A subdomain is an address in front of one of your domains, such as blog.example.com or shop.example.com. You can add one in two ways, and they count differently.
Under one of your sites
Open Sites, choose the main site, then open Subdomains and press Add a subdomain. The subdomain gets its own folder, is served over HTTPS, and its DNS record goes into the main site's zone.
- WordPress, WooCommerce and other Mainstream plans: subdomains use your plan's subdomain allowance, not your sites. The plan page shows how many are included (unlimited on the larger plans). When they are all in use, add 10 more for $2 a month (US dollars; the checkout shows the price in your currency, plus any tax). The Subdomains panel links to it as soon as you reach the limit, and you can buy as many packs as you need.
- Footprint-Free (PBN) plans: every subdomain is a separate site, so each one uses one site slot. Removing it gives the slot straight back.
As a separate site of its own
Press Add site and choose A subdomain of one of my sites. Pick the main site and type the first part of the address (for example blog). This creates a full site with its own stack, database, backups and settings, so it uses one site slot on every plan. In your site list it is shown directly under its main site, and its DNS record goes into the main site's zone.
Use this when the subdomain is a different website (a shop beside a blog, say). Use a subdomain under a site when it is part of the same website, such as a staging copy or a docs section.
Good to know
- A site that is itself a subdomain site cannot have subdomain sites of its own. Choose its main site instead.
- The address must end in the main site's domain:
blog.example.com can belong to example.com, blog.other.com cannot.
- Removing the main site does not remove its subdomain sites. They stay as ordinary sites.
- If sites must not be linkable to one another, use separate domains rather than subdomains of one domain. Subdomains share one registrable domain, which anyone can see.