5 Best Domain Registrars 2021
One of the things you should first consider when building your website is registering your domain name. Because the domain name can be snatched at any time. There are over 350 million domain names now, and that number grows by millions each year. That means you need to get your domain name registered before someone else does.
Start your research from here by having a look at our analysis of some of the top domain registrar of 2021 which offers great service and additional features to keep their users satisfied. Below is the review consisting of the features, pricing, and other details about the top domain registrars of 2021.
What is a Domain Registrar?
A domain name registrar, sometimes called a DNS registrar, is a business that handles the registration of domain names as well as the assignment of IP addresses for those domain names. Domain names make it easier to access websites without having to memorize and enter numeric IP addresses.
Instead of typing those long and complex strings of numbers, visitors can simply type in your domain name, and they are directed to your website. For example, google.com instead of 192.168.1.1.
What Does a Domain Registrar do?
All domain registrars offer the registration of domains as a service. The domains are stored in a central registry database.
A domain name can only work when it has been added to that database. And only domain registrars accredited by ICANN can make changes to the database.
When you purchase a domain name from a domain registrar, your domain name is added to the database with other information. You can make changes to this information using the tools provided by your domain registrar.
How to Choose a Domain Registrar?
Registration isn’t difficult, but first you must choose from the hundreds of companies competing for your business, and there are several things for you to consider before choosing the registrar.
- Pricing Structures and Renewal Rates.
- Registration Period.
- Domain Transfers.
- Domain Expiration.
- Privacy (WHOIS).
- Add-on Services.
- Domain Management.
- Available Domain Names.
The most important factors are price, renewal rates, domain transfers and domain expiration. For example, some domain registrars may offer low prices upfront for the first year registration, but their renewal cost can be different and even higher.
Some domain registrars do more than registering domain names. They also offer other web services including Shared Hosting at competitive prices.
Our Top 5 Favorite Domain Registrar:
| Domain Registrar: | Starts at: | Recommended For: |
|---|---|---|
| Domain.com | $2.99/year | Competitive pricing & Top-level domain management tools |
| GoDaddy.com | $2.99/year | Solid brand & Great telephone support |
| Namecheap.com | $2.19/year | Affordable domain registration & 24/7 live chat support |
| NameSilo.com | $2.19/year | Competitive pricing & Lots of add-ons |
| Dynadot.com | $0.99/year | Domain auctions & Lots of add-ons and upgrades |
1. Domain.com
They’re a well-known player in the market and have been around since 1998. Over the years, they have built an impressive base of over 1.7 million websites and domains hosted under their roof. Their domain search module is really easy to use, which makes picking domains a breeze. Domain.com offers not only domain names but also web hosting, email hosting, SSL certificates, and even web design and online marketing services.
You can choose to buy your domain name just for one year or for multiple (up to five) years upfront. Support is more than adequate with 24/7 chat, email and phone support. One drawback: Domain.com charges $8.99/year for privacy and protection.
Domain.com may not have the cheapest prices but it provides a very balanced offering and is a great option for domain transfers as well.
Domain.com pricing (new domain for the first year)
| .com | .org | .net |
|---|---|---|
| $9.99 | $8.99 | $12.99 |
Upgrades and extra costs:
- WHOIS privacy: $8.99/year
- Website builder tool: from $1.99 to $12.99/month
- Web hosting: from $1.99 to $13.75/month
- Premium SSL certificate by Comodo: from $3.33 to $25/month
- SiteLock security: from $1.99 to $24.99 /month
- ICANN fee: $0.18/year
2. GoDaddy.com
GoDaddy is the biggest domain registrar among all accredited companies, currently being home to more than 77 million domain names. This is nearly 18% of the domain name market as a whole. In GoDaddy’s offer, you’ll find not only domain names but also web hosting, email hosting, website building tools, WordPress hosting, website security services, and more.
GoDaddy also offers free WHOIS privacy protection. This protects your information and prevents spammers from accessing your contact information. The domain management interface is easy to use, even for beginners. It allows you to change name services, update contact information, transfer domain and change their domain settings.
