Free .co.uk at Names.co.uk, and the £27.59 Renewal Behind It

What the deal is

Names.co.uk, the UK registrar owned by team.blue, is offering a .co.uk domain free for the first year. The standard price is listed at £13.99, and the first year costs nothing: no coupon code, no minimum spend beyond the first purchase itself.

The small print, from the same page:

• One free .co.uk per customer, for the first year only.
• The offer applies to the first billing period and does not apply to renewals.
• It cannot be used where a free domain offer has already been redeemed, and it cannot be combined with other offers.
• It may be withdrawn at any time.

The same page also lists .uk at £3.99 for the first year (was £13.99) and .org.uk at £3.99. Both are second-level domains under .uk, like .co.uk.

The renewal behind it

A free first year is only the first line of the price. Names.co.uk publishes its renewal prices on a separate renewals page, and for .co.uk the numbers are:

• 1 year: £27.59 (about $36.97), £22.99 before VAT
• 2 years: £47.99 (about $64.31)
• 3 years: £65.99 (about $88.43)

So a .co.uk that costs nothing in year one costs £55.18 (about $73.94) over three years: free, then £27.59, then £27.59 again. The renewal is the price, and it is roughly double the standard registration price the deal is discounted from.

Prices are quoted in pounds, including VAT for UK buyers. Converted at £1 = $1.34.

The cheaper way to hold a .co.uk

If you plan to keep the name, the renewal matters more than the first year. Porkbun lists .co.uk at $5.66 a year to register and $5.66 a year to renew, verified on its own pricing page on 9 November 2026. Three years there cost $16.98, against $73.94 at Names.co.uk after the free year.

Name.com lists .co.uk at $9.49 a year flat, according to GoMain's comparison table checked 7 November 2026.

The trade: Names.co.uk wins year one by $5.66, then loses every year after by about $31. The free year pays for itself only if you let the name go after twelve months, or move it before the renewal comes due. Transferring a .co.uk in to Names.co.uk is free, and moving a .co.uk between registrars uses Nominet's IPS tag change.

Compare the live prices on the domain list, including .co.uk.

Who .co.uk is for

.co.uk is the second-level domain under .uk, the country code run by Nominet. It is the default choice for UK businesses, and it is open to anyone: Names.co.uk's own FAQ says most extensions, including .com and .co.uk, are open for everyone to register, with no UK address needed.

It suits a business trading in the UK, a personal site with a British audience, or a brand that wants the local ending next to its name. It is not a cheap extension to hold at every registrar, which is why the renewal column is the one to read.

What to check before you buy

• Read the renewal price before the registration price. Here the renewal is £27.59 a year, and it is where the money goes.
• The free year is tied to a first purchase and one per customer. If you have already redeemed a free domain offer, it does not apply.
• Prices are in pounds and include VAT for UK buyers. Outside the UK, the ex-VAT price (£22.99 a year to renew) is the closer comparison.
• Remember the renewal is not locked: the renewals page lists multi-year options, and the 2- and 3-year prices above are cheaper per year than renewing annually.
• Keep the name you actually want. A free domain you do not need still costs £27.59 next year.

Takeaway

A free .co.uk is a real deal, and Names.co.uk is giving away the first year with no code to enter. It is also a textbook teaser: the renewal costs £27.59 a year, the three-year total is about $73.94, and the same name costs $16.98 for three years at Porkbun. Take the free year if you want the name, and set a reminder for month eleven: either move it, or pay the renewal knowing exactly what it costs.