Best and Affordable Domain Registrars
Domain registration is key step to mark online presence by creating your blog or website, and you would be eager to quickly complete this step. Hang on! Are you looking for affordable and best domain registrars, but don’t know how to choose best one?
Domain registration is very easy task, but finding cheap and best domain registrar is bit challenging job. If you are going thru domain registration process first time, then you may get easily confused with the variety of pricing and add-ons options offered by different registrars. All registrars follow different strategy to sell their services. Some of them offer domain registration at low price for first year, but ask higher renewal fee. Some offers registration at lower price and charge additional fee for add-ons.
Now days some web hosting companies also offer free domain registration (for the first year) along with purchase of their hosting plan. As it looks great offer, many people tend to go for domain registration and hosting with the same company. But you may end up paying significantly higher domain renewal fee.
Finding domain registrars and comparing their offers is time consuming job and certainly needs some degree of knowledge to evaluate pricing strategy, other services offered and level of support provided. However, time spent on good research will save you great amount of money on domain registration fee and renewal fee.
If you don’t have time and expertise, No worries! Just read thru this article and it will certainly make your job easy. You will find complete information about cheap and best domain registrar, and comparison of their offers. You will also find our recommendation and important tips to choose Domain name register.
Table of Contents
List of Best Domain Registrars
NameSilo (Namesilo.com)
Namesilo is one of the cheapest domain registrar who is managing registration of more than 3 million active domains. It is known as one the largest domain registrar.
Buying a domain at NameSilo is very simple process. You can get registration of most popular .COM domain at $10.95 only and renew at the same price. No catch like register at lowest price and end up paying higher renewal price. Bulk domain registration can get you additional discount. You can get some discount if you buy domains in bulk.
You can buy other TLDs and cc-TLDs for different registration and renewal fee.
Add-ons / features offered FREE :
- Free WHOIS Privacy Forever: When people makes Whois search on your domain, WHOIS privacy keeps people from seeing your personal detail e.g. name, address, email and phone number.
- Domain Defender Protection: Additional level of security is added to your account and protection of your domains.
- Domain Forwarding: Using this option, you can forward visitors who enter your domain name in their browser to the web address you provide.
- Easy DNS Management tools: Enables you to add, delete, and modify the DNS resource records associated with your domain
- Free Email forwarding: This feature will help you to create personalized email address for your domain (e.g. myemail@mydomainnameexample.com) , and forward emails sent on it to different email address you specify. As this is virtual email address, you can’t send outgoing email using it i.e. myemail@mdomainnameexample.com).
It also offers free 2-factor authentication and advanced account security. It provides 30 days grace period to renew your domain (TLDs) at regular price. NameSilo provides Live Chat support, in case you need any help.
Additional Services can be availed with NameSilo : Web Hosting, SSL Certificate, Email Service
Checkout promotional offers. You can avail additional discount by using this Pricing Page link / coupon.
NameCheap (Namecheap.com)
Namecheap is domain registrar and technology company founded in 2000. It managing over 10 million domains, and regarded as one of the top domain registrar and web hosting provider company.
Domain registration fee for most popular .COM domain is $13.98 and renewal fee is $14.58. You can buy other TLDs and cc-TLDs for different registration and renewal price. They often run promotional offers.
Other add-ons offered :
- Free WhoisGaurd privacy protection: Help to prevent other people from viewing your name, address, email and phone number, during their search about your domain on Whois record.
- Free Email Forwarding: This feature will help you to create personalized email address for your domain (e.g. myemail@mydomainnameexample.com) , and forward emails sent on it to different email address you specify. You can’t send outgoing email using this virtual email address. However you will get option to go for full-fledged free Email trial for 2 months, and can continue as paid service later on.
- It also offers free 2-factor authentication to access your account.
- It provides 30 days grace period to renew your domain (TLDs) at same price as renewal.
Additional Services Offered by Namecheap : Web Hosting (Shared, VPS, Worpress), Email Hosting, SSL Certificate
Namecheap provides 24×7 Live Chat support option.
