Best Domain Registrar In 2024

NameCheap is one of the best domain name registrars because it offers low registration prices for top-level domain names (TLD). The popular .com extension costs as low as £4.76 per year for your first term and renews at £11.60 per year (with discounts for multiple-year renewals). Other TLDs are a bit pricer: £9.53 for .net and .org, and £11.92 for .io.

Every domain registration gets free WHOIS privacy for as long as you use NameCheap as your registrar. NameCheap charges for a few extras, including DDoS protection and SSL certificates. It offers web hosting, VPNs, and email at a cost, also.

Who should use it:

NameCheap is an ideal domain registrar for anyone who needs domain names. Its free domain privacy, fair registration fees and low renewal costs are why NameCheap is one of the best domain registrars.

With IONOS’ compelling package, one can get more than just a domain name. It goes beyond the basics to offer a suite of features that accommodate your business needs. Notably, its inexpensive pricing for the first year of domain registration stands out, particularly for .com domains, which are known for their credibility and recognition. Its introductory pricing is just £1 for your first year. Or if you buy a hosting package, your first year is free.

If you get a hosting package, IONOS enhances the value proposition with additional inclusions such as a professional email address linked to your domain, wildcard SSL security for protecting your visitors and boosting your Google rank, the capacity to create up to 10,000 subdomains and a one-click activation process. All these are backed by round-the-clock customer support. The package stands out for its considerable offerings that cater to a holistic digital experience, not just domain registration.

Learn More: Read our full IONOS review.

Who Should Use It: 

Businesses seeking a comprehensive web hosting package with an emphasis on security and support.

Pricing for domains at Domain.com is a bit buried, but you can find a full list to make it easier for you to decide which extension is most affordable for you. The standard .com costs £8.72 ($10.99)* for the first year and renews at £15.85 ($19.99)* per year. Rather than get a discount for a longer term, you’re charged more: A .com domain costs £43.58 ($54.95)* for five years.

Domain.com charges extra for domain privacy and DDoS protection, but it bundles those features in one price (£7.13 ($8.99)* for the first year). You can get hosting, SSL certificates and email at an added cost. Other domains are a bit pricey at Domain.com: A .io extension costs £38.06 ($47.99)* the first year (£49.96 ($62.99)* renewal) and .shop is £1.58 ($1.99)* (£35.68 ($44.99)* for renewal).

Who should use it: 

You could do well with Domain.com for short-term website projects. You can only register a domain for five years at a time, and then you’ll be locked into a higher renewal cost.

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Google Domains is a straightforward domain registrar. Pricing is transparent and fair, and you can see how much you’ll pay before even going to your cart. Most popular extensions are £10 per year (.com, .net, .org, .us, .info), but .io is pricier at £49 per year. You get domain privacy for free, but there are no options for DDoS protection. In fact, the only other add-on is for Google’s Workspace suite. Also, Google Domains doesn’t offer nearly as many extensions as other registrars.

We like that Google Domains offers insights about your domain choice. For example, we chose a .com with the word “castle” in it, and Google Domains pointed out people might hear “kassel” and type it incorrectly. Registering a domain with Google Domains is simple and there are few upsells.

Who should use it: 

Google Domains is strictly a domain registrar (okay, email registrar, too), so this is best to use if you already know which web host you want to use.

The price for a .com domain with Dreamhost is £6.34 ($7.99)* per year for your first year, then £14.27 ($17.99)* per year upon renewal. Dreamhost is better known as a web host, so it’s no surprise to see an upsell in the checkout process to get hosting. However, if you have an existing web hosting plan with Dreamhost you may get additional discounts on domains.

Domain name privacy comes standard, keeping your personal information private. However, one downside compared to the other best domain name registrars is that there are no options to add on DDoS protection.

Who should use it:

Dreamhost offers low-cost domain registration for the first year, but renewals are pricey. However, it could be an attractive option if you also plan on using Dreamhost for your web hosting or for beginners who might need extra assistance from support.

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Hover is first and foremost a domain registrar, but it also offers email. If you choose Hover for your domain registration, you’ll have to find a separate web host. Hover’s pricing is slightly above average for the industry, but it does offer free domain privacy. A .com extension costs £11.89 ($14.99)*, £11.10 ($13.99)* for a .org, £13.47 ($16.99)* for a .net and £27.75 ($34.99)* for a .io. Renewal prices are the same.

