# Free subdomain vs your own domain

> What you give up by not buying a domain, what it costs to fix later, and when the free address is genuinely fine.

Source: https://cwp.sg/compare/subdomain-vs-custom-domain/  
Author: Ben Johnson  
Last verified: 2026-09-21

**In short:** - A free subdomain works immediately but ties your site's reputation to strangers and cannot be taken to another host. - Your own domain costs about 10 to 20 Singapore dollars per year and stays with you if you switch hosts. - You cannot send or receive email on the free subdomain, but you can with your own domain. - Buy your own domain for anything serious like a portfolio, business site, or blog.

You get a free subdomain like `yourname.cwpfree.com` when you use our shared hosting. You can also bring your own domain if you buy one from a registrar. The question is whether the cost of a domain is worth it for what you are building.

## What the free address gives you

A free subdomain works immediately. You do not need to buy anything, configure DNS, or wait for propagation. It is a working address from the moment your account is set up. The [guide on using a subdomain](/guides/how-to-host-a-website/without-a-domain/) walks through the steps.

The trade-off is that you share the parent domain's reputation with every other site on it. If another account on the same parent domain gets flagged for spam, phishing, or malware, search engines and email filters may treat your site with more suspicion. You have no control over that. Your site's standing is tied to people you have never met.

You also cannot take a free subdomain with you. If you move to another host, `yourname.cwpfree.com` stays here. All links, bookmarks, and search-engine rankings that point to that address will break. There is no redirect you can set up because you do not control the DNS for the parent domain.

## What a paid address gives you

A domain name costs about 10 to 20 Singapore dollars per year from a registrar. You own it. You can point it at any host, at any time, by changing a few DNS records. The [guide on moving to your own domain](/guides/how-to-host-a-website/point-a-domain-to-your-host/) covers the process.

Your domain carries only your reputation. No one else's spam or malware can hurt it. If you build a site that people link to, those links stay with you when you switch hosts. The same applies to search rankings. You build equity in the name, not in a subdomain you do not control.

Email is the other big reason. You cannot send or receive mail on a free subdomain here because outbound SMTP is blocked. With your own domain, you can set up email with any provider that accepts your DNS records. A professional-looking email address like `you@yourname.com` is one of the cheapest credibility tools available.

## When the free address makes sense

For a prototype, a class project, or a hobby page that you might abandon in six months, the free subdomain is the right choice. You save the money and the setup time. If the project dies, you have lost nothing.

The same applies if you are testing a CMS or learning how to build a site. You do not need a real domain to learn. You can always buy one later and move the content.

## When you should buy your own

If you want anyone to take the site seriously, buy the domain. A personal portfolio, a small business site, a blog you hope to grow, or anything that will appear on a CV should have its own name.

If you ever plan to switch hosts, buy the domain. You avoid the pain of broken links and lost traffic. You can use the [DNS lookup tool](/tools/dns-lookup/) to check that your domain points where you expect, and the [NXDOMAIN error page](/errors/dns-probe-finished-nxdomain/) explains what it means when a domain is not set up correctly.

If you want email at your domain, buy it. There is no way to get email on the free subdomain.

## The portability problem

Portability is the hidden cost of the free subdomain. Every link someone shares, every search result that ranks your page, every bookmark a visitor saves, uses the subdomain address. When you move, those all break. You can redirect traffic from the old host, but you cannot redirect traffic from a subdomain you do not control.

A domain you own is portable by design. You update the DNS, wait for propagation, and your site appears at the same address on the new host. Nothing changes for your visitors.

## Reputation and a paid name

Your own domain gives you a clean slate. No one else can drag it down. If you run a legitimate site, it will be judged on its own content. That is not guaranteed with a shared subdomain.

Search engines treat subdomains differently from root domains. A subdomain of a free hosting service is often seen as lower quality than a unique domain. That does not mean your site cannot rank, but it starts at a disadvantage.

## The trade-off between free and paid

| Situation | Use free subdomain | Use your own domain |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype or test site | Yes | No |
| School project | Yes | No |
| Personal portfolio | No | Yes |
| Small business site | No | Yes |
| Blog you want to grow | No | Yes |
| You need email at the domain | No | Yes |
| You might switch hosts later | No | Yes |

A free subdomain is fine for throwaway projects. For anything that matters, spend the small amount on a domain. It gives you portability, reputation, and email. Those three things are worth the cost.

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Content Website Platform (cwp.sg) operates the free hosting it writes about; see https://cwp.sg/about/ for the methodology and the commercial disclosure.