Do you want a free domain name without hosting? Every blogger or starter that wants to put a basic website online will want to have a free domain without hosting if they use a website builder. However, professional bloggers will want to have a free domain with hosting so as to make their site look unique.
The best way to get a free domain is thru a hosting provider. The route is that you purchase a hosting plan and you get as a bonus a free domain name, which in most cases, lasts for over a year. The best-known web hosting providers in this case are Bluehost and HostGator. HostGator has a special offer in which it offers a free domain name if you refer clientele.
It is easy to get a totally free domain name without hosting since most of these domains come as an offer with a web hosting package. However, there are many other legit ways to get a free domain name without hosting, which, in most cases, will not be top-level domains (TLD) and might be limited in some features.
Free domain registration without hosting will not be a problem for you if you do not mind using a domain with domain extensions that are not well-known and limited. However, we will also talk about the best web hosting providers that offer a free TLD domain for free.
If you are just starting a website and you want a free domain name without hosting, then you are in the right place as we will show you the best totally free domain name providers without hosting that you can use with your website. However, for professional bloggers and website owners that want something unique for their business with hosting, then you will equally find the best web hosting providers that offer free TLD names that you can use to start your business.
That said, in this guide, you will learn how to register a totally free domain name without hosting from the best providers out there, and no matter your purpose for having the free domain name, you will be satisfied with the outcome of it.
Table of Contents
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are used in various networking contexts and for application-specific naming and addressing purposes as per Wikipedia.
In simple terms, your new domain name is your online identity. A domain name such as mywebsite.com is a unique name for an IP address (a number), which is an actual digital location on the Internet. Domain names replace IP addresses for something more memorable and easy to call back.
It’s like registering a trademark so no one else can use it. An easily memorable name is the key to generating more traffic to your blog or business and while you can get one for free, there are always catches. Searchers will always want to engage and read contents from easily memorable domains.
A good domain name will likely trigger a great Click Through Rate (CTR) from search engines which will increase your overall traffic. A choice of domain name is very important.
Before going in for a domain name, consider what you need out of domain name registration. If you're starting a new business and want to build a unique brand or want your blog to be the next online sensation, you’ll want a custom domain name that you have complete ownership and control of. The name should be professional and easy to find through a search engine like Google.
Free Domain Name Without Hosting
There are many providers that can let you get a free domain name without hosting. However, these domains might be limited in terms of what they have to offer. Some of these domains might be limited in bandwidth you should have and some will have unmetered bandwidth. Bandwidth for websites is the amount of traffic the site can carry monthly and will depend on your objectives for your website.
These free domain name without hosting is perfect for those that want to have something running live online for a start. Below are the best providers that offer free domain name without hosting.
Important!
Strikingly offers a totally free website with free domain name with
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Totally Free Domain Name Without Hosting
The best way to get a totally free domain name is by using a Country Code top level domain (ccTLD). ccTLD providers such as Dot.tk, Biz.nf, Freenom.com allow you to register a completely free domain name without purchasing a hosting plan. Though it may sound juicy to hear, there are some catches and downside having a ccTLD. We will talk of them later. One great thing with these completely free domain name is they do not come attached to a subdomain so they are considered as totally free domain names without subdomain.
Totally Free Domain Name With Free Hosting Plan:
Biz.nf offers a totally free domain name with free hosting plans. You will get 1000MB web space, 5000MB of data transfer, host one domain name for free and a completely free domain name.
Below are the best providers that will let you have a totally free domain name without hosting:
1. Freenom.com — Free Domain Without Hosting
Freenom is the freemium domain name registrar that has been out for sometime now. Their vision known as "Domain for Everyone", aims at building digital business and offering domain solutions for everyone seeking to have a presence online.
Freenom.com has both free and paid domain options. Freenom.com has many premium TLD but few free domain extension. The advantage is you can do whatever you want with their free domain.
With Freenom, you can get a freedom name for lifetime without hosting and the renewal of these free domain will not cost you a penny.
However, if you want to change the DNS records of the free domain and link it to your site, it can be very simple and it is the same process as linking a TLD to your site. The same case goes for the Nameservers. Now you know that Freenom offers 100% totally free domain name. Let's see how to register a 100% totally free domain name at Freenom.com.
How to Register a Totally Free Domain Name on Freenom:
It is very easy to register a free domain on Freenom. However, you will need an email ID and a password. Any email account might go but do not use fake mails since you are registering something you will use for your projects. Follow the steps below to register a to register a totally free domain name without hosting on Freenom.
- Go to Freenom.com and in the search box, search your chosen domain name. Then click the "Check Availability" to see if it is available for you.
