Google Domains
Offers domain registration, DNS hosting, dynamic DNS, domain & email forwarding.
Having more options is always a good thing, but with all of these registrars entering the market, it can be hard to decide which one to go for. Today there are over 1000 ICCAN accredited domain name registrars worldwide.
To pick the best domain name registrar you have to look at initial price, renewal and the availability domain privacy protection and other services the registrar offers, for example, web hosting.
What are The Best Domain Name Registrars?
Here is a list of the best domain registrars.
1. NameCheap
Namecheap is one of the best domain registrars for many reasons. They provide low prices, free WHOIS privacy protection, and also offer hosting and VPNs (at a cost). You can get a domain for as little as $5.98 a year.
NameCheap offers several hosting plans that include free Whois Privacy and access to premium DNS services. This is something most budget-based registrars do not offer. It offers one of the best shared hosting packages at only $2.88 per month and provides unmetered bandwidth and email addresses with all its hosting plans at no extra cost.
If you've decided to register your domain on NameCheap, head over to the Namecheap website. Enter your preferred name in the search box, then click "Search." If it's available, you'll be able to purchase the domain. With your purchase, you will get;
- Free domain privacy protection for life
- You get a 2-month email hosting free trial, ready for use when you sign up.
- Free DNSSEC security to protect your website visitors from fraudulent activity.
2. Domain.com
Domain.com is a domain registrar and web hosting company that was founded in 1999. The private company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a subsidiary of Newfold Digital. Domain.com offers many products including email accounts, web hosting, and custom email addresses.
New website owners will love using Domain.com as their domain name registrar because of the domain pricing and features offered by the registrar. However, you'll want to confirm compatibility with your website builder before signing up for an account with this provider.
Domain.com has a great reputation among customers for providing quality services at a reasonable price point. As will many domain registrars, you get multiple domain extension options when you register. Their interface is easy to use and integrates well with WordPress and other website builders.
3. Google Domains
As a domain name registrar, Google Domains offers all of the basics. A .com domain costs $12 per year, and each purchase comes with privacy protection using DNS servers run on Google infrastructure. Most importantly, it’s simple to use and easy to understand. You also get over 300 domain extensions to choose from.
You can use Google Domains if you’re inexperienced and just starting out in the world of web hosting. However, if you need help or have questions along the way, there is 24/7 phone and email support available to answer any questions that may arise during your journey into web hosting.
If you already use Google products like G Suite for your business email address, then registering a domain through Google Domains is an obvious choice. This will allow you to get your custom domain for free (usually $6 per month), which is just another perk of using this particular service from one of the largest tech companies in the world.
4. Dreamhost
DreamHost is a web hosting company and domain registrar founded in 1997, with over one million customers. It provides shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers for personal websites as well as small to medium-scale business websites.
Domain prices start from as little as $1.99 for first-time registrations and renewals start from $17.99. When you register your domain on Dreamhost you get free WHOIS privacy protection for life. The other benefit is getting free unlimited subdomains so you can grow your brand online.
For a more detailed breakdown of DreamHost’s services, check out our DreamHost Review.
You can either transfer your domain to Dreamhost or buy a new one at an affordable price.
5. Hover
Hover is a domain registrar and subsidiary of Tucows, a publicly-traded company specializing in providing internet services. They have been popular with website creators since its launch in 2009.
A prime feature of Hover is the easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to register and manage domains. Its minimalistic design allows users to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by bells and whistles during their domain management process.
While Hover isn’t a cheap option, its pricing remains competitive within the industry, making it a good choice for site owners looking to buy just one or two domains at a time.
Another factor that makes Hover stand out among its competitors is its customer service, which has received high praise from previous customers over the years for being helpful and knowledgeable about its products.
6. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain name registrar. The company has over 18 million customers worldwide, more than 6,000 resellers, and manages over 77 million domain names.
They also offer complete website solutions including website builders, e-commerce tools, hosting services for websites on WordPress or Joomla, SSL certificates, email marketing tools, and much more.
