A key part of marketing a new online business is having a domain name that reflects your brand. Great domain names are easily memorable and quick to type. Once you have a new business idea and a killer name, you’ll need to purchase a domain, register it, and host your website on a server.
This process can feel complicated and cumbersome. To help, here’s a guide to the best domain registrars and how to select one for your business.
10 best domain name registrars
- Shopify: Best domain registrar for ecommerce
- Namecheap: For budget-friendly domains
- Hover: Simplest domain registration
- Domain.com: For picking your domain features
- Dynadot: For finding premium domains
- GoDaddy: For domain protection and privacy
- BlueHost: Best overall domain registrar
- DreamHost: Best for corporate cloud hosting
- NetworkSolutions: For buying a domain for 100 years
- Porkbun: For unusual domain extensions
1. Shopify
Best for ecommerce businesses
Shopify is the best domain registrar if you’re looking to set up an online store.
When you’re making a website, convenience is huge. There can be an overwhelming amount of tools and tasks for creating each component of your site, especially for an ecommerce domain.
For instance, you need to find a domain registrar, a hosting service for your domain, a website design tool, and, most likely, email and customer support functionality.
It’s possible to find tools that will handle each of these tasks individually, but speaking from experience, things can quickly get complicated. It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of apps, open tabs, and forgotten passwords.
Shopify gives you all of these commerce and website tools in a single place. When you register your domain with Shopify, it’s connected to your fully hosted online store immediately, which means you won’t have to worry about third-party connections or a complex technical setup.
Overall, Shopify is best-suited for those looking to seamlessly set up an online store. If you don’t need ecommerce functionality, check out the other registration options on this list.
Price
Prices start at $11 per year. Renewal pricing is consistent with your year-one purchase price—no surprise renewal fees.
Reasons to purchase
- Best in class ecommerce features. Shopify offers everything you need to create an online store. You can bundle domain registration with web hosting, website design, online shopping functionality, and email. View the entire list of features Shopify offers here.
- Privacy included. Shopify includes WHOIS privacy protection with all domain registrations, so you don’t have to pay extra for this layer of security.
- Simple domain transfers. Transferring a domain to or from Shopify is easy. To transfer an eligible domain, you’ll need to have held it for at least 60 days. Moving a domain off Shopify can be done in a few clicks from your admin page.
Reasons to avoid
- Optimized for ecommerce. Shopify’s domain registration service is designed for people who are opening or moving an online store. Because of this, users without ecommerce needs may find some features unnecessary.
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Get your domain name2. Namecheap
Best for an affordable starting price
Namecheap is an affordable option for domain registration and also offers a budget-friendly web hosting bundle. It’s a good option for those looking for a fairly priced package that includes WHOIS protection and hosting.
That said, despite touting great customer support on its website, some Namecheap customer reviews say that the support is lacking. Other users have experienced billing errors.
Price
Pricing for .com domains on Namecheap starts at $8.88 per year. Renewal pricing starts at $12.98 and averages about $4 extra in the second year than the amount originally paid.
Reasons to purchase
- Package hosting deal. Namecheap offers a package deal with domain registration and web hosting. Other add-ons include email, security features (SSL, VPN, DNS), and WordPress hosting.
- Privacy included. WhoisGuard protects your personal information on the WHOIS directory, and it’s free for all domains registered with Namecheap. Namecheap also offers security features like SSL certificates, a VPN, and PremiumDNS as add-ons to your yearly fee.
- Simple domain transfers. Transferring a domain off Namecheap is as easy as it gets. You can leave Namecheap so long as your domain is more than 60 days old and hasn’t been transferred within 60 days. Transferring a domain to Namecheap takes between 30 minutes and six days, and is generally affordable.
Reasons to avoid
- Mixed reviews. Customer support may be an issue with Namecheap, with no phone service, an antiquated ticketing system, and reports of long wait times for live chat help.
3. Hover
Best for quick and easy registration
Hover has been around since 2008 and remains a user-friendly, simple domain registration service. If all you need to do is register a domain with no bells and whistles, Hover is for you.
That’s not to say Hover is without user features. Once you’ve bought your domain, use Hover Connect to link your address with your preferred hosting platform, including Shopify.
Price
Pricing starts at $12.99 per year for .com domains. Renewals are around $14.99 per year.
Reasons to purchase
- Multi-domain discount. Hover offers a discount for buying bulk domains. You can also purchase email functionality.
- Privacy included. WHOIS protection is included with all top-level eligible domains.
- East domain transfers. Domain transfers start at $12.99 for .com domains. It’s easy to transfer a domain to Hover—just make sure your domain is newer than 60 days and hasn’t been transferred within the past 60 days. The domain also can’t have any disputes associated with it.
Reasons to avoid
- Limited features. Hover is a simple domain registration service with limited add-on features. If you’re looking for a platform that offers extensive hosting or website creation features, try another option from this list.
4. Domain.com
Best for picking your own features
Domain.com is known for the speed and reliability of its ecommerce hosting. It also offers live chat support, which can be deeply helpful as you manage your new website.
Another notable feature of Domain.com is the way it separates its services. Privacy protection, hosting, SSL security, and a website builder are all available, but must be purchased alongside the domain. Depending on your needs, this might be welcome flexibility.
Price
Pricing for .com domains start at $9.99 per year with a one-year minimum. Domain renewals for .com domains start at $13.99 per year.
Reasons to purchase
- Optional hosting, security, and website building. You can purchase web hosting (starting at $3.75 per month), web design and marketing services, a website builder, business email, and website security like SSL.
- Easy domain transfer. Domain transfers are simple with Domain.com. However, you’ll need to input the domain you want to transfer before seeing how much it will cost. If you decide to go with Domain.com, be sure to check other services to ensure you’re getting a fair price.
Reasons to avoid
- Privacy not included. Unlike other services in this list, domain privacy protection isn’t included as standard. You can bundle privacy with domain registration for a small additional cost.
5. Dynadot
Best for premium domain extensions
With transparent and reasonable pricing, plus a simple website design, Dynadot is an all-around good option. Notably, it offers a large variety of top level domains (TLDs). TLDs are the tail end of your domain, like .com, .co, .shop, etc.
Dynadot offers hundreds of TLDs, so there’s a good chance it will have exactly what you need.
Price
Dynadot lists prices for both registration and renewal for every single TLD it offers. .com websites start at $7.99 for registration and $8.99 for renewals, making them one of the more affordable platforms in this list.
Reasons to purchase
- Free website builder. Dynadot customers get access to a free website builder. They also receive a grace period for deletion, SSL security, and email hosting.
- Privacy included. WHOIS protection is included with your domain. Two-factor authentication is available for all accounts.
- Easy domain transfer. Domain transfers are simple and start at $8.99 for .com URLs.
Reasons to avoid
- Web hosting not included. Despite offering a website builder and other site features, you’ll need to purchase hosting elsewhere.
6. GoDaddy
Best for custom privacy options
GoDaddy is the most well-known domain registrar in the world—but that doesn’t make it the best option.
GoDaddy is the most expensive of all of the domain registrars in the list, with high renewal fees and privacy features available only as add-ons. If you want to go with a big, well-known domain registrar, GoDaddy is a reasonable choice. But based on pricing alone, it’s not the best deal.
Price
Pricing for .com domains starts at $11.99 for the first year. Renewal costs aren’t listed on the website and can only be found in your account once you have registered a domain with GoDaddy.
Reasons to purchase
- Multiple add-on services and tools, some extensive. Website security, privacy protection, website builder, website hosting, email, and an online store builder are all available for extra cost.
- Easy domain transfer. Transferring starts at $7.99 for .com domains.
Reasons to avoid
- Expensive. GoDaddy has some of the highest renewal fees, and a pricing structure that’s less transparent than other options in this list.
- Privacy not included. WHOIS protection is not included with your domain. GoDaddy offers three levels of domain protection, all of which include WHOIS privacy. Pricing depends on your domain.
7. Bluehost
Best for starting your first website
Bluehost is one of the best domain registrars for beginner website builders. If you buy a website hosting plan, Bluehost will give you a free domain for your first year. It also sports an intuitive site builder and 24/7 domain support.
Price
.com domains cost $12.99 per year, which includes a 30-day money-back guarantee and free SSL certification (full list of domain pricing).
Reasons to purchase
- Hosting discount. If you decide to host with Bluehost, you pay $2.95/month and get a free domain for the first year.
- Useful additional features and add-ons. There’sdomain privacy and protection, a website builder, 24/7 domain support, domain lock, and auto-renewal for domains.
- Easy domain transfer. Transfers cost $12.99.
Reasons to avoid
- Privacy not included. WHOIS protection is not included in your basic plan.
8. DreamHost
Best for affordable and easy shared hosting
DreamHost is a good fit for corporate customers who want top-notch cloud hosting with their domain registration. DreamHost's web hosting offers unlimited data transfers per month, strong security features, and many domain management tools.
Price
.com domains start at $7.99 for the first year. Subsequent years you are charged the regular rate of $17.99 per year. That includes free SSL certification, free domain privacy, and free subdomains. Here’s a full list of Dreamhost’s domain pricing.
Reasons to purchase
- A full suite of tools and features. Professional email account add-on, website builder, website hosting, optional domain locking, free custom nameservers, free DNS management, free domain forwarding, 24/7 support.
- Privacy included. Free WHOIS privacy included with the domain purchase.
- Easy domain transfer. Transfers for .coms are $9.99.
Reasons to avoid
- Potential for complex installation. Depending on your website platform, there may be no automated DreamHost integration, making installation more complex.
9. Network Solutions
Best for long-term domain ownership
Network Solutions is a unique service because it gives you the option to lock down your domain for up to 100 years.
If you’re a small business owner, that can give you a lot of peace of mind. But one thing to note: However long you choose to lock down your website (be it 20 or 90 years), you do have to pay for those years upfront, and Network Solutions does not offer prorated refunds.
Price
Starts at $9.99 per year.
Reasons to purchase
- Extended menu of bundled and add-on services. Domain management, website builder, accept online payments, web hosting, email, SEO marketing tools, SSL certifications, trusted site seal, small business cyber security.
- Easy domain transfer. Move your domain for $9.99, plus a free one-year extension.
Reasons to avoid
- Privacy not included. WHOIS privacy is not included in your domain purchase.
10. Porkbun
Best for unique domain extension deals
Porkbun has over 500 different domain name extensions to choose from. Select popular domain extensions like .com and .org, or go for a unique address such as .cooking, .monster, or .asia. The interface is easy to navigate, and you can buy and renew domains in one convenient place.
Price
Registration and renewal of a .com domain is $9.13. Porkbun offers a comprehensive list of all TDL prices.
Reasons to purchase
- Bundled and add-on services. Web hosting, email hosting, website builder, marketplace, static hosting, link, WordPress hosting, cPanel.
- Privacy included with most domains. WHOIS privacy is included with the purchase of most TLDs. Here is a list of unsupported TLDs.
- Easy domain transfer. It costs $9.13 to move a .com domain.
Reasons to avoid
- Pricey hosting features. Porkbun’s web and email hosting plans can be more expensive than other options on this list.
How a domain registrar works
A domain name is a unique web address that allows people to easily find your site online. As you go through the process of choosing your domain name, you’ll also need to pick a place to register it. That’s where domain registrars come in. A domain registrar is the entity through which you purchase and set up your domain; it also assigns your URL to a unique IP address.
How to choose a domain registrar
You’ll want to vet the different domain registrars before you make a final decision. Here’s what to look for:
Initial prices and renewal pricing
Most domain registrars require you to pay one year at a time, or you can choose to pay for multiple years to get a discount. The price for your first year of registration is often lower than the rate for subsequent years. So, while a low year one rate might catch your eye, you’ll want to make sure that the subsequent renewal prices are both affordable and in line with those of other registrars.
Privacy options
When you register a domain, it’s associated with personal details like your name, address, and email. That information is recorded by WHOIS and managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Essentially, this means that anyone can look up who owns a domain and how to contact them by mail, phone, or email. Many domain owners choose to protect this personal information. You’ll want to make sure that any domain registrar you choose offers the option to hide that personal information if you don’t want it to be shared on the web.
Domain transfer
A domain transfer is when you move a domain from one registrar to another. This is a handy option if you find a lower renewal price elsewhere or decide down the line to go with another option. Check to see how much flexibility you’ll have if you choose to transfer your domain in the future.
Bundled and add-on services
Some domain registrars offer all-in-one packages that include website hosting, an email address, alternate top level domains (like .store, .biz, or .co), etc. These packages are often more affordable and make it easier to get your website up and running. Take a look at what bundles or add-ons a registrar offers so you can get a better deal or manage everything in one place.
Methodology
To find the top domain registrars, our writers took a careful look at each platform’s core features, value for money, popularity, additional services, and how simple they are to use.
Here are the aspects by which each registrar was judged:
Core features
Core platform features include the availability of unique domain extensions, WHOIS privacy protection, and bundled website and email hosting.
Pricing structure
Registrar pricing includes the initial cost for a domain name, plus renewal charges and any discounts for long-term customers.
Customer support
Because domain registration and website hosting can get complicated, the availability of support was considered. That includes online help pages and forums, live web chat, and a customer service phone line.
Other services and tools
Many domain registrar platforms offer additional tools for specific use cases (such as setting up an ecommerce store). The team considered extra features offered by the registrar, including domain locks, automatic renewals, website builders, and extra security.
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Domain registrar FAQ
Which is the best domain name registrar?
What registrar you use for your domain name registration will depend on the features you’re looking for and your price range. Check out the list above and choose the right one for you.
Does it matter which domain registrar I use?
Yes. If you want to build a website quickly, you’ll need to use a domain registrar that offers domain hosting and domains for purchase. Shopify offers business owners both.
What is the best way to buy a domain name?
Go to a domain registrar and use its search tool to find the domain names currently available. For example, if you’re looking to create an ecommerce website, you can quickly find a domain through Shopify and register it in minutes.