If you’ve decided to create your website to make a living from the internet, the next step is to get a domain name.
There are many domain registration companies out there today, with GoDaddy and Namecheap being the most popular. However, the good thing is that you don’t have to spend a dime for a domain in your first year, especially if you don’t have a budget for it.
Fortunately, some of the popular web hosting companies in the industry today now offer free .com domain for one year.
In today’s guide, you’re going to learn how to get free .com domain registration for your first year, so you can spend your money on other essential things needed to grow your site.
How Does Free Domain Name For One Year Come?
Is it really possible to get a free domain name for 1 year?
Well, it’s actually possible.
The free domain registration for one year is more or less, and incentive that these web hosting companies gives you to sign up with their hosting service. That means you are essentially paying for something else (hosting) to get the offer.
Therefore, getting a domain name for one year free of charge is very possible, but you will have to pay for a web host account to enjoy it.
This is still a great offer; besides, even if you choose to pay for your domain via any of the domain registration companies out there, you’ll still need to host the domain. So, why not save some money and grab the free dot come domain registration offer?
If you’ve made up your mind and want to learn how to get free .com domain in 2021, below are the web hosting providers that offer free com domain for one year.
How to Get Free .Com Domain for a Year in 2021
1. BlueHost.com
Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth founded BlueHost in Utah in 2003. Ever since it was founded, BlueHost has made significant development milestones to become the go-to web host, mostly loved by startups that are on a low budget.
BlueHost is now run by the conglomerate Endurance International Group (EIG) since the latter took over the company in 2010. Currently, the company hosts over 2 million websites.
There are several reasons to host your website with BlueHost, including the availability of advanced developer tools, such as SSH access, fully-customized Linux kernel, and FTP.
BlueHost also supports the Open source community and comes with state-of-the-art facilities that allow you to scale your business to produce content that easily stands out on Google page.
BlueHost gives room for flexibility by allowing you to choose whatever plan is suitable for your budget and business requirements. With the Shared hosting plan, you can quickly launch your website for as low as $2.95 per month.
However, if you are a big business with some cash to spend, you can settle for the more advanced Dedicated Hosting that goes for $79.99 per month.
To register a free .com domain, you first have to choose a hosting plan from the:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated hosting
- Cloud hosting
- WordPress hosting
- eCommerce hosting
Choosing the shared hosting gives you 4 distinct options, all of which can quickly help you start your website immediately. So, you can use BlueHost’s modern technology to move your business to the next level. Even though the basic plan is the cheapest, it offers you value for your money.
The basic plan will enable you to build a website with unmetered bandwidth and 50GB of storage, 25 subdomains, as well as 5 company email addresses.
Get your domain for 1 year on BlueHost
Getting your domain for 1 year is quite easy and takes just a few minutes to accomplish on the BlueHost platform.
As soon as you click on “Select” based on your desired plan, you are redirected to a search box to create a new domain or use an existing one. You can now search for your free com domain.
If your desired domain is unavailable, you get an error message letting you know that the domain is already taken. To ensure you get at least something related to your business, you have to tweak the name further.
For instance, your desired domain name is Kenny, and it’s already taken, add what the business is known for. If you deal with chicks, you could add kennychicks.com, and if it is accepted, click on “Next” to proceed.
You will immediately receive a confirmation that the domain is available.
Fill out your account information to enable you to create your website hosting account with BlueHost. Enter your first and last names, business name (optional), country, address, phone number, and the email to which your receipt would be sent.
Enter your package information, including the account plan, hosting price, and the package extras (such as Codeguard Basic, SiteLock, Domain privacy+ protection, SEO tools, etc.) if you would love to add any.
Note that the extras you add will increase the plan’s price further, as those extras are priced differently.
You can choose 12, 24, 36, or 60 monthly hosting subscriptions. The longer plans will reduce the amount you pay per month.
BlueHost will set up the account hosting for free and offer you a free domain for 1 year.
Bluehost offers 30 days money back guarantee to new users. This will enable you to test their service and see if it’s what you want. And if you’re not satisfied, you can ask for a refund within the 30 days period.