Hover offers sales often on specific extensions, so you may be able to get a deal at regular prices. You can register a domain for up to 10 years, but there’s no discount for multiple years. Hover discounts bulk domain renewals, though. So, if you need multiple domains, you can save on 10 or more domains when you renew after the first year (discounts also apply to multi-year plans). For example, if you register 10 domains for two years each, the second year for each domain gets a discount.

Who should use it:

Hover is a great choice for anyone who needs multiple domains, thanks to its discount for bulk domains.

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GoDaddy is one of the first big names in domains, so there’s an expectation for it to be one of the best domain name registrars. Over the years, it’s become more than it once was—now it offers web hosting, email, marketing tools and a website builder. It’s a one-stop shop for web services.

Pricing is a bit expensive with GoDaddy, even though it offers deep first-year discounts. A .com costs £17.97‬ regularly, .net is £19.97‬, .org is £19.97 and .io is £59.99, all with the same renewal prices. When you search for a domain name, GoDaddy shows you the results along with insights about your choice. And then you get to the upsells—and there are a lot with GoDaddy.

Who should use it:

The best use case for GoDaddy is when you need an all-in-one domain registrar, web host and site builder. You’ll get a deep discount on your first term, but to make the best of it, you’ll have to commit to a long-term contract.

Bluehost is best known as a web host, but it also offers domain registration services. Pricing starts at £10.17 for .com (renews at $21.99 ), £14.87 for .net (renews at $19.99 ), £11.74 for .org (renews at $18.99 ) and £3.91 for .tech (renews at $69.99). Its pricing is average for the first term, but renewals are a bit more expensive.

You can get everything you need from Bluehost to get started with a website, but everything comes at an added cost, including domain privacy. The best deal you can get with Bluehost is as a bundle, but as a domain registrar, you’ll pay higher prices.

Who should use it: If you’re looking to start a website and you’re not sure what your plans are for it after the first year, getting a bundle from Bluehost is a good choice to get a free domain name for the first year.

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HostGator is primarily a web host that also offers domain registration. In fact, as a domain registrar, it focuses on TLDs, such as .com, .store, .biz and .org. HostGator doesn’t offer premium domain extensions, like .io.

Introductory pricing is on the high end – especially when it renews at £12.99 per year and does not include domain privacy. Meanwhile, providers such as Google Domains offer domains for £10 per year and the pricing does not increase upon renewal. It does, however, offer web hosting plans, which include a free domain name and costs as little as £2.59 per month.

Who should use it:

If you plan on sticking to the most popular domain name extensions and you need a web host, HostGator could be a good pick for you, but it is a bit expensive.

Network Solutions has an advantage in the domain registrar industry because it’s a pioneer – it’s been around for more than 25 years. Perhaps that’s why its prices are so high. Single-year registration of a .com domain is £19.83 ($25)*, and it renews at £30.13 ($37.99)* per year. It isn’t just the .com extension that’s pricey. A .net and .org are also £19.83 ($25)* per year, and a .io is £63.44 ($79.99)* per year.

You’ll have to pay extra for any addons at Network Solutions. You can have access to hosting, SSL certificates, email and marketing tools, all at added costs. One of the most frustrating things is that Network Solutions may offer a promotional service that’s free for the first month, and in the fine print is the cost you’ll pay after that. If you don’t remove it from your cart, you’re stuck paying extra fees.

Who should use it:

You might want to choose Network Solutions if its longevity seems like insurance for your domain. It offers 100-year domain registration plans, and it’s the longest-living registrar, so unlikely to go out of business.

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BuyDomains is a unique type of domain registrar. It’s more like an auction site for former domains that have a high value. So, if you search for a domain name that’s available on other domain registrars, it won’t show up on BuyDomains, but similar domains that are for sale will. For example, we searched for “ghostlycastle.com” and a list of domains for sale popped up, including “castleonline.com” for £4,035.14 ($5,088)*.

For domain privacy and renewal, you’ll have to transfer your domain to a typical domain registrar after buying the one you want from BuyDomains.

Who should use it: BuyDomains is a great place to buy a domain if you’re looking for a premium name that was previously registered. You can find some good deals and excellent domain names for businesses.

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