01
Say it out loud
If you have to spell it for people on the phone, it will cost you email and visits. Avoid hyphens and numbers unless they are part of your brand.
01
Buy a domain and know what it costs next year
To buy a domain, search the name, add the available extension to your cart and pay for the first year. At NameBest every result shows the first year and the renewal price, and privacy, DNS and forwarding are included, so the price you see is the price you keep paying.
- WHOIS privacy included
- Renewal price shown before you pay
- Auto renew you can switch off any time
03
What you get when you buy a domain name
You are not buying a domain forever. You are buying the registration for a year at a time, and you keep it for as long as you renew. In return you get the exclusive right to use the name for email, a website, an app or a redirect, and you are recorded as its registrant. At NameBest each domain is a yearly subscription with auto renew switched on, so the name does not lapse because a reminder got lost.
- The name is yours as long as it stays renewed
- You are the registrant in the public registry record
- You can move it to another registrar whenever you want
- You decide where it points: website, email, shop or another domain
04
Five checks before you buy a domain
A few minutes of checking saves you from a name you will want to replace in a year.
02
Look at the renewal price
The first year is one payment. The renewal is every payment after it. Our results show both in one row, so compare the second number as carefully as the first.
03
Check the extension rules
.ai needs a 2 year minimum term, .app and .dev require HTTPS, and .us needs a link to the United States. The list of domain extensions shows the rules per extension.
04
Check the history
A name that was used for spam can land in email filters. Our guide on how to check domain history shows the free public tools that reveal it.
05
Secure the obvious variants
If you are building a brand, consider the .com plus the extension you actually use. Our article on whether you should buy all domain extensions helps you stop at the ones that matter.
05
Where to buy a domain without paying extra later
Many registrars advertise a low first year, then renew at a much higher price and charge separately for WHOIS privacy and URL forwarding. When you buy a domain at NameBest you see the renewal price before you pay, and these are part of the yearly price of every domain.
| You need | At NameBest |
|---|---|
| Privacy of your contact details | Included where the registry allows it |
| DNS records for site and email | Included, A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV |
| Redirects from old names | Included, 301 or 302, with paths |
| Your own nameservers | Included |
| A way to leave | EPP code in your dashboard |
For a side by side look at the large registrars, read our best domain registrar comparison.
06
When the domain you want is already taken
A Taken result means someone holds the registration. You can pick another extension or a variant of the name, or try to buy it from the owner. Our guide on how to buy a taken domain walks through finding the owner, making an offer and moving the domain safely. If the name is close to expiry, read about expired domains and what happens after a registration lapses.
07
How payment and renewal work
You pay for the first year at checkout. A year later the domain renews automatically at the renewal price that was shown in your search result and cart, and we email you 30 and 7 days before that date. Each domain has its own auto renew switch in the dashboard. Switch it off and the domain stays yours until the end of the paid year. Read more on domain renewal.
08
Questions about buying a domain
Can I buy a domain forever?
No registrar can sell a domain forever. Registries register names for a set period, usually one year at a time, and you keep the name by renewing it. Auto renew does that for you.
Can I buy a domain without hosting?
Yes. A domain works on its own. You can forward it, use it only for email, or point it to a host later through DNS or nameservers.
Who is the owner when I buy a domain at NameBest?
You are. Your name or your company's name is recorded as the registrant. We never register a customer's domain in our own name.
Can I buy several domains at once?
Yes. Add as many as you need to your cart. Each one becomes its own yearly subscription with its own renewal date and auto renew switch.