How to get a cheap domain and hosting for a new project
Every new project needs somewhere to live. For a side project or an early startup, you can usually get a domain and hosting for very little, sometimes nothing, for the first year. The real cost shows up at renewal. This guide covers how to find good first-year prices, how to pick hosting that matches what you are building, and how to avoid paying far more in year two.
Domains: the first-year price is not the real price
Registrars compete hard on first-year prices. You will often see a popular extension for a few dollars, or a newer extension for under a dollar. These are real offers, but they are introductory. From year two you pay the regular renewal price, which can be many times higher.
The same applies to extras. Some registrars bundle privacy, email or SSL certificates free in the first year, then charge for them later. Look at the full renewal bill, not just the domain line.
Before you buy, find the renewal price for the exact extension you want. Most registrars list it on their pricing page. If you plan to keep the domain for years, the renewal price matters far more than the first-year discount.
Some extensions have high renewal prices. A domain that costs under a dollar today might be expensive to keep. Compare renewal prices across registrars before you commit.
Where the domain deals are
PerkRadar lists a range of domain codes from Spaceship, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Hostinger and HostGator. These include first-year .com registrations at a few dollars and sub-dollar first years on many newer extensions. Students can also find a free .me registration through Namecheap, and there is a code for a free .tech domain for one year.
A few things to check alongside the price:
- Whether WHOIS privacy is included. Many registrars include it free now, but not all.
- Whether the code applies to new registrations only, or also to transfers and renewals.
- Whether the discount is limited to one domain per account.
- Transfer rules. New registrations usually cannot be transferred to another registrar for 60 days.
Match hosting to what you are building
The cheapest hosting is the one that fits your project, so start there. Paying for a large server to run a small static site wastes money, while squeezing a busy app onto the wrong platform wastes time.
- A static site or simple frontend can often run on a free tier from a static hosting or edge platform.
- A web app with a backend and database suits a platform-as-a-service or a small virtual server.
- A WordPress site is easiest on managed WordPress or shared hosting.
- Anything with GPUs or heavy compute belongs on a cloud with a startup or trial credit.
If you are not sure, start on a free tier or a small usage-based plan. It is easy to move up later, and much harder to get out of a long prepaid contract.
Hosting credits and trials
For app hosting, credit offers are often better value than discounted plans, because you only pay for what you use. PerkRadar lists codes for Hetzner account credit, several Vultr credit amounts, Render hosting credits and Cloudways credits. Render also lists a free tier for evaluating eligible web services, and Kinsta lists a free first month on some managed WordPress plans.
Shared hosting discounts, such as those from Hostinger and HostGator, are often biggest on long plans of three or four years paid upfront. That can be fine if you are confident in the project. For an experiment, a shorter plan or a usage-based credit carries less risk.
If you are a student, an open-source maintainer or a startup, check the bigger programs too. Hosting providers like DigitalOcean and Vercel list startup programs with much larger credits.
A simple launch setup
- Pick a domain on an extension with a renewal price you are happy to pay every year.
- Register it with a registrar that includes WHOIS privacy, and turn on auto-renew so you never lose it by accident.
- Point the domain at your hosting with DNS records. Many hosts walk you through this.
- Turn on HTTPS. Most modern hosts provide free certificates automatically.
- Set a billing alert or spending limit on any usage-based host.
- Note the date each introductory price ends, so you can review it before it renews.
Email on your own domain
Once you have a domain, you will probably want an email address on it. It looks more professional, and many startup and nonprofit programs expect one when you apply.
There are two different kinds of email to think about. Mailbox email is what you use to send and receive messages yourself. Many registrars and office suites sell it, and PerkRadar lists a Namecheap discount on business email. Transactional email is what your app sends, such as sign-up confirmations and password resets. Services like Resend and Brevo have free tiers for that.
Whatever you choose, set up the DNS records your email provider asks for. These help your messages reach inboxes instead of spam folders.
If you only need to receive mail for now, some registrars offer free email forwarding to an inbox you already have. Check your registrar's settings before paying for a mailbox.
Keep the domain and hosting separate
Many hosts bundle a free domain with a hosting plan. It is convenient, but it can tie your domain to that host. If you later want to move, you may need to transfer the domain or pay a higher renewal price.
Bundled domains also tend to renew at the host's price, which is not always the cheapest. And if the hosting plan lapses, you need to be sure the domain does not lapse with it.
Keeping your domain at a registrar and your hosting elsewhere gives you more freedom. You can change hosts by updating DNS records, without touching the domain. For a project you care about, that flexibility is worth a few extra minutes of setup.