Best Domain Registrars Compared (2023)

If you are struggling to get the right domain registrars for you, then this article is for you. It can be confusing for the first time users to select the right Domain Registrar, especially when there are dozens of domain registrars out there, claiming to be the best in the market. Don’t worry, I am going to sort the best domain registrars for you based on their services, pricing, add-ons, and customer support.

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What is a Domain Registrar?

A domain registrar can be defined as a company or broker that manages the sale of domain names for the websites on the internet. To sell domains, the company needs to be accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assign Names and Numbers) or a ccTLD (country code Top-Level Domain). ICANN is a non-profitable organization, which is responsible for managing unique domain names. You might know any IP address, however, you must be familiar with some popular domain names like ‘google.com’ or ‘templatetoaster.com’that you type to visit that website’s IP.

Domain names are the unique names assigned to the IP addresses of the websites. Without domain domains, humans will have to remember and use the IP address to gain access to the websites. To solve the problem of having to remember string of numbers called IP addresses, the concept of domain name was invented.

How does a domain registrar work?

A domain registrar works as an intermediate between you and ICANN. All the domain names are stored on a centralized database, named as registry. Now, you need to register your domain name in that registry to claim it yours. Your domain registrar will work as an intermediate and will allow you to make those changes via their platform. Moreover, they offer a platform, which is easy to use that allows you to make those changes. This way, domain names can’t be duplicated and are allocated in first-come-first-serve manner, to prevent any kind of dispute.  Moreover, ICANN allows you to reserve a domain name for a maximum of 10 years. You may read our guide What is domain name and how they works. Here is a list of 7 best domain registrars in the industry!

List of best domain registrars

1. GoDaddy

2. Bluehost

3. Domain.com

4. Siteground

5. Shopify

6. Name.com

7. BuyDomain

Best Domain Registrars (Review)

1. GoDaddy – Best domain registrar

GoDaddy was founded in 1997, and is now known as the world’s largest domain registrar. Its services are not limited to domain registration, it also offers hosting services, domain transfers, domain value approval, security, email powered by Microsoft, online marketing tools, and so much more.

Similar to Bluehost, you can get a domain name free for the length of your first hosting plan (12, 24, or 36 months). You can register you .com for just $9.99 for the first year, after that, the renewal charges will be $17.99 a year. WHOIS privacy protection with GoDady will cost you around $9.99 a year per domain, where for extra business protection, you have to pay $14.99 a year per domain.

Pros

• Stellar customer support via phone calls, live chat, and email
• A lot of services to support larger sites, eCommerce sites, and so much more

Cons

• Extras can be too much for a newbie
• Cluttered layout of upselling can be improved

2. Bluehost

Bluehost is the most popular domain registrar and web hosting company. To make your site live, you need both, a domain name as well as a hosting company. However, with Bluehost web hosting, you get domain registration for free, for a year. Moreover, it is known to offer cost-effective services, which means you can get your costs down dramatically while taking your site live. With Bluehost, you need to commit to their 12 months long in order to get value hosting, and you can get hosting, email, and a free domain name for just $2.95 a month.

However, if you wish to buy a domain name only, you can expect to pay $11.99 for a TLD (.com, .org, or .net). With domain name registration, you get auto-renewal and domain lock, which prevents your domain from being transferred without your permission. Read our full Bluehost review here.

Pros

• Auto-renewal and domain lock
• 24/7 customer support via ticket-based system, live chat, and phone calls

Cons

• Charges 48.99/year for domain privacy protection.

3. Domain.com – Domain registrar

Domain.com was founded in 2000 and is undoubtedly the best place for a newbie to get his first domain name. Its overall simple checkout process offers quality services. You can expect to pay around $9.99 for a TLD (.com, .net, or .org) for a year. It allows you to pay upfront and reserve your domain for up to 5 years. During checkout, it can hit you up with normal add-on services like G-suite, SSL certificates, web hosting services, and Sitelock. It’s totally up to you whether you want these services or not.

With Domain.com’s hosting services, you get a domain for free for a year. Moreover, the company offers hundreds of different TLDs to choose from, you can get multiple TLDs for your site to get more traffic redirected to your site. In conclusion, it is a great one-stop-shop for all your domain registration needs.

Pros

• Great customer support
• Cost-effective, large range of domain extensions
• Easy domain transfers

Cons

• Its privacy and protection overwrites your WHOIS information, which makes the name and address of every domain owner public.

4. SiteGround

SiteGround is primarily a web host. Along with web hosting services, it also offers domain name registration. You can expect an average domain name at $15.95 a year. However, despite being on the expensive side, it allows you the convenience of having your domain name and hosting in one place, which means you don’t have to work directly with the nameservers.

Having said that, it offers remarkable ease of use and checkout process. Along with domain registration, it also offers hosting and email hosting. They offer 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, or ticket-based system.

Pros

• Easy to use platform and checkout process
• 24/7 customer support through phone, live chat, or ticket-based system

Cons

• More on the expensive side

5. Namecheap

Namecheap was founded in 2000 and was named ‘Best Domain Name Registrar’ in 2010, and ‘Most popular domain name registrar’ in 2012. The company is constantly striving to refine its services and make it as smooth as possible for its customers. Moreover, the company is known to offer cost-effective TLDs with unparalleled services, which you need alongside domain registration. It has a unique upselling criteria. Its site will ask you a couple of questions and then suggest some optional services that are right for you.

