Let me guess… you’ve been looking around the web for a way on how to get an actual free domain name, but you’ve had no luck?
Well, if you follow on, I’ll show you how you can get a free domain name, whether that be a .co.uk or a .uk for absolutely nothing!
And when I say nothing. I really mean it. Zero. Nada. Zilch.
I will also show you how you can get a free .com, .net when choosing a web host which will save you a few pounds. Also for more exotic domain names, I’ve also included those too. Let’s begin!
Side note 👉 If you are looking for a web host + domain, I would recommend Bluehost as their hosting is only £2.38/month, which includes a free domain name!
How To Get a FREE Domain Name 2024: (100% Working For .uk + .com Domains)
1. Names.co.uk (Free UK Domains: No Upfront Cost)
For those who want to secure a free .co.uk or a .uk domain name, you can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Let me introduce Names.co.uk. As of writing this, they are currently allowing new users to register a new .co.uk or a .uk domain for absolutely nothing.
And when I say nothing, I really mean it. Below is a screenshot of a domain that I got from Names.co.uk for free with an upfront cost of £0.00!
This is a massive win as many providers will require you to register a domain name for a minimum of 2 years. Typically it is £0.01 for the first year and £10 for the second year. So upfront, you still have to pay.
Ok, so what’s the catch?
Unfortunately, only the first year of registration is free for .co.uk and .uk domains (with no upfront cost, however). As for the renewal rate, it’s £9.99 excluding VAT which is still a great price.
So if you are after a UK domain name with no upfront cost, a free year of registration, and a cheap renewal rate. Names.co.uk is your one-stop-shop!
Get Your Free .co.uk Domain Name
2. BlueHost (Free Website Domain .com .net .co .org)
You could have the best domain in the world, but if it’s not connected to a server, you won’t be able to get customers, sales, income, or leads.
This is when a web host comes into the picture, which is an absolute must-have if you plan on having your very own website and a custom domain name.
Fortunately for website makers, BlueHost offers a stellar hosting service with a free .com .net .co .biz and 13 others to choose from with their service.
P.S. This very website is hosted with BlueHost!
As for their hosting plans, BlueHosts beginner plan includes 50GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, free email, free SSL certificate, and of course a free domain name of your choosing.
When it comes to the price, it’s only £2.38/mo! So if you are after a free domain at no charge plus a great web host, you can’t go past BlueHost. For more details, you can see my full BlueHost review.
Get Your Free .com Domain With Hosting
3. FastHosts (Free .co.uk .uk .london With Hosting)
While owning a domain is a great first step to secure your intellectual property, brand name or website address. You’ll then need a web host that is able to host your website files and internet traffic.
Ok, so web hosting is important for a website. But are there any good UK based web hosts that also offer a free domain name?
Luckily for you, there is!
FastHosts is a leading UK based web hosting provider (with over 400,000 customers) and domain registrar who has been around since 1999.
As for their hosting plans, they start from £2.50/mo which includes 10GB SSD storage, UK based servers, unlimited bandwidth, and a free .co.uk, .uk or .london domain name for Brits!
Oh yeah, they also include a free SSL certificate for life which typically costs £30 per year! For more information about FastHosts, you can see my full review here.
Get Your Free .co.uk Domain With Hosting
4. Wix (Free Site Builder & .com Subdomain)
If you are in the mindset of just dabbling around with creating a website, but not yet ready to invest any money, Wix is a great option.
Wix offers two different offerings with their first being a free plan. This gives users the ability to make a website on Wix using one of their subdomains. So an example, it would look something like this examplewebsite.wix.com.
One thing to keep in note is that they insert ads onto the website to make it viable for them.
On the other hand, Wix also offers a “premium plan” which starts from £8/mo which does include a free domain name. Users can also start with the free plan and upgrade anytime if they please.
For more information on Wix, Weebly and SqaureSpace, you should check out my cheapest website builders post!
Get Your Free .com Subdomain With Wix
5. NameCheap (Free .me Domain For Students)
If you are a college or university student, then you are in luck!
Currently, NameCheap is giving free domain names for students as an incentive to help students make a presence for themselves online.
As for the free domain name, this offer is only available for .me domain suffixes which are generally reserved for personal websites. This is a huge bonus as this allows students to secure a .me domain for their portfolio, resume or personal website.
