Gregg Walker
One of the things you should first consider when building your website is registering your domain name. Notice we didn’t say ‘create your domain name.
Why?
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.
The 10 Best Domain Registrars
- Namecheap – Best overall domain registrar
- GoDaddy – Best for combining registration and hosting
- Domain.com – Best for no-frills domain purchases
- Name.com – Best for keeping your site secure
- Google Domains – Best for free security and privacy
- Hover – Best for a simple registration experience
- Bluehost – Best for free domain names with hosting
- Dynadot – Best for buying & selling existing domains
- NameSilo – Best for bulk domain name registration
- Network Solutions – Best for long term domain registration
You need a domain registrar to register your domain name. However, it is not that easy to pick a domain registrar at random. Making the wrong choice can lead to losing your domain in the future.
That is why you must ensure you’re using an accredited domain registrar. To ensure you’re on the right track, we’ve covered the following in this article:
Let’s get started, shall we?
What is a Domain Registrar?
A domain registrar is a company that allows you to buy and register domain names as a service. The company is accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
Using the internet without domains would be very hard. Visitors will have to type in long strings of numbers to visit your websites. Those numbers are called 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, www.mywebsite.com instead of 09:84354:3456:5675.
ICANN is the body responsible for managing domain names – they allow domain registrars to register and make domain names available for people.
What Does a Domain Registrar do?
All domain registrars offer the registration of domains as a service. The domains are stored in a centralised database called the registry.
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
Whether your domain name works or not depends on your domain registrar. That is why choosing the right domain name is essential. Plus, some domain registrars do more than registering domain names. They also offer other web services including WordPress Hosting at competitive prices.
That is why we’ve reviewed all the available registrars, checked out their features and ranked the top 10 best domain registrars of 2021. For our ranking, we focused on 8 essential factors. These are:
The most important factors are price, renewal rates, domain transfers and domain expiration. Some people have lost their domain names due to these factors.
We will help you avoid that experience by revealing the different plans in this domain registrar review. Scroll down to discover more detail of the Best Domain Registrars for UK citizens, and for additional advice on how to choose the best one for you!
Best Domain Registrar Reviews
Here are our top picks for the best domain registrars.
#1. Namecheap
Reasons to Buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Namecheap Features
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.
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.
All their domains come with free WHOIS privacy protection. There is also a 24/7 support team to handle your questions and queries. You can also take advantage of the low first-time offer by registering for up to ten years upfront.
Namecheap Pricing
You can choose to register a domain for a period between one to ten years. You can also turn on the auto-renewal feature. Note that you pay an extra ICANN annual fee of £0.13 for each registration or renewal. You can also get a free domain when you purchase their web hosting plan.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £6.42 | £5.05 | £6.64 | £7.94 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £9.39 | £6.93 | £10.83 | £10.83 |
#2. GoDaddy
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
GoDaddy Features
GoDaddy is arguably one of the best known and biggest domain registrars. They are popular for their eye-catching discounts and other mouth-watering offers. They offer a complete array of website-related services from web hosting, domain registration, email marketing, website building and lots more.
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. Plus, there are a lot of subdomains to choose from. So even if your preferred domain name is taken with a popular extension, you can still get it with a less known extension.
GoDaddy also offers free WHOIS privacy protection. This protects your information and prevents spammers from accessing your contact information. Furthermore, the domain registrar is known for its promotional offers and also has a good domain name generator tool too.
They offer as much as a 50% discount. You should know that the discounts apply only to the first year. You will pay the regular price during renewal. Their customer support system is also top tier. You can reach them whenever you have issues with any of their services.
GoDaddy Pricing
You can choose to buy only a domain or get it as a bundle with other services. You can also register a domain for more than one year.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £0.99 | £0.01 | £7.49 | £11.99 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £17.12 | £11.99 | £19.12 | £15.12 |
#3. Domain.com
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Domain.com Key Features
Domain.com has been in the business of registering domains for over a decade. They are one of the world’s biggest domain registrars. Besides that, they offer website builder and web hosting services with SSL certificates and Sitelock to protect from spam and malware.
Their domain search tool makes it easy to know if a domain name is available or not. Plus, you have access to all top-level domain name extensions and country code top-level domains (e.g. .co, .ca and .us)
On top of that, Domain.com provides high-quality domain management tools. These tools include free WHOIS, bulk registration, easy domain transfers, WHOIS privacy protection, private registration, email account, e-mail forwarding, and many other services.
You can take it a step further by purchasing web hosting if you like their service. This makes Domain.com a comprehensive domain registrar.
