A subdomain in Hostinger works exactly the way you expect, it’s a prefix you add to your main domain, like blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com, and it can point to a separate folder, a different IP, or even a completely different website. Hostinger supports subdomains on every shared hosting plan, but the number you can create and how you manage them depends on the specific plan you’re on. This article covers the full process: how to create a subdomain, how DNS works for subdomains, what limits apply, and the common mistakes people make.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Short answer | Yes, Hostinger supports subdomains on all shared hosting plans. You create them through the hPanel control panel. |
| Applies to | All shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and cloud hosting plans from Hostinger. |
| Best for | Anyone who needs to run multiple sections of a site under one main domain, or separate a blog, store, or app from the main site. |
| Watch out for | Subdomains share the same hosting resources (disk space, bandwidth, CPU) as your main domain. If you need fully isolated resources, a separate hosting account or a VPS plan is better. |
What is a subdomain in Hostinger, exactly?
A subdomain is a third-level domain. Put simply, in sub.yourdomain.com, the sub part is the subdomain, yourdomain.com is the second-level domain, and .com is the top-level domain. The subdomain is not a separate domain, it belongs to your main domain and is controlled from the same hosting account.
In Hostinger, subdomains are managed through the hPanel (their custom control panel). You can create a subdomain, point it to a specific folder on your hosting account, or set it to a different server entirely by editing its DNS records. Hostinger also supports wildcard subdomains, which lets you catch all undefined subdomains with a single setup.
How to create a subdomain in Hostinger
The process takes about two minutes. Here’s the step-by-step walkthrough.
Step 1: Log into hPanel
Go to the Hostinger website and log into your account. You’ll land on the main dashboard. Find the Hosting section and click Manage on the hosting plan that contains the domain you want to use.
Step 2: Open the Domains section
Inside hPanel, look for a sidebar or menu item labeled Domains. It’s usually near the top. Click on it.
You’ll see a list of all domains attached to your hosting account.
Step 3: Find the subdomain tool
Under the domain you want to modify, you’ll see an option like Subdomain or Manage Subdomains. In Hostinger’s current hPanel interface, it’s often a direct button or link. Click it.
Step 4: Create the subdomain
A form appears. You need to enter:
- Subdomain name, the prefix (e.g.,
store). - Document root, the folder where the subdomain’s files will live. By default, Hostinger sets it to
public_html/subdomainname. You can change it to any folder you want, as long as it exists inside your hosting account.
Click Create. The subdomain is added instantly. Hostinger automatically creates the corresponding DNS records (usually an A record pointing to your server IP, or a CNAME if you’re using a different setup).
Step 5: Upload files (if needed)
If you’re building a separate site on the subdomain, upload your files to the folder you specified in the document root. You can use the File Manager inside hPanel or an FTP client. The subdomain will be accessible immediately at store.yourdomain.com.
DNS settings for subdomains in Hostinger
Hostinger handles DNS for subdomains automatically when you create one through hPanel. But you can also manage DNS records manually if you want to point the subdomain to a different server or service.
What Hostinger does by default
When you create a subdomain via the hPanel tool, Hostinger adds two DNS records:
- An A record that maps the subdomain to the IP address of your hosting server.
- A CNAME record (optional, depending on the setup) if you’re using a CDN like Cloudflare.
These records are stored in the DNS zone for your domain. You can view and edit them from the DNS Zone Editor in hPanel.
How to point a subdomain to another server
If you want app.yourdomain.com to point to a different hosting provider (say, a separate VPS or a third-party service like Heroku), you need to change the DNS record manually.
- Go to Domains > DNS Zone Editor.
- Find the record for
app.yourdomain.com. It’s usually an A record. - Change the Points to value to the IP address of the external server.
- Save the changes.
Note: This only works if the subdomain is not already tied to a folder on your Hostinger account. If you already created the subdomain through hPanel, you can either delete it first or leave it, the DNS record will override the folder mapping. However, Hostinger’s system may still try to serve files from the folder if the external server is unreachable.
It’s cleaner to delete the subdomain entry from hPanel and rely solely on the DNS record.
Wildcard subdomain records
A wildcard subdomain (*.yourdomain.com) catches any subdomain that hasn’t been explicitly created. For example, if someone visits random.yourdomain.com and you have a wildcard A record, the request goes to the IP you specify.
