Website hosting and domain: together or separately, and what each costs
Most shared hosting plans bundle a free domain for the first year, and most people take it. It is convenient, it is honest as far as it goes, and it is worth understanding before you sign: the domain renews at the host's registrar rate, it ties the domain to the hosting account, and moving either later is a small job that the bundle makes feel larger. This page sets out the two routes and prices the hosting half from the verified table; the domain half is a registrar's price list, which this site does not reproduce.
- median printed entry price, per month
- $6.76
- hosts with a verified printed price
- 14
- stacks with measured demand
- 5
Figures on this page come from the HostingByStack Web Hosting Price Index: 14 hosts with a verified printed price, median entry price $6.76 a month, checked against each host's own pricing page.
- 14 host pricing pages verifiedevery figure matched verbatim to the host's page
- Quoted and dated, never estimatedlast verification pass 2026-09-03
- 5 stacks coveredeach with measured search demand behind it
Printed prices, verified
| Host | Entry price | Renews at | Term | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChemiCloud | $1.95/mo | $11.95/mo | 36 mo term | chemicloud.com | September 2026 |
| FastComet | $1.99/mo | $9.95/mo | fastcomet.com | September 2026 | |
| DreamHost | $2.89/mo | $10.99/mo | 12 mo term | dreamhost.com | September 2026 |
| HostPapa | $2.95/mo | 36 mo term | hostpapa.com | September 2026 | |
| Hostinger | $2.99/mo | $10.99/mo | 48 mo term | hostinger.com | September 2026 |
| DigitalOcean | $4/mo | 1 mo term | digitalocean.com | September 2026 | |
| IONOS | $4/mo | $8/mo | 12 mo term | ionos.com | September 2026 |
| TMDHosting | $9.52/mo | $11.9/mo | 36 mo term | tmdhosting.com | September 2026 |
| WP Engine | $28/mo | 12 mo term | wpengine.com | September 2026 | |
| ScalaHosting | $29.95/mo | $54.95/mo | 36 mo term | scalahosting.com | September 2026 |
| Rocket.net | $30/mo | 1 mo term | rocket.net | September 2026 | |
| Kinsta | $35/mo | 1 mo term | kinsta.com | September 2026 | |
| Liquid Web | $36/mo | $72/mo | 1 mo term | liquidweb.com | September 2026 |
| Servebolt | $99/mo | servebolt.com | September 2026 | ||
| Bluehost | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| Cloudways | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| HostGator | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| InMotion Hosting | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| Namecheap | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| SiteGround | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) |
Deciding where the domain lives
- Register the domain where you will keep it. A domain outlives any hosting plan. Registering it at a registrar you would keep through three hosting moves, and pointing it at the host, costs a year's registration now and saves a transfer later. The bundle saves that year's fee and nothing else.
- Read the domain renewal beside the hosting renewal. The hosting table shows what the plan renews at; the host's page shows what the free domain renews at, usually at or above the going registrar rate. Year two of a bundle is the hosting renewal plus the domain renewal, and both are on the host's page.
- Check what the bundle includes. A free domain, an SSL certificate and email hosting are the usual three. SSL is free everywhere now; email hosting on a shared plan is real but limited. None of the three should decide the host; the stack and the price after renewal should.
- Keep the two accounts separable. Whichever route you take, make sure the domain's registrant contact is you, that you can unlock and transfer it, and that the DNS is somewhere you control. A host that makes any of those hard is telling you something about leaving.
What a free domain is worth
One year of registration, which for a common extension is roughly the price of one to two months of the hosting plan's renewal. Against a 36- or 48-month prepaid hosting contract it is a small line. It is a fine thing to accept; it is not a reason to choose a host, and the domain's renewal rate is worth reading before you do.
The plan's two largest measured heads, domain registration and web hosting, are encyclopaedic queries answered by registrars and by Wikipedia; this site does not compete for them and says so. The hosting side of the bundle is what the verified table prices.
When to buy both from one host
A first site with no plan to move, where one bill and one login are worth more than a registrar account; a host whose domain renewal rate is at the market; a site owner who will read the renewal before year two. In those cases the bundle is the simpler purchase and costs nothing extra worth counting.
Common questions
- Should I buy my domain and hosting from the same company?
- It is simpler and costs about the same; the trade is that the domain is tied to the host and renews at the host's rate. Registering at a registrar you would keep is the more portable route.
- Is the free domain with hosting really free?
- For the first year. It renews at the host's registrar rate afterwards, which is on the host's page beside the hosting renewal.
- Can I move my domain away from my host later?
- Yes, by transfer, provided you control the registrant contact and the domain is unlocked. Check both before you sign up, not when you want to leave.
Not sure which host you need?
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Cite or embed this figure
The median printed entry price per month in the web hosting market was $6.76 in September 2026, across 14 verified host pricing pages recorded in HostingByStack Web Hosting Price Index.
Cite as: "HostingByStack Web Hosting Price Index", updated 2026-09-03, https://hostingbystack.com/website-hosting-and-domain/.