Updated March 2026 — 9 UK hosts with free domain verified

Best UK Hosting With Free Domain (2026)

A free domain saves you £5–15 in year one — but not all "free" deals are equal. We compare 9 UK hosts that include a free domain, reveal what the domain costs at renewal, and rank by first-year total value.

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TL;DR — Top 3 UK Hosts With Free Domain

Our picks balance the free domain value with hosting quality, renewal fairness, and included features.

#1 Best Free Domain Deal
IONOS logo

IONOS

Free .co.uk or .com domain for the first year with all shared plans — hosting from just £1/mo with 200 GB storage and UK data centres

From£1.00/mo
Visit Site
Free domain included · 99.99% uptime
#2 Best All-Rounder With Free Domain
HostArmada logo

HostArmada

Free domain, daily backups, free SSL, and cloud SSD storage on 9 global locations — from £1.59/mo

From£1.59/mo
Visit Site
Free domain included · 99.9% uptime
#3 Best Long-Term Free Domain Value
DreamHost logo

DreamHost

Free domain + 97-day money-back guarantee — and one of the smallest renewal markups at just 131%

From£2.59/mo
Visit Site
Free domain included · 100% uptime

What "Free Domain" Actually Means

Before comparing hosts, understand exactly what is (and is not) included in a free domain offer.

What IS included

  • First year of domain registration (typically .co.uk, .uk, or .com)
  • DNS management through your hosting control panel
  • Full ownership — you can transfer the domain to another registrar
  • WHOIS privacy included free by some hosts (IONOS, Bluehost, DreamHost)

What to watch out for

  • Domain renewal after year one (£8–18/year depending on extension)
  • WHOIS privacy sometimes charged extra (£3–10/year)
  • 60-day transfer lock on new domains (ICANN policy, not provider-specific)
  • Premium extensions (.io, .dev, .london) usually not covered

Free Domain Hosting — Full Comparison Table

All 9 UK hosts offering free domain registration, ranked by cheapest intro price. Features and included extras shown side-by-side.

#ProviderScoreFromRenewalUptimeFree SSLEmailBackupsMoney-Back
1
Flashcloud logo
Flashcloud
7.8
£1.49/mo£7.89/mo99.9%100None
2
123 Reg logo
123 Reg
7.0
£2.49/mo£6.99/mo99.9%114 days
3
HostPapa logo
HostPapa
7.6
£4.99/mo£14.03/mo99.9%10030 days
4
IONOS logo
IONOS
8.0
£5.00/mo£8.00/mo99.99%530 days
5
Fasthosts logo
Fasthosts
7.8
£5.75/mo£5.00/mo99.99%130 days
6
DreamHost logo
DreamHost
8.0
£5.96/mo£5.99/mo100%597 days
7
HostArmada logo
HostArmada
8.5
£7.42/mo£7.96/mo99.9%45 days
8
Bluehost logo
Bluehost
7.8
£7.45/mo£10.99/mo99.9%530 days
9
InMotion Hosting logo
InMotion Hosting
7.9
£12.30/mo£12.99/mo99.99%590 days

Free Domain Renewal Costs — What You Pay After Year 1

Your domain is free in year one, but you will pay renewal fees from year two onwards. Here is what each provider charges to renew the most popular UK extensions.

Provider.co.uk Renewal.com RenewalYear 1 SavingWHOIS Privacy
Flashcloud logo
Flashcloud
£10/yr£13/yr£1013 saved£3–10/yr
123 Reg logo
123 Reg
£8/yr£12/yr£812 saved£3–10/yr
HostPapa logo
HostPapa
£15/yr£18/yr£1518 saved£3–10/yr
IONOS logo
IONOS
£10/yr£15/yr£1015 savedFree
Fasthosts logo
Fasthosts
£8/yr£12/yr£812 saved£3–10/yr
DreamHost logo
DreamHost
£9/yr£12/yr£912 savedFree
HostArmada logo
HostArmada
£12/yr£14/yr£1214 saved£3–10/yr
Bluehost logo
Bluehost
£14/yr£18/yr£1418 savedFree
InMotion Hosting logo
InMotion Hosting
£13/yr£16/yr£1316 saved£3–10/yr

💡 Pro Tip: After year one you can transfer your domain to a cheaper registrar. See our domain price comparison to find the best renewal rates across all UK registrars.

First-Year Total Value — Hosting + Free Domain

The true first-year value includes hosting cost plus the domain you would have paid for separately. Sorted by best overall deal.