- Now Freenom.com will show you all the available domains along with extensions. The free TLDs are at the top, and paid TLDs are at the bottom.
- If you want to change your decision to buy, then check the premium TLDs. Otherwise, choose which free domain you want and click on the "Get it now" button.
- When your domain is selected, then click the "Checkout" button to make it final.
- Now on the next page, choose the time. Usually, Freenom.com offers the free domain name for 12 months. So, select 12 Months @Free. Then click "Continue".
- Here if you have registered to Freenom.com already, then click on "Sign in" button. Otherwise, type your email and follow the instructions from their email to complete the registration and sign up. Now you have your totally free domain name registration without hosting.
After you must have registered your domain name, you will need a web hosting. If you register a free domain name then it means you will want to start with a free web hosting provider equally. Blogger is the best choice for you here and this is how you can create a blogger blog and start making money online.
2. Dot.tk — Free Domain Without Hosting
Dot.tk is another great site that offers a completely free domain name and is powered by Freenom. The downside is that your domain extension or suffix won’t be top tier and your site could be shutdown in short order if it gets no traffic. It’s a catch-22, but free is free. It's easy to use and a good option for a temporary website or first-time blogger.
Dot.tk offers a number of potential domain extensions (suffix) including .tk, .ml, .ga and more. The problem is that the unfamiliar suffix makes it harder for your website to get a good ranking on search engines. Every blogger or website owner's greatest dream is to see his website rank higher for the terms he focuses on. So this is a great factor to consider when registering a totally free domain name without hosting.
If you own a blog with domain extension .tk and that of your competitors ends with TLDs such as .com, .net, or .org, there is no way visitors will likely click on yours since some might consider it as spam or defective site. Search Engines will end of decreasing your ranking and it won't be a good thing for you nd your business. If you own a business, then it will be a bad idea to use such domains extensions.
3. Biz.nf — Free Domain Without Hosting
Biz.nf is another one-stop website builder and host, but it’s free domain names are all country code top level domains. In this case, it’s the nation of Norfolk Island. Their website isn't as slick as the competition and their site building tools are limited, but functional.
Biz.nf also offers free hosting plans together with free domains so you can use it as a free domain name with free hosting plan.
Your domain name will have a tough-to-find suffix of co.nf, but it's completely free and upgrade packages are a fraction of the cost of other web hosts. For less than a premium cup of coffee, you get all the best features without ads.
It really sounds like a great deal, but if you’re trying to build a brand, it might be better to pony up for a highly recognizable .com suffix. For blogger and product test drives, it’s perfect.
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Downsides of Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)
Using a ccTLD might make you face several challenges online. Some of these disadvantages of ccTLD are as follows:
- Lack of trust from visitors: If you have a ccTLD and your website appear in some search engines, searchers will not likely click on your site in all occasions because they might find it as a site that does promote spams because a website owner that values his or her site will do everything for it to be well structures and presentable to visitors.
- No real Rankings in Search Engines: Search engines such as Google might not index pages with domains suffix or extensions such as .tk .ml .ga etc and as a result, you will not get any real traffic to your blog.
- Bandwidth Restrictions: Bandwidth determines how much traffic your site can handle and if you exceed your packages limitations, your customers will be unable to load your page. Most web hosts are clear about how much bandwidth they provide, but only in the fine print. Some sites like Biz.nf offer unmetered bandwidth. This means that you’ll never pay extra fees for high usage, but your use may be limited. However, beware of companies that reroute bandwidth to larger clients when traffic is heavy.
Free Domain Name With Cheap Hosting Plans
The reserved best way to get a free domain name for your blog, website or business and make things look professional is by getting it as a bonus that comes attached to a hosting plan. Do get scared when you see hosting. It might get expensive if you do not use the best cheapest hosting provider.
Host providers such as Bluehost, HostGator let you get a totally free domain name as a bonus when you purchase hosting from them. With the great promotions offered by Bluehost, the amount you will be required to pay for hosting will be as cheap as you could ever imagine.
In this way, you get a free domain name and you can start building your site look very professional to the eyes of your visitors, engaging them and assuring their return to your site. The following free domain providers all come with a catch and they are the cheapest hosting providers that offer a free domain name and hosting all for as small as $2.95/month.
Bluehost
Bluehost is a comprehensive web hosting service that offers domain names with all TLD suffix such as .com .net .org .space .tech and many more. While the domain name is free, it requires you purchase one of Bluehost’s hosting plans. For as small as $2.95 monthly, you'll get 50 GB of storage, unmetered bandwidth and a free custom domain name that belongs exclusively to you.
