Free domain name: what exists and the alternatives

A real free domain name that lasts, such as myproject.com, is rare: common extensions are paid every year to a registrar. The free options are a name offered for the first year with a hosting plan, or a free subdomain, such as myproject.aclclouds.online, which is enough for a website, a bot or a game server.

• A .com or .fr domain is paid every year to a registrar.
• A free domain is usually free for the first year only, with a hosting plan.
• A free subdomain is enough for a game server, a bot, a demo or a test site.
• The ACLClouds subdomain has no end date as long as your account exists.

Domain or subdomain: the difference

A domain name (myproject.fr, myproject.com) is registered with a registrar, for a year or more, and you are the registrant. A subdomain (myproject.aclclouds.online) is a name created under a provider's domain: you manage its DNS records, but the parent domain belongs to that provider.

• Domain: a name you own, transferable, renewed every year.
• Subdomain: a free name, attached to a provider's domain.
• Both point to a website or a server with the same DNS records.

Free domain offers

Most free domain name offers are tied to a purchase: the domain is free for the first year with a web hosting plan, then billed at the normal rate on renewal. Check that rate before ordering, and make sure you can transfer the domain to another registrar if you change hosts.

• The renewal price, not just the first-year price.
• The option to transfer the domain with a transfer code.
• The registered owner: you, not the host.

When a subdomain is enough

For a personal project, a Minecraft server, a Discord bot, a demo or a test site, a free subdomain does the same technical job as a domain: same DNS, same server-side HTTPS, same stable address. It also saves you from sharing an IP address that changes with every migration.

• Game server: an address that is easy to remember, with SRV for Minecraft Java.
• Bot or API: a readable name for a dashboard or a webhook.
• Static site: a CNAME to GitHub Pages, Netlify or Vercel.

When to move to a real domain

A domain of your own becomes useful for a brand, a shop or a professional email address: your customers recognize the name, and you keep it if you change providers. You can start with a free subdomain, then move to your own domain later by recreating the same records.

• Brand, shop, professional email: a domain in your name.
• Test, community or personal project: a free subdomain.
• The records can be recreated identically on the new domain.

Why choose ACLClouds for this name

The ACLClouds free subdomain is not a trial: it has no end date, does not ask for a credit card, and the name stays yours as long as your account exists. You manage 7 record types, up to 50 per subdomain, including MX and TXT to receive email or prove ownership of the name to a service.

• A name of 3 to 32 characters: lowercase letters, digits and hyphens.
• Names that imitate a brand or are used for phishing are refused.
• To connect the name, follow the guide to pointing a subdomain.