ProviderYear 1 HostingDomain SavedEffective CostScore
IONOS logo
IONOS
£1210£2
8.0
HostArmada logo
HostArmada
£1912£7
8.5
Flashcloud logo
Flashcloud
£2610£16
7.8
HostPapa logo
HostPapa
£3515£20
7.6
Bluehost logo
Bluehost
£3514£21
7.8
DreamHost logo
DreamHost
£319£22
8.0
InMotion Hosting logo
InMotion Hosting
£3613£23
7.9
123 Reg logo
123 Reg
£368£28
7.0
Fasthosts logo
Fasthosts
£608£52
7.8

Free Domain Hosts — Detailed Provider Breakdown

In-depth look at the top free-domain UK hosts, including plan specs, domain details, and who each provider suits best.

Flashcloud logo

#1 Flashcloud

From £1.49/mo · Free domain included · 99.9% uptime

Flashcloud is a refreshingly transparent hosting provider launched by industry veterans who set out to fix the common pain points of traditional web hosting — confusing pricing, restricted features, and inadequate support. Their value proposition is genuinely strong: every plan includes a free domain for life, free daily backups with 30-day history, a free handcrafted starter website, WAF protection, and an anytime prorated money-back guarantee. The LiteSpeed + NVMe SSD infrastructure delivers solid performance, and the pricing is remarkably competitive starting from just £2.20/month. The main drawback for UK audiences is the lack of a British data centre — their closest European location is Frankfurt, which adds some latency compared to London-based competitors. As a newer provider, they also lack the extensive track record of established players. That said, the transparent pricing model (renewal rates clearly published upfront) and the sheer volume of included features make Flashcloud an excellent option for small businesses and bloggers who value simplicity and honesty over brand recognition. New customers can use code COMPAREUK10 for 10% off Web Hosting and WordPress Hosting plans.

Storage:35 GB
Email:100 accounts
Money-back:None
Domain renewal:£10/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: Transparent pricing — renewal rates are published upfront with no surprise hikesFree domain for life, including annual renewals, on every plan
Cons: No UK data centre — closest is Frankfurt, Germany, which adds latency for UK visitorsRelatively new provider with a limited public track record and few independent reviews
123 Reg logo

#2 123 Reg

From £2.49/mo · Free domain included · 99.9% uptime

123 Reg is the UK's largest accredited domain registrar, managing over 3.5 million domains since its founding in 2000. Part of the Host Europe Group since 2017, they've grown from a pure domain registrar into a full hosting provider offering shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and domain registration. Their eco-friendly data centres in Maidenhead, Cambridge, and Leeds keep data firmly in the UK, and all shared plans include cPanel — a rarity at this price point. The main concerns are around reliability and pricing transparency. Independent uptime monitoring shows a mixed track record that doesn't always meet the advertised 99.9% guarantee. Pricing is also somewhat misleading: all advertised rates exclude 20% VAT, and introductory prices roughly double on renewal (Economy goes from £2.99 to £6.99/month ex-VAT, or £8.39 inc-VAT). The 14-day money-back guarantee is notably shorter than the industry-standard 30 days. That said, for UK small businesses primarily needing domain registration with straightforward shared hosting, 123 Reg's brand recognition, cPanel access, and UK data centres make them a reasonable choice — just go in with realistic expectations about uptime and long-term costs.

Storage:25 GB
Email:1 accounts
Money-back:14 days
Domain renewal:£8/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: UK's largest accredited domain registrar with over 3.5 million domains under management — proven track record in domain servicesEco-friendly UK data centres in Maidenhead, Cambridge, and Leeds — data stays in the UK with green credentials
Cons: Mixed uptime record — independent monitoring shows inconsistent reliability that falls below the 99.9% guaranteeSignificant renewal price increases — Economy hosting jumps from £2.99 to £6.99/month after the introductory period
HostPapa logo

#3 HostPapa

From £4.99/mo · Free domain included · 99.9% uptime

HostPapa is a solid choice for small businesses and beginners who prioritise excellent customer support and eco-friendly hosting. Their multilingual 24/7 support consistently earns praise, and the 100% green energy commitment appeals to environmentally conscious users. However, the significant gap between intro and renewal pricing, lack of free automated backups, and absence of UK data centres hold it back from the top tier.

