A domain name that resonates with your brand can be pretty tough to find. However, it becomes easier if you know about the best domain registrars that can ease your pain.
But finding the perfect one for you and your brand requires a concise effort.
Let us guide you through all the popular domain registrars so that you can quickly choose one!
Key Takeaways
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Cloudflare, Namecheap, and GoDaddy are three of the most prominent domain registrars by market share and developers’ choice.
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Almost every domain registrar is quite similar in features and service.
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You should always compare every pros and cons to select your preferred domain registrar.
11 Best Domain Registrars According to Industry Leaders!
If we were all focused on the technicality behind DNS and IP Addresses, then we surely would’ve suffered hugely. That’s why domain registrars are there to ease the hassle for us.
We all can agree that choosing a domain name is tough. But the process can be quite seamless if you choose one of the very best domain registrars!
So, here’s a quick preview of the best domain registrars according to industry leaders and developers:
| SSL Certification | Multiple Domain Extensions | WHOIS Privacy | Live Support | Renewal Cost | Domain Transfers | Transfer Cost | |
| Namecheap | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Phone | $15.88 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Cloudflare | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free & Paid) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $9.77 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| IONOS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free & Paid) | 24/7 Chat & Phone | $17 | ✓ (Free & Paid) | $9.99 |
| GoDaddy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Phone | $14.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| DreamHost | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $19.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Hostinger | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Live Chat | $15.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Bluehost | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Phone | $21.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Hover | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $17.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| NameSilo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free & Paid) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $13.95 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Domain.com | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $21.99 | ✓ (Paid) | $9.99 |
| Porkbun | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Free) | 24/7 Chat & Ticket | $10.37 | ✓ (Paid) | $10.37 |
Now, let’s check out the individual overviews to learn more about each domain registrar!
Namecheap: Easy to Use
Namecheap does exactly what the name says by providing you with one of the most affordable prices available on the market. The icing on the cake is the forever-free WHOIS privacy.
Moreover, email forwarding, shared hosting, a website builder, and many more features are included in the overall package. The only significant drawback is that the platform requires quite a learning curve before you can use it comfortably.
So, Namecheap is the all-in-one solution for any domain & hosting needs if you can look past that!
Pros
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Excellent security
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Reliable support
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Email forwarding & private email subscription
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Free DNSSEC security
Cons
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Complicated UI
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The pricing varies depending on the TLDs
Pricing
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Starts from less than $2 a year
Ratings
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Techradar: 4.5/5
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Hostings.info: 4.8/5
Cloudflare: Popular Among Developers
Cloudflare is on top because the brand is straightforward and firm. With Cloudflare domain registration, you’ll just have to pay for what they charge, no hidden charges.
On top of that, it does not limit your DNS records so you’re free to utilize as many as you want.
However, the major downside is the compatibility with other hosting providers. Cloudflare only works with Cloudflare nameservers. So, if you’re planning to host your website through another provider, you’ll be stuck.
Pros
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No additional cost is applied for domain names
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Multi-User Administrative Access with customized access control
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Universal & Custom SSL support
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Unlimited DNS record size
Cons
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Dependency on Cloudflare nameservers
Pricing
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Free program available with limited features
Ratings
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Techradar: 4/5
IONOS: Most Comprehensive
Based in Germany, IONOS is another top contender in the domain space. Developers and experts alike acknowledge the seamless process of finding and registering a domain through IONOS.
From email connection to SSL certificate, IONOS does it all for you without adding any hidden charges. Furthermore, customer support offers 24/7 telephone and live chat support in case of emergency.
The downside of IONOS is the complex backend UI. It takes a lot of time to get the hang of it.
Pros
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Very affordable and transparent pricing
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Free SSL certification
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Great add-ons collections
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Up to 10,000 subdomains
Cons
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Complex backend UI
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Add-ons are comparatively expensive
Pricing
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Starts from as low as $1/year (for the 1st year)
Ratings
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Techradar: 4.6/5
GoDaddy: Largest Domain Registrar
If you want to discuss the massive online presence of any domain registrar, then very few can compete with GoDaddy. Boasting over 84 million registered domains, and capitalizing a 37.94% market share in total, there’s no denying the impact of GoDaddy online.
With its lucrative marketing campaigns to alluring discount offers, you can’t help but pay attention to GoDaddy’s offerings.
While sales may seem never-ending, you won’t get the best price all the time. Generally, GoDaddy’s annual pricing starts at $11.99 per year, but you can get it for less, depending on the sale.
Compared to competitors, you can enjoy a good selection of add-ons plus new AI features like GoDaddy Airo.
