GoDaddy vs. Google Domains vs. Namecheap vs. Cloudflare: Which Domain Name Registrar to Choose?

What is a Domain Registrar?

A domain registrar is a company that manages and brokers the sale of unique domain names on the internet. To sell domains, the company must be accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assign Names and Numbers (ICANN) or a country code top-level domain. Some of the most common generic top-level domain (gTLD) extensions are .com, .net, .org, and .info. A few examples of country code top-level domains (ccTLD) include .de, .uk, .fr.

Overview of GoDaddy, Google Domains, Namecheap and Cloudflare

GoDaddy

GoDaddy is established in 1996 and it's based in Tempe, Arizona, USA. It is one of the oldest and most popular domain registration company and also is the biggest ICANN accredited domain registrar  with over 20+ million customers, 80+ domains under their management, and 7000 employees worldwide. GoDaddy offers a wide variety of popular domain name extensions to choose from. Its prices are highly competitive, and you can get a significant discount on the first year of your domain’s registration,  but its renewal price is higher than competitors.

GoDaddy has a powerful easy to use domain management interface which allows you to transfer your domain name, change name servers, update contact information, manage bulk domain renewals, and customize various other domain settings. It also has a suite of other web services including email hosting, website builder, SSL, web hosting, digital marketing services, and more. Support wise Godaddy provides a powerful community, tutorials, in-depth knowledge base and 24/7 phone support & chat support. Overall it’s the biggest domain registrar I have used and provides a lot of services but you need to careful about hidden charges, up-sells, and renewal prices.

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Google Domains

Google Domains is Google’s domain registration service. The service was launched in beta in 2014. The service is Google’s complement to their Google My Business service and their revamped Google Sites Website Builder.  Integrating with your existing Google account, Google Domains offers you access to over 300 domain endings with extra tools to make designing your website a breeze once you purchase and register your new domain. However, unlike a lot of other popular domain registrars, Google Domains does not offer any type of hosting. Once you purchase your domain, your options from web hosting will come from other providers, such as Wix, Weebly, Shopify, and Blogger.

There are several tools that come included, such as email forwarding, extra privacy protection, and one-click DNSSEC with Google's 2-Step Verification. Plus, Google Workspace is built-in with up to 100 email aliases and convenient access to Google Ads.Needless to say, Google did not start as a domain registrar. And I’m pretty sure that very few people at Google even know that they offer domain registration. However, like Google’s other products, Google Domain has Google’s resources behind it along with all the convenience that comes with being a Google product.  It’s super-convenient and easier than any of the easiest domain registrars because you likely don't even need a new account.

Namecheap

Namecheap is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar founded in 2000. It is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, USA. Namecheap started its business as a domain name registrar focused on price (as in…”cheap names”). It has a powerful domain search tool that helps you find the right domain name and makes suggestions when your preferred domain name is not available. It also allows for domain transfers if your domain name is registered somewhere else. And Namecheap won’t take more than 30 minutes to transfer your domain automatically. Plus, it provides a free DNS with your domain during the time of domain transfer. After the transfer, FreeDNS will automatically switch to its default new server. Not only this, but you can also transfer any expired domain name you want.

Namecheap also offer domain add-on services like domain privacy and premium DNS. One nice thing about NameCheap is that they offer free whois privacy with all their domain names.Additionally, Namecheap also provides website hosting services, WordPress hosting, security products, business email hosting, etc. It covers all web hosting services like shared, VPS, Managed Wordpress, dedicated, and more. It also claims to provide zero downtime and lifetime free WhoisGuard privacy protection. You also get free DNSSEC security to protect your site from fraud and a business email for 2-months.