7. Bluehost
Bluehost is a popular resource for website hosting, and they are no slouch in the domain registration department either. They offer competitive prices, discounts for longer commitments, and all the services you'd expect from a domain registrar. In addition to domain registration, Bluehost can provide web hosting, email hosting, and other internet services.
Their customer support is notoriously helpful and knowledgeable. If there are any issues with your site or your network of sites, you can rest assured that Bluehost's team will take care of them quickly and efficiently.
In terms of pricing structure, Bluehost offers a variety of plans with different price points. Some plans will give you free domains for the first year, others will include free domains for subsequent years. That is for as long as you keep renewing your web hosting plan with them.
Register for a shared hosting plan for $2.75/month and get a free domain the first year.
8. HostGator
HostGator is a quality domain registrar that has been in the business since 2002. It's an excellent choice for registering your domain name, as it offers cheap registrations and strong support. Hostgator gives you some of the best features in the market like Domain locking, autorenewal, privacy protection DNS management, and email forwarding.
What makes HostGator unique is its focus on simplicity. With a few exceptions, all of its services are straightforward to use. The website has a clean interface that isn't cluttered with advertisements or confusing features. You can quickly find what you need without feeling overwhelmed by too many options.
9. Network Solutions
Network Solutions has been around for over 40 years, which makes it one of the oldest web hosting and domain registrar companies in the market. Although it has faced its fair share of ups and downs over the years, Network Solutions is still a trusted brand for many individuals and businesses.
Network Solutions offers WordPress hosting with both managed and unmanaged plans. The plans are very basic, but they do come with unlimited storage, great support, and free daily backups.
Network Solutions' website builder comes with hundreds of templates to choose from, drag-and-drop editing tools, SEO wizards, site stats tracking, and eCommerce capabilities (for premium plans), and much more.
What Is A Domain Name Registrar?
A domain registrar is a company with the authority to reserve internet domain names and sell them to the general public. The company has paid for the rights to use top-level domains and refers to an ICANN-approved list when assigning names. Essentially, a domain registrar is a middleman between you and the system that will route your site's traffic across the web.
To be accredited, a registrar must pay for membership in a generic top-level domain registry or country code top-level domain registry. These are controlled by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) or their respective national internet governance bodies.
Why Is WHOIS Privacy Important for your Domain?
The WHOIS database contains the personal details of a domain name’s owner, including their name, address, email, and phone number. The database is open to the public without any security measures required to get in. This means that anyone can look up your information by searching for your domain on WHOIS checker sites or ICANN Lookup.
WHOIS privacy or identity protection prevents this information from being publicly available by replacing it with that of a proxy server instead. In addition to preventing spam and potentially dangerous situations like identity theft. Some extensions require WHOIS privacy before they register a domain name – extensions like .CO and.ME.
What’s the Difference Between Domain Extensions?
.COM — This is the most popular domain extension, and for good reason. It’s short, it’s easy to remember and type, and people have come to associate it with companies and commercial websites. A drawback of this popular extension is that all the best names are usually already taken, so you may need to be creative when choosing a name.
On the flip side, you might like having a super short domain name like Google.com or Facebook.com that’s easy to type out on your phone or share with someone verbally. If so, we recommend going for a .com even if it means being more creative with your name choice.
.NET — This one used to be used primarily by Internet service providers, but now anyone can buy a .net domain name from registrars like GoDaddy and Namecheap in fact, you can use any extension for any purpose.
It doesn’t have quite as much brand recognition as .com does because of its history of use among network administrators rather than businesses and general individuals. However, most people who see your website won’t be experts in these kinds of things anyway so it probably doesn’t matter much.
As long as you build a great and appealing website that's seen by search engines all will go well for you.
Secure your Domain Name and Grow Online
If you're interested in setting up an eCommerce website, Shopify is a great way to go. Though it isn't a registrar, it will provide you with the hosting and domain name to get your shop online. Meanwhile, if you want to use your website as a portfolio, Squarespace is another good choice.
While the above options are not free, there are some more cost-efficient ways to build your site. WordPress and Wix offer platforms for building sites for free and also have paid plans. Weebly is another great platform that offers both free and paid subscriptions as well.
