Cheap Domain Name Registrars to Purchase a Website Domain

The Top Cheapest Domain Name Registrars

This illustration shows a website domain name "www.signagebysteve.com" with examples of the business's products (signs) on the walls surrounding the desk and computer.
Image by Evan Polenghi © The Balance 2020

While you may be looking for the cheapest domain name registrar, sometimes the cheapest isn't always the best. On the flip side, many reputable hosting companies will offer low-cost or even free domain names when you host your website with them.

Before making a decision, review 10 of the most budget-friendly and reputable places where you can get a domain name and/or hosting account.

Bluehost, our top-rated web host offers a free domain name with your hosting account for the first year. If you're just getting started with a new website and in need of a hosting account, you can't go wrong with that option. If you don't get your domain name included with your hosting plan, then you'll need to get a separate hosting account from a separate company.

01
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BlueHost

Bluehost
Mark Horn/Stone/Getty Images

BlueHost is a great budget host for those building a new website or blog and it offers a free domain for your first year when you get a hosting account with them.

BlueHost supports free WordPress hosting as well, which is an important consideration as many people choose to build their websites using a self-hosted WordPress solution.

  • Annual Fee: Free, with purchase of the entry-level hosting package ($6.95 per month).
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a

Another great feature of BlueHost is that it can grow with your website. As you get more visitors, you can easily upgrade.

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Namecheap.com

Namecheap Web Hosting Review
Namecheap.com

NameCheap is a good option to register a domain name if you're looking to just purchase domain names and host your website in another place. NameCheap also offers its own hosting account plans.

A common thing many online marketers will do is purchase their domain name at NameCheap and then their hosting at BlueHost.

It's common for marketers to not want to have their domain names and hosting at the same place. There isn't a particular reason for this, just that some people feel more comfortable with this practice..

  • Annual Fee: $10.69 (there are often discounts)
  • Private registration: $2.88 / year
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Receive free private registration for the first year, with new registrations.
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
03
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GoDaddy

GoDaddy Domain Name
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images North America

With a huge advertising budget and national ads, there's no doubt you've heard of GoDaddy before. While their prices are competitive you'll be faced with numerous options for up-sells and add-ons, making the purchasing path a little more complicated than other options.

If you decide to get your domain name with GoDaddy then just stick with a regular domain purchase and skip all of the add-ons; which can make purchasing the domain name very costly.
You usually have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "no thank you" several times before you can get to checkout.

  • Annual Fee: $8.99 for the first year. $14.99 for each additional year. (there are often promotions)
  • Private registration: $8.99 / year
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Always
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): Register 6 domains or more and pay just $9.99 per domain and receive free private registration.
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HostGator.com

HostGator Domain Name
HostGator.com.

HostGator is one of the most popular web hosts amongst newcomers to online marketing. While they don't offer free domains, and their domains are higher in price than other options, their budget-friendly hosting plans make them a great all-in-one stop for registering domain names and hosting accounts.

If you choose to host with HostGator, the best bet would be to get your domain name elsewhere. However, if you want one stop shopping this is a good choice.

  • Annual Fee: $15.00
  • Private registration: $10.00
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Not on domains
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
05
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1and1.com

Smiling mid adult woman doing home finances with laptop
Tetra Images/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

Another well-known company, due to an aggressive national advertising campaign, is 1&1. Though appropriate for any type of business, 1&1 really markets itself toward the bricks-and-mortar business audience.

  • Annual Fee: $0.99 for the first year ($14.99 for each additional year)
  • Private registration: Included
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Often
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
06
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Network Solutions

Though it is not very well known as a brand, Network Solutions was one of the first domain name registrar companies. Network Solutions is a well-established company and you can't go wrong purchasing a domain name with them.

  • Annual Fee: $34.99
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Free with purchase of annual hosting package.
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
07
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Register.com

Register.com takes a very unusual process when it comes to ordering a domain name. It doesn't advertise the prices of domain names up front and requires the prospective customer to register with a user-name and password before even seeing pricing information.

  • Annual Fee: information not publicly available
  • Private registration: Not noted
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Often
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
08
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Hostway.com

Primarily marketed as a hosting company, Hostway.com has been in business for more than 17 years and hosts the websites of notable clients including Samsung, Wix, and Fox News.

  • Annual Fee: $9.95 (first year) and $9.95 (renewals)
  • Private registration: $9.95 / year
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: No
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
09
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Moniker.com

Originally just a domain name registrar, Moniker.com has evolved into a full-service company offering domain registrations, hosting, and email services.

  • Annual Fee: $11.99
  • Private registration: $4.00
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: No
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a
10
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Netfirms.ca

Founded in 1998, Netfirms is an all-in-one domain, hosting, and email provider. Netfirms has very aggressive offers, promotions, and discounts for new customers in the market for a domain and hosting solution.

  • Annual Fee: $9.95 for the first year. The renewal fee is $11.99 per year.
  • Private registration: Included
  • Offers hosting service: Yes
  • Deals available: Yes
  • Discounts (multi-year or multiple domains): n/a