The good news is that you can often get hosting and a domain name in the same place. The best domain registrars offer quick and affordable hosting in addition to domain names to help you get online faster.
In this guide, we’ll review the 10 best hosting services that double as domain registrars and help you choose the right one for your website.
Why Should You Use a Web Host with a Domain Name?
You could purchase web hosting for your website from one provider and your domain name from another. But for most website owners, having to deal with multiple providers is a hassle. You not only have to connect the domain to your hosting service, but also make sure that both subscriptions stay up to date.
When you buy a domain and web hosting in the same place, the process of getting online is significantly streamlined. Your domain comes pre-connected to your website, so you can start getting traffic right away.
In addition, many of the best domain registrar platforms offer a discount when you bundle your domain purchase with web hosting. So, buying your domain and web hosting in the same place can save you money.
Breaking Down Our Top 10 Choices: Which Domain Hosting Service Is Best for You?
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Bluehost – Best for Hosting WordPress Websites
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HostGator – Most Affordable Hosting with a Domain Registrar
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Network Solutions – Best Domain Hosting Tools
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IONOS– Best Marketing Tools for Small Businesses
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A2 Hosting – Best Website Builder for Beginners
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DreamHost – Best Email Hosting at Your Domain
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Hostinger – Best VPS Hosting Plans
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Domain.com – Best Domain Hosting for Website Security
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NameCheap – Most Affordable Registrar for Domain Names
Best Domain Hosting Services in 2023
1. Bluehost
Managed WordPress hosting made simple
Best for: Hosting a WordPress website
Price per month: From $2.99/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.9%
Bluehost is a comprehensive web hosting, website management, and domain registration platform. It offers a multitude of services, from shared and virtual private server (VPS) web hosting, to a drag-and-drop website builder, to online marketing and professional email services.
Notably, all of Bluehost’s shared hosting plans include a free domain for one year. They also come with a free SSL certificate and a free content delivery network (CDN). You can purchase a .com domain individually starting from $12.99 per year.
We especially like Bluehost for hosting WordPress websites. The platform has managed WordPress hosting solutions for basic websites and online stores that rely on e-commerce plugins. Bluehost’s managed hosting includes custom themes, 24/7 support, and daily backups for your website.
Pros:
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Shared hosting includes a CDN
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Free domain for one year
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Managed WordPress hosting plans
Cons:
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Moderately expensive hosting plans
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Limited storage space
Read full Bluehost review here
2. HostGator
Fast and reliable web hosting at a price that’s hard to beat
Best for: Budget web hosting
Price per month: From $2.75/month
Money-back guarantee: 45 days
Uptime: 99.9%
HostGator offers some of the most affordable options around for hosting a website and domain name. Shared hosting plans start at just $2.75 per month for up to three years (renews at $11.95 per month) and include a free domain name for one year. All plans include 24/7 customer support, a free SSL certificate, and unlimited bandwidth.
Website builder plans start at $3.84 per month (renews at $9.98 per month). Although HostGator’s site builder isn’t as flexible as other builders, it is simple, and you can get a new website up and running in less than 30 minutes.
HostGator also has a wide selection of top-level domains. You can get a .com, .org, .tech, or .co address, among many other options.
Pros:
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Free domain for one year
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Very inexpensive hosting plans
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Simple website builder
Cons:
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Site builder has limited customization options
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Domain registration isn’t the cheapest
Read full HostGator review here
3. Network Solutions
All-in-one web host with domain management tools
Best for: Managing multiple domain names
Price per month: From $5.69/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.9%
Network Solutions is one of the best hosting providers for registering a domain name and managing multiple domains. It offers more than 150 different top-level domains, helping your website stand out. For example, a restaurant can grab a .eat domain and a hairdresser can purchase a .hair domain.
Network Solutions also offers domain expiration protection for just $9.99. This holds your domain for up to one year after your auto-renewal expires, so you won’t lose your domain just because your credit card on file expired.
This host pairs domains with shared and managed WordPress hosting plans that start at $5.69 per month. Network Solutions does not offer VPS or dedicated server hosting.
Pros:
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150+ top-level domain options
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Domain expiration protection
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Shared hosting includes email
Cons:
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No VPS or dedicated hosting plans
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SSL certificate not included
Read full Network Solutions review here
4. IONOS
Hosting, website building, and marketing in one place
Best for: Marketing a new website
Price per month: From $0.50/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.9%
IONOS is a do-it-all web host that offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and managed WordPress hosting. It also offers a drag-and-drop website builder and a domain registrar with dozens of popular top-level domains.