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Cloudflare

Cloudflare is not primarily an ICANN accredited domain provider, but it’s a DNS service and content delivery network (CDN). Cloudflare is well known for its free DNS management service for all domains under your account. It’s founded in 2009 and it’s based in San Francisco, California, USA. Cloudflare is also rather accessible, seeing as how you can integrate the service with many hosts and plugins, especially through WordPress. Cloudflare is known as a socially responsible, transparent company with a background in providing faster websites for free (also as premium plans). However, Cloudflare is now getting into the domain registrar business. It has an early access program for current users. The program is being rolled out in waves, mainly depending on how long you’ve been a Cloudflare customer.

If you’re not a customer of Cloudflare, you can sign up and reserve a place in line. Assuming that after the trial period you will start seeing a sales page and a domain name search module on Cloudflare’s website. Based on the current landing page, Cloudflare plans on offering affordable domain names without any middleman upcharges. You’ll also receive many security features, Cloudflare integrations, and bulk domain transfers.

GoDaddy vs. Google Domains vs. Namecheap vs. Cloudflare: Full Comparison

Price

GoDaddy has been much maligned for their unpopular pricing practices with its domains. Starting at $0.99 in the first year and rising to an astronomical (relatively) 17.99 in subsequent years.

The price of  Google Domains is not the most expensive, but certainly not the cheapest, it remains firmly in the middle here, as .coms will cost around $12 (still, a fairly low price for Google.com). The only real advantage here is that there are no upsells for additional products. What you see is what you get. No hassle.

The first year price offered by Namecheap is still among the best in the business, with .com domains going for just over $9 with ICANN fees. And yes, in the second year, you can expect a somewhat higher rate of just over $10, but not enough to break the bank. But aside from a bit of bait and switch, the pricing is quite good.

Even compared to Namecheap, the plans are crazy cheap. Cloudflare does not rely on its domain registrar service with all of their other services, so they can afford 0% markup on domains. Plans start at $8. Cloudflare also offers free SSL which puts them over the top in the price department.

Privacy

The private Whois registration of GoDaddy is available for a cost, but if you not bundling this with the service has caused many domain owners to find themselves spammed with contacts. So Whois privacy is a must, and shouldn’t cost extra. Google Domains bundles private registration with their domains for free, that very good. Cloudflare and Namecheap takes privacy seriously. They offer Whois redaction for all of their registered domains.

Security

GoDaddy will offer DNSSEC with a Premium DNS account. While it’s nice that it’s offered, it would be even better if DNS did not require an account upgrade. Naturally GoDaddy offers two-factor authentication and domain locking by default. I find GoDaddy to be pretty secure.

Google’s security features are always fairly strong. You get two-factor authentication and DNSSEC as with the others. The only downside is that you will need to go elsewhere for SSL.

Namecheap offers two-factor authentication as well as DNSSEC for a fee. Namecheap offers many SSL packages at a yearly rate, with certificates ranging from single domain to multiple domain and wildcard.

Cloudflare’s security options are also top-notch. Domain registration is locked by default, protecting unauthorized transfers to another domain registrar. Like Namecheap, two-factor authentication can be enabled, and additionally, DNSSEC is automatically enabled.

Extras

You really can't find any fault with GoDaddy's extras. Despite the upsells, GoDaddy offers a ton of integrations, as well as 24/7 phone support. The interface is also clean and easy to use.

Google Domains integrates with sponsored hosting companies for users who like to seamlessly connect to their hosting provider without much headache. It also has an incredibly simple interface for access to features. G Suite also comes with 24/7 Live support.

Namecheap offers 24/7 live support, but falters when it comes to telephone support, where there is none. Also, the live chat tends to be very scripted, and if you need personalized service you will be out of luck. The UI is pretty good, and it’s easy to locate, acquire and manage your domains on their website.

The management tools are very simple and intuitive, so that’s a plus. Support is a mixed bag. There is no phone support for all but Enterprise members, and while the community feature is helpful, sometimes it’s better to get someone on the phone.

Verdict: GoDaddy vs. Google Domains vs. Namecheap vs. Cloudflare: Which Domain Name Registrar to Choose?

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