On top of that, they offer domain registration for as low as $8.88 including WHOIS privacy. Moreover, its 24/7 live chat support makes transferring of domain names easier, making it a unique marketplace to buy or sell domains.

Pros

• Unique upselling criteria to suggest useful services
• Cost-effective domain names
• Add-on WHOIS privacy

Cons

• Doesn’t offer a bevy of extras, unlike other competitors

6. A2 Hosting

A2 hosting is another most recommended WordPress hosting company, which also offers domain registration. It offers a large range of popular generic TLDs, country-specific domains, and other new domain extensions. If you have a website, it is wise to choose A2 Hosting. This way, you will have your domain name and your hosting on the same admin panel.

You need to pay $14.95 for an average gTLD, and the renewal charges are the same. Moreover, it is an easy to use, friendly platform for domain search, registration, selling, buying, and website management. Basically, it is a one-stop-shop for your website domain name and hosting services.

Pros

• Great range of gTLDs (generic top-Level Domains)
• Custom email is also available at just $3.92 a month
• User-friendly marketplace to sell and buy domains

Cons

• First time charges and renewal charges are the same, no discount.

7. Shopify

Shopify is primarily an eCommerce platform, which allows you to start and manage an online store with ease. Along with eCommerce features, it also allows you to pick and register your domain name on the same platform. You can expect to pay around $11 a year for a TLD with Shopify. Moreover, it offers a powerful business name generator that can suggest some attractive and appropriate domain names for your business. All you need to do is enter your name, password, and store name, and it will be created automatically.

Pros

• Powerful business name generator
• Easy domain transfer
• Auto-renewal

Cons

• Limited add-on services
• For email services, need to use third-party email services

Best Domain Registrars Compared (2023)

Bonus Domain Registrars

8. Name.com

Name.com is preferred when one needs a TLD at the most cost-effective price. They are mostly focused on offering world-class customer services to their customers and have emerged a long way. You can expect your domain name at $ 8.99 for a year. For WHOIS privacy protection, you need to pay extra $4.99 a year. Its domain transfer fees can differ depending upon the extension of your domain. It also offers SSL certificates, website builder and so much more, along with a remarkable customer support, but live chat support is limited to business hours only.

7. Google Domains

Google launched its domain registration services on January 13, 2015. You must be thinking that google is quite reputable but is still not in the 7 best domain registrars. It’s because it is still in its early stage. However, Google Domains offers exceptional features, such as every domain comes with private registration at no extra cost, a custom email with G suite, new domain name extension, easy social media integrations, email forwarding, simple domain management tools, and so much more. An average .com domain will cost you round $12 a year and it offers auto renewal through the site. Their support is 24/7 available through live chat, email, and calls.

8. BuyDomains

Buydomains offers a large range of TLDs to buy from. It has a unique feature that allows you to search for premium domain names matching your search terms. Premium domain names are basically already registered but are available for sale from third-party. Basically, with BuyDomains, you have a chance to get a domain name through brokerage even if it’s already registered. However, its online reputation isn’t great because it’s not an ICANN accredited provider and since it offers only premium domains, your options are limited. However, it offers an easy to use interface and simple domain name services to its clients.

Choosing the Best domain Registrars: How We Ranked & compared these domain registrars

If you are thinking that we served you a random list, you’re mistaken. It is a deeply analyzed list in terms of various factors including ease of use, strong reputation, pricing, customer support, domain transfers, and auto-renewal. Let me offer you more details about the same-

Online reputation

For a strong online reputation, a company needs to meet the expectations of its customer base. The reputation of a company can tell so much about the quality of its services. Therefore, the list of aforementioned domain registrars is primarily based on the reputation of the companies.

Pricing

Pricing is usually the primary focus of a customer while buying a domain name. Aforementioned domain registrars offer domain names at a reasonable price, or even free with hosting services for a year or longer.

Domain transfers

Domain transferring is the process of moving your domain from one registrar to another. It might not seem needed at the moment but you may need it in future. In most of the aforementioned domain registrars, you are not allowed to transfer a domain for 60 days following your registration, but after that you can. However, it is wise to always check the policies. You can move WordPress site to new domain.

Automatic renewal

It is possible that you forget to renew your domain name or the credit card you registered gets expired. In that case, your domain is available for other people to purchase. You can lose your domain name to someone else, or worse, your rival, which can put your whole business in jeopardy. Therefore, we suggested you a list of domain registrars that offers the feature of auto-renewal to avoid a situation like this. It means your domain name services will be renewed automatically, or at least you’ll be notified.

Customer support

In case you get stuck somewhere, it is always nice to have their technical support by your side. Trust me. You’ll hate to be fiddling around with no technical staff to help you out. Therefore, we sorted our list after examining the type of customer support they offer. And all of them are responsive and offer helpful customer support. Some of domain registrars also provider website builders, email marketing software,

Which domain registrar we suggest?

Registering a domain name is an important task and can’t be avoided. It’s not easy to set up and create a website however, with a little homework, you can make it easier for you. I hope you were able to find the best domain registrar with this article. Let us know which one you choose and why.

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