How to Connect Hostinger Domain to Vercel (Step-by-Step Guide)
Connecting your Hostinger domain to Vercel is one of the last steps that turns your deployed project from a forgettable .vercel.app URL into something people actually want to type. Whether you built a Next.js app, a React portfolio, or a SvelteKit site, pointing your custom domain to Vercel takes less than 15 minutes — no IT degree required.
This guide walks you through every step, from logging into your Vercel dashboard to watching your DNS records propagate. You'll also learn how to fix the most common errors people run into, so you don't spend hours staring at a "domain not connected" message.
What You Need Before You Start
Before touching a single DNS record, make sure you have these three things ready:
A Vercel account with a project already deployed (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket connected)
A domain name registered through Hostinger and accessible in your hPanel
Access to both dashboards open in separate browser tabs — this saves a lot of back and forth
If you haven't grabbed a domain yet, this is a good time. You can save money using a Hostinger 20% off coupon code before registering your domain, especially if you're buying for a new project or side hustle.
How DNS Connection Works Between Hostinger and Vercel
Think of DNS as the internet's address book. When someone types your domain into a browser, the DNS system looks up where your site lives and routes them there. Right now, your Hostinger domain points to Hostinger's servers by default. You need to change that so it points to Vercel's servers instead.
You do this by updating the A records in Hostinger's DNS panel to Vercel's IP address: 76.76.21.21. Vercel also asks you to add a CNAME record for your www subdomain. Once both records are in place, your domain starts routing traffic to your Vercel project.
There are two methods to do this:
A Record method — you keep Hostinger's nameservers and just change individual DNS records (recommended for most users)
Nameserver method — you switch your nameservers entirely to Vercel's (ns1.vercel-dns.com and ns2.vercel-dns.com), giving Vercel full DNS control
Method one is simpler and is what this guide covers in detail.
Step 1: Add Your Domain in Vercel
Start by opening your Vercel dashboard and picking the project you want to assign your domain to. Once inside the project, open Settings from the sidebar and select Domains. From the Domains page, click the Add Domain button and type in your Hostinger domain name.
If you add an apex domain like yourdomain.com, Vercel will prompt you to also add the www subdomain prefix. Go with the recommended option — it sets up a redirect so both www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com lead to your project.
After you click Add, Vercel will show you the DNS records you need to add on Hostinger's side. You'll see something like:
Record Type
Name
Value
A
@
76.76.21.21
CNAME
www
Keep this tab open. You'll be copying these values directly into Hostinger.
Step 2: Log Into Hostinger hPanel and Open DNS Settings
Go to your Hostinger hPanel, navigate to Domains, and click Manage next to the domain you want to connect. Open DNS / Nameservers from the left sidebar.
The DNS records tab leads to the DNS zone management area, where you can add, edit, and delete records. This is where all the action happens.
Step 3: Update the A Record for Your Root Domain
In the DNS Zone Editor, look for the existing A record where the Name field shows @ — this represents your root domain like yourdomain.com.
Click Edit on that record and change its value (the IP address) to:
76.76.21.21
Click Update to save the change. If you need to delete and re-create the record instead, select the record type from the dropdown, set the name to @, enter the Vercel IP as the target, and save.
If you see a second A record for @ pointing to an old IP, delete it. Having two conflicting A records for the same host causes connection failures.
Step 4: Add or Update the CNAME Record for www
To add a CNAME record, go to your domain's DNS Zone Editor and choose CNAME as the record type. The Name field is the hostname without the domain name — so enter www. The Target field is the destination the CNAME should point to.
Set the target to:
If the IP address of the main domain ever changes in the A record, the CNAME records will automatically update to reflect this change. That's one of the reasons using a CNAME for www is cleaner than adding another A record.
Click Add Record (or Update if you're editing an existing www CNAME).
