7 Best Domain Registrars in 2023

A domain name is an address for your website, and it typically includes a name and a domain extension such as .com or .net. Interestingly, just those two domain name extensions make up over 174 million domain registrations globally.

Choosing the best domain registrars can be daunting with so many options, especially if you’ve never built your own website before. The choice is complicated even further by the fact that some websites only offer domain names, while others also offer hosting.

Picking one company for your domain purchase and web hosting provides benefits like better support and easy management, but it can complicate things if you change hosts later.

There are other factors to consider too, such as renewal fees, upsells, transfers, and security.

Below, we explore the best domain registrars and what they offer to help you decide which is best for you.

Best Places To Buy a Domain

• Domain.com
• Namecheap
• GoDaddy
• Bluehost
• Google Domains
• Hover
• Dynadot

1. Domain.com

The aptly-named Domain.com is the best platform if you only want to register a domain name. However, it also offers related services, including web hosting and full website design.

You don’t get a lot of freebies with your domain and privacy protection and SSL certificates cost extra.

The website builder is available as an add-on and is a powerful tool for beginners. It’s intuitive and allows beginners to create websites from scratch. It also has a drag-and-drop interface, so you won’t need any coding skills.

Transferring domains is easy as long as the domain is more than 60 days old. When you want to transfer a domain out of Domain.com, all you need to do is unlock it, opt out of domain lock, and then disable privacy.

Introductory Pricing (annual):

 *You can also save 25% on domain name registration by using coupon code WEBSITESETUP25 on the checkout page.

 Renewal pricing (annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• Domain Privacy + Protection: $8.99/year
• Google Workspace (email hosting): Starts at $6/month/user
• WebsiteBuilder: Starts at $1.99/month
• Web hosting: Starts at $1.99/month
• SSL certificates: $2.25/month
• Sitelock: $3.99/month
• Transferring a domain to Domain.com: Starts at $9.99

Freebies:

• DNSSEC
• Email forwarding
• Google two-step verification
• Domain and subdomain forwarding

Best domain registrar for: Those who just want domain registration.

2. Namecheap

Namecheap is one of the most popular domain name registrars. You can buy domains or even full web hosting packages at affordable prices. WHOIS protection is free forever with all domains, but you have to pay extra for SSL certifications, PremiumDNS, and a VPN.

Namecheap’s user interface makes domain management a breeze. You sign in, click a button to enter the dashboard, and configure the nameservers. There are no extra hoops to jump through.

Transferring the domain is easy too, but not always fast. The transfer typically takes 30 minutes to six days to complete. However, your domain will need to be older than 60 days to transfer out of Namecheap.

Namecheap has an extensive knowledge base that’s helpful for first-time domain buyers. It walks you through the entire setup process, and if you need more help, you can contact support through its 24/7 live chat support or initiate a ticket.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• PremiumDNS: $4.88/year (renews at $9.98/year)
• FastVPN: $0.99/year (renews at $5.88/month)
• PositiveSSL certificate: $5.99/year (renews at $6.99/year)
• ICANN fee: $0.18 per year on most domains

Freebies:

• Free WHOIS and private name registration protection for the life of your domain registration
• Free DNSSEC security
• Two-month free email account trial

Best domain registrar for: Small businesses and anyone on a budget.

3. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a well known web host and domain registrar. Its domain management interface is user-friendly to make set up simple for everyone.

You can choose from a ton of top-level domains (TLDs), such as .com, .org, .net, and .biz. You can also get a .com domain for as little as $0.01 for the first year if you pay for two years at once — but note that the second year is $19.99.

That’s an excellent deal if you’re reluctant to spend a lot upfront. But the renewal pricing is relatively expensive when compared with other registrars like Namecheap.

GoDaddy’s domain registration price includes free privacy protection, but you can also upgrade to Full or Ultimate domain protection by paying extra.

You can also domain search in bulk on GoDaddy. If you want to buy multiple TLDs for the same name but with different extensions, the registrar makes the process a breeze and offers a bundling discount.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

 Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• Full Domain protection package: $9.99/domain/year
• Ultimate Domain protection package: $14.99/domain/year (renews at $29.99/year)
• Email Essentials Package: $1.99/month
• Email Plus Package: $3.99/month
• Business Professional Package: $8.99/month
• DNSSEC: Starts at $2.99/month
• ICANN fee: $0.18/year

Freebies:

• WHOIS privacy
• Domain lock

Best domain registrar for: Buying bulk domains at a discount.

