Free vs Paid Domain Names: What You Need to Know

## Free vs Paid Domain Names: What You Need to Know When you are starting your first website, the cost of a domain name may feel like an obstacle. A standard `.com` costs roughly $10–$15 per year — not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it is a commitment before you know whether your project will succeed. Free domain options do exist, and they have their place. But they come with significant trade-offs that most people only discover after they have already invested time building a site. This guide explains everything you need to know before choosing between free and paid. ## What "Free" Domain Names Actually Are There is no such thing as a completely free domain in the traditional sense. What people call "free domains" usually fall into one of three categories: ### 1. Subdomains of a Third-Party Service The most common "free domain" is actually a Subdomain of another company's domain: | Service | Example "free domain" | |---------|----------------------| | WordPress.com | `yoursite.wordpress.com` | | Blogger | `yoursite.blogspot.com` | | Wix | `yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursite` | | Weebly | `yoursite.weebly.com` | | GitHub Pages | `yourusername.github.io` | | Netlify | `yoursite.netlify.app` | | Vercel | `yoursite.vercel.app` | **Important:** You do not own these. The part before the established domain (like `wordpress.com` or `blogspot.com`) is a Subdomain — and that Subdomain is granted to you by the third-party service. They control it entirely. ### 2. Free TLDs from Alternative Registries Some organizations offer truly free top-level domains at no cost. The most notable example is **.tk** (Tokelau), which gained notoriety as a free ccTLD: - `.tk`, `.ml`, `.ga`, `.cf`, `.gq` — free TLDs operated by Freenom (now with significant operational issues) - `.free.nf` and similar from free web hosting services These are genuinely your own domains — not subdomains — but they carry significant drawbacks. ### 3. Domains Bundled with Hosting Many hosting providers include a "free domain" with a hosting plan purchase: - Bluehost: free `.com` with any hosting plan - HostGator: free `.com` first year with hosting - DreamHost: free `.com` first year These are real, registered domain names — but they are subsidized by the hosting plan cost. The domain itself is free for year one, then renews at the standard rate. And you are essentially paying for the domain through your hosting fees. ## The Real Costs of Free Domains ### Loss of Control With a Subdomain of a third-party service (like `yoursite.wordpress.com`), you have zero ownership. The service can: - Shut down tomorrow, taking your address with it - Change their policies and force you to pay or lose the subdomain - Suspend your account for any reason - Sell the platform to a company that discontinues the service History is full of these stories: Google shut down Google+ URLs. Microsoft shut down Spaces. Yahoo shut down GeoCities. Every site on those platforms lost their address overnight. If you build an audience under `yoursite.blogspot.com`, your brand is tied to Google's continued goodwill. That is a precarious position. ### SEO Disadvantages Search engines generally trust owned domains more than subdomains of platforms. Your `yoursite.wordpress.com` competes for authority with the millions of other sites on `wordpress.com`. Inbound links — still one of the most powerful SEO signals — go to `wordpress.com`'s domain, not to your specific subdomain. When you eventually move to your own domain, you lose all that link equity unless you set up 301 redirects (which you usually cannot control on free platforms). ### Professionalism and Trust An email address from `[email protected]` is personal. An email from `[email protected]` is neither professional nor trust-inspiring. Customers, partners, and press contacts take you more seriously with your own domain. A web address like `yoursite.wordpress.com` clearly signals that you are using a free service. For hobby projects, that is fine. For anything business-related, it undermines credibility from the first click. ### No Custom Email Most free Subdomain arrangements do not let you use your domain as an email address. You cannot have `[email protected]` redirect to your inbox — the platform owns the email system. With a paid domain, you can set up professional email (`[email protected]`) using Google Workspace, Zoho, or other email hosting services by configuring MX records in your DNS (Domain Name System). ### Bandwidth and Feature Restrictions Free hosting tiers that include free subdomains typically impose significant restrictions: - Limited bandwidth or storage - Forced ads on your site (sometimes) - No access to install plugins or customize code - No access to raw DNS settings ### The Freenom Problem Free TLDs like `.tk` and `.ml` (operated by Freenom) have had severe reliability issues. In 2023, Freenom suspended new registrations entirely following legal disputes, leaving thousands of domain owners unable to renew or transfer their domains. Many domains simply stopped working. Free TLDs from tiny operators carry inherent stability risks. The organization can fold, change policies, or simply stop functioning. ## When Free Domains Make Sense Free options are not always wrong. They make sense in specific situations: **Personal learning projects:** If you are learning to code and just need somewhere to deploy experiments, `yourname.github.io` or `yourapp.vercel.app` is perfectly appropriate. No one expects a production URL for a learning project. **Hobby blogs with no commercial ambitions:** If you genuinely just want to share content with friends and family, and you have no intention of ever building a business or audience around it, a WordPress.com free subdomain is fine. **Short-lived projects or events:** Temporary sites for a one-time event, a class project, or a quick test do not warrant the investment of a paid domain. **Developer previews and staging environments:** `staging.vercel.app` URLs are standard practice and no one judges them. Deployment previews on `netlify.app` are normal. ## The Case for a Paid Domain A paid domain registration from a reputable Domain Registrar typically costs $8–$15 per year for a standard `.com`. That is less than the cost of two coffees per year. For that small annual investment, you get: - **Full ownership and control** of your address - **Professional appearance** in browser bars and emails - **Portability** — move your hosting anywhere without changing your address - **Custom professional email** addresses - **Better SEO** positioning from the start - **Brand protection** — no platform can take your name away Even if you are not sure your project will succeed, starting with your own domain is almost always worth the $10/year. You can always let it expire if the project does not pan out. ## The Hidden Cost of Starting Free and Switching Later Many people start with a free option and later regret it. The switching cost is real: 1. **SEO reset:** Any rankings you built under the free domain must be rebuilt under the new domain. Even with 301 redirects, there is typically some ranking loss during migration. 2. **Broken links:** Anyone who linked to your old address will still send visitors there. If you cannot set up redirects (often impossible on free platforms), those visitors get a dead end. 3. **Rebranding effort:** Update social media profiles, business cards, email signatures, partnerships, press mentions — every reference to your old address needs updating. 4. **Audience confusion:** Repeat visitors who bookmarked the old address will not automatically find the new one. Starting with your own domain from day one costs $10. Migrating later costs time, SEO risk, and potential audience loss. ## Choosing a Paid Domain Registrar When you are ready to register, read How to Register a Domain Name: Step-by-Step for a complete walkthrough. For now, key points: - Compare renewal prices, not just first-year prices - Choose a Domain Registrar that includes WHOIS Privacy protection free - Enable Auto-Renewal so you do not accidentally lose the domain - Use TLD Finder to find available names and compare prices across TLDs ## Key Takeaways - "Free domains" are usually subdomains you do not own, free TLDs from small operators, or domains bundled with hosting plans. - Free subdomains carry serious risks: no ownership, SEO disadvantages, no professional email, and platform dependency. - Free TLDs like `.tk` have proven unreliable and should be avoided for anything you care about. - A paid `.com` domain costs about $10–$15/year — a very small investment for full ownership, portability, and credibility. - Starting free and migrating later carries real costs in SEO, broken links, and rebranding effort. For most projects with any real ambition, starting with a paid domain from day one is the right decision. Read How to Choose Your First Domain Name to find the perfect name, then How to Register a Domain Name: Step-by-Step to complete your registration.