Bluehost (bluehost.com)
Blue host is leading webhosting solution company founded in 2003. It offers various domain registrations plan and variety of affordable domain hosting solutions. You can get most popular .COM domain registered for $12.99. You can opt for other TLDs and cc-TLDs for different registration and renewal price. Note: Bluehost doesn’t offer all cc-TLDs e.g. .uk, .ca, .in, .nl, etc…
Other add-ons offered by Bluehost:
- Easy management: Enables you to manage your domain and all of its aspects from an easy-to-use control panel. Change DNS records easily across multiple domains.
- Domain Lock: You can lockdown to prevent unauthorized transfer of your domain.
- Domain Forwarding: Using this option, you can forward visitors who enter your domain name in their browser to the web address you provide.
- Domain Privacy + Protection: Your personal information (name, address, email and phone number ) will not be available in public WHOIS database. You can buy this add-on for $11.88 / year.
Bluehost offers best competitive hosting plans, and along with purchase of their web hosting plan, you can get FREE domain registered for 1st year and renew it at regular rate. If you are looking for option for Domain Registration + Hosting with same company, Bluehost is the perfect choice to go for and save significant money for the first year.
You can opt for additional services from Bluehost i.e. Web Hosting (Shared, VPS, Dedicated, and WordPress hosting), Additional
Buehost provides 24×7 Chat support and 10am-10pm Phone support.
Domain.com (www.domain.com)
Domain.com founded in 1998 and offers a variety of service. It is supporting 2 millions + websites. It offers affordable domain names, web hosting, SSL certificates, web design, Email, and online marketing services. You can register most popular .COM domain for $10.99 and renew it also at the same price. You can opt for domain expiry protection at additional cost of $8.99/year, which will give automatic 1-year extension if your renewal payment fails. Domain.com offers registration of domain with variety of extensions (TLDs) at different prices.
You can avail other services/tools by paying additional price i.e. SSL certificate, G Suit by Google cloud for building professional email, Web hosting, Website builder, Domain.com offers 24/7 LiveChat and Call in supports.
Hostinger (Hostinger.com)
Hostinger was started in 2004. It offers great Web hosting and Domain registration plans. It serves 29 million customers in 178 countries.
Popular .COM domain is available for $9.99 for first year and renew it at $14.99/year. Free WHOIS privacy protection is included with eligible domain registration.
You can get free domain for first year and renew at regular price, if you go for their specific hosting plans. It offers 30-day money-back guarantee for hosting plans.
Hostinger offers additional services i.e. Web Hosting (Shared, VPS, Could, and WordPress hosting), Website builder, Email hosting and Marketing service.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the largest domain registrar. Domain registration fee for most popular .COM domain is $6+ and renewal fee is $16+.
You can avail following PAID optional add-ons
- Free Domain Privacy
- 24/7 phone and Chat support
You may get some good discount if you by domains in bulk.
Additional Services offered by GoDddy : Web Hosting (Shared, VPS, WordPress hosting), Email service, SSL certificate. GoDaddy offers 24/7 LiveChat and Call in supports.
Name.com
You can get popular .COM domain registered for ~ $12 and renew it for ~ $18/year. They offer registration of other TLDs and cc-TLDs at different price.
Your domain will include following features for FREE.
- URL and email forwarding
- Two-Step Verification
- DNS management
Suggested Read: Buying Domain: The Ultimate Guide | Everything You Need to Know
9 facts to watch out before choosing Right Domain Registrar
- Registration price and renewal price: This is the most important item to check for, before selecting domain registrar. First you should check for domain name prices and its renewal price as well. Don’t fall for marketing strategy of offering lower registration price for just 1st year and significantly higher renewal price.
- Registration Period: Generally you should get domain register for a minimum 1 year. Check overall cost of ownership if commitment for higher registration period is asked. You may end up paying more due to higher renewal price for domain and/or other add-ons. Best choice it to register domain for 1 year and accept auto-renewal option. If you don’t accept auto-renewal option, make sure you renew domain before it’s expiry date.
