Are you looking for what’s the best place and ways to transfer your domain name for free elsewhere?
Remember, transferring a domain to the same registrar is always free.
But, transfers between different registrars are paid but some registrars include 1-year renewals for free, which add to a domain’s current expiration date.
So, it looks like there is no transfer cost associated with the domain name when you’re considering a new domain registrar or web hosting provider.
However, not all domain registrars and web hosting providers offer this free domain name transfer. Our top 10 recommended domain registrars and web hosting providers offer a free domain transfer for the first year of domain renewal at a discount price.
So which domain registrars offer free domain name transfers?
Let me explain everything about domain transfer in a simple step-by-step guide!
Let’s get started.
What is Domain Transfer?
Domain transfer (aka domain name transfer) is the process of transferring a domain name from one domain registrar to another. A domain registrar is a company or organization recognized by ICANN to handle all domain registrations on behalf of individuals or businesses.
Now let’s find out what are the best places for transferring domain names.
Which Domain Registrars Offer Free Domain Name Transfers?
Top five ICANN-accredited domain registrars that offer a free domain name transfer:
1. Porkbun
Porkbun is one of the best domain registrars that offer a free domain name transfer when you pay for the next year’s renewal bill. It should be an ideal place to transfer your domain instead of buying an entire web hosting plan.
And the best thing is that there are no upsells or add-on fees you need to pay, and it provides more features than other registrars out there. I’ve transferred my domain name to Porkbun to save money.
2. Namecheap
Namecheap is the most popular domain registrar that offers an additional year of domain lifespan. They provide free lifetime WHOIS privacy protection and other essential tools you might love.
Transferring between Namecheap to Namecheap is completely free, but when you move from another registrar, you have to pay a 1-year renewal fee.
Which means there are no extra charges that come with a transfer. You will just be charged $9.78 as a discounted renewal price, which adds to a domain’s current expiration date.
3. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a popular ICANN-accredited registrar and web services provider that offers a free domain name transfer without buying any web hosting plan with them.
You need to pay $9.99 for a .com domain renewal with them for the next year. But their domain renewal charge is highly expensive compared to any other domain provider such as Namecheap and Porkbun.
4. Google Domains
Google Domains is a leading domain name service that provides free domain name transfers, but you must purchase a one-year registration, which adds a year from the last expiration date.
People often like Google Domains because of its premium DNS, fast response, secure connection, and overall reliable Google Cloud infrastructure that delivers the highest level of performance and availability on the world wide web.
5. Domain.com
Domain.com is another ICANN-accredited registrar that I use, and the best thing is that they also offer a free domain name transfer with a typical renewal fee of $9.99 for the next year.
Remember, domain.com doesn’t offer free whois privacy protection with domain names, and that’s why I typically ignore domain.com when I need it.
Which Web Hosting Providers Offer Free Domain Name Transfers?
The top five web hosting providers that offer completely free domain name transfers include:
IONOS
IONOS is our top recommended domain registrar and web hosting service provider that offers free domain name transfers to their customers. You can also have a free domain name instead, unlimited websites, unlimited storage, free SSL, and a lot more.
So instead of just renewing the domain elsewhere or buying an expensive hosting plan to just transfer your domain name for “FREE“, with IONOS, you are getting everything a website needs for a full year for only 12 bucks, which is why I recommend it.
Hostgator
Hostgator is one of the best web hosting providers for anyone looking for a cheap and reliable hosting service. They provide one free domain transfer on any of their annual hosting plans, which replaces the free domain name offer.
You can also have a $500 Google Ads spend match credit, which is great for beginners to grow their businesses on the Google search engine. However, if you’re unhappy with them, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee and free website migration service.
Bluehost
Bluehost is the best place to transfer your domain name for free. However, you can only transfer your domain name to Bluehost when you have an active hosting plan with them. After then, you can claim a free domain name registration or a free domain name transfer coupon, which will automatically be applied to your cart.
So you need to choose any of their yearly plans and skip the FREE domain to later choose, and then you’ll be eligible to transfer your domain for free.
Fasthost
Fasthost is a leading web hosting service provider based in Gloucester, England. Transferring domains to them is completely free and very easy.