To set up a wildcard subdomain in Hostinger:
- Go to DNS Zone Editor.
- Add an A record with the hostname
*and point it to your server IP. - Alternatively, use a CNAME record if you want all undefined subdomains to point to the main domain.
Hostinger’s hPanel also supports enabling wildcard subdomains through the Subdomain settings. Look for a toggle or checkbox labeled “Wildcard subdomain” when creating a subdomain. If you enable it, any subdomain that isn’t explicitly created will still resolve to the same document root.
Subdomain vs addon domain vs parked domain
People often confuse these three terms. Here’s the difference in the context of Hostinger.
- Subdomain:
sub.yourdomain.com. It uses your existing domain. It shares the same DNS zone and hosting resources. You can create many subdomains on a single domain. - Addon domain: A completely separate domain hosted in the same account. For example,
anothersite.com. It acts like a separate website with its own files, databases, and email. Addon domains are common in shared hosting. - Parked domain: An alias that points to the same content as your main domain. For example,
yourdomain.netthat loads the same site asyourdomain.com. It’s used to catch misspellings or different extensions.
Subdomains are the simplest to set up and don’t require registering a new domain name. Addon domains and parked domains are available on Hostinger’s Business plan and above, but not on the single-site Starter plan.
Limits on subdomains per Hostinger plan
Hostinger doesn’t publish a hard cap on subdomain count for most plans, but there are practical limits tied to your plan’s resources.
| Plan | Subdomains (approximate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Web Hosting | Unlimited | No stated limit, but performance depends on resources. |
| Business Web Hosting | Unlimited | Same as above. |
| Cloud Startup | Unlimited | Cloud plans have better resource allocation. |
| Single Shared Hosting | 1 domain, but subdomains? | The Single plan only allows one website. Subdomains are still possible, but you’re limited to that one domain. |
Note: “Unlimited” in shared hosting usually means no fixed number, but each subdomain still consumes disk space and CPU. If you create hundreds of subdomains with heavy traffic, your site will slow down or hit resource usage limits. Hostinger’s terms of service also prohibit using subdomains for completely separate unrelated sites (e.g., using subdomains as free hosting for other people).
Common issues with subdomains in Hostinger
Even though the process is straightforward, a few things trip people up.
Subdomain not resolving after creation
This usually happens because of DNS propagation. DNS changes take up to 24 hours to spread worldwide, though Hostinger’s own nameservers typically update within minutes. Check the DNS zone to confirm the record was added.
If you see the A record pointing to the correct IP, the issue is propagation delay.
If the subdomain still doesn’t work after 24 hours, check that the document root folder actually contains the files you want. An empty folder shows a blank page or a 403 Forbidden error.
Subdomain shows the main site instead of the new content
This happens when the subdomain’s document root is set to the same folder as the main domain. By default, Hostinger creates a new folder under public_html/subdomain. But if you manually changed the document root to public_html (or an existing folder with the main site’s files), the subdomain will serve the same content.
Solution: Go back to the subdomain settings and change the document root to a dedicated folder.
HTTPS certificate not covering the subdomain
Hostinger provides free SSL certificates (via Let’s Encrypt) for the main domain. By default, the certificate also covers the www subdomain and any other subdomains that are created. However, if you add a subdomain after the initial SSL issue, the certificate may not include it automatically.
To fix this, go to SSL in hPanel, find the certificate for your domain, and click Reissue or Auto-Renew to regenerate the certificate with the new subdomain included. This usually takes a few minutes.
Subdomain on a different hosting account
If you own the domain at Hostinger but want the subdomain to point to a different hosting provider (like a separate VPS or a third-party service), you need to manage DNS records outside of hPanel. The easiest way is to change the subdomain’s A record to the external IP. You can do this from the DNS Zone Editor in hPanel.
If your domain’s DNS is managed elsewhere (e.g., Cloudflare), you need to make the change there instead.
Common mix-ups and things people get wrong
Mix-up: “A subdomain is a separate website that doesn’t use my main domain’s resources.”
Reality: A subdomain still lives within the same hosting account. It shares disk space, bandwidth, CPU, and memory with your main domain. If you max out your resources, the subdomain will slow down or become unavailable too.