Every IONOS domain can have up to 10,000 subdomains, making it easy to scale up your site. In addition, IONOS domains come with a professional email inbox with 2GB of included storage and a free SSL certificate. A .com domain costs just $1 for the first year, then $15 per year after that.
IONOS also offers handy marketing tools for online businesses. You can add an SEO optimization tool to your site or have Google ads managed for you by IONOS’s team of marketing experts.
Pros:
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Domains include email inbox
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Drag-and-drop website builder
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Add-on marketing services available
Cons:
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No discount for bundling hosting and domain
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Marketing solutions can be pricey
5. A2 Hosting
Simple and affordable drag-and-drop website builder
Best for: Beginners who want simplicity over flexibility
Price per month: From $2.99/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.9%
A2 Hosting is one of the best web hosting services for first-time site owners. This host makes it easy to get started with either shared, VPS, or WordPress hosting and offers plans starting at just $2.99 per month.
In addition, A2 Hosting offers its own drag-and-drop website builder with dozens of themes. It’s not as comprehensive as similar tools from other hosts, but it’s incredibly easy to use. Even without prior design experience, you can expect to get a new website online in as little as 30 minutes.
On top of hosting, A2 Hosting offers dozens of top-level domains. A .com domain costs $16.99 per year and comes with privacy protection.
Pros:
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User-friendly website builder
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Shared, VPS, and managed WordPress hosting
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Domains include privacy protection
Cons:
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Site builder offers limited flexibility
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Domain not included with hosting purchase
Read full A2 Hosting review here
6. DreamHost
Flexible hosting for websites, email, and more
Best for: Email hosting at your domain
Price per month: From $2.95/month
Money-back guarantee: 97 days
Uptime: 100%
DreamHost is a very capable web host and domain registrar with a lot to offer. Shared hosting plans start at just $2.95 per month and include a free domain name, SSL certificate, and WordPress website builder, as well as 24/7 support. DreamHost also offers managed WordPress hosting plans that make it easy to get your site online.
DreamHost’s domain registrar includes over 400 top-level domains to choose from. A .com domain starts at just $5.99 for the first year (renews at $17.99 per year).
Email hosting at your domain isn’t included, but only costs $1.67 per month per mailbox. Notably, each inbox comes with a whopping 25GB of storage space.
Pros:
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97-day money-back guarantee for hosting plans
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400+ top-level domains available
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25GB email inboxes
Cons:
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Email is not included with hosting
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Website builder is for WordPress sites only
Read full DreamHost review here
7. Hostinger
Affordable shared and VPS web hosting
Best for: VPS hosting
Price per month: From $2.99/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.9%
Hostinger is a great option if you’re looking to scale up your website and traffic. This host offers shared hosting plans with unlimited bandwidth and databases. Even better, VPS hosting plans start at just $3.49 per month and can be customized to suit your site’s needs.
Hostinger also offers dozens of top-level domains to choose from, with .com domains starting from just $9.99 per year. Shared hosting plans include a free domain name for one year along with an SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support.
Importantly, Hostinger doesn’t offer a website builder. However, all shared hosting plans include a managed WordPress installation as well as one-click installers for popular content management systems.
Pros:
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Flexible VPS hosting plans
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Free domain for one year with hosting
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Includes managed WordPress installation
Cons:
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No introductory offer for .com domains
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No website builder
Read full Hostinger review here
8. Domain.com
Flexible web hosting with strong security tools
Best for: Secure web hosting
Price per month: From $3.75/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 99.99%
Domain.com offers some of the best security features we’ve seen from a web host and domain registrar. All hosting plans include a free SSL certificate and 24/7 technical support. In addition, Domain.com offers security packages starting from $3.99 per month that include daily backups, malware scanning, web app firewalls, and protection from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Domain.com’s shared hosting plans include a free domain name for one year along with unlimited storage and bandwidth. You can also separately purchase dozens of top-level domains, including .com domains that start at $9.99 per year.
Another reason to like Domain.com is its site builder, which is easy to use and can help you create an online store. Site builder plans start at $1.99 per month.
Pros:
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Security plans available
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Free domain for one year with hosting
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User-friendly site builder available
Cons:
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Malware scans and backups cost extra
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Site builder has limited flexibility
Read full Domain.com review here
9. NameCheap
Inexpensive domain names and straightforward web hosting
Best for: Buying a new domain name
Price per month: From $2.18/month
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Uptime: 100%
NameCheap offers a wide range of tools for getting your website online at an affordable price. The company has shared, VPS, and dedicated server hosting plans as well as managed WordPress hosting, a domain registrar, and email hosting. NameCheap also offers a CDN, a site builder, and a logo designer.
