Porkbun keeps one flat price with privacy included
Porkbun publishes a .com price that is the same to register, renew and transfer, includes WHOIS privacy and URL forwarding, and lets you use any nameservers.
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Best domain registrar compared on what you pay every year
The best domain registrar for most people is the one with a fair renewal price, WHOIS privacy included and no lock on your DNS. NameBest shows the renewal price next to the first year price on every result, includes privacy, DNS and forwarding, and gives you one dashboard for many domains with invoices and an export of expiry dates, with no hosting or site plan required. Below, the large registrars are compared on renewal, privacy, DNS freedom and how easy it is to leave.
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How we compared the large registrars
A first year promotion says little, because you pay it once. We compared what repeats: the renewal price of a .com, whether WHOIS privacy costs extra, whether you can use any DNS provider, and how easy it is to leave. Prices and terms come from each registrar's public pricing pages and help centers, checked in August 2026. Where a registrar does not publish a fixed price, we give the range reported by independent price trackers and say so. Prices change often, so confirm the figure at checkout.
- Renewal price of a .com, the number you pay every year
- WHOIS privacy, included or sold as an add on
- DNS freedom, any nameservers or a required provider
- Conditions, such as a website plan you must buy
- Leaving, how you get the EPP code
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Domain registrar comparison table
| Registrar | .com renewal per year | WHOIS privacy | DNS and nameservers | Notable condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NameBest | Shown live in every search result | Included | Any nameservers | None, domain only |
| Cloudflare Registrar | Registry cost, no markup | Included | Must use Cloudflare nameservers | No other DNS provider while registered there |
| Porkbun | Flat price, same as first year | Included | Any nameservers | Promotional first year on some other extensions |
| Namecheap | Roughly $14 to $18.50, trackers disagree | Included | Any nameservers | First year commonly discounted |
| GoDaddy | Roughly $19 to $22, trackers disagree | Usually a paid add on | Any nameservers | Many upsell steps at checkout |
| Squarespace Domains | $20 for .com and .org per its help center | Included | Any nameservers | Tied to a Squarespace site trial or plan |
Figures checked in August 2026. Every .com sits on the same floor: the registry charges every registrar the same wholesale fee, plus a small ICANN fee per year, and the .com registry has announced a wholesale increase for November 2026. Expect retail .com prices everywhere to move after that date.
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Cloudflare Registrar has the lowest holding cost if you already use Cloudflare
Cloudflare states that it sells domains at registry cost with no markup, which puts it at the floor by definition. The trade off is documented in its own help pages: the domain must use Cloudflare nameservers while it is registered there, and some name types such as internationalized domains are not supported. If your DNS already runs there, it is hard to beat on price.
Namecheap sits in the middle with hosting on the same bill
Namecheap includes WHOIS privacy on eligible extensions and sells hosting and email next to domains. Its .com renewal is reported in the mid to high teens, and the first year is often discounted, so the second year bill is higher than the first.
GoDaddy has the largest aftermarket and higher renewals
GoDaddy runs the largest domain aftermarket and offers almost every product a small business might buy. Its .com renewal is reported around twenty dollars, privacy is usually sold separately, and the checkout offers many add ons you need to decline.
Squarespace Domains includes privacy but ties domains to a site
Squarespace states that common extensions such as .com cost $20 a year and that privacy is included. Its help center ties new domain purchases to a Squarespace site trial or plan, which suits people building their site there and adds cost for everyone else. Many former Google Domains names now renew there, see what happened to Google Domains.
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Where NameBest fits among domain registrars
NameBest is a registrar for people who want a plain domain account with no hosting attached and no number that changes after year one. A .com costs the same to register, renew and transfer here, and every search result shows the price for the first year and the price it renews at, so the second year bill is never a surprise. Privacy, DNS and forwarding are part of that price, not add ons sold at checkout.
- First year and renewal price in the same row, in the cart and on the domain prices page
- WHOIS privacy, DNS, URL forwarding and custom nameservers included
- Any nameservers, any host, no website plan to buy
- Transfer lock on by default and the EPP code in your dashboard when you want to leave
- Auto renew per domain with reminders 30 and 7 days before expiry
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How to choose the best domain registrar for you
- You already run DNS on Cloudflare and only want the lowest holding cost: Cloudflare Registrar
- You want a domain with renewal shown up front, privacy and DNS included and any host: NameBest
- You want hosting and email from the same company: Namecheap or GoDaddy
- You build your site on Squarespace: keep the domain there or move it later
- You hold many client domains: an account without site plans and with per domain auto renew, see domain management for agencies
Already with another registrar and unhappy with the renewal? A domain transfer adds a year to the registration, so you lose none of the time you paid for. For deeper head to head comparisons read Porkbun vs Namecheap, Namecheap vs GoDaddy and Squarespace vs GoDaddy.
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Best domain registrar questions
Which domain registrar is the cheapest?
For a .com, Cloudflare Registrar sells at registry cost, based on prices checked in August 2026, but it requires its own nameservers, so it suits people who already use it. The cheapest registrar on paper is not always the cheapest over five years, so compare renewal prices, privacy and DNS terms, which NameBest shows on every search result.
Is GoDaddy a good domain registrar?
It is reliable and very large, with the biggest aftermarket. It usually costs more to renew a .com than the other registrars here, and privacy is often an extra.
Does the registrar affect SEO?
No. Search engines do not rank sites by registrar. What matters is that DNS is reliable and the domain does not expire.
Can I switch registrars later?
Yes. Unlock the domain, get the EPP code and start a transfer at the new registrar. A transfer adds one year, and you must wait 60 days after a new registration or a registrant change.