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Domain Name Search3 min
The Risks of Using Free Domains (.tk, .ml, .ga, .cf)
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NameSilo Staff8/6/2026
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Using free domains like .tk, .ml, or .ga carried massive risks, and the clearest proof is what actually happened: Freenom, the company behind them, was sued for cybersquatting, paused all free registrations in 2023, and formally exited the domain business in 2024. You never held legal ownership of these domains; the provider could repossess or abandon them at any time, and that is exactly what happened to millions of users.
What Freenom Was, and What Happened to It
Freenom offered five country-code domains, .tk (Tokelau), .ml (Mali), .ga (Gabon), .cf (Central African Republic), and .gq (Equatorial Guinea), completely free, funded by monetizing traffic once domains expired or were suspended.
The collapse, in order:
- March 2023: Meta sued Freenom for cybersquatting and trademark infringement, citing thousands of typosquatted domains impersonating Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
- Freenom immediately halted all new free registrations
- February 2024: Freenom settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum and announced it was exiting the domain business entirely
- Its .tk gTLD holdings transferred to another registrar; Mali and Gabon severed ties and moved their ccTLDs to different operators
This is no longer a live option. You cannot register a new free domain through Freenom today. Whatever site you'd build on one of these extensions inherited someone else's operational chaos from day one.
The Legal Risk: User, Not Registrant
Free ccTLD registrants were never true registrants in the ICANN sense. They were users of a service the provider could revoke unilaterally, since these domains fall outside standard ICANN registrant protections and UDRP dispute processes that apply to .com, .net, and similar gTLDs.
That distinction is why Meta could sue Freenom directly over abusive registrations, and why individual registrants had zero standing to stop their own domains from being reassigned, suspended, or monetized against their will.
The Deliverability Death Sentence
Independent research (Interisle Consulting Group) found Freenom's five ccTLDs made up roughly half of the top ten most-abused domains for phishing worldwide. Spam filters, corporate firewalls, and email providers responded accordingly, many block these extensions by default or flag them instantly as high-risk.
Sending business email from a .ml or .tk address, even from a legitimate operation, meant fighting a reputation problem baked into the extension itself before a single message was sent.
Common Mistakes
Building a brand around a free extension: Anyone who spent a year building on .tk or .ga had that foundation collapse without warning when Freenom exited the business, regardless of how much traffic or content they'd built.
Assuming "free" means "owned": Free ccTLD registrants held no legal registrant rights. The provider's ability to reassign or abandon the domain at will was always part of the arrangement, whether users realized it or not.
Ignoring the deliverability baggage attached to the extension itself: Even a clean, legitimate business on one of these domains inherited the reputation damage caused by years of abuse from other registrants on the same TLD.
What This Means for You
A real .com, .net, or .xyz domain from NameSilo costs a small amount annually and comes with actual, legally recognized ICANN registrant rights, UDRP protection, and none of the inherited spam reputation. Compare pricing and search available names to build on a foundation that can't be pulled out from under you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are free domain names safe?
No. Free ccTLDs like the former Freenom domains carried legal and security risks.
Why do emails from free domains go to spam?
Their extensions were heavily abused, so filters flag them by default.
Does Google penalize .tk domains?
Google's spam systems treat historically abused TLDs with extra scrutiny.
Can a free domain be taken away from me?
Yes. Freenom's actual 2023-2024 collapse proved this at massive scale.
Who owns Freenom domains today?
Freenom exited the domain business in 2024; TLDs moved to new operators.
What is the cheapest legitimate domain extension?
.xyz and similar new gTLDs offer low-cost, fully ICANN-protected registration.
Is it better to buy a .com or use a free domain?
Always buy a real domain. Free ccTLDs offer no ownership or protection.
How much does a real domain cost at NameSilo?
Often around $10-12/year for a .com, with full registrant rights included.
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NameSilo StaffThe NameSilo staff of writers worked together on this post. It was a combination of efforts from our passionate writers that produce content to educate and provide insights for all our readers.
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