Your Hostinger DNS panel should now look something like this:
Record Type
Name
Target / Value
A
@
76.76.21.21
CNAME
www
Step 5: Go Back to Vercel and Verify the Connection
Now go back to Vercel and click the Refresh button next to your domain. You should see the domain status change to connected. If it's not showing yet, wait a while — DNS propagation takes time.
After making changes to DNS records, allow up to 24 hours for them to fully propagate across the internet. Most of the time it's much faster — often under an hour — but the 24-hour window is the safe bet.
Step 6: Wait for SSL to Activate
Once Vercel confirms the DNS is pointed correctly, it automatically starts generating an SSL certificate for your domain.
Vercel automatically provisions SSL certificates (HTTPS) for your custom domain. This process starts after the DNS is correctly pointed, and the status will change from "Pending" to "Ready." You don't need to do anything — just wait. Once it shows Ready, your site loads over HTTPS without any manual configuration.
How to Troubleshoot Common Problems
Even when you follow every step, things sometimes don't connect right away. Here's what to check:
Domain still shows "Invalid Configuration" in Vercel
This usually means the DNS records haven't propagated yet, or there's a typo in one of the values. Double-check that your A record points exactly to 76.76.21.21 and your CNAME target is cname.vercel-dns.com with no extra spaces or characters.
www works but the root domain doesn't (or the other way around)
If www.yourdomain.com works but yourdomain.com doesn't, you've likely misconfigured one of the records. Double-check the Host and Value for both the @ and www records.
CNAME record conflicts with existing A records
A common error is "Record cannot be added, conflicts with A or AAAA records." This happens when you already have an A record for www. Delete the existing www A record first, then add your CNAME.
DNS propagation taking too long
Use a free tool like dnschecker.org to see how your DNS records are spreading across global servers. If you see the correct values in most regions, your site should load there already.
Want to switch entirely to Vercel's nameservers?
If issues persist, consider switching entirely to Vercel's nameservers — ns1.vercel-dns.com and ns2.vercel-dns.com — from Hostinger's DNS settings. This gives Vercel full control over your DNS zone and resolves most edge-case conflicts.
Using Vercel's Nameservers vs. Hostinger's DNS Records
Most people connect their Hostinger domain to Vercel using just A and CNAME records, which keeps Hostinger as the DNS manager. This works perfectly for most projects.
If you want to use a wildcard domain (like *.yourdomain.com), you must use the nameserver method. This is because Vercel needs to be able to set DNS records to generate the wildcard certificates.
For standard personal projects or portfolios, the A record + CNAME method is all you need.
Tips for Students and Budget-Conscious Developers
Getting a domain doesn't have to cost much. If you're a student building projects for your portfolio, check out this Hostinger student discount — it can make your first domain purchase a lot more affordable. Hostinger regularly offers .com and country-code domains at very low first-year prices, which pairs perfectly with Vercel's free Hobby plan for personal deployments.
The combination of a cheap Hostinger domain and Vercel's free hosting tier is genuinely one of the best setups for indie developers and students launching their first real projects on the web.
A Quick Recap of the Full Process
Here's the entire flow in one clean view:
Add your domain in Vercel under Settings > Domains
Note the A record IP (76.76.21.21) and CNAME value Vercel gives you
Log into Hostinger hPanel and go to Domains > Manage > DNS / Nameservers
Edit the @ A record to point to Vercel's IP
Add or edit the www CNAME record pointing to cname.vercel-dns.com
Return to Vercel and click Refresh — wait for the domain to show as connected
Let SSL provision automatically — usually ready within an hour
That's genuinely all there is to it. Once the DNS propagates and SSL kicks in, your Hostinger domain points to your Vercel project cleanly, with HTTPS active and both www and root domain versions working.
Connecting a Hostinger domain to Vercel isn't complicated once you know where each setting lives. The hardest part is usually just the waiting — DNS propagation moves at its own pace. Set it up, go make a coffee, and come back to a connected custom domain ready to share with the world.