Another standout tool they offer is their bulk domain search tool. With just a few clicks you’ll be able to check the availability of up to 500 domain names and purchase all the ones available to you.
GoDaddy.com pricing (new domain for the first year)
| .com | .org | .net |
|---|---|---|
| $11.99 | $9.99 | $14.99 |
Upgrades and extra costs:
- Full domain privacy and protection: $9.99/year (includes protection against malicious transfers and domain hijacking)
- Ultimate domain protection and security: $14.99/year (includes everything above, plus automatic malware scans and security monitoring)
- Email hosting: from $1.99 to $8.99/month
- DNSSEC: from $2.99/month
- ICANN fee: $0.18/year
3. Namecheap.com
Namecheap is the most competitive domain registrar when it comes to price. Some of their domains cost less than a pound. Their website is easy to use and perfect for searching for individual domains. You can also search in batches.
One nice thing about NameCheap is that they offer free whois privacy with all their domain names. Furthermore, you can take advantage of other services such as email hosting, web hosting, and WordPress hosting. All of these can be accessed from the interface. The domain management interface is simple, but it is not as beginner-friendly as GoDaddy’s.
During checkout, you can choose to buy your domain name for anything from one to even ten years. You have the option of choosing to have the domain auto-renew, too.
Namecheap.com pricing (new domain for the first year)
| .com | .org | .net |
|---|---|---|
| $8.88 | $9.18 | $10.78 |
Upgrades and extra costs:
- WHOIS privacy: Free
- Premium DNS: $4.88/year
- Web hosting: from $8.88/month
- Namecheap VPN: free trial, then from $0.83/month afterward
- Email hosting: free trial, then from $0.74/month afterward
- Premium SSL certificate: $3.88/year
- ICANN fee: $0.18/year
4. NameSilo.com
NameSilo was established in 2009, and, since then, they have managed to grow to over 3 million domains hosted.
NameSilo is popular for its competitive pricing. This is especially true when you purchase domains in bulk. In fact, their lowest rates clock in at $8.39 per domain per year if you purchase 5,000+ domains. That’s easily the lowest rates out there for domains.
Furthermore, there are a lot of free features thrown in when you purchase a domain. These are WHOIS privacy protection, e-mail forwarding, Custom WHOIS records, domain defender protection and DNS management. NameSilo also offers many other services, including web hosting, website builders, premium SSL, and DNS.
NameSilo.com pricing (new domain for the first year)
| .com | .org | .net |
|---|---|---|
| $8.99 | $10.79 | $11.79 |
Upgrades and extra costs:
- WHOIS privacy: Free
- Premium DNS: $9/year (includes protection against DDoS attacks, DNS caching)
- Premium SSL certificate: $9.59/year
- Website hosting: from $2.99/month
5. Dynadot.com
Dynadot is one of the more boutique-style companies on this list. It’s based in California and was founded in 2002. Since then, Dynadot has grown to have a presence in 108 countries and house more than 2 million domains.
Dynadot provides an all-in-one approach with complementary products. You can bundle your domain, website builder, hosting, and email and do it all from their platform.
If you are in the market for already taken or expired domains, you can get results from Dynadot’s Marketplace – a place where customers sell their domains to others. You can then make an order to buy that domain if it isn’t renewed through the ‘Backorder’ option.
Dynadot.com pricing (new domain for the first year)
| .com | .org | .net |
|---|---|---|
| $8.99 | $8.99 | $5.99 |
There are no upgrades available in the shopping cart, but you can add more services through the main website:
- WHOIS privacy: Free
- VPS hosting: $10/month
- Email hosting: $15.99/year
- Premium SSL certificate: from $16.99/year
- Website builder tool: from $10 to $100/year
Final Thoughts
There are literally hundreds of other domain registrars and resellers in the market that we have not included in the list including Network solutions, Google Domains, Tucows, 1&1 Ionos, etc. The reason is because they all primarily offer the same services, and we want to make it easy for our users to pick the best and most secure domain registrar.
We hope this article helped you learn how to choose the best domain registrar for your business. You may also want to see our guide on how to find good freelance website designers and how to get a business phone number for your website.