Pros
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Free domain privacy
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Frequent sales and discounts
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Good add-ons like site builder, free domain privacy, a free
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more than 100 subdomains
Cons
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Not too popular among engineers & developers
Pricing
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Starts from as low as $0.01 (for .com extension) in the 1st year
Ratings
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Hostings.info: 4.7/5
DreamHost: Best for Corporate & Businesses
Industry-leading cloud hosting is the most alluring feature of DreamHost. Even with your first year of domain registration, you’ll understand why it’s one of the best hosting services.
Plus, the WHOIS protection is included with your domain registration, so you won’t need to pay any extra costs.
Several other features of DreamHost include unlimited subdomains, domain forwarding, and transfers.
While the auto-renewal can be an option, you’ll be stuck with only 3 years of registration at max. So, that can be a disadvantage for many.
Pros
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Competitive pricing with privacy protection
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A full array of tools and add-ons
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Low-cost email hosting
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Easy domain transfer
Cons
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Some website platforms don’t support automatic installation
Pricing
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Starts from as low as $8.99 (for .com extension) in the 1st year
Ratings
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Hostings.info: 4.7/5
Hostinger: Fastest Growing Registrar
Being a full-fledged web hosting service, Hostinger is completely filled with features that will help you scale your business. From WordPress integration to offering unlimited SSL certificates, Hostinger caters to every kind of professional and beginner.
With fast load time and swift uptime, your site won’t be in an “Unable to load” situation very often. Furthermore, any page of your domain can appear as fast as 0.607 seconds, which is excellent in terms of load times!
The most annoying part of Hostinger is the pricing, which is not very transparent. You need to be careful with the terms and conditions before agreeing to the subscription pack.
Pros
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Quality data centers all over the world
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Custom control panel with intuitive design
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Easy to use
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Unlimited free SSL & free CDN
Cons
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Highly throttled write speeds
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The pricing can be misleading and confusing
Pricing
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Starts from as low as $1.99 (for .com extension) per month in the 1st year
Ratings
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Techradar: 4.5/5
NameSilo: Famous for Bulk Domain Buying
If you are pushing forward with multiple domains, then NameSilo should be the ideal choice. With every bundle order, the price is reduced significantly. So, if you’re buying in 100s or 500s, then NameSilo can offer you the market's best prices.
Other than the best bulk pricing, NameSilo provides everything you would want from a domain registrar. WHOIS privacy, a massive selection of TLDs, DNS Management, and more are offered without costing you an extra penny!
However, this awesome domain registrar falls behind due to its lackluster web hosting features. It does not offer unlimited bandwidth nor guarantees uptime! If that’s a dealbreaker for you, then you might need to look elsewhere.
Pros
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Free WHOIS privacy for life
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Massive TLD collection and DNS protection
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Pricing is steady on renewals
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Great customer support
Cons
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Limited bandwidth with web hosting
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No uptime guarantee with the web hosting
Pricing
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Starts from $13.95 (for .com extensions) per year
Ratings
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Forbes: 4.5/5
Domain.com: Best Overall Package of Domains
The specialty of Domain.com is its experience, flexible features, and easy domain transfers. Arguably, this particular domain registrar has the most unique and recognizable name in the whole industry.
However, the sad part about domain.com is that the offers are hardly anything that you’ll love. For example, where most competitors offer free SSL certification for website security, domain.com offers it as a security feature to buy.
So, you’ll need to add some features on top of your basic plan.
Pros
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Interactive and easy-to-use UI
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Offers tons of recognizable TLDs
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A large number of add-ons
Cons
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Domain privacy is not free
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The renewal pricing can be higher for some extensions
Pricing
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Starts from $11.99 (for .com extension) per year
Ratings
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Trustpilot: 4.3/5
Porkbun: An Unique & Funky Domain Registrar
For the creative minds, Porkbun can feel like fresh air that you can’t get enough of! Why, you might ask. Because Porkbun is known for its dorky, unique, and insanely cheap domains that are quite popular among developers.
They were the first to implement AI in their search generator and offered free SSL certificates before any competitor. Moreover, the motto of the whole brand is to invoke a friendly and creative aspect to the usability of its services.
Lastly, their ambition to take down the big players resonates in top-notch services and after-sales support!
Pros
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Free SSL certificates
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Free URL & email forwarding
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Long-term domain name registrations
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Bulk discount offers
Cons
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Web hosting can be expensive
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Does not include 24/7 support
Pricing
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Starts from $9.73 (for .com extension) per year
Ratings
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Forbes: 4.7/5
Hover: Simplistic Interface
Hover is another simple and effective domain registrar that has huge upsides. First of all, domain privacy is ensured by the company from the start. Then, you get to enjoy bulk domain discounts throughout the year. Lastly, the pricing is as transparent as it gets.
