If you've landed here, it's because you want a free domain and don't know how to get one. We'll help you, but our first piece of advice is: DON'T PUT AN IMPORTANT PROJECT ON A FREE DOMAIN. If the project is for practice, that's fine.
Option 1
Among all the options available online, the most popular free domains use these extensions: .tk, .ml, .ga, .cf and .gq, with .tk being the most popular today.
All these extensions are tied to different low-internet-traffic countries — generally small islands that have used their country code to offer free domains.
Option 2
Using subdomains. These are aimed at learning and testing small projects. Subdomains typically take the form: mysite.bacan.com, and many also offer free hosting. These are recommended for students or testing purposes, but make no sense for business projects.
How to get a .com domain for free?
The simplest option is getting it bundled with your web hosting service. This doesn't literally mean the domain is free — the hosting provider covers the cost. It's a win-win: you get the service at the best possible price, and we gain you as a customer.
What is a free domain?
A domain links your servers with a user-friendly address. A free domain does this too, but in exchange for certain limitations: advertising in the URL, no ownership, poor search ranking and limited or no technical support.
Advantages of a paid domain
Where free domains fail, paid ones excel. You get domain ownership, which shows commitment and professionalism, gives your project better acceptance from both users and search engines like Google, and means all your SEO work will yield better results. For just $9–10 per year, it's well worth it.
Can I install a free domain on a hosting service?
Yes. As long as you can point our DNS to any domain, you can install it on our servers.
Can free domains be transferred?
Free domains (.tk, .ml, .ga, .cf, .gq) cannot be transferred because you don't own them. You're just allowed to use them. That in itself is a huge risk — if the provider decides to stop letting you use it, you lose the domain.
When is a free domain actually necessary?
Rarely ever, but the most common users are students or people testing ideas. When used for serious purposes, they're generally associated with criminal activity (password theft, malware, phishing, spam, etc.).
Do we recommend free domains?
Generally NO. If your site is just a test, fine. But if you want a site that represents a serious project, the answer is NO.
Are free domains free forever?
When you get a free domain without paying, you're only a user of the domain, not the owner. The owner lets you use it until they decide otherwise. This is one of the main reasons we don't recommend free domains for serious projects.