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A parked domain can come in handy if you’re not quite ready to build your site but don’t want to lose the ideal domain. You can buy it now and park your unused domain. Most hosting providers, including our featured partners, offer this service for free if you buy a hosting plan or domain from them.
Featured Partners
Featured Partners pay us for placement on our site. When you sign up for one of them using our links, we get paid a small percentage at no cost to you.
For new WordPress sites
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Guided onboarding
- Recommended by WordPress
- 24/7 support
Best security and scalability
Starts at $3.75 per month
- All types of hosting
- Enhanced security tools
- Affordable as you grow
The easiest option
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Great for absolute beginners
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- 150+ free templates
Best Domain Parking Services: Our Shortlist
Our Top Picks
Best Full-Featured Hosting Plans
Cheapest Domain Parking
Best Customer Service
Best Earning Potential
Best Add-On Features
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review domain parking services.
Tips From an Expert
Domain names are cheap but lost opportunities aren’t.
It happens to many people at one point or another: You come up with a brilliant idea for a website. You run to your computer, look up the domain name, and find out it’s available. But you aren’t ready to build a site and launch a business on your new domain.
“I should probably go ahead and buy it anyway,” you think. The problem? You have nowhere to point it to.
That’s where domain parking comes in. You can save your domain for later, pointing it to a single page. The investment is worth it because domain names are cheap, but a lost opportunity is expensive. Good domains are snapped up daily, and the resale prices in the domain aftermarket are often outrageous — if the domain you want is even for sale.
The Top Domain Parking Services of 2023
Features
- Domain locking
- 24/7 live chat if you need help
- Offers just about every type of hosting
#1 Top Pick for 2023
Enjoy feature-rich plans, with the option to opt for a shared, WordPress, VPS (virtual private server), cloud, reseller, or dedicated hosting plan.
Starting Price
$4 per month
Types of Hosting
Shared, VPS, cloud +
Free WHOIS Privacy
No
Free Domain Name
Yes, on most plans
Read More
Reasons to choose HostGator
- Great customer service
- Highly scalable and secure
- Unmetered bandwidth on shared
- Affordable as you grow
Reasons to avoid
- WHOIS privacy is extra
- Limited storage on shared plans
If you’re using the Baby plan or higher, you can park domains on your HostGator account for no additional cost. That rules out the lowest-priced Hatchling shared hosting plan, but the Baby plan isn’t much more expensive (just an extra $0.25).
With the Baby plan, you get unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and a free secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
HostGator offers VPS, reseller, and dedicated hosting plans if you have more demanding hosting needs than a shared plan.
And HostGator offers plenty of useful features with their domain registration plans, including domain locking and automatic domain renewal to ensure you don’t accidentally lose any domains.
But if you want WHOIS privacy protection, that’ll cost you another $14.95 per year, which is about $1.25 a month.
What Customers Are Saying About HostGator
HostGator is a good fit for beginners seeking a web host with various features. The customer service and prices are favorable but avoid paying for unnecessary extras.
Features
- Expert migration assistance
- WHOIS privacy protection at no extra cost
- Good for up to 100 domains/websites
Starting Price
$2.49 per month
Types of Hosting
Shared, cloud, VPS
Free WHOIS Privacy
Yes
Free Domain Name
Yes, on most plans
Read More
Reasons to choose Hostinger
- Park up to 100 domains
- Very affordable solution
- Friendly, helpful support
- Migration tools
- Free WHOIS privacy
Reasons to avoid
- Support is slow
- Mail server is lacking
If you’re on a tight budget and looking for a host and domain registrar, then Hostinger is likely the right provider for you. It’s feature-rich, easy to use, and great for WordPress or its built-in website builder.
With Hostinger, you can get hosting with domain parking for as low as $2.49 per month. That’s the cost of the Premium plan, which allows you to have up to 100 parked domains or websites.
Other hosts limit you to just one or two domains at this price point, so this is a massive value.
Hostinger offers an easy-to-use control panel, a transfer tool for managing your domains, and any time support that’s reliable, friendly, and helpful. It also offers free WHOIS privacy protection to keep costs even lower.
What Customers Are Saying About Hostinger
Hostinger is one of the best hosting companies for people who are starting with a website and seeking low prices. The customer service could be faster and the mail server could use some improvements, though.
Features
- Park unlimited domains/websites
- Free domain privacy on all plans
- Takes just a few clicks
Starting Price
$2.95 per month
Types of Hosting
Shared, cloud, VPS, +
Free WHOIS Privacy
Yes
Free Domain Name
Yes, on all plans
Read More
Reasons to choose DreamHost
- Extra spam & security tools
- Excellent 24/7 customer service
- Park unlimited domains
- Free WHOIS privacy
- Custom control panel
Reasons to avoid
- Performance is hit or miss
- So many plans can feel overwhelming
With over 400 TLDs, DreamHost gives you plenty of options for registering and parking a domain. You’ll also get one for free when you sign up for a hosting plan.
On top of that, the Unlimited plan supports an unlimited number of websites, so you can park as many domains as you’d like for no additional charge.
If you’ve already registered a parked domain with another provider and you want to switch it over to DreamHost, its custom control panel (DreamPanel) makes it easy. You can transfer your domain with just a couple of clicks. And once you’re on DreamHost, you’ll benefit from its responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable support reps if you ever run into issues.