Storage:25 GB
Email:100 accounts
Money-back:30 days
Domain renewal:£15/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: Excellent 24/7 multilingual customer support100% green energy powered hosting
Cons: Renewal prices significantly higher than intro ratesNo free automated backups on basic plans
IONOS logo

#4 IONOS

From £5.00/mo · Free domain included · 99.99% uptime

IONOS (formerly 1&1) offers excellent value for UK users with dedicated resources, fast UK servers, and unusually transparent pricing. The assigned personal consultant is a unique touch, though the interface feels less modern than competitors.

Storage:10 GB
Email:5 accounts
Money-back:30 days
Domain renewal:£10/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: Dedicated resources even on shared hostingExcellent UK server performance
Cons: Custom control panel has learning curveLess WordPress-specific optimization
Fasthosts logo

#5 Fasthosts

From £5.75/mo · Free domain included · 99.99% uptime

Fasthosts is one of the UK's most established hosting providers, founded in 1998 and now managing over 1.1 million domain names. Their standout feature is genuinely premium UK infrastructure: a Tier-IV certified data centre in Worcester (opened 2022, £21 million investment) alongside London facilities, all powered by 100% renewable energy with ISO 27001 security certification. The 99.99% uptime SLA is backed by recorded reliability that consistently exceeds it. They're one of the few budget-friendly UK hosts offering both Windows and Linux hosting across shared and VPS plans, making them a strong choice for .NET developers. The main consideration is pricing: Fasthosts uses aggressive introductory discounts (shared from £1/month) that increase substantially on renewal. Their custom control panel works well but isn't cPanel, which may require adjustment for users migrating from other hosts. VPS plans are excellent value starting from £3/month with NVMe storage and 1 Gbit/s bandwidth, though they're unmanaged with Plesk as a paid add-on. For UK businesses prioritising established reputation, green credentials, and enterprise-grade data centre infrastructure, Fasthosts is a compelling choice — just be aware of post-introductory pricing.

Storage:100 GB
Email:1 accounts
Money-back:30 days
Domain renewal:£8/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: Tier-IV certified data centre in Worcester with 99.999% facility uptime — among the highest-grade UK infrastructure availableOne of the UK's most established hosting providers, operating since 1998 with over 1.1 million domains managed
Cons: Custom control panel instead of cPanel — functional but less familiar to users migrating from other hostsIntroductory pricing is aggressive but renewal prices can be 2-5x higher — always check the standard rate
DreamHost logo

#6 DreamHost

From £5.96/mo · Free domain included · 100% uptime

DreamHost differentiates itself with exceptional guarantees: 97-day refund window and 100% uptime commitment. As an employee-owned company officially recommended by WordPress.org, they prioritize transparency over aggressive upselling, making them ideal for WordPress users seeking long-term value.

Storage:10 GB
Email:5 accounts
Money-back:97 days
Domain renewal:£9/yr (.co.uk)
Pros: Industry-leading 97-day money-back guaranteeOfficially recommended by WordPress.org
Cons: No phone support (callback only)Custom panel may confuse cPanel users

What About Hosts Without a Free Domain?

Some excellent hosts do not include a free domain. If hosting quality matters more than a bundled domain, these are worth considering — you can register a domain separately from £1/year.

AccuWeb Hosting logo

AccuWeb Hosting

8.0

From £1.48/mo · No free domain

Businesses needing Windows hosting or a choice between Linux and Windows with a London data centre

Review
EuroDNS logo

EuroDNS

6.8

From £1.72/mo · No free domain

European businesses, domain investors, and SMBs who want a reliable EU-based ICANN-accredited registrar with 800+ TLD extensions, ISO 27001-certified infrastructure, managed WordPress hosting with Jetpack, and multilingual support — all backed by servers in Luxembourg and Germany

Review
Dynadot logo

Dynadot

7.0

From £1.87/mo · No free domain

Domain investors, small businesses, and individuals who want affordable, transparent domain registration with free WHOIS privacy across 500+ TLD extensions — and a simple drag-and-drop website builder for basic sites

Review
SiteGround logo

SiteGround

9.1

From £1.99/mo · No free domain

WordPress users who prioritize performance, security, and exceptional customer support

Review
HawkHost logo

HawkHost

8.2

From £3.35/mo · No free domain

Budget-conscious users who want LiteSpeed performance with a London data centre

Review

Best Free Domain Hosting for Beginners

Starting your first website? These hosts bundle a free domain with easy setup tools so you can get online without separate registrar hassle.