The first year of domain name registration is free. Also included are optional subdomains, email accounts and even parked domains that work as placeholders for future names you might want to use. Everything is managed from your Bluehost admin control panel and you will have full access to your sites database file.
However, Bluehost does not offer web builder which makes them not to be an All-in-one solution. If you are using the WordPress platform to build your site, then that is just as good as using a web builder, if not better.
Bluehost’s hosting services and customer support are top-notched and are among the best you can find out there. If you have great plans for your site, then it is worth giving Bluehost a try.
HostGator
HostGator offers complete web hosting plans plus a solid website builder with thousands of templates and a range of applications that fit most needs. They have a team of consultants that can help along the way or they’ll design a website for you. Domain registration is straight forward and simple to do.
Just as Bluehost, HostGator requires you to purchase one of their hosting plans, specifically "The Ultimate Web Hosting Package".
Package prices including at least one free domain name are currently less than three dollars monthly if you pay for a year upfront. The first year of domain registration is free. For that, you’ll also get one professional e-mail address, a free SSL certificate and they promise unmetered bandwidth.
For businesses that need more, they offer unlimited domain names and comprehensive business tools like analytics and SEO support. It’s a great value for as little as $3 per month , but you'll have to pay for two to three years in advance. HostGator offers a 45-day limited money back guarantee and you can pay with credit card, debit card and even PayPal.
In addition, HostGator offers a free domain name in exchange of referrals you bring to them. That said, you get to pay for the domain with referrals you refer to HostGator.
This is a great package for a new blogger or new business owner as it not only sets you up with a website, but gives you email accounts to help promote your blog and to build up communication lines with the world. You have access to all these features via their easy to use admin control panel. HostGator are known for their excellent customer support, so if you run into trouble, they are on hand to help.
Free .com Domain Without Hosting
Googiehost, Youstable, Bluehost, Ionos offer a free .com domain name with reasonable hosting plans. Each of these companies offer a free .com domain name but they tend to gain their money back by offering you a reasonable hosting package.
Googiehost offers a more easy way to get a free .com domain without hosting. You can make use of the referral system to get your free domain. You will need 10 active referrals to get a free .com domain name and if you want a 5 year domain validity, you will need to refer 20 of your friends. This is a very much easier way to get your free .com domain without hosting.
Free Domain and Hosting for 1 Year
Ionos offers a free domain and hosting for 1 year. They offer free domains like .com, .net, .org, .biz, .me, .online, .us, and .ca. However, you will need to subscribe to their hosting or email plan to get a free domain name. Their webhosting plan begins as $0.5 a month, which is really cheap and can be concluded as almost free.
Free Domain and Hosting Lifetime
Googiehost offers a lifetime free domain and hosting that you can use to start your website as a blogger or freelancer. Unlike other sites that place ads on your website, Googiehost lets your website have a professional look without ads.
If you want a website for your business or company, then Bluehost should be your first option. Bluehost offers a free domain with reasonable hosting packages that you can use right away to bring your business to the digital world.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a free domain name without hosting?
Yes, you can get a free domain name without hosting from some providers such as Freenom.com, Dot.tk, and Biz.nf. However, keep in mind that you might not be eligible for search inclusions through these domains.
How do I get a 100% free domain?
Freenom.com is a popular domain provider that offers 100% free domain names to those in need of them. You can also get a 100% free domain name from Dot.tk.
How can I get just a free domain?
Go to Freenom.com, create an account, and search for a domain. You'll be able to choose from a number of free domain extensions which you can use for your website.
Can a domain work without hosting?
A domain can't work without hosting. The domain gives access to the website's files that are stored on the hosting server. So they work together to make a website.
Final Thoughts on How to Get a Totally Free Domain Name Without Hosting
A domain name is the address that points to the content of your site and that lets visitors reach your site easily. There are two ways to get a domain name, paid and free. You can get a paid domain name buy buying the domain directly from the registrar.
There are many ways to get a free domain name. You can get a free domain name with hosting from Bluehost at a little monthly price. If you want a completely free domain name without hosting, then Freenom, Dot.tk should be your choice, you will get a free domain name with country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) at no cost. This is the best way to start a website as a blogger or freelancer and with time, you can upgrade to Top Level Domains.
However, if you want a completely free domain name with free hosting, then Biz.nf should be the option for you. In addition, you will get free web space, data transfer and a free domain. This completely free domain will have a subdomain of .c1.biz. If you want a completely free domain for lifetime without subdomain, then Freenom should be the choice for you.
However you should be aware of the downside of using a free domain name from these providers and make sure to check their terms of service before using it. Such domains aren't advisable for business use.