Difference Between Addon Domain and Subdomain

The main difference between Addon Domain and Subdomain is that the Addon domain is a domain that is added into the user’s hosting account that was used to host his original domain while the subdomain is a subpart that is directly related to the user’s original domain.

A website should have a domain name to make it appear on the web. Individuals and business organizations can purchase a domain name for their website by a domain registrar for a reasonable price. It is a piece of string that helps to identify the website. For example, in www.microsoft.com, the microsoft.com is the domain name. Addon Domain and Subdomain are two types of domain names. Addon domain allows the user to register the new domain name using the original hosting account. Subdomain is a subsection of a registered domain name.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Addon Domain
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Subdomain
     – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Addon Domain and Subdomain
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Addon Domain, Subdomain

Difference Between Addon Domain and Subdomain - Comparison Summary

What is Addon Domain

In addon domains, all the other sites are set up using the hosting account that was used to host the original or primary website. The user only has to pay for one hosting account and register domains under that without additional hosting costs. It is possible to manage all the files and content using the primary domain. It is a cost-effective method if the user requires a set of different sites under different names for their business.

Difference Between Addon Domain and Subdomain

Figure 1: Domain Name Extensions

Assume that the user has already hosted abc.com and now wants to host def.com too. Then he can register def.com and add it as an addon domain under the hosting account of abc.com. The addon domain will look completely independent to the outside world. Therefore, there is no way of knowing that the website is running on an account under another site. To access the def.com, the user can type def.com directly or abc.com/def.com. There can we various domain extensions in these domain names such as .com, .net, .org, .us etc.

What is Subdomain

The subdomain is a smaller part of a large domain. It allows sending the visitors to a different web address. The main advantage of using subdomain is that it allows to organize or divide the content into distinct sections. If there is a considerable amount of content on the website, it is possible to create subdomains. A subdomain sets the content apart from the main content and gives it a unique web address without registering a new domain name.

For example, assume that there is a website called www.myshop.com. It is possible to create subdomains under the registered domain name “myshop.com” such as store.myshop.com, info.myshop.com, and events.myshop.com etc.  Each of them has dedicated web addresses. These subdomains help to organize the main content. They also help to get more visitors to the website. Furthermore, subdomains help to create language-specific versions of the website.

Difference Between Addon Domain and Subdomain

Definition

Addon domain is a separate domain name that is registered under the hosting account that was used to host the original website. Subdomain is a subset of a registered domain name.

Usage

Furthermore, Addon domain allows the users to maintain multiple domains under the same hosting account. Subdomains are used to divide the website into distinct sections with unique web addresses.

Conclusion

A domain name is a string that allows identifying an organization in the WWW. Addon and subdomain are two types of domains. The difference between Addon Domain and Subdomain is that the Addon domain is a domain that is added into the user’s hosting account which was used to host his original domain while the subdomain is a subpart that is directly related to the user’s original domain.

Reference:

1. All about Domain Names, Doteasy, 22 July 2013, Available here.
2. What Is A Subdomain? | GoDaddy, GoDaddy, 20 Feb. 2017, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Domain Name Examples” by India7 Network via Flickr

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

Leave a Reply