- Additional Service: Consider whether the registrar offers additional services like email hosting, website builders, SSL certificates, or privacy protection. These services can be beneficial for managing your online presence effectively.
- Domain expiration policy and Grace Period offered: Ideally go for the domain registrar who provides some grace period after expiry date. This option is a safeguard for you to renew your domain after expiry date, before your domain is deleted and made available to public to grab it. Some domain registrars don’t offer the expiration grace period and delete your domain on expiry date. Best way to avoid any mishaps is to set auto-renewal option on, but this grace period will be additional guard if auto-renewal option is failed due to any reason e.g. expiry of the Credit card or payment option selected for auto-renewal, failure of payment during auto-renewal process.
- Add-on features and hidden fees: Generally all domain registrar offers most of add-on services e.g. Whois privacy, Transfer lock, SSL certificate, Web hosting, Website builder, Email service, Marketing service etc… Some registrar throw few add-ons feature for free if you register domain with them, while others charge fee for it. They try to upsell these add-ons during domain registration process. Watch and uncheck un-necessary paid add-ons, and also watch for hidden fees before checkout for payment.
- Domain Transfer Fees : You need to pay a fee to current domain registrar to get your domain transferred to other domain registrar. Check for some hidden charges along with transfer fees.
- TLDs offered : Check if domain registrar offer specific TLD. Not all domain registrars offer for all TLDs (gTLD – Generic top level domains and ccTLD – country-code top level domains). For e.g. Bluehost has great combo offer of Domain registration + Web hosting, but it doesn’t offer all ccTLDs e.g. .uk, .nl, .ca, .in, etc…
- Customer support: This is very important aspect to check for. Different registrar offer different way of support e.g. Call-in support, Live chat support, FAQs on their website, and ticket based support. There might be restriction on support timing for particular type of support. E.g. 10:00am to 10:00pm call support. Best to look for domain registrar who provides 24×7 Live Chat support or call support. You should check on internet, for their customers experience about service of particular domain registrar.
- Customer Reviews and Reputation: Research customer reviews and assess the registrar’s reputation in the industry. Genuine feedback from users can provide insights into the registrar’s reliability and service quality.
Our Recommendations
Our first choice is NameSilo, as it is cheap and reliable domain registrar. Their domain registration and renewal price ($10.95) is among lowest. It also offers FREE Whois privacy, Domain defender, Domain forwarding and email forwarding add-ons.
Suggesting to think of Dynadot and Namecheap as second option.
If you want to buy domain and hosting from the same provider, then Bluehost should be your first choice. It offers competitive hosting plans and offers FREE domain registration for first year. It is great choice to save significant money for the first year.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I transfer my domain to another registrar?
Yes, domain transfer is possible. Most registrars provide a domain transfer process that allows you to move your domain from one registrar to another. However, certain conditions and fees may apply, so it’s important to review the specific transfer policy of your registrar.
How do I transfer my domain to a different registrar?
To transfer your domain to a different registrar, follow these steps:
- Unlock your domain at the current registrar.
- Request an authorization code or EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) code.
- Initiate the domain transfer process with the new registrar.
- Provide the authorization code during the transfer process.
- Pay any applicable transfer fees.
- Wait for the transfer to complete, which usually takes a few days.
Can I register a domain for free?
While some web hosting providers may offer free domain registration as part of a hosting package, registering a domain entirely for free is rare. Typically, you will need to pay a registration fee to secure a domain name.
Can I transfer my domain to another person?
Yes, you can transfer ownership of a domain to another person or entity. The process typically involves unlocking the domain, obtaining an authorization code, and initiating the transfer with the new owner’s registrar. Certain requirements and fees may apply.
How can I renew my domain registration?
To renew your domain registration, log in to your registrar’s account, navigate to the domain management section, and locate the renewal option. Follow the prompts to complete the renewal process and make the necessary payment. It’s important to renew your domain before it expires to avoid any potential disruption in service.
Related Articles