Domain vs Hosting: What Is the Difference?
Updated
A domain is your website’s address, like example.com. Web hosting is the computer space that stores your website’s files and sends them to visitors. To run a website at your own address, you need both. The domain tells browsers where to go. The hosting answers when they arrive.
The difference in one table
| Question | Domain | Web hosting |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your site’s address | Storage and a server for your site |
| What it does | Points visitors to your site | Sends your pages to visitors |
| How you pay | Every year, to keep the name | Monthly or for a prepaid term |
| Where you buy it | A domain registrar | A hosting company |
Some companies sell both. You do not have to buy them together.
Can I own a domain without hosting?
Yes. You can register a domain and not use it yet. You can also use it only for email, through an email provider, or point it to a site that is somewhere else.
Do I have to host my site where I bought my domain?
No. You can buy the domain from one company and the hosting from another. Then you point the domain to your host. You do this in the domain’s DNS settings. DNS is the internet’s address book.
Keeping them separate also makes it easier to change hosts later. Your domain stays where it is.
Is a free domain with hosting really free?
Usually only for the first year. The free domain offers we checked in November 2026 all last one year. After that, the domain renews at the normal price. See the Free domain column on our small business hosting page.
Which should I buy first?
Buy the domain first if you want to make sure nobody else takes the name. Buy the hosting when you are ready to build the site.
What does it cost?
A domain is a small yearly cost. Hosting is usually the bigger cost, and its renewal price matters most. See how much web hosting costs or compare hosting prices.