Bluehost logo

Bluehost

#1

Free domain, 1-click WordPress, simple cPanel, and 24/7 support — from £2.99/mo

From £2.95/moReview
IONOS logo

IONOS

#2

Free domain, setup wizard, UK phone support, and hosting from £1/mo

From £1.00/moReview
HostPapa logo

HostPapa

#3

Free domain + free 30-min onboarding call — ideal hand-holding for first-timers

From £2.95/moReview

Read our full best free domain hosting for beginners guide

Best Free Domain Hosting for Small Business

Small businesses benefit most from bundled domains — fewer accounts to manage, one renewal date, and often professional email thrown in.

IONOS logo

IONOS

#1

99.99% uptime SLA, UK data centres, scalable plans, and free .co.uk domain from £1/mo

From £1.00/moReview
InMotion Hosting logo

InMotion Hosting

#2

Free domain, 90-day money-back guarantee, and business-class shared hosting from £3.19/mo

From £2.99/moReview
Fasthosts logo

Fasthosts

#3

UK-headquartered, free .co.uk domain, no renewal price increase — £5/mo forever

From £5.00/moReview

Read our full best free domain hosting for small business guide

Cheapest Hosting With Free Domain

If budget is your top priority, these hosts offer free domain registration on their most affordable plans.

IONOS logo

IONOS

#1

Cheapest quality free-domain hosting in the UK at just £1/mo with 200 GB storage

From £1.00/moReview
HostArmada logo

HostArmada

#2

Free domain on cloud SSD hosting from £1.59/mo with daily backups included

From £1.59/moReview
Flashcloud logo

Flashcloud

#3

Free domain with 35 GB SSD storage and daily backups from £2.20/mo

From £2.20/moReview

Read our full cheapest hosting with free domain guide

Looking beyond free domains? Our cheap web hosting UK guide ranks all budget hosts by value. For domain-only pricing, see our domain comparison page. Or use the hosting calculator for a personalised recommendation.

Free Domain Hosting — Frequently Asked Questions

Which UK hosting providers include a free domain?
Nine providers in our comparison include free domain registration: IONOS, HostArmada, Bluehost, DreamHost, HostPapa, Flashcloud, InMotion Hosting, Fasthosts, and 123 Reg. The domain is typically free for the first year and covers .co.uk, .uk, or .com extensions depending on the provider.
Is the free domain really free, or are there hidden costs?
The domain registration itself is genuinely free for the first year on all nine providers we list. However, be aware of two costs: (1) domain renewal after year one, which typically ranges from £8-15/year, and (2) WHOIS privacy protection, which some providers charge extra for (£3-10/year). IONOS, Bluehost, and DreamHost include WHOIS privacy free.
What happens to my free domain after the first year?
After the first year, your domain renews at the provider's standard domain renewal rate — typically £8-15/year for .co.uk and £10-18/year for .com. This is standard across the industry. You can also transfer your domain to a cheaper registrar (like Dynadot or EuroDNS) after the first year if you prefer to keep costs down.
Can I transfer my free domain to another registrar?
Yes, but usually only after 60 days (ICANN transfer lock period). Most hosts will provide an EPP/transfer code on request. Be aware that some providers make it slightly harder to transfer out — but they cannot legally prevent it. Budget around £8-12 for the transfer fee at the receiving registrar.
Which free domain extensions are included?
Most UK hosts offering free domains include .co.uk, .uk, and .com. Some also cover .org and .net. Premium extensions like .io or .london are typically not included in free domain offers. IONOS offers the widest selection of free extensions, while Fasthosts and 123 Reg focus on .co.uk and .uk.
Is it better to buy hosting and domain separately?
For beginners, bundled hosting + domain is simpler and cheaper in year one. The free domain saves you £5-15. However, advanced users may prefer buying domains separately from a specialist registrar (better transfer tools, more extensions, often cheaper renewals). Either approach works — the key is comparing the total first-year cost including domain.
Do free domain hosts also include free email?
Most do. IONOS includes 2 email accounts, HostArmada offers unlimited email, and InMotion Hosting provides 10 email accounts on their cheapest plan. Bluehost includes 5 email accounts. Only DreamHost limits you to 1 email account on their cheapest shared plan. Our comparison table above shows email account counts for every provider.
What is the best hosting with free domain for WordPress?
Bluehost is the best choice — it is an official WordPress.org recommended host, includes a free domain, and offers 1-click WordPress installation from £2.99/mo. IONOS also offers excellent WordPress hosting with a free domain from £2.39/mo. For managed WordPress with a free domain, HostArmada's WP Starter plan (£1.59/mo) is the cheapest option.

Ready to Get Hosting With a Free Domain?

Use our calculator to get a personalised recommendation based on your needs, or explore our full comparison of all 23 UK hosting providers.