

Ask HN: Who do you use and recommend as a registrar? - webmaven

I have a bunch of domain renewals coming up, and would like to transfer them to a registrar that is cheaper and easier to use. Who are your picks?
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bramgg
I've used Network Solutions, NameCheap, Gandi, and a handful of specific ccTLD
registrars. I never had any problems with any of them and I wouldn't worry
about what you chose too much.

That being said, I like using Gandi knowing they support (financially or
otherwise) many amazing open source projects and organizations. Those that
stand out to me include Debian, EFF, and CC, but I recommend you take a look
at the full list[0] on their website. They also take a strong stance against
SOPA[1] (and clones) and prominently display their no bullshit stance[2] on
their website and merchandise.

There's also a bit of a bonus if you're slightly tech savvy because you can
often find their devs on Freenode at #gandi-mail or #gandi-hosting, though
it's not advertised and there's no guarantee.

[0] [https://www.gandi.net/supports/](https://www.gandi.net/supports/)

[1] [http://www.gandibar.net/post/2011/12/23/Gandi-s-
Opposition-t...](http://www.gandibar.net/post/2011/12/23/Gandi-s-Opposition-
to-the-SOPA-Legislation)

[2] [https://www.gandi.net/no-bullshit](https://www.gandi.net/no-bullshit)

------
dubfan
I have domains registered with Namecheap, Dynadot and Gandi. I'd recommend any
of them, although with Gandi be aware they have an "ethics" clause in their
ToS which strikes me as being rather subjective and fuzzy. I wouldn't host
anything public-facing on the domain I have registered with them for that
reason.

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wise_young_man
I'm a fan of Badger [1] now as they have the lowest price I've seen that also
includes whois privacy ($10).

If you want to use my referral link [2] you can register or transfer a domain
for $5.

I'm also a big fan of Hover [3] and Namecheap [4] too. I generally want a no
nonsense, no annoying upsells, simple domain registrar. You also should think
about what TLD you want as different registrars will have different TLDs
especially now that the new GTLDs have arrived.

[1]: [http://badger.com](http://badger.com) [2]:
[http://badger.com/derek](http://badger.com/derek) [3]:
[http://hover.com](http://hover.com) [4]:
[http://namecheap.com](http://namecheap.com)

~~~
webmaven
How much will renewals be, and how many domains can I transfer at that price?

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snsr
I've been happy with (and slowly moving domains to)
[https://www.iwantmyname.com](https://www.iwantmyname.com) over the past
couple of years.

~~~
2mur
Seconded. I've been happy with them after I migrated from GoDaddy.

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hadoukenio
I used to use Gandi, but I've since moved all of my domains over to
iwantmyname.com. They're UI is awesome but their support is even better.

(As a meta-comment, whenever VPS comparisons are brought up on HN, it's always
Linode vs Digital Ocean. Gut feeling to compare apples to oranges for domains
providers, Gandi is Linode while iwantmyname is the Digital Ocean)

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jsnell
I use name.com.

They'd be fine, except that if you use their DNS servers, they by default add
a wildcard record pointing to spammy domain parking pages, breaking NXDOMAIN.
And don't expose it in the UI, so that it's very easy to miss that they're
doing it and not easy to figure out how to disable it. (Answer: by adding a
wildcard TXT record).

~~~
anishkothari
Interesting, they didn't used to do this before - they also got rid of their
affiliate program a few months ago. Maybe it's time to go registrar shopping

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mp4box
I use 'Gossimer' [https://www.gossimer.com/price-
list.php](https://www.gossimer.com/price-list.php)

Referral link:
[https://www.gossimer.com/aff.php?aff=253](https://www.gossimer.com/aff.php?aff=253)

------
vonklaus
I use GoDaddy. They have amazing customer support and you can always find 33%
off a domain. It ends up being under $50 for 5 years. I wouldn't host with
them or provide a primary email as they spam like motherfuckers, but just to
register it has been a positive experience.

~~~
zuccs
What part of their registration is a positive experience?

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aefeuer
Dynadot has been rock solid -- also, as a plus, they have an API (albeit a
mediocre one -- but hey, it works). I like being able to register via CURL
without dealing with their web site, and we integrated basic domain purchasing
into our product as well.

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khaki54
Dreamhost is great for domains, and has a beautiful ecosystem for everything
else. Also the referral program is amazing. I get like $10 a month because I
referred someone once.

~~~
gtaylor
The management panel is SUPER clunky, though. I don't have to mess with my
domains often, but when I do, I like it to be a pleasant experience.

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kephra
I'm using domain factory, df.eu. The prices are ok, but their web interface is
a bit confusing.

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rational-future
namecheap.com

I only do 10 year registrations (SEO) and NameCheap has a big discount for
those.

~~~
wise_young_man
There is no SEO benefit for 10 year domain registrations.

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matznerd
It is accepted as a signal that can influence ranking because generally a
spammer would only register for a year...

~~~
JohnTHaller
Accepted by whom? Is there any actual proof?

~~~
ohashi
Hard to prove anything in a blackbox. But domain registration length is
something most people think is considered. Take a look at
[http://www.searchenginejournal.com/infographic-
googles-200-r...](http://www.searchenginejournal.com/infographic-
googles-200-ranking-factors/64316/)

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ShaneCurran
Gandi, although I've heard good things about DNSimple

~~~
davewasthere
+1 for Gandi. I've used and recommended them for ages. Simple clean interface,
works a treat and does exactly what I need. Great prices too.