If you subscribe to the 36 months plan, you get it at $2.95 per month. But at the end of the 36 months, the price goes back to $7.99 per month, which the regular price.
Pros of Bluehost
- It’s pretty much affordable
- Regular data backups
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain name
- 24×7 customer support
- Free website builder
- 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons of Bluehost
- Bluehost is relying on old infrastructure
- Website migration is not free
- Customer support needs improvements
2. Hostinger.com
Another reliable option to get a free domain name for one year is to use Hostinger.com. Hostinger is a relatively affordable web hosting for especially newcomers who are working on a lean budget.
A lot of website owners settle for Hostinger because their services are tailored to provide you websites with high speed and adequate security.
Hostinger offers you a plethora of high-quality features, including:
- Free SSL certificate
- WordPress Acceleration
- No-limits PHP
- MySQL
- cPanel
- Etc.
Little wonder the company hosts over 29 million websites in 178 countries.
Hostinger was bootstrapped in 2004 and has grown tremendously since, recording steady 2x growth for the last 3 years. With a highly-professional team led by Balys Kriksciunas (CEO), the company provides you with maximum support to start your website from scratch to finish.
Hostinger offers 4 distinct types of website hosting plans:
- Shared Single Hosting
- Premium Shared Hosting
- Business Shared Hosting
- Cloud Hosting
The Shared single hosting is the cheapest plan, and it attracts a paltry $0.99 per month. This is clearly an offer that is irresistible to newbies who do not have the financial muscles to flex.
If you use the coupon code given below, you can save 7% extra on any hostinger hosting plan.
Coupon Code: ANILAGARWAL
Three ways to get free domain name for one year on Hostinger
If you have been thinking of how to get free dot com domain, then Hostinger provides the right answers. The web hosting solution offers you three different ways to get free com domain name for one year.
The first option is to get it through their limited-time promotion. Simply go to their promo page and type into the box the name of the domain you desire.
Once you pick your domain name, you can subscribe to a Premium or Business web hosting plan. That is the condition for getting the free domain for the first year.
The second option is to subscribe to one of their plans first. Once you take the step to choose a web hosting plan, Hostinger allows you to search for and register a free domain name for one year.
However, this option is not entirely free; they only offer you an 18% discount on the domain name. Instead of paying the usual $10.99 per year, you will only pay $8.99 for the first year, offering you a $2 discount.
The last option is to pick a free subdomain by signing up for their free hosting platform. This means that your website would have a URL, such as example.000webhostapp.com. It comes with 100MB disk space, unlimited bandwidth, PHP, MySQL, FTP, and cPanel.
Pros Hostinger
- Affordable hosting plans
- Fast load time
- Datacenters in 7 regions
- Free domain name for the first year
- 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons of Hostinger
- Uptime could be made better
- No SSL certificate
- Cheapest prices require a 4-year commitment
3. GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks also offers you an opportunity to get a free domain name for 1 year. With over 12 years in the web hosting business and over 500,000 websites hosted, GreenGeeks is not a stranger when it comes to using modern technology for hosting sites.
They easily match their counterparts in terms of quality, speed, uptime, and user-friendliness.
There are several reasons you might want to host your website with this multi-award-winning web hosting provider.
First, they have been a Green Power Partner to the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 2009. This is due to their role in reducing carbon footprint in the web hosting industry.
Hosting your website with them gives you:
- Unlimited SSD web space
- Unlimited domains
- Optimized LiteSpeed & Maria DB
- Free website transfer
- Unlimited sub, and parked domains
- 300% offset with renewable energy
- Enhanced spam protection
- Nightly data backup
- Unlimited data transfer
- Automatic app updates
How to get free com domain in 2021 on GreenGeeks
Have you imagined how to get free com domain in 2021? GreenGeeks gives you the leeway to do so, even from the comfort of your bedroom.
To get free com domain, you need to subscribe to one of their hosting plans by filling out the web hosting order form. You can start with the WordPress Hosting, which goes for $2.49 per month.
Search for your desired domain name. If available, you will receive a congratulatory message, letting you know that the domain is available for your use.
Go ahead and fill the package information, as well as the payment information. You will get the EcoSite Lite plan at $2.49 per month if you are opting for a 3-year plan, billed at once.
