This site exists to answer one question honestly: which domain registrar should you use, given your actual usage pattern? That question is harder to answer than it looks, because the affiliate economics of the comparison-site industry systematically bias recommendations toward registrars with large affiliate payouts — and away from registrars like Cloudflare that pay nothing.
How we price-check
Every price in the comparison table is manually verified against the registrar's TLD pricing page — not the domain search results, which often show promotional rates. We check:
- First-year price (standard, no coupon applied)
- First-year price with the most commonly available coupon code
- Year-2 renewal price (the number that matters)
- ICANN fee inclusion or exclusion from the headline price
- WHOIS privacy cost (if any)
Prices are verified monthly. The last verification date appears on every review page.
The 5-year TCO formula
5-year TCO = Year 1 price + (Renewal price times 4)
We use 5 years because that's a reasonable median holding period for personal, freelance, and SME domains. For portfolio holders (50+ domains), we note that the renewal-price advantage compounds significantly and the TCO multiplier should be extended. The TCO calculator on this site lets you enter your actual domain count and holding period.
Affiliate disclosure policy
We flag every affiliate relationship in our comparison table with a "commission" column. Three states:
- checked paid — we earn commission (percentage of first purchase) when you click through and buy
- circle unpaid — no affiliate relationship; we earn nothing from referrals to this registrar
Current affiliate relationships: Namecheap (ShareASale, 10%), Porkbun (ShareASale, 10%), GoDaddy (CJ Affiliate, up to 25%), Spaceship (direct, rate varies), Hostinger (PartnerStack, 60% on first purchase).
No affiliate relationship: Cloudflare Registrar. Cloudflare does not operate an affiliate programme for their registrar product. We recommend Cloudflare as the cheapest long-term option for supported TLDs despite earning nothing from the referral.
Scoring rubric
Scores are out of 10. Components:
- 5-year TCO competitiveness (35%) — weighted for renewal price, not year-1 price
- Feature bundle — WHOIS privacy, SSL, email forwarding, DNS quality (25%)
- Interface and usability (20%)
- Transfer friction — how easy it is to leave (10%)
- Support quality (10%)
Update schedule
Prices are verified monthly. Review scores are updated quarterly, or when a registrar makes a material pricing or policy change. The last-tested date on each review reflects the most recent pricing verification, not necessarily the most recent editorial update.