In this guide I will show you how to get a free domain name when you register with a DreamHost hosting account, for lifetime & other viable options in 2024.
See here for domain names available on DreamHost.
Please note; there are no free domain coupons with DreamHost — they simply do not exist and any such blatant claims will unfortunately be false.
Free domain registration is available for:
- Shared web hosting plan [info]
- WordPress hosting plan [info]
- Website builder Remixer [info]
- Yearly payment plans or longer, only
Free domain registration not available for:
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated hosting
- Cloud hosting
- Monthly payment plans
Free domain registration limitations:
- One year free registration credit
- TLDs: .com, .net, .org, .online, .store, .tech, .world and .xyz
- Second year domain renewal required
- Domain fee subtracted from money-back guarantee
Solution 1. Free Lifetime Domain
Obviously DreamHost’s free domain offer has limitations and if you decide to cancel under the 97 day money-back guarantee; it won’t cover domain expenses.
Instead you can use a 100% lifetime-free domain from the dot.tk registrar.
This is a completely valid name with no fees or credit cards required — the TLD is .tk so your website would look like “freedreamhostdomain.tk“, etc.
Step 1. After domain registration change nameservers to point towards:
- ns1.dreamhost.com
- ns2.dreamhost.com
- ns3.dreamhost.com
Step 2. Sign up for a DreamHost plan with freedreamhostdomain.tk
And you are done.
Pros & cons of dot.tk approach:
- You can change later to another TLD like .com, at any time
- Yearly manual renewal is required (easy, but not automatic)
- 100% money back; if you cancel DreamHost within 96 days
- Unlimited, complementary DreamHost domains for life
- TLD is not as known as .com, .net, .org, etc.
Solution 2. Cheaper Registrar
If you have a specific TLD name in mind; you are probably better off with a registrar that has constant low-cost pricing like Namesilo.
For example; let’s compare .com pricing between major competition:
- DreamHost — $13.95/year
- NameSilo — $8.99/year
- GoDaddy — $15.17/year
- NameCheap — $10.69/year
- Name.com — $12.99/year
Note 1. Only DreamHost & Namesilo have free Domain Privacy.
Note 2. Use coupon “smartdom1” with NameSilo when you check out
Also I would like to note that for the best free-ish option; the cheapest domains at NameSilo start from $1.89/year and that’s for renewals as well!
Currently these are the cheapest available: .trade, .racing, .bid, .loan, .download, .accountant .cricket, .win, .dating, .webcam, .faith, .review, .party, .science, .stream
Solution 3. Domain Transfer
If the TLD you are after is one of these:
- Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs): .com, .net, .org
- Generic top-level domains (gTLDs): .online, .store, .tech, .world and .xyz
And you want to save as much as you can;
You can simply grab the one year free domain offer from DreamHost and do a transfer over to a cheaper registrar — namely Namesilo.
The basics on domain transfer:
- The domain is initially locked and you cannot transfer out for 60 days
- When transferring you need to confirm the action through the email registered in the WHOIS (contact information) of the domain
- You need to disable DreamHost’s free domain privacy option so that Namesilo can find the right email address; not the one of DreamHost
- Any left over time on your domain will be carried over and added on top of the new Namesilo registration period
- There is a waiting period of a week or so; that’s why it’s important to initiate the transfer well before the expiry of your free domain
- Looking for a deal for April of 2024, you’ve come to the right place.
So there you have it — three best ways for free, free-ish or cheap domains!
Please, enjoy hosting with DreamHost and feel free to ask questions!
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