Once you have filled the payment details, click on the “Purchase Domain” button and you are done. That’s how to get a free com domain on GreenGeeks.
GreenGeeks Pros
- Environment-friendly hosting
- Super-fast load time
- Fantastic uptime guarantee
- Free domain name and website migration
GreenGeeks Cons
- Limited data center
- Dubious refund policy
- Expensive renewal costs
4. Hostgator
Hostgator does not need any introduction, because it has become a household name in the web hosting industry. Hostgator was founded by Brent Oxley, in 2002, in a Florida University dorm room.
It has won various awards and is currently run by Endurance International Group (EIG), since its acquisition in June 2012.
WordPress update on Hostgator is automatic, and there is:
- Free website migration
- Free SSL certificate
- Random weekly backups
- Free website builder
- cPanel
- Free advertising credits
- Domain privacy
- Quality customer support
- SiteLock
And many other great tools to set up your new site and keep it going quickly.
The SiteLock carries out a security scan of your website and automatically removes malware. It also defends your site against malicious attacks and protects your brand reputation.
As a newcomer who wishes to get words across about your new website and business, the free $100 Google AdWords and Bing credits come handy.
That’s not all. The website builder lets you build a fantastic and professional looking website for yourself, even if you are not a professional web designer or programmer.
You don’t need to be tech-savvy to be able to use the tool. With over 100 high-quality templates, you can easily customize one for your desktop and responsive mobile versions.
How to get free dot com domain on Hostgator
To get free dot com domain for one year on Hostgator, you must sign up for a 12, 24, or 36-month Shared, WordPress, or Cloud hosting plan. At the end of one year, the domain is renewed at the regular rate.
When you subscribe to one of the above-listed plans, Hostgator provides an order form to register a free domain name.
If your desired domain name is unavailable, you will receive a message informing you that the name has been taken. Besides, you will be given several suggestions from which to choose another TLD extension.
You can also try related names that can you can comfortably use for the website so long they are closely associated with your desired one.
For instance, you tried Bizsuccessguide.com, and it’s unavailable, you can now try something like Mybizsuccesstips.com.
And boom! The domain name is available to register for one year. Choose a hosting plan and continue filling the form until everything is complete. Add your billing details and include any additional service you wish to add.
These include SSL certificate, SiteLock Essentials, Professional Email, Site Backup, and Hostgator SEO Tools.
Your free domain is ready with your completed website hosting set up. Congratulations! You are now the owner of a free dot com domain.
Your 36 months plan will be charged at $2.75 per month at once. But when it is due for renewal, it would return to $6.95 per month, the regular price.
HostGator Pros
- Free SSL certificate included
- Great uptime guarantee (99.98%)
- Fast load speed
- FREE website migration for one site
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
HostGator Cons
- No daily backup
- Costly renewal price
5. DreamHost
Dreamhost is one of the web hosting providers that can easily hold its shoulders high when it comes to providing amazing services and top-notch features.
Dreamhost has been delivering excellent web hosting services in the past 18 years, and currently hosts 1.5 million websites, WordPress blogs, and apps.
The USA-based web hosting company has over 400,000 happy customers in more than 100 countries and recorded 750,000 WordPress installations. Thanks to its determination to deliver only services that meet the industry standard.
Dreamhost’s WordPress Basic Hosting plan starts at $2.59 per month.
It comes with an avalanche of features, such as:
- Instant WordPress Setup
- Automated Backups
- Auto WordPress Updates
- Free Privacy Protection
- Free Email Hosting
- Free SSL certificate
- Unmetered traffic
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Fast SSD storage
- Free Automated WordPress Migrations
- 24/7 Award-Winning Support
All these will help you launch your website without any hassles.
How to get free .com domain on Dreamhost
WordPress Basic is the cheapest plan. You can only get the DreamHost’s free .com domain registration credit for the first full year by subscribing to a 1-year or 3-year annual plan. This is applicable on the Starter Shared, Unlimited/Happy Hosting, or any yearly DreamPress plan.
If the free registration is not used within the first three months, it would be removed.