DreamHost offers WHOIS privacy protection with all domain registration plans at no additional cost, making it more cost-effective than others who don’t provide this for free. Especially if you’re parking a lot of domains.
What Customers Are Saying About DreamHost
A reliable and affordable hosting provider, Dreamhost offers great customer service and a variety of plans. It is easy to use, though there are some complaints that the speed and webmail could be improved.
Features
- Opportunity to profit from parked domains
- Privacy protection + ongoing monitoring
- Five-star customer care
Starting Price
$7.99 per month
Types of Hosting
Shared, WordPress, VPS
Free WHOIS Privacy
Yes
Free Domain Name
Yes, on all plans
Read More
Reasons to choose GoDaddy
- Free WHOIS privacy for life
- Opportunity to make money
- Excellent customer service
- A free SSL for each site
Reasons to avoid
- More expensive than others
- Limited to 10 domains on the cheapest plan
GoDaddy’s CashParking tool allows you to turn your parked domains into a steady stream of passive income. Here’s how it works: GoDaddy’s advertising partner will place context-relevant ads on your site, which converts visitors into customers without you lifting a finger.
CashParking plans begin at $9.59 monthly. You’ll be able to earn 80% of your ad revenue when you park a domain, and your membership price includes the cost of a free GoDaddy Auctions membership — connecting you to top-rated domain sellers and buyers. It’s a lucrative structure for those willing to invest the time in the domain shuffling game.
Another benefit to using GoDaddy is that their domain registration plans include privacy protection for free. You can add security features such as malware scanning and threat monitoring for an extra fee.
What Customers Are Saying About GoDaddy
A well-known player in the web hosting business, GoDaddy is a decent option for those needing web hosting and a domain for their website. Its hosting prices align with other companies but are not among the cheapest. GoDaddy provides helpful video guides and 24/7 phone and live chat support.
Best Add-On Features
Features
- Tons of value-add features for free
- Wildcard SSL cert + auto backups
- Park unlimited domains
Starting Price
$5.95 per month
Types of Hosting
Shared, reseller, VPS
Free WHOIS Privacy
For the first year
Free Domain Name
Yes, on all plans
Read More
Reasons to choose HostPapa
- Park unlimited domains
- Unlimited storage space
- Free wildcard SSL certificate
- Automated backups
- Global CDN + security
- Site staging
Reasons to avoid
- More expensive
- Domain privacy is only free for one year
HostPapa is an excellent domain parking option, especially if you’re willing to pay a little more in exchange for advanced features.
As of right now, HostPapa’s Pro plan is the same price as it’s Plus plan at just $5.95 per month for unlimited websites, email addresses, and storage space. Which means… you can park as many domains as you’d like at no extra charge.
On top of that, the plan comes with a ton of valuable features, like a free wildcard SSL certificate, website staging, automatic backups, a global CDN, malware scanning, and malware removal.
While it’s more expensive than other options, it comes with a lot of resources, so you have plenty of room to grow without having to upgrade later. The biggest downside is that domain privacy is only free for the first year, so you’ll need to purchase that separately for each domain–this can get costly if you have a lot of them.
What Customers Are Saying About HostPapa
HostPapa is a solid domain registration and web hosting service that is simple to navigate. They have servers around the world and good support. The prices are affordable, but VPS hosting can be more costly.
Compare Domain Parking Services
Hosting Provider
Best Features
Starting Price
Full-Featured Hosting Plans
- Domain locking
- 24/7 live chat if you need help
- Offers just about every type of hosting
$4 per month
Cheapest Domain Parking
- Expert migration assistance
- WHOIS privacy protection at no extra cost
- Good for up to 100 domains/websites
$2.49 per month
Best Customer Support
- Park unlimited domains/websites
- Free domain privacy on all plans
- Takes just a few clicks
$2.95 per month
Best Earning Potential
- Opportunity to profit from parked domains
- Privacy protection + ongoing monitoring
- Five-star customer care
$7.99 per month
Best Add-On Features
- Tons of value-add features for free
- Wildcard SSL cert + auto backups
- Park unlimited domains
$5.95 per month
What You Need to Know
What are the advantages to domain parking?
Simply buying a domain and then not doing anything with it does reserve the domain and keeps anyone else from buying or using it. Without parking it, however, the domain will simply sit idle, and should anyone type the domain into their browser, they’ll find a blank page. Parking the domain gives you more control over what appears if anyone visits your domain and gives you more options.
What is cybersquatting?
Cybersquatting is when someone “captures” a domain with no true intention of using it — holding it hostage until organizations pay a high price simply to maintain their branding and brand equity in the community. Inflation of domain prices is a serious issue, with hundreds, if not thousands, of domain dealers. However, it can also be considered an economy of its own.
How do domain names work?
When you type the name of a website in the URL bar, such as Digital.com, the domain name is not what your computer uses to load the website. Your computer asks a server, known as a name server or DNS (domain name system) server, what address corresponds to a domain name. Usually, this server is provided by your internet service provider (ISP).
What is ICANN?
ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is the nonprofit organization tasked with keeping track of all the domain names that have been registered.
How We Review Domain Parking Services
We tested domain parking services with dummy websites, parking domain names and assessing key features of the tool. Our testing considered customer service and overall user experience, add-on features available, migration support presence, absence, and experience in each tool. We’ve summarized our findings to help you find a great domain parking service.
Specifically, we looked at:
Learn more about our review methodology.