The best domain registrars, according to hackers
12 domain registrars recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedPorkbun81 people recommend it
- Built to lastHoverowners report a median of 15 years
- Least regretMarkMonitor10 recommend, 1 criticize
All domain registrars
- PorkbunRecommended for cheap domain registration, straightforward interface, API access, responsive support and a small, friendly team. Common caveat: it requires ID verification for some registrations, which critics object to.81recommend
- NamecheapRecommended for good support, low prices, free extras and long reliable service. The common caveat is accounts suspended with little warning.35recommend
- Cloudflare RegistrarRecommended for at-cost domain registration and low renewal prices, with no markup on TLDs. Critics agree the main caveat is being forced to use Cloudflare's nameservers.18recommend
- HoverLong-running registrar that owners have used for years without trouble. Critics say a steep renewal price increase was poorly communicated and support handled it badly.13recommend
- GoDaddy domain registrarPeople recommend GoDaddy for 24/7 phone access to humans and stable operation. Critics most often cite upselling, hidden fees and a long history of controversy.10recommend
- MarkMonitorRecommended for businesses that treat their domain as critical, with technical registry locks and named support contacts. Caveat: it is expensive.10recommend
- Gandi.netA long-running domain registrar with good support and free email forwarding, but many say prices rose sharply after a private equity buyout.9recommend
- DynadotPeople recommend Dynadot for competitive pricing, good features and long years of trouble-free domain registration. Critics mention a forced secure PIN setting.9recommend
- INWXLong-running domain registrar people pick for its good prices, simple admin and support for many exotic domain extensions. Critics find the interface unintuitive.8recommend
- Joker.comA long-running domain registrar that one user has relied on for about 25 years and calls solid. The most common caveat is unusually high prices, with one critic also citing recent bad experiences.8recommend
- Njal.laPrivacy-focused domain registrar that people have used for years and that takes crypto. Common caveat: domains are unsuitable for email hosting, and critics object to its political stance.6recommend
- Netim domain registrarPeople recommend Netim as a domain registrar with low prices, including low renewal fees, and say it has been reliable over the years.5recommend