatic backups.
Final word
After testing the performance and exploring the terms and specifications of many hosting providers, I found that Bluehost is the best provider offering a free domain. You can't go wrong with Bluehost – it delivers excellent price-to-performance value, is reliable, and provides user-friendly features.
Hostinger is another excellent option. It's inexpensive, fast, and easy to use, and most importantly, it offers loads of resources for almost every hosting plan. That's why I think it's a great choice for those seeking a reliable hosting provider with a free domain. To see which fits your needs better, you can check out our detailed review of Hostinger vs Bluehost.
FAQs
Can I get free hosting and a free domain?
Yes, you can get both hosting and a domain for free. However, the hosting experience it provides is limited. Free hosting services usually include ads, reduced bandwidth, storage, and features. So, if you want to host a website, consider an affordable paid hosting plan instead. I recommend Bluehost.
Can I host a website without purchasing a domain?
Yes, you can host a website without buying a domain. You can use a free subdomain provided by various hosting platforms. However, this often comes with limitations like branding from the hosting provider in your website's URL.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked