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Visit Network SolutionsThe easiest way to get a free domain name in 2026 is to buy an annual web hosting or website builder plan that includes one: Hostinger (from $2.49/mo on a 48-month term), Bluehost, Squarespace and Wix all include a free domain for the first year. After that, the domain renews at the provider’s normal price, usually about $20 to $24 a year for a .com. Fully free custom domains largely disappeared when Freenom stopped registrations in 2023, so the only free-forever options today are subdomains.
Below we compare the best free domain offers, explain the catches, and show how to claim yours.
Updated October 2026.
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Best free domain name offers at a glance
Prices are from each provider’s published pricing in October 2026. “Free domain” means one standard domain (such as a .com) free for the first year unless noted.
| Provider | Best for | Free domain terms | Plan price with free domain | .com renewal after year 1 | Money-back guarantee | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Lowest total cost | 1 year with Premium or Unlimited hosting (12+ months) | $2.49/mo (48-month term), renews $10.99/mo | $19.99/yr | 30 days | 4.7/5 |
| Bluehost | WordPress beginners | 1 year with 12- or 36-month shared plans | $3.99/mo (36-month term), renews $9.99/mo | $23.99/yr | 30 days (domain fee deducted) | 4.5/5 |
| Squarespace | Design-led websites | 1 year with any annual website plan | From $19/mo billed annually | $20/yr | 14 days on annual plans | 4.4/5 |
| Wix | Drag-and-drop builder | 1-year voucher with yearly Light, Core, Business or Business Elite plans | From $17/mo billed yearly | Wix’s standard rate | 14 days | 4.3/5 |
| DreamHost | Free privacy, month-to-month option | 1 free registration with annual web hosting | From $2.89/mo (1-year term), renews $10.99/mo | Standard rate | 30 days | 4.2/5 |
| HostGator | Many sites on one plan | 1 year with 12- to 36-month shared, WordPress or cloud plans | First-invoice discount; Hatchling regular rate $10.99/mo on 36 months | $22.99/yr | 30 days | 4.1/5 |
| GoDaddy | All-in-one with phone support | 1 year with annual web hosting or Managed WordPress | Economy from $5.99/mo (3-year term) | $22.99/yr | Check terms | 4.0/5 |
| Square Online | Free site and store, no domain cost | Free square.site subdomain | $0 (Square Free) | Not applicable | Not applicable | 4.0/5 |
How we evaluated free domain offers
We compared each provider’s published pricing pages, free-domain terms, refund policies and domain renewal prices as of October 2026. We did not purchase plans for this guide. We weighed:
- True first-year cost: the plan price you must pay to get the “free” domain, including the required term length.
- Year-two cost: the plan’s renewal price and the domain’s renewal price.
- Fine print: redemption deadlines, eligible extensions, and fees deducted if you cancel.
- Extras: free WHOIS privacy, SSL certificates and email.
- Ease of use for beginners setting up their first website.
Ratings are our editorial assessment based on those criteria.
How can you get a free domain name?
There are four realistic ways to get a domain without paying a registration fee:
- Bundle it with web hosting. Most shared hosting companies include one free domain for the first year when you pay for 12 months or more. This is the best route if you plan to run WordPress.
- Bundle it with a website builder. Squarespace and Wix include a free domain for the first year on annual plans. This is the easiest route if you want a drag-and-drop editor.
- Use a free subdomain. Website builders, blogging platforms and developer services give you a free address such as yourname.square.site or yourname.github.io. It costs nothing, but it is not your own domain.
- Use a free community domain. A few volunteer projects, such as EU.org and is-a.dev, give out free names under their own domains. They are slow or niche and best suited to personal or developer projects.
If you want a real, branded .com, options 1 and 2 are the way to go. Check that your name is available first with Namechk, which also checks matching social media usernames.
The best places to get a free domain name in 2026
Each pick includes who it is for, what you pay, and the catches to know about before you check out.
1. Hostinger: best overall for a free domain
Hostinger offers feature-rich plans that many small businesses find helpful, provided they understand how to use them. Tutorials and some tech support is provided. It offers scalable virtual servers, WordPress-friendly optimizations, and backups for websites. Hostinger has some of the best web infrastructure too.
Read our full review here.Best for: anyone who wants the lowest total cost for a website plus a free domain.