The Starter Shared Hosting offers you:
- Preinstalled WordPress
- Free SSL certificate
- Free Automated WordPress Migrations
- WP Website Builder
- Fast SSD Storage
- Unlimited Traffic
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- Free Privacy Protection
- 24/7 Support
Now, to get started, create a DreamHost account using a viable email address and secure password.
You are then provided with a search box that you can use to search for your desired domain name. Make sure you input the right name with the correct spelling and add “.com” at the end.
With the WP Website Builder, you can quickly launch a functional website, using the plethora of templates. Customize the template to suit your specific need and taste.
If the domain is available, decide for how long you want it registered. However, if you are registering for more than one year, you should be aware that DreamHost will pay for only the first year. So you will have to take care of the remaining years.
You will receive a message that says, “Congrats, … domain is available.” Go ahead to complete the setting up of your DreamHost account.
If you have a website hosted with another company, you can request the support team to assist you with the site’s migration to DreamHost. This would be done for free.
Pros of DreamHost
- SSH access
- Several support channels including an interactive forum
- 97-day money-back guarantee
- Competitive pricing structure
Cons of DreamHost
- No free website migration
- No cPanel
6. InMotion Hosting
If you are still not sure that the above web hosting companies are the right place for you to get free domain name for 1 year, it is time to try InMotion Hosting. Why should you try InMotion? The web hosting provider is a trusted name and able to deliver on its promises.
Its performances are not in doubt regarding business class hosting and giving you all the technical support. This will help to make sure your website is duly nurtured until it becomes fully established to compete favorably with its competitors.
InMotion Hosting is an award-winning web hosting solution, with highly-optimized WordPress hosting for bloggers. It was founded in 2001, making it one of the oldest web hosting companies out there.
InMotion Hosting has offices in Virginia Beach and Los Angeles, with over 200 employees. The platform offers 99.9% uptime and an array of features to give your website an edge over the competition.
InMotion is a top-rated CNET web hosting company for the past 17 years because of its secure website transactions, outstanding services, and best business practices. It also enjoys an A+ rating from BBB as a result of its integrity.
InMotion Hosting offers four distinct web hosting plans:
- WordPress hosting
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated servers
- Shared hosting
WordPress hosting is the cheapest plan, and it goes for $6.99 per month.
How to get free dot com domain on InMotion Hosting
To claim your free com domain, you have to subscribe to a 12 or 24-month hosting plan. The WordPress Hosting offers you an opportunity to launch your new website at a cheap rate quickly.
Some of the things to expect on a WordPress hosting (WP-1000S) plan include:
- 50GB SSD storage
- 20,000 monthly visitors
- WordPress Optimized Stack
- Staging environment
- Free SSL certificate
- Web Application Firewalls
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth
And the ability to create beautiful websites using WordPress themes and plugins by BoldGrid.
Click on “WordPress Hosting” and select your desired plan. You can go for any of the four WordPress Hosting packages. With the WP-1000S (the least plan), you can subscribe to a one or two-year plan and save some money.
After adding your addons (if you wish), add your billing details. You can choose any of the three installation options:
- Plain WordPress
- WordPress w/New Site Design Suite (recommended)
- Don’t transfer
I will transfer my own or configure it manually
Make sure everything is in order and click on “Continue” to set up your account.
After creating your account, go ahead and claim your free domain name for one year.
Input the name of the domain you wish to register into the search box and search. If the name is already taken, you get a message informing you that the domain is unavailable. You are advised to search again or choose other available TLDs.
Search for other versions by adding an extension to the domain, or search for other alternatives.
If your desired name is available, you will receive a message that the domain is available. Go ahead and register it. Complete your account setup and start enjoying a new website.
Other additions that make WP-1000S hosting plan appealing include:
- $150 free advertising credits
- A 90-day money-back guarantee
- Free no-downtime website transfer
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Automatic plugin and theme updates
- Easy cPanel
- Easy Google apps integration
With BoldGrid, you can quickly build a lovely website and use the staging environment to check how everything will work on the newly launched site.
You don’t need to worry about anything going wrong because you can easily ask for a refund within 90 days of your subscription.