Not all hosting plans include a free domain name, but you can purchase a .com domain starting at $9.58 per year. NameCheap also has hundreds of other popular domain extensions to choose from, most of which come with free domain privacy protection.
All NameCheap sites include a free SSL certificate and unlimited bandwidth. You also receive 24/7 customer support.
Pros:
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Site builder and logo designer
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Free domain privacy protection
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CDN included
Cons:
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Hosting may not include a free domain
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Security features cost extra
What’s the Difference between Registrars and Web Hosts?
A domain registrar is a platform that sells domain names like ‘yourwebsite.com’. Most domain registrars offer multiple top-level domains, such as .com, .org, .net, .xyz, and many more. As long as a domain name is not already in use, you can typically purchase it from any domain registrar.
A web host is a company that owns the servers on which websites run. A host maintains the servers, enabling your website to be accessible to anyone trying to reach it.
Since websites need both a domain name and hosting, many companies serve as both registrars and web hosts.
Do You Need a Web Host and a Domain?
Every website needs web hosting and a domain name. Hosting is required to get your website online and make it accessible to visitors. A domain name is required so that visitors can find your website without typing in a long and hard-to-remember IP address.
The Considerations for a Domain Registrar
Choosing the right domain registrar is important to the success of your site. Here are some key things to consider:
Budget and renewal rates
Domain registrars can vary widely in how much they charge for certain popular domains. It’s a good idea to shop around and see what you’ll pay for the same domain at different registrars. Keep an eye out for introductory offers that can lower your cost, but check the renewal price after the offer ends.
Checkout process
Most domain registrars make it easy to purchase a domain. You’ll have to enter some basic contact information since this is required by ICANN, the governing body for the internet which creates and manages domain names. All domain registrars accept credit cards for payment.
Domain management needs
You will likely need to connect your domain to a website—which may be hosted with the same company or a different hosting provider—after you purchase it. Most domain registrars make this process simple, offering an address that you can copy into your web host’s control panel.
If you have multiple domains, it’s worth looking into how a web host handles that. Some make it incredibly easy to switch between domains or to navigate a long list of subdomains. In addition, many hosting providers offer auto-renewal options. Auto-renewal is important, so you don’t accidentally lose a domain because of a missed payment.
Amount of domains
Some domain registrars offer more domain name options than others. For example, some registrars only offer .com domain name extensions, while others offer extensions like .xyz, .info, .tech, and more.
If you have a specific domain in mind and it’s available, this might not matter much. But if you’re browsing for domain options, it may be helpful to choose a registrar with more domain extensions.
How long you plan on owning the domain
Some domain registrars only allow you to purchase a domain for one year at a time, while others let you purchase a domain for five or even 10 years at a time. If you plan to own a domain for the long term, you may be able to get a significant discount by signing up for a longer subscription term.
Many registrars also offer auto-renewal options to enable you to keep your domain year after year. Just remember to keep your credit card information up to date in your account.
WHOIS protection
The WHOIS database contains information about who owns a domain name, including the owner’s name and contact information. Many domain registrars offer free privacy protection, which blocks your name and contact information from public view. Some registrars charge extra for this privacy protection feature.
Domain transfers
Once you purchase a domain, you can transfer it to another registrar in the future if you wish. Domain transfers are usually free when you sign up for web hosting, but they may cost money otherwise. It’s a good idea to shop around to see if you can get a lower renewal price when transferring a domain.
How Much Does Domain Registration Cost?
The cost of purchasing a domain varies based on a few different factors. The domain name itself is important. A .com address usually costs more than a .xyz address, at around $12-$20 per year, while a .xyz address might only cost $5-$10 per year.
The price of domain registration can also vary thanks to introductory offers. Many top domain registrars offer significantly discounted first-year pricing. You may be able to get a .com address for less than $1 for the first year you own it.
Many web hosts also include a free domain name for one year with the purchase of a new hosting plan. These plans offer your choice of domain, often without limits on what domain name extension you choose. Just be sure to check the renewal price for your chosen domain after the first year.
What to Do After Purchasing a Domain Name
Once you own a domain name, it’s time to connect it to your website. If you host your website with the same company where you purchased your domain, this process is easy. You can usually connect your website and domain in your account settings.
If you purchase a domain from a different company than the one which hosts your website, there are a few extra steps to connect your domain. You must get your domain name system (DNS) address from your domain registrar. Locate your website’s control panel on your web host’s site and copy this DNS address into the DNS address box.
Your registrar may require you to confirm that you added the DNS address to a new website before the domain change will take effect. It usually takes a few hours before your new domain will point visitors to your website.