Price: Hostinger’s Premium plan costs $2.49/mo on a 48-month term ($119.52 upfront) and renews at $10.99/mo. The Unlimited plan costs $3.49/mo on 48 months and renews at $16.99/mo. Both include a free domain for one year, a free SSL certificate and free email for the first year. The domain renews at $19.99 per year.
Hostinger is the cheapest mainstream way to get a free domain with hosting. Premium supports three websites with 20 GB of storage; Unlimited supports unlimited websites with 50 GB of NVMe storage. Every plan includes free site migrations, an AI website builder, and 24/7 support, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Hostinger also includes free domain privacy.
Limits: the lowest price requires paying four years upfront, and renewal prices are roughly four times the intro price. Read our Hostinger review for more.
Get a free domain with Hostinger
2. Bluehost: best for WordPress beginners
BlueHost is trusted by millions worldwide to host its small business websites and personal projects. BlueHost definitely focuses on website hosting, offering shared, dedicated, and even VPS hosting.
They have a website builder and simple templates to use to build a new site. They also offer domain registration services. On this front, services are relatively basic but sufficient for most users.
Read our full review here.Best for: first-time WordPress site owners who want a guided setup.
Price: Bluehost’s Starter plan is $3.99/mo on a 36-month term and renews at $9.99/mo. The Business plan is $6.99/mo and renews at $13.99/mo. A free domain is included for the first year with 12- or 36-month terms and must be claimed within 90 days. A .com then renews at $23.99 per year.
Bluehost installs WordPress for you and walks beginners through setup. Starter allows 10 websites and 10 GB of NVMe storage, with a free SSL certificate and 24/7 chat support. Bluehost backs shared hosting with a 99.99% uptime SLA.
Limits: domain privacy costs $15 per year, professional email is only a one-month trial, and if you cancel within the money-back period Bluehost deducts a non-refundable domain fee. See our Bluehost review.
Get a free domain with Bluehost
3. Squarespace: best website builder with a free domain
Squarespace is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) program that allows people to build and host a website. The company has added e-commerce, domain name tools, and lots of analytics. It also replaced backend coding with simpler drag-and-drop features.
Read our full review here.Best for: small businesses, creatives and portfolios that want polished design without managing hosting.
Price: Squarespace plans start at $19/mo billed annually, and every annual website plan includes one year of free domain registration. The domain must be registered within one year of starting the subscription, and it renews at $20 per year for a .com. Domain privacy is always free.
Squarespace combines hosting, templates, SSL and selling tools in one subscription, and Squarespace Domains (which took over Google Domains customers) is one of the cleanest domain dashboards available. There is a 14-day free trial, and annual plans can be refunded within 14 days, minus the domain fee.
Limits: there is no free plan, and the cheapest plan charges a 2% fee on product sales. See our Squarespace review.
Start a Squarespace site with a free domain
4. Wix: best drag-and-drop builder with a free domain
Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that lets users design and build sites without any coding skills. It’s easy to use, and any person with basic computer knowledge can use the platform.
Read our full review here.Best for: people who want complete design freedom and a large app market.
Price: Wix’s Light plan is $17/mo billed yearly, Core is $29/mo and Business is $39/mo. Light, Core, Business and Business Elite include a voucher for a free domain for one year when billed yearly or for multiple years. The voucher must be redeemed within 60 days, applies to your first Premium purchase, and only covers new domains.
Wix has a free plan you can use to build and test your site on a wixsite.com address before you pay. When you upgrade, you get a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Limits: online selling starts on the Core plan, and the free domain only lasts a year. Read our Wix review.
5. DreamHost: best for free privacy and flexible billing
DreamHost is a simple and popular online web hosting service that also offers domain registration. Although they focus on hosting, DreamHost’s domain services are also quite impressive.
It provides a great, affordable option that offers solid support and a generous amount of storage and bandwidth combined with several perks that elevate efficiency.
Read our full review here.Best for: budget users who want free WHOIS privacy on every domain and the option to pay monthly.
Price: DreamHost’s Launch plan is listed from $2.89/mo on a 1-year term, renewing at $10.99/mo. New accounts on annual web hosting, 1- to 3-year managed VPS or annual DreamPress plans get one free first-year domain registration, which must be used within three months. The domain then renews at DreamHost’s regular price.
DreamHost includes free domain privacy on all domains, a free SSL certificate, 24/7 chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee on web hosting. Launch supports 25 websites with 25 GB of NVMe storage.
