Factsheet
What's the best domain registrar in 2024?
who is my mail service provider
Recommendations for email service where I can have a custom domain
Best Web Hosting - A Detailed Breakdown
Is a domain registrar and DNS provider the same thing?
No, while many domain registrars provide DNS services, they aren’t the same thing. Domain registration is leasing the domain name. DNS servers are where the domain name information is stored. Providers like DNSimple and Cloudflare offer DNS server packages with extra functions on top of the basic services that domain registrars often offer as part of a domain name bundle.
What is a domain registrar?
A domain registrar is a company that is authorized to register (rent) domain names and assign IP addresses to those domain names. They provide registrars with tools to manage ownership information, security, renewals and adjust DNS records. Domain registrars are authorized by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Do I have to use my web host as my domain registrar?
With rare exceptions, you do not have to use your web host as your domain registrar. You can register your domain with one company and use a different web host. An exception to this rule is a subdomain website plan. Many free website builders supply a complimentary subdomain. If your plan only allows subdomains, you can not point a different domain name to that website.
Videos
In the past, I always bought my domains from Google Domains. However, seeing as they were sold to Squarespace, I recently found myself in need of a replacement. I did a bit of looking around and figured that I would share what I learned in case it's helpful to anyone else.
Best domain registrars
There were a few registrars that kept showing up more often than any others. They usually had glowing reviews, and few to no complaints. Here they are in approximate order of how commonly they were recommended:
Cloudflare
Namecheap
Porkbun
Hover
One catch with Cloudflare is that you are locked into using their DNS.
Dishonorable mention
Most people recommended avoiding GoDaddy due to poor customer service and scummy business practices such as price hikes and buying up domains that people search for.
Final thoughts
Instead of looking on a registrar, you can use ICANN Lookup to check domain availability.
Feel free to share your experiences with these registrars or add any options I may have missed in the comments.
Farewell, Google Domains :(
Edit: Removed Gandi from the list because of unpopular decisions such as drastically increasing prices after being acquired by Total Webhosting Solutions.
Edit 2: Do not trust anyone recommending Dynadot under this post. They keep spamming the comments with obviously fake reviews. I've asked the mods to lock new comments.