For truly isolated resources, you need a separate hosting plan or a VPS.
Mix-up: “I can create unlimited subdomains and use them as free hosting for my friends.”
Reality: Hostinger’s terms prohibit using subdomains for unrelated third-party content. Each subdomain should be part of your own site. Violating the terms can lead to suspension.
Also, unlimited subdomains doesn’t mean unlimited traffic, each subdomain counts toward your plan’s visitor limits.
Mix-up: “Subdomains and subdirectories are interchangeable.”
Reality: They are not. A subdomain (blog.example.com) is treated as a separate hostname by browsers and search engines. A subdirectory (example.com/blog) is part of the main domain.
Subdomains can have their own SSL certificates, DNS settings, and even point to different servers. Subdirectories cannot. SEO-wise, search engines may treat subdomains as separate sites, while subdirectories inherit the main domain’s authority.
Which one you choose depends on your needs.
What this means for you
If you’re running a site on Hostinger and need to separate different sections (like a blog, a store, or a forum), subdomains are a clean way to do it. They’re easy to set up, don’t require extra domains, and work within the same hosting plan. For most small to medium sites, the “unlimited” subdomain allowance on Hostinger’s Premium and Business plans is more than enough.
However, there are trade-offs. Each subdomain still uses your plan’s disk space, so if you’re on a low-tier plan with limited storage, creating many subdomains with large files will fill up your quota quickly. Also, because subdomains share the same server resources, a traffic spike on one subdomain can affect the performance of others.
For users who need multiple independent websites with separate resources, Hostinger’s Business plan allows multiple addon domains, and each addon domain can have its own subdomains. But if you need truly isolated environments, consider upgrading to a cloud hosting plan or a VPS.
If you’re already using Hostinger and want to manage your subdomains efficiently, the hPanel interface is simple enough for beginners. The most important thing is to plan your folder structure so you don’t accidentally mix files between subdomains.
If you haven’t signed up for Hostinger yet, their current plans include a generous number of subdomains and a straightforward setup process. You can find the latest deals on their coupon page. For more details on how subdomains compare with addon domains, our Hostinger Web Hosting vs Cloud Hosting comparison goes into the resource differences.
Frequently asked questions
How many subdomains can I create on Hostinger’s basic plan?
The Premium Web Hosting plan allows unlimited subdomains. The Single Shared Hosting plan allows subdomains, but you’re limited to one website (one domain). There’s no hard cap on the number of subdomains per domain, but practical limits exist based on your disk space and resource usage.
Can I point a subdomain to a different IP address?
Yes. You can edit the DNS record for the subdomain through the DNS Zone Editor in hPanel. Change the A record to point to the external IP.
If the subdomain was created through hPanel, it’s best to delete the subdomain entry first to avoid conflicts.
Will a subdomain have its own SSL certificate?
Yes, if you use Hostinger’s free SSL (Let’s Encrypt). When you create a subdomain, the next SSL renewal automatically includes it. You can also manually reissue the certificate to cover the new subdomain immediately.
Does a subdomain affect SEO differently than a subdirectory?
Yes. Search engines often treat subdomains as separate entities from the main domain. This can be useful if you want to target very different keywords or audiences.
However, it also means that backlinks to your main domain don’t automatically pass authority to the subdomain. Subdirectories are generally better for consolidating SEO authority. Choose based on your content strategy.
How do I delete a subdomain in Hostinger?
Go to Domains > Subdomains in hPanel. Find the subdomain you want to remove and click the delete icon (trash can or red X). Confirm the action.
This removes the subdomain entry and its DNS records. It does not delete the folder you created for the subdomain, you can delete that manually through the File Manager if you no longer need it.
Can I set up a wildcard subdomain on Hostinger?
Yes. In the DNS Zone Editor, add an A record with hostname * and point it to your server IP. Alternatively, in the Subdomain settings, you can enable the wildcard option when creating a subdomain.
This will catch all undefined subdomains and serve the same content.
If you’re ready to set up subdomains on your Hostinger site, or if you’re comparing hosting options, the Hostinger Business Web Hosting Renewal Coupon Code page has the latest discounts for renewing your plan. And if you need help with DNS records or domain setup, our guide on how to add A records from Blogger to Hostinger covers the more technical side of DNS management.
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