Limits: email is only free for the first three months on the entry plans. See our DreamHost review.
6. HostGator: best for running many sites on one plan
HostGator is an extremely popular, low-cost domain registrar and hosting provider. They boast over 2 million customers and offer low-cost hosting as low as $2.75 per month and .com domain registrations as low as $12.95 per year.
Plus, HostGator offers a free domain name for one year when you register for a hosting and/or website builder plan.
Read our full review here.Best for: people who plan several small websites and want one bill.
Price: HostGator includes a free domain for the first year with 12-, 24- or 36-month shared, WordPress or cloud plans. Its official price chart lists the Hatchling plan’s regular rate at $395.61 for 36 months (about $10.99/mo), and new customers get a discount on the first invoice, shown at checkout. A .com renews at $22.99 per year.
Hatchling allows 10 websites and 10 GB of storage, with a free SSL certificate and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Higher plans add phone support and free first-year domain privacy.
Limits: if you cancel within the first year, HostGator deducts a non-refundable domain fee, and domain privacy is extra on the entry plan. See our HostGator review.
Get a free domain with HostGator
7. GoDaddy: best all-in-one with phone support
GoDaddy offers web hosting, website builders, website security services, marketing tools, and much more. They aim to be a one-stop shop for those trying to start a new website.
GoDaddy offers both budget-friendly options (their website builder is free for some purposes) and high-end solutions.
Read our full review here.Best for: beginners who want domains, email, hosting and support from one company.
Price: GoDaddy includes a free domain for the first term with annual Web Hosting and Managed WordPress plans, then charges its standard renewal price ($22.99 per year for a .com) plus the $0.20 ICANN fee. In October 2026 GoDaddy listed its Economy web hosting plan from $5.99/mo for the first three-year term.
GoDaddy is the world’s largest registrar, so domain management, DNS and its aftermarket are well integrated with its hosting dashboard.
Limits: the free domain lasts only for the first term, and checkout includes many optional add-ons. See our GoDaddy review.
8. Square Online: best completely free website address
Square Online builder is an easy-to-use website builder that lets users create attractive online stores. It provides businesses with a simple and straightforward way to get online and start selling. Square Online has grown to include advanced mobile processing solutions like analytics, reporting, payroll, point of sale, recurring payments, invoices, and multiple apps.
Read our full review here.Best for: small shops, restaurants and service businesses that want a free website and online store without paying for a domain at all.
Price: Square’s free plan (Square Free) includes a website and online ordering on a free square.site subdomain, with online card payments at 3.3% + 30 cents. If you later want your own custom domain, Square’s paid plans start with Square Plus at $49/mo per location, which also lowers online card rates to 2.9% + 30 cents.
Square Online is the most capable free option for selling online, because you can take payments from day one without a monthly fee.
Limits: the free address includes Square’s branding in the URL, and a custom domain means upgrading or registering one separately. Read our Square Online review.
Can you get a domain name that is free forever?
Not a real .com. Registries charge registrars a fee for every domain every year (Verisign’s .com fee is $10.26, rising to $10.97 on November 1, 2026, plus ICANN’s $0.20), so nobody can give away .com names permanently.
What happened to Freenom? Freenom, which offered free .tk, .ml, .ga, .cf and .gq domains, stopped new registrations in March 2023 after Meta sued it over phishing abuse, and announced in February 2024 that it was leaving the domain business. Those free domains are no longer a dependable option.
Genuinely free options that still exist in 2026:
- Builder subdomains: Wix (yourname.wixsite.com), Square Online (square.site), WordPress.com and Webflow (webflow.io) all have free plans with a subdomain.
- GitHub Pages: one free user site per account at username.github.io, ideal for developers and portfolios.
- EU.org: a volunteer project that has offered free domain names since 1996. Requests are reviewed manually and can take a long time.
- is-a.dev: free subdomains for developers, requested through a GitHub repository.
These are fine for hobby projects and testing, but a business should use its own domain. A subdomain looks less trustworthy, ties your address to someone else’s brand, and cannot move with you if you change platforms.
Free vs. “free”: what are the catches?
A free domain is a genuine saving of $10 to $25, but it comes with conditions. Watch for these before you check out:
- Renewal price: year two costs the provider’s standard rate, often $20 to $24 for a .com, which can be higher than a standalone registrar.