InMotion Hosting Pros
- Average uptime at 99.95%
- 90-day money-back guarantee
- Free SSL Certificate
- Excellent customer support
- Free site migration
- Premium Sucuri plugin for WordPress users
- Google Apps integration
- Fast loading speed
- SSD drive storage
- You can choose your data center location
InMotion Hosting Cons
- Not the cheapest
- Delayed verification process
- No monthly billing
7. iPage
iPage was originally founded in 1998 and has grown to become a trusted name in website hosting. iPage offers world-class technology with 2 data centers and is an affordable option for individuals and small businesses to launch their presence online quickly.
The web hosting company has been hosting personal, social, business, and non-profit websites and helping them to grow, by offering the needed tools and technical support.
iPage offers one of the most competitive pricing in the web hosting industry and includes a free domain name registration. With their data center that is continuously monitored and regular website backup, you are sure to enjoy uninterrupted uptime.
How to get free dot com domain on iPage
iPage offers four different website hosting packages – Web hosting, VPS hosting, Dedicated hosting, and WordPress hosting. The iPage web hosting, the cheapest plan, comes at a very affordable price of $1.99 per month.
This plan comes with:
- Unlimited disk space
- Scalable bandwidth
- Unlimited domain name
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Free SSL certificate
- iPage website builder (6 pages)
- Mobile-optimized site builder
- WordPress 1-click installer
- Hundreds of templates and themes
- vDeck Control Panel
- Visitor statistics/site traffic reporting
If you intend to sell online, then you will be given free online store, PayPal integration, AgoraCart shopping cart, easy 1-click installer, and enhanced security suite.
To claim your free dot com domain, choose a hosting plan. Click on “Sign Up Now” to get started. This takes you to the domain search page.
Enter your desired domain name in the box with the inscription “Choose your free 1-year domain registration.” If the domain is available, you will get a message that says, “Nice, your domain name is available.”
Look to your right; your order simply shows that your domain name is $0.00 and the current total is also $0.00.
Select the length of the term you want to host the domain – 1, 2, or 3 years. The longer the years, the cheaper you pay in the long run. If you choose for 3 years, you will pay $1.99 per month. This would eventually be renewed at $7.99 per month when due.
Click on “Next, customize my plan.” Again, note that your domain name is free, and the cost of hosting your website for three years is $71.64.
You can decide to add domain protection, which goes for $9.99 per year, but renewable at $12.99 per year. You can as well choose not to add the domain protection, as it is optional.
In the end, click “Continue to payment,” to complete the registration. You enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means that you are free to cancel your plan within 30 days if you are dissatisfied with their service.
However, if you decide to keep your free domain name after canceling your web hosting plan, you will be charged a non-refundable fee of $15.
Should you decide to continue with the website hosting, there are other addendums you will enjoy. These include Google’s $100 ad offer, and Bing $100 ads credits to help you create awareness about your new website and drive traffic to the site.
With the SiteLock tool, your site is scanned regularly to ensure it is not infected with malware or viruses.
The analytics tool also enables you to monitor the performance of your website right from the outset. This gives you an idea of the areas you are doing well and where improvements are needed.
Pros of iPage
- Affordable hosting solution
- Host unlimited websites
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited storage
- User-Friendly cPanel
- Free Security Suite
- Free listing on YellowPages.com
Cons of iPage
- Occasional Upselling
- Poor customer support channel
- Occasional downtime
8. JustHost
JustHost is another name that rings a bell in the website hosting industry. JustHost offers an inexpensive option for bloggers and website owners who want to quickly get their websites running, even though they are working on a lean budget.
JustHost is fully committed to its customers’ success by providing them with all the necessary tools and assistance to do so.
JustHost was founded by Chris Phillips in 2008. Its headquarters is in Orem, Utah, USA; others are in the UK and Australia.
It quickly grew in reputation, delivering world-class services that eventually gained the attention of the Endurance International Group (EIG). EIG acquired the website hosting company in 2012 and continues to consolidate its legacies.
JustHost provides an easy-to-navigate cPanel to its users to improve their user experience. Besides that, JustHost provides:
- Outstanding uptime
- Easy integration
- Free script library
- Unlimited domain hosting
And a free domain name registration to ensure you have everything needed to get a business started without hitches.
