Do you need a custom domain for your portfolio?

4 min read

A custom domain feels like the grown-up move. yourname.com instead of a subdomain. But it costs money every year and someone has to keep it renewed. So the honest question is whether it changes anything. Mostly, that depends on who you are.

When a clean subdomain is fine

Students, job seekers, anyone early. aksara.so/yourname is short, readable, and free. A recruiter does not reject you for a subdomain. Spend the fifteen dollars a year on something that matters more right now.

When yourname.com is worth it

If you are building a personal brand, freelancing, or your name basically is the business, owning the domain matters. It is yours, it survives any platform shutting down, and it signals you are serious about this.

The hidden cost is maintenance, not money

The fifteen dollars is nothing. The annoyance is the renewal you forget, the DNS records you set up once and never touch, the certificate that quietly expires. A managed setup removes that. Custom domains are on Aksara's Pro roadmap. For now you get the clean subdomain free.

What to do now

Start on the free subdomain and put your work up today. Add a custom domain later if you grow into needing one. Do not let a domain decision be the reason your portfolio still does not exist.