- Plan commitment: the hosting or builder plan usually requires a 12- to 48-month prepayment to qualify.
- Cancellation fees: Bluehost and HostGator deduct a non-refundable domain fee if you cancel during the money-back period. Squarespace also keeps the domain fee on refunds.
- Redemption deadlines: Wix gives you 60 days to claim the free domain, Bluehost 90 days and DreamHost three months.
- Eligible extensions: premium names and some country codes are excluded.
- Privacy: Hostinger, Squarespace and DreamHost include free domain privacy; Bluehost charges $15 per year and HostGator charges extra on its entry plan.
- Ownership: make sure the domain is registered in your name and that you can transfer it out. ICANN rules block transfers for 60 days after registration.
What should you look for in a free domain offer?
Compare offers on more than the headline price.
Extension choice
Make sure the extension you want, usually .com, is covered. If your preferred .com is taken, check alternatives with the domain name generator or see our guide to what TLDs are.
Two-year cost
Add up year one (plan plus free domain) and year two (plan renewal plus domain renewal). A slightly more expensive first year can be cheaper over two years.
Domain privacy
Free privacy keeps your personal contact details out of public registration data and cuts spam.
Reputation and support
Pick a provider with 24/7 support and clear documentation for connecting the domain, setting up email and installing SSL.
Other services
Look at what else is included: SSL, email accounts, backups and migrations. Our guide on web hosting explains which features matter.
How do you claim a free domain name?
- Search for your name on Namechk to confirm the domain and social handles are available.
- Choose a qualifying plan from a provider above, billed annually or longer.
- Claim the domain at checkout or from your dashboard voucher within the deadline.
- Turn on domain privacy and auto-renew so the name does not lapse after the free year.
- Connect the domain to your site. On a bundled plan this is usually automatic. Our step-by-step guide shows how to register a domain name and set up DNS.
If you would rather keep your domain separate from your host, compare the best domain name registrars, where a .com costs about $11 to $23 a year.
Ready to claim yours? Hostinger is the lowest-cost way to get a free domain with hosting, and Squarespace is the easiest with a website builder.
FAQs
What is the best way to get a free domain name?
The best way is to buy an annual hosting or website builder plan that includes a free domain for the first year. Hostinger is the cheapest option at $2.49/mo on a 48-month term, Bluehost suits WordPress beginners, and Squarespace or Wix suit people who want a drag-and-drop builder. After year one, the domain renews at the provider’s standard price.
Can I get a .com domain for free forever?
No. Every .com carries a yearly registry fee (Verisign’s wholesale fee is $10.26, rising to $10.97 on November 1, 2026) plus ICANN’s $0.20 fee, so no legitimate provider gives .com names away permanently. Free offers cover the first year only. Permanently free options are limited to subdomains such as yourname.github.io or a free builder address.
Is Freenom still giving away free domains?
No. Freenom stopped new registrations in March 2023 after Meta filed a lawsuit over phishing abuse, and in February 2024 it announced it was leaving the domain business. Its free .tk, .ml, .ga, .cf and .gq domains are no longer a reliable option, so use a free subdomain or a first-year free domain from a host instead.
Can I get a free website and a free domain?
You can get a free website on a subdomain from Square Online, Wix, WordPress.com or Webflow, but connecting a custom domain generally requires a paid plan. Square’s free plan even lets you sell online on a square.site address. If you want your own .com, the cheapest route is an annual hosting or builder plan that includes the first year free.
Can I get free professional email with my domain?
Often for a limited time. Hostinger includes free mailboxes for the first year on its web hosting plans, while Bluehost and HostGator offer a one-month trial of professional email and DreamHost includes email free for three months on entry plans. After that, business email usually costs a few dollars per mailbox per month.
How much does a domain cost after the free year?
A .com typically renews at $19.99 at Hostinger, $20 at Squarespace, $22.99 at HostGator and GoDaddy, and $23.99 at Bluehost, based on October 2026 pricing. Standalone registrars such as Porkbun or Cloudflare charge around $11, so some people transfer the domain after the free year to save money.
What happens to my free domain if I cancel my plan?
The domain stays registered to you for the rest of its term, but some hosts charge for it if you cancel early. Bluehost and HostGator deduct a non-refundable domain fee from refunds during the money-back period, and Squarespace keeps the domain fee on refunded annual plans. You can then renew or transfer the domain like any other.
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