JustHost offers three web hosting plans – Basic, Plus, and Choice Plus plans. While the Basic plan is quite affordable and comes at $3.95 per month, it offers you:
- 50GB space
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Standard performance
- Free SSL certificate
- 1 domain
- 5 parked domains
- 25 subdomains
- 25 email accounts
Read: JustHost Review: Reasons to Choose it Over Other Hosts
Claiming your free dot com domain is easy on JustHost
If you do not know how to get free com domain on JustHost, it is straightforward. Simply click on “Select” on the hosting plan you wish to subscribe to. This takes you to the domain registration page.
Under the “I Need a Domain Name,” add the desired domain name in the search box and click “Next.”
Fill out the details to create your new account. You will need to add your names, business name, phone number, email, etc.
Also include the package information. If you choose to host the website for 36 months, you will pay $3.95 per month, including a free domain name. After 36 months, the renewal price reverses to $9.49 per month.
Add whatever extras you wish to add. Among the extras to choose from are, Domain Privacy Protection, Codeguard Basic, SEO Tools Start, Site Backup Pro, Microsoft 365 email Essentials, and SiteLock Security.
Fill out your payment method, either by credit card or PayPal. Check the terms of service and click on “Submit.” Your new account is created.
Note that you have a 30-day guarantee on the plan. If you decide to cancel your plan within the 30 days, you will be charged $15 for the domain name to keep it. This is because you cannot transfer your domain name until after 60 days of registering it.
Privacy protection helps keep your identity private and away from the eagle eyes of hackers and spammers. This will minimize unwanted phone calls and postal mail, fraudulent domain transfers, identity theft, malware and SEO blacklists, and competitors’ ability to look up your other domains.
The Codeguard Basic tool works behind the scene in ensuring your website is automatically backed up daily, monitored daily.
That’s not all; it also makes sure that redundant copies of your backups are stored across multiple secure locations. And it’ll revert to the previous version of your site with one click, in case of an accident or if your website is hacked.
The SiteLock Essential Security makes sure that your website does not land on search engine blacklists. It also protects you from expensive downtime by downloading data from your site and cleaning up malware, ensuring that only safe files are uploaded to your website.
Pros of Justhost
- Discounted pricing
- Instant Server Provisioning
- Free Domain Name
- Free script library
- Easy app install
- Simple cPanel interface
Cons of Justhost
- Poor hosting performance
- Mediocre customer support
FAQs
What is a domain name?
A domain name is one of the essentials to build a website which is basically the address of your website that people type in web browsers to access your site.
Are domain names free?
Though there was a time (1990’s) when even TLDs were free to use but now there is no such thing as free domain names. That being said, you can grab a free domain along with web hosting services.
How much does it cost to get a domain name?
The exact cost of a domain name depends on the domain registrars and the type of domain you are going to buy but on an average a regular domain can be bought for around $10/year.
How can I get a free .com domain?
Most of the web hosting companies like Bluehost, GreenGeeks, Hostgator, InMotion hosting, iPage, etc., offer a free domain name along with its web hosting annual plans.
How to register a free domain name?
To register for a free domain name, all you need to do is visit the websites of the companies which offer free domain names and sign up for their annual hosting plan.
How To Get Free Dot Com Domain | Conclusion
As you can see, it’s possible to get a free .com domain for one year, and the entire process is also easy and straightforward.
So, if you’ve been trying to know how to get free .com domain, I believe you now have all it takes. Just go through each of the hosting solutions mentioned here that offers free domain registration, and then choose the one you think is best suitable for your business.
That said, do let us know if you any questions on this topic.
Anil Agarwal who owns Bloggerspassion.com, is a full-time blogger and SEO expert who has been helping people build profitable blogs for over a decade. Bloggers Passion has been featured on premium online sites like Forbes.com, Huffingtonpost, Semrush, Problogger, Crazy Egg, The Next Web and so on.
Keep reading the article at BloggersPassion: Learn Blogging & SEO from Anil Agarwal. The article was originally written by Anil Agarwal on 2021-04-06 04:49:00.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.