So, the question remains, what are the downsides? Well, the web hosting package is not offered by them at all. What it basically means is that they can’t tell you the cost to create a website.
If you’re looking for a domain registrar to offer everything, then Hover is definitely not gonna fit the bill.
Otherwise, it’s a solid domain registrar with mostly great functions to use!
Pros
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Very simple interface
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Clear pricing
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Domain Privacy
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Live chat & phone support
Cons
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No web hosting is available
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Domains are costlier than competitors
Pricing
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Starts from $17.99 (for .com extension) per year
Ratings
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Forbes: 4.2/5
Bluehost: Affordable Pricing
Compared to Hover, Bluehost is the polar opposite because it is a reputed web hosting platform that happens to be a good domain registrar as well!
You will find tons of website builders and developers choose Bluehost because of its close integration with WordPress. Not only that, Bluehost even offers a completely free domain in your first year!
However, the major drawback is not including WHOIS protection in its basic plan. If you don’t have any problem with that, then you can definitely choose the hosting bundle to get the best price in the market.
Pros
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Very competitive pricing for hosting bundle
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Auto-renewal and domain lock included
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24/7 live support
Cons
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WHOIS protection is not included in the basic plan
Pricing
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Starts from $12.99 (for .com extension) per year
Ratings
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Forbes: 3.9/5
How Does a Domain Registrar Work?
When you think about all those websites with .com, .org, and .edu extensions, don’t you get curious about where people buy these from? Well, that’s what domain registrar is for!
Anyone or any entity who provides the buying or selling services of domains is a domain registrar. Nowadays, you can browse through loads of such services that help you find your preferred domain in minutes!
So, domain registrars allow you to buy a leasing time for your domain, and a domain name of your preference.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names) is the sole authority that manages all domain names. Then, it authorizes domain registrars to sell them to the public.
What to Consider While Selecting a Domain Registrar?
While we chose all of the best domain registrar here, it doesn't mean there aren’t others who might be good. So, if you’re on the journey to explore other options, you should keep some factors in mind.
Here’s how you can determine which domain registrar will be perfect for you!
Privacy & Security
Not all domain registrars offer the best-in-class security with their basic plans. Some SSL certificates need to be bought alongside the main domain names. So, that’s definitely a matter of concern if your website has sensitive data.
Domain Transfers
As a domain owner, you may feel like changing your domain registrar in case you don’t like your current one. Other than the 60-day restriction period set by ICANN, you should be able to transfer your domain easily.
However, some domain registrars may charge you or make the transfer process feel like a lawsuit! So, carefully go through the domain transfer procedure because that’s one thing that needs to be seamless.
Pricing & Renewal
Let’s get this straight. Not all domain registrars have the best pricing scheme right now. Some are not that transparent, and others are just overpriced. Plus, they charge you like crazy when you want to renew your plan.
That’s why it’s really crucial for you to check the initial pricing and how the renewal pricing works. Then, you should decide the registration period.
Domain Expiration Policies
Domain registrars just lease you the domain names, not give you full ownership of them. Hence, it will expire after a period. Whether you have the registration for 2 years or 5, if you don’t remember to renew it in time, you will lose the domain for life!
Moreover, some domain registrars even offer a grace period where you’ll be provided some additional time to renew your registration. So, look for domains with those facilities so that you don’t lose your domain!
Add-ons & Support
You also shouldn’t forget to check out the add-ons and integration that your domain registrar provides. From domain privacy to WordPress hosting, these features can enable you to easily integrate your services under one roof.
Which domain extension is best?
The most popular and safe domain extension by far is the .com one. You can never go wrong with this extension as it’s well-known by everyone and ideal for any business.
What are the 5 top-level domains?
The top most frequently used domains are .com. , org, .net, .int and .edu. All of these TLDs have high security with IPV6 capabilities.
Is it possible to own a domain permanently?
No, you can't own a domain name permanently. The maximum duration you can lease a domain is 10 years and then you’ll need to register for that domain again.
Can I get a domain name for free?
Yes, you’ll be able to sign up for a free domain name in some domain registrars. However, most of the free domains come with a hidden charge so be careful about that.
Does it matter which domain registrar I use?
It definitely matters which domain registrar you use as it can impact your business overall. Each domain registrar has different pricing, features, and security measurements. So, go through a bunch of domain registrars before making your decision.
Bottom Line
Whichever domain registrar you choose from this list, make sure to go through all of the clauses properly. Because not every discount policy and security measure is always up to the mark.
That’s why it’s always best to visit forums and subreddits to learn more about each domain registrar in detail. Finally, based on that feedback, choose the one that feels perfect for you!