It is no surprise that Domain.com offers a sound support system since they have been in the business for a long time. You can access their support team via e-mail or live chat. You can also use their online guides.
Domain.com Pricing
Domain.com pricing comes in different tiers. The pricing for the first year is different from renewals. You can take advantage of the first-year low-price offer by registering for up to five years upfront.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £6.50 | £5.00 | £6.50 | £9.35 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £10.05 | £7.20 | £10.80 | £11.50 |
#4. Name.com
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Name.com Key Features
Name.com is popular for its quality service and philanthropic acts to organisations. We will focus on the service here.
The domain registrar offers free domain registration for those who purchase their web-hosting service from them. There are also many upgrades to choose from, such as SiteLock, Google Workplace and Branded URL.
Name.com offers WHOIS protection but only to selected domains. Plus, live chat support is restricted to specific business hours.
Name.com Pricing
You can choose to register a domain for a period between one to ten years
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £7.40 | £5.92 | £7.40 | £8.88 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £11.11 | £7.03 | £9.62 | £12.59 |
#5. Google Domains
Reasons to buy:
Free Addons:
Google Domains Key Features
The world of domain registrars is filled with marketing tricks, hidden catches and other complexities. Google domains take all of that away with its simple and straightforward domain registration process.
You will spot the difference from the homepage. There are no promotional offers or headline prices. The prices are offered at a flat rate, and the features are clearly listed out.
The website is straightforward to use. You can search for any domain name from the homepage. The results page lists the prices for nine common top-level domains. You can choose to see all available extensions in alphabetical order with a single click.
From the domain page, you will quickly realise that Google domains don’t offer some of the common domain extensions like .tv and .mobi.
On the upside, Google domains offer free WHOIS privacy protection for every registration. Plus, there is an excellent customer support system. A help link shows answers to common problems. You can also talk to a support agent via live chat, e-mail or telephone.
Google Domains Pricing
There’s only one upgrade from Google Domains – their Google Workspace email service, which starts from $6/user/month. Note that exotic domains do not fall under the $12 price.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £10 | £10 | £10 | £10 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £10 | £10 | £10 | £10 |
#6. Hover
Reasons to buy:
Free Addons:
Hover Key Features
Hover is a quick, easy, and straightforward domain registrar. The company keeps upselling to a minimum. You can check the prices for domains or use the search box to check for your preferred domain.
The search tool on the website is impressive and easy to use. The results page displays the available domains and their respective prices.
You can filter results by categories such as Business, Personal, Video and Audio. This helps you to discover domains you would have missed without the search tool.
The domain management interface is easy to use regardless of whether you are buying, transferring or renewing a domain. All domain registration comes with free WHOIS privacy protection. You can also use registrar multiple domains at a discount.
Beyond that, you also have few add-ons, such as custom email. The only drawback is that the customer service team isn’t available 24/7. You can only reach them during working hours – 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday and 12 noon to 5 pm on the weekend (Eastern Time).
Hover Pricing
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £9.35 | £7.90 | £10.06 | £11.15 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £10.80 | £7.90 | £11.50 | £12.95 |
#7. Bluehost
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Bluehost Key Features
Bluehost makes it to the top of the best domain registrars for WordPress. For starters, you can get a free domain if you purchase one of their shared hosting plans. (You also get a free website builder.) They are an official WordPress hosting partner, so you can be sure you are in safe hands.
The website offers a straightforward search system – the result page shows all available options. The domain management interface is easy to use and beginner-friendly.
Furthermore, you have the option to add WHOIS privacy protection to your purchase to keep your data safe from spammers.
The company also gives you the auto-renewal feature. This can help you keep your domain in case you forget to renew it. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who purchase their hosting plan.
They are reputable for top tier performance and quality customer support. If you ever run into any issue, you can contact the 24/7 live chat support for assistance.
Bluehost Pricing
You can get a domain for free when you purchase any of Bluehost web hosting plans
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £9.30 | £18.00 | £7.20 | £10.80 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £12.95 | £21.60 | £12.95 | £13.65 |
#8. Dynadot
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Dynadot Key Features
Dynadot is an exception to the general features of a domain registrar. For starters, the results page shows more than just the available domains and their prices.
Advanced search tools include Bulk and IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) search tools. There is also an option to specify the domain extensions to show up in your result and default settings for future searches. The IDN search tool allows you to search for domains in other languages.
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.
Pricing is straightforward and competitive too. Domain registration comes with other features such as a website builder, free domain forwarding and a support system for creating and managing up to 50 subdomains, 10 email addresses, and 5 each of MX and TXT records.
