The best web hosting with a free domain for most people is Hostinger Premium: $119.52 for 48 months, with a free domain for the first year and up to 3 websites. Namecheap Stellar Plus is the pick if you want a two-year commitment and unlimited sites for $54.72 upfront. Either way, the domain is free for year one only. From year two, a .com costs $19.99 a year at Hostinger and $19.98 a year at Namecheap, so budget for it.
Prices, free-domain rules and domain renewal prices were checked on October 19, 2026 on the official Hostinger and Namecheap US pricing, free-domain and domain pages. Namecheap’s hosting renewal prices come from its help center, as checked for our Namecheap review on October 16, 2026.
How the free domain really works
Both hosts give one free domain for the first year, and both attach the same conditions:
- It needs a 12-month or longer plan. Hostinger’s free-domain page says the offer applies to terms of 12 months or longer. Namecheap lists the free domain on its yearly and two-year plans, not on monthly billing.
- One domain per plan. Hostinger allows one free domain per account, and Namecheap one per hosting plan.
- Common endings only. Hostinger lists 34 free endings for Premium on its US site, including .com, .org, .online, .shop and .store, but not .ai or .io. Namecheap covers domains that are not classed as premium names.
- Year two is not free. The domain renews at the regular price, separate from your hosting.
One detail matters if you cancel. Hostinger says that if you ask for a refund within its 30-day window, the domain fee is deducted from the refund, because it has already been paid to the registry. You keep the domain either way.
Web hosting with a free domain compared
Assumptions: each plan is held for 48 months on its cheapest published term. Hostinger is one 48-month prepaid term. Namecheap is a 2-year intro term plus a 2-year renewal. The domain is a .com, free in year one and renewed for years two to four at each host’s listed price. Tax is excluded.
| Plan | Websites | Paid upfront | Hosting, 4 years | .com renewal, years 2–4 | Total, 4 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium | 3 | $119.52 | $119.52 | $59.97 | $179.49 |
| Namecheap Stellar | 3 | $45.12 | $148.00 | $59.94 | $207.94 |
| Hostinger Unlimited | Unlimited | $167.52 | $167.52 | $59.97 | $227.49 |
| Namecheap Stellar Plus | Unlimited | $54.72 | $201.16 | $59.94 | $261.10 |
The free domain saves you one year of a .com, about $18 to $20. The domain renewal adds $55 to $60 over the next three years, which is more than the free year saved. That is normal, not a trick, but it means the “free” domain is a first-year discount, and the four-year totals above are what you will really pay. If you are still sorting out what each part does, our guide to domain vs hosting explains the split.
Namecheap also lists a mandatory ICANN fee of $0.20 a year for each domain registration, renewal or transfer.
1. Hostinger Premium: the lowest four-year total
Best for: a first website, a blog or up to three small sites.
Premium costs $2.49 a month on a 48-month term, paid as $119.52 upfront, and renews at $10.99 a month. It includes a free domain for the first year, 3 websites, 20 GB of SSD storage, weekly backups and free email on your new domain for the first year. Hostinger registers the domain in your name with WHOIS privacy included, and it says you can move the domain elsewhere after the 60-day lock that applies to every new registration.
The key limit: backups are weekly, and you pay four years at checkout. If that upfront amount is the problem, Namecheap starts lower.
2. Hostinger Unlimited: daily backups and unlimited sites
Best for: several sites, or anyone who edits a site often.
Unlimited costs $3.49 a month for 48 months ($167.52) and renews at $16.99. It adds unlimited websites, 50 GB of NVMe storage and daily backups to the same free first-year domain. It is $48 more than Premium over four years, for the same single free domain. Any extra domains for your other sites are paid registrations.
The key limit: on hostinger.com, Unlimited covers 32 free domain endings against 34 on Premium, so check that your ending is on the list at checkout. Our Hostinger review covers both plans in full.
3. Namecheap Stellar: the smallest first payment
Best for: a first site on a tight budget, with a two-year commitment.
Stellar costs $1.88 a month billed every two years, which is $45.12 upfront, with a free domain for the first year, 3 websites, 20 GB of SSD storage and 30 mailboxes. It then renews at $51.44 a year, less than half of Hostinger Premium’s $131.88 renewal year. Over a longer horizon, that makes Namecheap the cheaper home.
The key limit: the four-year total, $207.94 with the domain, is higher than Hostinger Premium’s. Namecheap’s 30-day money-back guarantee also applies only to first-time shared hosting customers who did not start with a free trial.
4. Namecheap Stellar Plus: unlimited sites on a short term
Best for: affiliate and niche site owners who want cPanel, unlimited sites and a low upfront cost.
Stellar Plus costs $2.28 a month billed every two years ($54.72), with a free domain for the first year, unlimited websites, unmetered storage, unlimited mailboxes and AutoBackup. On a yearly term it is $2.98 a month, and the free domain is included there too. This is the plan type I use myself: I run my own sites on Namecheap shared hosting, add each new domain in cPanel and install WordPress with the one-click installer. Our guide to Namecheap cPanel covers those steps.
The key limit: “unmetered” storage still has a cap of 300,000 files, as our Namecheap review found. Only the first domain is free; every other site needs its own paid domain.
How these picks were chosen
Each plan had to include a free domain on its official US pricing page, show its prices and renewal rates on the official page or help center, and host at least three websites. The plans were then ranked by the four-year total including the domain renewal, because the free year alone says little about the real cost. For a side-by-side look at the two hosts beyond domains, see our Hostinger vs Namecheap comparison.
Which web hosting with a free domain to choose
- Lowest four-year cost: Hostinger Premium, $179.49 including three years of .com renewals.
- Lowest first payment: Namecheap Stellar, $45.12 for two years.
- Many sites with daily backups: Hostinger Unlimited, $227.49 over four years.
- Many sites, short commitment, cPanel: Namecheap Stellar Plus, $54.72 for two years.
Explore Hostinger hosting options Check Namecheap plans
Free domain hosting FAQ
Can I get a free domain on a monthly hosting plan?
Not at these two hosts. Hostinger’s free-domain page says no, and Namecheap’s monthly billing view does not list the free domain. Namecheap Stellar Plus costs $7.88 a month billed monthly, against $2.28 on the two-year term that includes the domain.
What happens to my free domain if I cancel the hosting?
At Hostinger, the domain stays registered in your name, and the domain fee is deducted from any refund. You then pay the regular renewal price when the first year ends.
Can I keep my free domain and move it to another host?
Yes. Hostinger registers it in your name and allows a transfer after the 60-day lock on new registrations. If you later move a .com into Hostinger instead, its listed transfer price is $9.99.
Does the free domain include privacy protection?
At Hostinger, WHOIS privacy is included with the domain. Namecheap lists domain privacy too, but notes it is unavailable for a handful of endings because of registry rules, so check yours at checkout.