To claim the free .me domain name, all you’ll need is your college/ university email address. For a full rundown of domain providers, you can see my top UK domain registrars post for .uk domain suffixes!
Claim Your Free .me Domain With NameCheap
6. HostPapa (Free .co.uk With Website Hosting)
Next in my lineup of securing a free domain name for your small business or blog is by using a web host that offers a free .co.uk domain name.
Much like FastHosts, HostPapa also offers up a free .co.uk domain for new users on their hosting plans. Unfortunately, only the first year of registration is free with an included lifetime SSL certificate.
As for HostPapa as a company, they currently have over 500,000 websites hosted and also have UK based servers! For more information, you can see my guide on the best UK web hosts for more details and deals!
Get Your Free .co.uk With Hosting
7. Dot.tk (Free .tk .ml .cf .gq For 1 Year)
Last on my list is a website called Dot.tk which enables users to register a tk .ml .ga .cf .gq for 1 year. Let me guess, you’ve never heard of these domain name extensions before?
That’s because these domain extensions are typically for websites that are targeting a specific country. Take .tk for example, this domain is generally for Tokelau, which is a small country in the South Pacific.
So if you don’t mind having a unique domain suffix, then Dot.tk could be a good option. Just keep note that only the first year of registration is free (with no upfront cost). As for the renewal price, they are £8/year.
Are Free Domains Really Free?
When it comes to finding a domain name for free, there are alarm bells that start to ring. This is primarily due to the fact that we are always told “there’s no such thing as a free breakfast”.
And in my opinion, this is true.
So what about domains? Well, there is the possibility for getting a free domain. However, this is at most only for 1 year or for free with web hosting. So as one point or another, you will have to get your credit card out and fork out some cash.
In saying that, there are free alternatives such as subdomains, but these are not your property, but rather those of the website builder. If you are interested making your own website, check out my post on the top website builders and my reviews of the top ranked web hosting providers.
Things To Watch Out For When Getting a Domain
I’ve written about this on my domain registrars guide, but I’ll briefly cover it here for those in a rush.
When it comes to purchasing a domain, there are many things that can trip people up without even knowing. So here are some things to avoid.
- Dont pay for an SSL certificate: Unfortunately many domain registrars still charge for SSL certificates which is daylight robbery in my opinion. I only say this as almost every web host nowadays includes this functionality for free. So to save yourself a recurring yearly fee, this is something worth avoiding.
- Look elsewhere for email and hosting: Another thing that people get caught up with are the add-ons such as web hosting and email accounts. From my own experience, domain providers aren’t always the best when it comes to hosting or email. So it might be beneficial to shop around for a web host as there are dozens of great companies out there.
- Privacy protection is not always needed: Depending on your websites, you may choose to use privacy protection which prevents your details going into the WhoIS database. For most, however, this is fine todo as almost every website is registered there.
What Part Of The Website Address Is The Domain Suffix?
If you are still unsure what exactly the domain suffix is of a website address, you can see an example below.
exampledomain.net/blog
- exampledomain: This is the actual web address name of the domain which typically represents the name of your business, what you do or your name. You can see this guide on how to pick a good domain name for your website.
- .net: Now comes that actual domain extension/ suffix which symbolises what your website is about. A .co.uk for example generally means you are a UK based business/ website. A .net, on the other hand, means you are a business/ IT company. For more definitions, you can see this guide.
- /blog: This is the permalink structure of a domain name. Whenever a post/ page is published, it generally is added onto the domain as a permalink for navigation and SEO. This is a helpful guide on how to set up a good permalink structure.
What Is The Most Used Domain Name?
When it comes to the most used and adopted domains, hands down the winner would have to be .com domain extensions.
As of writing this, there are just over 149,00,000 .com domains registered. The next highest are .net extensions which have a mere 13,000,000. So if you are after a widely used domain that is recognised worldwide, you can’t go wrong with a .com domain.
Final Thoughts
Ok, that wraps up my free domain names guide for Brits! Hopefully, this guide has helped you to find a freebie domain for your next big project. If you think we have missed anything or you would like to see something reviewed or covered. Please let me know down below in the comments. Thanks for reading!