4. Bluehost

Bluehost is a popular web hosting service that offers a free domain name when you buy a hosting plan. But you can also just buy a new domain name without hosting.

The domain with hosting is free, but WHOIS protection is an extra $1.25/month (or higher). You also get a user-friendly site builder that requires zero coding.

You can transfer your domain once it’s eligible, but it costs about $12.99/domain.

This web hosting company is recommended for WordPress hosting. If you’re building a WordPress website, choosing Bluehost makes sense. WordPress is pre-installed when you sign up, and if you need help setting up anything else, Bluehost offers 24/7 chat or phone support.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

 Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• Domain Privacy + Protection: $11.88/year (renews at $15.99/year)
• Google Workspace Starter: $3/month when billed annually

Freebies:

• Domain lock
• Domain forwarding

Best domain registrar for: Bundling with hosting.

5. Google Domains

Google Domains is one of the most affordable options for buying domains. The setup process is straightforward and has a step-by-step guide that walks you through the entire process.

If you’re a business owner who wants to market products through Google Ads, Google Domains includes steps to make setting this up a whole lot easier. It also offers 24/7 customer support.

Google Domains focuses on streamlining the process where you can quickly select the services you need and checkout. It offers simple and transparent pricing plans for over 300 domain extensions.

Most extensions start at $12/year but some do cost more. Transferring domains is easy, but the cost depends on the domain you want to transfer.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

 Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• None.

Freebies:

• WHOIS protection
• DNSSEC
• Email forwarding
• Google two-step verification
• Google Cloud DNS
• Domain and subdomain forwarding

Best domain registrar for: Anyone looking for a quick and affordable domain solution.

6. Hover

Hover is a no-fuss domain registrar with a user-friendly interface that makes registering domains simple.

You should consider Hover if you want to create an e-commerce website and connect it with an online store on Shopify, Etsy, or Facebook using Hover Connect. You can also connect your domain to a third-party hosting provider and publishing tools like Weebly and Jimdo.

You don’t pay any fees to transfer your domain to Hover, but the platform adds a charge for an additional year of domain registration from whenever it’s set to expire.

All Hover domains include free WHOIS privacy protection, but the registrar charges extra for ICANN.

Transferring your domain to Hover is easy, but the exact fee depends on the domain you want to transfer.

Hover also offers bulk domain pricing and discounts on renewals when you have 10 or more domains registered through its service.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

 Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• Email forwarding: $5/year
• Email hosting: Starts at $20/year
• ICANN fee: $0.18/year

Freebies:

• WHOIS protection
• Hover Connect

Best domain registrar for: E-commerce businesses.

7. Dynadot

Dynadot isn’t the most widely known domain registrar. Still, it’s worth considering, especially if you’re looking for a premium domain extension.

The company offers domain names, email hosting, SSL certificates, VPS hosting, and a website builder. As a Dynadot user, you’ll have access to its marketplace, where you can buy or sell existing and expired domains.

All Dynadot domains include WHOIS protection, the website builder (limited functionality), and email (limited functionality). Plus, all accounts have two-factor authentication. Domain transfers are simple with low prices, costing $10.99 for .com domains.

Introductory Pricing (Annual):

 Renewal Pricing (Annual):

 Upgrades & Extra Costs:

• SSL certificate: $16.99/year (Regular) and $80/year (Wildcard)
• Website Builder Pro: $20/year
• Email Hosting Pro: $20/year

Freebies:

• Free website builder (limited functionality)
• Free professional email address (limited functionality)
• Domain lock
• DNSSEC

Best domain registrar for: Anyone looking to purchase a premium domain.

Final Thoughts: The 7 Best Domain Registrars — The Best Places To Buy Domains

Our choice for overall best domain name registrar is Namecheap for its affordable options, easy transfer process, proactive support, and popularity. However, you might find one of the other domain registrars to be a better fit for your specific needs.

Choosing any one of the registrars in the list that suits your needs will ensure you’re using a trustworthy, reliable domain registrar for your website. To make comparison easier, here’s the pricing for the most popular TLDs for all registrars on our list: