- Where's the best place to buy a domain name?
In today's comparison, I'll show you why it's important
to pick a good domain registrar, where to buy a domain name,
and what to look for before making your purchase.
This video is sponsored by Warby Parker,
where you can get stylish, affordable prescription glasses
starting at just $95.
More on that later.
So why is the domain registrar you pick important?
After all, a domain is a domain
and they're the same everywhere, right?
And that's correct.
The domain itself is gonna be the same
no matter where you buy it,
but there's a couple things you need to look out for
when picking a domain registrar.
Things like the UI.
How is the management panel? Is it easy to use?
Is it easy for you to connect your domain to your website?
What is the customer service like?
What is the ecosystem like?
What do they offer as far as web hosting and email hosting
if you're planning on buying all those things
from the same place?
And lastly, what is the price for domain names?
Is it reasonable? Is it affordable?
So GoDaddy is a popular place to buy domain names,
and that's because everyone's heard of them.
They spend a lot of money on marketing.
And if you go to your computer and Google
where to buy a domain name,
chances are, GoDaddy comes up as the top result,
but does that mean you should buy a domain from them?
I honestly see GoDaddy like a car dealership
and not the one you wanna do business with.
First of all, their base prices are already expensive.
GoDaddy charges $19.99 a year to renew a .com domain,
making them the most expensive registrar on this list.
And on top of that,
GoDaddy is constantly trying to sell you overpriced add-ons
and stuff that you probably don't need.
Now, GoDaddy finally includes free WHOIS protection,
which means that they won't leak your private information
without you having to pay a fee every year.
But they are still trying to upsell you
this privacy protection plan.
What does this do?
Well, they say it prevents your domain
from getting stolen by hackers
by requiring two-factor authentication
to make changes to your domain name.
And I'm like, wait a second.
Why would somebody pay yearly for this?
GoDaddy already lets you set
two-factor authentication on your account for free,
so I don't quite understand the differences.
I really think they're selling some snake oil here.
It's definitely not worth buying,
but so many people fall for it.
And that's really the gist of GoDaddy here.
They really push hard to sell you stuff you don't need.
Look, I made a test purchase
and I put this 99 cent domain name in my cart.
And what happened?
Somehow my cart total ended up at over $200.
They put the domain name
in my cart for five years of registration
and added five years of domain protection.
And that 99 cent domain that I clicked add to cart on
was a $200 total.
I mean, what on earth?
Perhaps the only unique benefit to GoDaddy
is that they offer phone support.
This is not something a lot of registrars offer.
So if you really would like
to be able to pick up the phone
and speak to a human about your domain name,
maybe GoDaddy is a good option,
but I would strongly caution you to consider other options.
I have a whole video on why you should stop using GoDaddy
that you can watch over here with a lot more details
on the things that bother me about their practices.
But in general, I do not recommend GoDaddy
and I would stay away from them.
Next up is Google Domains.
Google Domains is a simple, no nonsense domain registrar
offering .com domains for $12 a year.
They give you free WHOIS protection
and the only upselling they even offer
is a subscription to Google Workspace,
which is their custom email hosting.
The thing that I really appreciate about Google Domains
is its simplicity.
You can easily link your domain name
to Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, and other partners.
And when I say easily link it,
you don't have to worry
about changing the domain's name servers or managing DNS.
All those concepts that you typically have to deal with
at other domain registrars,
you do not have to deal with at Google Domains
as long as you're linking
to one of their preferred partners.
For example, you could just sign into your Wix.com account
at Google Domains and they do some magic
and boom, your domain name is linked to your Wix site
and you don't have to think about it ever again.
Google Domains is my top recommendation
for those who are using Squarespace, Wix, Shopify,
or another Google Domains partner
and you wanna save some money on your domain name.
Instead of paying $20 a year
to Squarespace or Wix for your domain,
buy it at Google Domains,
use their simple integration to link it with your account,
and then you're saving money.
You didn't have to go through any complicated DNS process
to link your domain
and you'll thank yourself later.
Next up is Namecheap.
Namecheap is a great one-stop shop
if you're looking for a domain registrar that can do it all.
If you wanna have your domain name,
web hosting, email hosting, and other products
all on the same website,
Namecheap is a great place to do that.
They offer .com domain names for about $14 a year.
And that is a bit on the pricier side,
but I think it's worth it to have that ecosystem
of quality products and services under one roof.
Namecheap does offer quite a bit
of upsells in the cart section,
but I think they're pretty tasteful about it.
And at least they're not adding five years
of a domain name to your cart
when you only ask to add one year.
Oh, and WHOIS protection is included.
They're never gonna try to sell you some privacy protection
or any shenanigans like that.
The Namecheap management panel is decent,
although I feel it could be a little bit simpler.
I think it's still a good match for beginners.
And again, the entire Namecheap system
is designed around you having multiple products with them.
This is where the management panel really thrives.
It's easy to get to your cPanel
and your inbox and your domain renewal
and everything right from the same screen.
Overall, Namecheap is a good starting place
for beginners who want it all.
If you want your WordPress website
and your custom email address and your domain name
to all be under one roof
and have one website you go to to renew your plans
at an affordable price, Namecheap is for you.
Let me tell you,
finding the right domain name for your business
is essential for people to see the vision of your company
when they look at your domain.
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Thanks to Warby Parker for sponsoring today's video.
And now let's take a look at the next domain registrar.
Now we're gonna take a look at Porkbun.
Porkbun is a low-cost no frills domain registrar
offering .com domains for $9.13 a year
with free WHOIS protection.
Porkbun has no aggressive upselling,
though they do offer web hosting and email hosting.
I personally wouldn't recommend these products.
I don't find that they're very high quality.
And if you want that stuff,
definitely stick with Namecheap.
Porkbun's management panel is a little bit scary.
It's not too much to deal with
if you just put your mind to it, read the options,
and find what you're looking for.
But I do wish that it was simpler and easier to understand
and I stare at it and go,
wow, that is a lot of switches and text on one screen.
What do I need to click to do what?
But overall,
I think you can use the Porkbun management panel
if you just put your mind to it.
Porkbun is primarily a good option
for those looking to save money on domain renewals.
Domains can start to add up.
If you have 5, 10, 15, or 20 domain names,
saving $4 or $5 a year on each domain becomes significant.
And I think that's who Porkbun is really meant for.
Porkbun does offer live chat and email support,
though it's not 24/7.
So if you ever run into an incident
like a domain suspension
that requires immediate attention,
unfortunately, you're gonna have to wait
a few hours to get help.
Porkbun is especially great
for anyone who has been using domain names for years
and you're comfortable with concepts
like changing name servers and managing DNS
and you're just looking to save some money
on domain renewals.
I've personally been transferring
a lot of my domain names to Porkbun
because I'm just interested in saving money these days,
as prices at other registrars
keep creeping up year over year.
The only cheaper registrar on my list is CloudFlare,
but they don't support every TLD.
Porkbun has all the TLDs I need,
and that's why I find myself using them most often.
Next up is Hover.
Hover reminds me a lot of Google Domains.
It's simple, straightforward,
and easy to connect your domain name
to services like Squarespace and Shopify.
A .com domain will cost you $16.17 a year,
which is a bit on the spendier side.
But Hover gives you that Google Domains experience
without it being owned by Google.
And I know that's important to some people.
I know there are some people out there
that try to avoid Google.
And I understand that.
So if you're saying,
I really like the appeal to Google Domains,
but I just wanna stay away from Google, Hover is for you.
Really, the main appeal to Hover is that simple integration.
It's the ability to easily link
with Squarespace, Shopify, and Etsy.
However, they are missing Wix integration,
which I think is a big short sight
because Wix is a very popular website builder.
For the most part, the point still stands true
that if you want the Google Domains experience
without the Google, Hover is a great option.
However, it becomes harder to recommend
as they've increased their prices over the years.
At $16 a year for a .com domain,
you're only saving about $4 a year
over just buying your domain straight
from Squarespace or Wix or Shopify.
And although you are saving money, that's $4 a year.
Is it really worth the hassle?
Not that it is much hassle, but is it worth the extra step?
Is it worth the extra login
and the extra renewal every year
instead of just buying your domain name
at your website builder?
I don't know, I think that's something
that only you can decide.
Overall, I am a fan of Hover.
I like what they're doing.
I just wish their prices were a little bit cheaper.
Next is Domain.com.
Now, Domain.com is like a slightly less horrible GoDaddy,
but they're still being compared to GoDaddy,
so that probably means you should stay away.
A .com domain will run you $15.99 a year.
And I know what you're thinking.
Wait a second, Christian, you were just saying
that you kind of liked Hover
and Hover charges $16.17 a year for a .com.
So what's the problem with Domain.com?
And hold on a second,
Domain.com is the only registrar on this list
that doesn't offer basic WHOIS protection for free.
Yes, that's right.
You will have to pay an additional $8.99 a year
just so that they won't publish
your personal information publicly in the WHOIS database.
This means the effective cost
of a .com domain is $24.98 a year.
Domain.com has the most obnoxious upselling screen
of any of the registrars on this list.
They have a whole dedicated page,
after you add a domain to your cart,
trying to sell you web hosting, email hosting,
SSL certificate, site log,
all this stuff that you probably don't need.
If you can manage to weed your way through the screen
without adding something extra to your cart,
you can click continue to cart,
but chances are they probably pulled a GoDaddy
and added that domain to your cart
for two or three years and included WHOIS protection
when you were just trying to add the one year of the domain
to your cart to begin with.
The management panel on Domain.com is decent
and they do offer free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt,
which I find really ironic
because this is one of those registrars
that is trying to sell you an overpriced SSL certificate.
But hey, at least if you're smart enough
to turn down the upsell,
they'll help you out and give you a free SSL certificate.
But overall, I do not recommend Domain.com.
I can't respect any registrar that is still charging
for basic WHOIS protection.
For that reason alone, I would stay away from Domain.com.
And finally, I'm taking a look at a registrar
new to my comparison videos
that I've never featured before, CloudFlare domains.
CloudFlare domains sells you domain names
at wholesale pricing.
In other words, they're not making a profit.
You can get a .com domain for $8.57 a year.
CloudFlare is able to make money
through their other enterprise products and services.
So their domain registrar is a passion project.
It's clear that it is a passion project though
because there are a lot of shortcomings.
First, several major TLDs like .co and .app,
just to name a few, are not available at CloudFlare domains.
Second, you have to use Cloudflare's DNS management system
in order to use CloudFlare domains.
I want to be clear here.
CloudFlare DNS management is free,
so it's not like you have to be a member
or subscribe or anything like that.
It is free to use.
However, if you're not already using CloudFlare DNS
for your domain name,
I would be cautious and understand
what CloudFlare is and what it does
before just jumping into it and buying your domain there.
I have videos about CloudFlare
that you can watch to get a better understanding,
but overall, just be cautious
and realize you cannot point a CloudFlare domain
to another name server.
You're stuck with CloudFlare DNS management.
So keep that in mind.
And lastly, CloudFlare domains has no live customer support.
There's no live chat, there's no phone support,
and there's no hand-holding resources that make it easy
if you're new to domain names.
It's really meant for advanced users
who are already using CloudFlare
and they're looking to save some money on domain renewals.
CloudFlare is basically an if you know, you know registrar.
If you're already aware of CloudFlare
and the services they provide
and you've heard of CloudFlare domains,
well, you should probably transfer your domains there.
You're gonna save a ton of money.
You're not gonna find cheaper domains anywhere else.
And I think you'll be happy.
But if you were just thinking
of trying CloudFlare domains because it's cheap,
I would probably recommend Porkbun instead.
It's just marginally more expensive,
but you have a lot more flexibility
over where your domain name can be pointed
and you also do have live support available.
Oh, and not to mention,
Porkbun offers basically every TLD you would want.
So overall, I'm a huge fan
of CloudFlare domains for advanced users.
We've looked at a lot of options
for where you can buy a domain name,
but I wanna sum it up into some categories.
The best overall domain registrar that I can recommend,
if you want everything under one roof,
you want your domain, your web hosting,
your email hosting,
all of your web products from the same website,
I would recommend Namecheap.
They don't have the cheapest prices for domain names,
so it only makes sense
if you do want everything under one roof,
but if that's the experience you're searching for,
I think Namecheap does it all pretty well
and you're gonna have a good experience there.
So what if you just wanna buy a domain name,
but you still want it to be simple?
For that, I would definitely recommend Google Domains.
You're saving money over buying your domain
from Squarespace or Wix or Shopify,
but it's easy to connect to those platforms.
And at just $12 a year for a .com domain,
you're saving some money over a site like Namecheap,
but you're still getting
an easy, smooth, reliable experience.
And I can't say enough good things
about how easy it is to use Google Domains.
Now, what if you're on a budget and you're saying,
Christian, cut the fluff.
I just want a cheap domain name. Where do I go?
And for that, I would highly recommend Porkbun.
Porkbun has very affordable pricing.
A .com domain is just $9 and some change.
And if you put your mind to it,
you'll be just fine navigating the management panel.
So if you're wanting to save some money
and you're willing to sacrifice
just a little bit of that simplicity
that a site like Google Domains would bring,
that's where I would highly recommend Porkbun.
And lastly, what if you say,
Christian, I'm an advanced domain user,
I've been using domains for years,
I'm comfortable with DNS,
where should I buy my domain?
And for that, I would say go to CloudFlare domains.
Getting a domain at wholesale pricing is just crazy.
You're literally not gonna find a cheaper renewal price
for your domain name.
So if you know what CloudFlare domains is,
if you're familiar with manual DNS management,
just make the switch.
You'll thank me later.
Now, I know what you're thinking,
Christian, where do you buy domain names?
And honestly, I buy them from everywhere.
That's because I'm constantly testing
different domain registrars for these comparison videos.
But if I had to pick my primary domain registrar,
the place where most of my domains are held, it's Porkbun.
These days, I've really valued
keeping the price low on my domain names,
as I have a lot of them.
And I've been really happy
with the service that Porkbun provides.
I used to say that Namecheap
was my personal favorite domain registrar
in past comparisons,
but due to their constant price increases,
it no longer makes sense
for me to hold most of my domains with them.
I still think it makes sense if you want
that all-in-one solution for web hosting
and everything under one roof,
but I don't use my domains that way.
I host my websites on different web hosts
and I'm always pointing them to different name servers.
So since I'm gonna be pointing them
out to somewhere else anyway,
Porkbun just makes a lot of sense for my use case.
And I'd love to know which domain registrar
is your favorite.
Drop a comment down below,
and huge thanks to Warby Parker
for sponsoring today's video.
Be sure to go to the link
in the description below to take your style quiz.
If you like this video,
do be sure to hit that subscribe button and click the bell
so you don't miss when I release new videos.
And with that said, I'll catch you guys next time.