Another fantastic feature is the Grace Deletion list. This allows you to return a domain you no longer want. A small fee applies, and there are terms and conditions associated with this feature. Still, this makes Dynadot stand out from other domain registrars.
The only spot in Dynadot otherwise impressive features is the customer support. While there is live chat support, it is not always available.
Dynadot Pricing
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £5.99 | £5.50 | £7.50 | £4.99 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £7.50 | £5.50 | £8.99 | £8.99 |
#9. NameSilo
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
NameSilo Builder Key Features
NameSilo is popular for its competitive pricing. This is especially true when you purchase domains in bulk.
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.
They also offer other services such as web hosting, website builders, premium SSL certificate and premium DNS.
All of these services are offered at competitive prices. So if you are short on budget, you can use NameSilo as your one-stop shop to get everything you need.
NameSilo Builder Pricing
Classic domain names such as .com, .org and .net renew at the same prices. The exotic extensions have different renewal prices.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £6.50 | £4.70 | £7.75 | £8.50 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £6.50 | £4.70 | £7.75 | £8.50 |
#10. Network Solutions
Reasons to buy:
Upgrades and Extras:
Network Solutions Contact Key Features
Network Solution makes it simple for anyone to register domain names with ease. You can get all the popular domain extensions such as .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info and other not so popular TLDs.
Four cloud-based plans are available, ranging from starter to premium. The basic plan comes with a 15 GB disk space, hosting one website, and five e-mail boxes.
You get a free domain name when you purchase any of the cloud-based plans. However, you can only get a free SSL certificate when you buy the premium plan.
There are also four WordPress Hosting packages for those who want to build with WordPress. You also get a free domain when you purchase their WordPress hosting packages.
All the plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. But you should know that the money-back offer doesn’t include refunds for registered domains – you can keep the domain.
To get started, simply use the search tool to look up your preferred domain name. The results page will show you the available domains related to your search. Premium domains are shown as well.
Network Solutions Contact Pricing
You have to create an account and select a domain name before viewing the price for your preferred domain name.
| TLD | .com | .co.uk | .org | .net |
| Initial Price Per Year | £18.00 | £18.00 | £18.00 | £18.00 |
| Renewal Price Per Year | £27.35 | £27.35 | £27.35 | £27.35 |
What is ICANN Domain Registration?
A domain name registrar is a company that helps you to register domain names. You take advantage of this service by buying a domain name from them.
All domain registrars are accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). It is this accreditation that allows them to register domain names for their users/customers.
A domain name registrar adds your domain name to the registry. The registry is a database of all domain names, and it is maintained by ICANN, a non-profit organisation.
All domain name registrars are not equal. Some have a license to register only specific domain names.
Generally, all domain registrars can register the three most popular TLDs: .com, .net and .org. That is where the similarity ends. For instance, Google Domains does not register .mobi domains.
If you have a specific domain in mind, you need to look for a domain registrar to register that domain. You also have to be on the lookout for other features.
Tips on Choosing the Right Domain Name Registrar
Choosing a domain name registrar is more than just picking a company to register your domain name. Depending on your needs, budget and level of expertise, you might need a lot more than that.
While all domain name registrars are in the business of registering domain names, how they go about this differs.
They offer different pricing systems and extra features. Some of the paid features in a domain registrar can be free with another domain registrar.
To ensure you get the right fit for your needs, here are some criteria to look out for when shopping for a domain name registrar.
Things to Watch Out for When Choosing a Domain Name Registrar
Just as there are good domain name registrars, there are also lousy domain name registrars. It is hard to spot the bad ones by simply looking at their websites.
In fact, the nasty ones are still in business because they have mastered the art of marketing. To ensure you do not fall into the hands of such bad companies, here are a few things to look out for.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of domain name registrars and resellers in the market. We’ve helped you narrow your search to the 10 best domain registrars of 2021 with this review. You can be sure of excellent service if you patronise any of them.
Beginners always ask for the best domain name registrar for their specific countries. For instance, a user can ask, “who is the best domain name registrar in the UK?” or “Which is the cheapest domain registrar?”
Our answer is always ‘it depends,’ and here’s why.
Each of the domain registrars in the article has a peculiar edge over others. For some, it is straightforward pricing; others excel at customer support.
If you are on a budget, you can also find excellent domain registrars that won’t put a hole in your pocket.
All of the domain registrars listed here are secure, easy to use and perfect for beginners and intermediates. Their prices are also reasonable.
To avoid choice paralysis, we advise you to read our section on how to choose the right domain name registrar before making your choice.
FAQ
