We have used Godaddy, Domainsite.com, Name.com, ResellerClub.com, DirectNIC.com, dotster, moniker, and Dynadot.com. Here is what I think about each of them based on my experience:
Godaddy - Perhaps best for beginners, but mostly for their support. Newbies can pay for things they don't need or that are (IMO) lower-quality that services you can get elsewhere, like hosting. You CAN get some good deals with coupons if you can find them, but paying $8 a year for private Whois is a crime. Let Noobs beware and learn quickly.
DirectNIC.com - This was my first registrar after Network Solutions. I was so happy to only pay $15 a year after paying $70 for two years with NS. Later as other registrars lowered the average price to about $8, I got tired of paying 100% more than I had to. A good registrar that just did not keep up with the times with their pricing.
Dotster - Bought 20 .infos with them on sale. Pricing and service seemed about average, but not as good as some other sites I had been using.
Moniker - Big, professional, but I didn't like them much. Only had a couple of domains that were purchased from others. Like most registars they never reached out to me, so I didn't use them. Many big registrars only seem to care when you put in to transfer a domain away from them...
ResellerClub.com - After looking for a reseller program that I didn't have to pay a fee to join and that offered prices that were low, I decided to join them and have maybe 500 domains with them. I have the best pricing available and while I have a reseller account, I just use it to buy and renew domains for myself. They charge you PayPal fees and their interfact is not good, but ok when you get used to it. I am not in love with them any more for anumber of reasons, but not due to problems with price or service, more like with things like the the PP fees. When they have sale prices, often they are REALLY good, like they were selling .coms for a month at $5! Man, I bought too many domains that month!
Name.com / Domainsite.com - Both owned by the same company. Domainsite use to be cheaper the first year at $6.99, but they dropped that lower pricing and don't have coupons that I have found. Name.com came online a couple of years ago and has a nice interface and some other features. Coupons are available from time to time and sale prices are nice when they happen. I have talked to the owner and think they are a good company. But for large domain owners like me price is the most sensitive issue. Registrars that want large domain holders like me need to work with them to lower prices, while finding ways to generate revenue. Assisting with domain sales might be one, while taking some of our parked domain traffic may be another. The registrars that are able to "partner" with domainers should do better than those that do not. Name.com may be one of the first that do and I am hopeful that they do.
Dynadot.com - I have been with Dynadot.com for about a year and I don't want you to use them. Here is why:
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They have a good interface, with a few things that work better than any other registrar I have found. I have had no problems.
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If you spend a certain amount of money with them, you get discount pricing. My regular price for .coms now is $7.50 each. They are making money and I am not paying too much. I am very happy. I can get about the same pricing at ResellerClub, but I have to deal with their weirdness and eating PayPal fees. Dynadot doesn't make me pay the fees.
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They seem more like they are owned and run by domainers than other registrars. They still have not reached out to me even though I asked to have a sales rep assigned, but what registrar is perfect anyway...!!!???
I highly DON'T recommend Dynadot because I don't want other domainers with 5,000 domain portfolios and 5,000 Newbies with their hyphen-infested .infos trashing up the place.
Other Comments:
- Most registars do take PayPal as an option and don't require a credit card from what I have seen.
- Don't host where you buy domains. Don't buy domains where you host. From what I have seen, most hosting offered by registars is not as good as what you can get from a hosting company. Most hosting companies are resellers and the prices are the same or higher than the registrars. But the main reason not to do both is that if you should have problems, the place the controls your web site will also control your domain. If you have a dispute with a web host, you can take your site and move it to another host. If the host also controls your domain, you are stuck. You may also have a dispute over your domain, but these are not as common.
- Most common domains are going to cost you from $7-$15 a year. If you are being charged more, you either have a special TLD or are being over-charged. Check with other registrars and see what prices they charge.
