Facts: The Best Place to Buy Domain Registrar in 2021
Everybody wants to find the best domain name registrar in terms of price, trustworthiness, and services included in the starting package. Since there are a variety of registrars nowadays and each of them offers different services, lure customers with low initial price, it can be hard to decide which one is the best and worth your time. But do not worry – we have reviewed the top ones and presented their pros and cons in this detailed review today.
Many people discuss what is the best domain registrar on Reddit, trying to discover the best and cheapest one in the market. If you are one of them, this article will help you to understand how to choose the best service for your money.
First of all, let us introduce you to the basics of the domain registration process and the typical services you get with your purchase. There are three most important factors that have an impact on the final registration price, but there are more services that you might be interested in. We’ll cover these later on.
The most important registrar services that influence the final price are:
- Initial (for the first year) and renewal price;
- Whois Privacy;
- Email.
Comparison of the most important services
The comparison table overviews the main features offered by registrars and evaluates their pricing on it. It can help you to form a quick opinion on which registrar you might want to choose for your perfect domain name.
Namecheap | Google Domains | OVH | Name.com | GoDaddy | Cloudflare | |
Whois Privacy | Free | Free | Free | $4.99/year | $9.99/year | Free |
Private E-mail | 2 Months Free, then $9.88/year | Free e-mail forwarding | Free | $20.04/year | $59.88/year | N/A |
Renewal Price | Slightly more expensive | Remains the same | Slightly more expensive | Remains the same | Increases significantly | Remains the same |
Now that you have a brief idea about the differences between said registrars, let’s dive right into the best domain registrar reviews.
The Best Domain Name Registrars 2019
1. Namecheap Registrar
- Best price for long-term domain purchase
- Cheap private email
- Free Whois Privacy
- Great customer service
- No cons!
Namecheap Registrar is definitely the best place to buy a domain registrar in 2019. It offers the best price in the long run, free Whois privacy and its private email is the cheapest in the market. The registrar also offers various discount codes and promotions, which also reduces the final domain registration price. Finally, we love this registrar because of its customer service and easy-to-use user interface.
Another great option that comes with Namecheap is a free domain name generator (called Beast Mode) which allows choosing a website name easily. We have to say that other registrars don’t usually offer highly functional generators or don’t have them at all. To sum up, it is a really nice bonus to all previously mentioned features.
We couldn’t find any drawbacks for Namecheap’s services. If you do, let us know in the comments section below!
2. Google Domains Registrar
- Easy to use
- Price transparency - no hidden costs
- Free Whois protection
- Offers wide range of TLDs
- Country restrictions for domain purchases
- Price is not bad, but not the best
Google Domains is a relatively new domain name registrar which is available to residents of particular countries only (at least now). What we like about this registrar is its transparent price policy – there are no hidden costs or extras.
It simply doesn’t play that back-and-forth price game with hidden services and costs. Consequently, the registration price is always the same as the renewal price. Besides, you get free Whois privacy and DNS which is based on Google’s infrastructure.
Speaking of Google Domains pricing, it always stays the same, but it doesn’t mean it is the best on the market. When it comes to e-mail, the registrar offers e-mail forwarding services for the email address you create.
3. OVH Registrar
OVH Registrar is yet another one that belongs in the best domain registrar list. Does it offer Whois privacy and DNSSEC services? for free. In addition, it gives you a free customized e-mail address with 1.5GB of storage space.
However, when it comes to OVH weak spots, it is definitely the pricing. The registrar uses the typical strategy where the initial registration price is lower, but the renewal price is bigger. For example, the .com domain price is $12.67, but the renewal price increases to $15.21.
4. Name.com Registrar
- Relatively cheap
- User-friendly interface
- Monthly sales available
- Whois Privacy costs extra
- Additional services are quite pricey
Name.com is a great domain registrar which offers relatively cheap domain registration services. However, first and foremost, the price doesn’t include Whois privacy, which explains the cheap price. If you want to add Whois privacy, it costs $4.99. However, hiding identity might not be the most important for people with small businesses.
Name.com registrar offers monthly sales, so if you manage to catch them, you can get some great deals for specific TLDs.
You can get free e-mail forwarding services when registering with Name.com. If you want a custom e-mail box, be ready to pay $1.67 extra. It gives you 50GB of storage space.
5. GoDaddy Registrar
GoDaddy is a well-known brand for domain registration services. Although it is a good domain name registrar, it isn’t the best. It offers high-quality services which come with a high price point.
Besides, it charges for services that come for free with other registrars. For example, it suggests Whois Privacy which can cost up to $9.99 per year. What is more, its renewal price is much higher than the price for the first year, which is a major con.
Another con is that the private e-mail option costs $59.88 per year. All in all, GoDaddy might be a good idea for those who are looking to purchase a domain for the short-term.
6. Cloudflare Registrar
- Offers wholesale price for all TLDs
- Free Whois Privacy
- Free Premium DNSSEC
- Only supports domain transfers that are active on Cloudflare
- Only supports Cloudflare DNS (not a disadvantage, actually)
Cloudflare Registrar doesn’t allow registering new domains, but it allows domain transfers for those who use Cloudflare DNS. Its price point doesn’t go up unexpectedly; it stays the same for the initial and the upcoming years. That said, it is beneficial to purchase a domain elsewhere and transfer it to Cloudflare after one year (if you use its free DNS service).
You also get free Whois privacy as well as Premium DNSSEC with your purchase. To sum up, the domain registrar is really worth your attention. The only con is that you can’t purchase a domain from it directly.
What is your opinion about the best domain name registrars? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.