When transferred, all TLDs are renewed for at least one year, and you can extend offers of up to 82% savings on your next renewal.
Look at the updated offer about the Fasthost domain.
DreamHost
DreamHost is another WordPress-recommended hosting provider that offers a free domain name transfer, but it only comes with a hosting plan.
Otherwise, if you want to transfer your domain only, you need to create a DreamHost account first, and then you can transfer your domain to them for $9.99 with a one-year free renewal date like other domain and hosting providers do.
Once you have created your account, you can follow these DreamHost steps to transfer your domain.
What to Look for Before Transferring Your Domain Name?
Once you are ready to transfer your domain name to another registrar, verify that you’ve got the following settings:
1. Ensure your domain is at least 60 days old
Ensure your domain is at least 60 days old before you can be eligible for transfer. You can check your domain date for any domain name and make sure it is opt-out of your domain lock.
2. Unlock your domain name
Log into your domain control panel or domain management settings and unlock your domain name.
3. Disable your DOMAIN PRIVACY + PROTECTION
Once you’ve unlocked your domain name, ensure you disable your domain’s privacy and protection service if you enabled it. Because some registrars do not allow WHOIS protection while you transfer your domain name.
However, domain.com doesn’t offer it for free, and that’s why I use Porkbun and Namecheap for free WHOIS privacy protection when it is necessary.
4. Make sure your contact information is updated and correct
Go to your account settings and check that your contact information is correct. Don’t worry about it if you make a mistake because you or your receiver can always update it.
When you’ve checked these steps and are eligible for transfer, let’s go to the final step now.
How to Transfer a Domain Name for Free?
Here are the step-by-step processes to transfer your domain names for free:
1. Get your transfer authorization code
Login to your domain account, go to transfer settings and click Auth-Code to get your transfer authorization code on your registered email.
After clicking that, you’ll receive an authorization code in your mailbox almost immediately.
2. Pick your destination domain registrar or web hosting provider
Once you select your desired domain registrar or web hosting provider where you want to move your domain name and live your website.
BlueHost is often recommended for beginners who want an affordable and reliable web hosting service. They provide a user-friendly interface and a range of features that make it easy to set up and manage a website, even if you have little or no technical experience.
They offer a free domain name transfer or a free domain name with their yearly hosting plans. For small business websites, I recommend their WordPress hosting plans.
Once you’re going with Bluehost or any other web hosting service, make sure you skip the free domain name option to get your free domain transfer offer later.
In this way, you’ll transfer your domain name completely free of cost.
3. Initiating your domain transfer
To initiate a domain transfer, follow the steps below:
1. Log in to your account where you want to transfer your domain.
Log in to your account where you want to transfer your domain; it might be with a domain registrar or web hosting provider, then go to the transfer domain page.
2. Type your domain name and Auth Code to proceed and Add Transfers to the Cart
From the transfer domain page, type your domain name and Auth Code and click Submit button.
Then you’ll see the Transfer List, which includes Additional Options that need to be checked, and then click on the Add Transfers to Cart button.
Remember, some registrars have additional criteria to verify if this domain auth code is valid and if the domain name is eligible for transfer to them.
3. Check your transfer cart and continue with the billing
Check your domain name and any add-ons on the cart, and click Continue to Billing.
4. Choose your payment method to proceed
Choose your payment method or add a new one to proceed, and click on Continue with payment.
5. Make payment to finalize the transfer
Then you’ll land on a Stripe-powered checkout page with the amount of the transfer fee. Click Pay to proceed.
After all, you’ll see a green tick mark if your payment is successful.
4. Approve Your Transfer to Finalize the Process Immediately
After successful payment of the domain transfer, you’ll immediately receive an email in your inbox containing the confirmation request.
Then you need to click the link and confirm your transfer status, whether it will be granted or denied. If you click approve then your transfer should be completed immediately.
Conclusion
So finally, the domain transfer was completed successfully.
Transferring your domain to a web hosting plan makes more sense and makes it easier to manage all your settings and controls in one place. However, it depends on how you manage everything for your online presence.
I hope this domain transfer guide was helpful today!
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