A Name for Everyone
Knowledgebase
What is the difference between a Free, Paid and Special domain?
Not all domains can be registered for free. A limited number of domains are considered "Special" and can only be purchased. Their price varies and pricing is displayed during the availability check.
For example, all 1, 2 and 3 character domains, as well as common dictionary keywords, are considered Special.
All other domains (those that are not Special) can be either purchased (Paid domain) or registered for free (Free domain). Compare and choose between the two options using the table below:
| Free Domains | Paid Domains | |
|---|---|---|
| TLD available | .TK / .ML / .GA / .CF | .TK / .ML / .GA / .CF (including Special Domains) |
| Usage | Works like any other domain name, use URL Forwarding, free Freenom DNS Service or your own DNS (Name Servers). | Works like any other domain name, use URL Forwarding, free Freenom DNS Service or your own DNS (Name Servers). |
| Registration and renewal | 1 to 12 months Free to renew (unlimited renewals) |
1 to 10 years (unlimited renewals) |
| Pricing | FREE! | Pricing starts at USD 6.95 per domain name per year. Freenom applies multi-year discounts on all .TK domains. Special Domains are priced higher, depending on the name. |
| Payments | No payment needed | Freenom accepts credit card, PayPal and bank wire payments. |
| Legal rights | Registrant acts as user of domain name, not as licensee | Registrant acts as licensee of domain name |
| Transfer rights | None. | Full |
| WHOIS | Freenom or one of its subsidiaries appears as the licensee in the WHOIS | Domain registrant appears in the WHOIS and registrant can update it freely |
| Policies | Must comply with Freenom free domain name policies. | Must comply with Freenom free domain name policies. |
