names.co.uk: a free .co.uk, cheap hosting and how to avoid renewal surprises

Shopping at names.co.uk? See all current names.co.uk discount codes and deals, checked regularly.

names.co.uk has been helping people get online since 1997, which makes it one of the older names in UK web hosting. It sells the basics a small business, club, freelancer or hobby project needs: a domain name, web hosting, business email, a website builder and SSL certificates, plus managed WordPress and servers for bigger sites. It's now part of team.blue, a European hosting group, but its support teams are still in Worcester.

That support is one of the main reasons to choose it over a cheaper overseas registrar. You can phone on weekdays from 8am to 5:30pm and raise tickets at weekends and on bank holidays, so it suits people who'd rather talk to someone than read forum posts. The trade-off is that the eye-catching prices are introductory, and they're shown without VAT unless you switch the VAT toggle on at the bottom of the page.

Everything is managed from an online control panel, where you can point a domain at a website, set up mailboxes and renew services. Domains can be registered for up to ten years, and you don't need to live in the UK or own a company to register a .co.uk. If you already have a domain elsewhere, transferring a .com in costs £10 plus VAT and adds a year to its registration.

What's worth a look

The main products and their current starting prices (excluding VAT, as the site shows them):

If you just want to reserve a name, the free .co.uk is the obvious starting point, and you don't need to buy hosting with it. If you want a simple site and an email address to match, the Beginner web hosting plan or the Starter website builder are the cheapest ways in. Higher hosting tiers such as Enthusiast and Pro bundle a free domain and SSL certificate, which can save buying those separately.

Current offers

We don't have codes from our own feed for names.co.uk yet, but the site itself has several introductory deals running:

• A single .co.uk domain free for the first year, registered online.
• A .com domain for £1.99 for the first year, with other extensions discounted too (for example .uk at £3.99 and .online at £3.50).
• Beginner web hosting at 99p for the first month, then £9.99 a month.
• Email Starter and WordPress Hosting Starter at £1 for the first month, then £9.99 a month.
• Website Builder Starter at 99p for the first month, then £10.99 a month.

All of these are first-period prices only and don't apply to renewals.

How to save more

• Turn on the VAT toggle before you compare with other hosts, so you're looking at what you'll actually pay.
• Check the yearly price as well as the monthly one: paying annually can work out cheaper than the monthly rate once the first month is over.
• Set a reminder before your first renewal date and decide then whether you still need every add-on.

Products, prices and offers checked on the store's own website on 5 Oct 2026. Prices and stock can change.

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