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Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

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Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#41
post #13

Gandi[1] and Namecheap[2] are the only ones that I trust. [1]: https://www.gandi.net/ [2]: https://www.namecheap.com/

Gandi's systems are incapable of handling a legal name change. You have to create a brand new account, individually transfer ownership of every single domain to the new account one by one, and then manually update all four contacts for each domain one at a time. It actually would have been faster and easier for me to transfer to a new registrar.

https://docs.gandi.net/en/account_management/faq/index.html#...

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#43
post #13

Gandi[1] and Namecheap[2] are the only ones that I trust. [1]: https://www.gandi.net/ [2]: https://www.namecheap.com/

I don't like Namecheap because they really rip you off when the time comes for annual renewal. Much more expensive than others to the point where if you are certain that you will need the domain for longer than a year it is better to go elsewhere.

Here is how you can test it (using .io or .me domains): Search for domain on Namecheap, they usually have good prices for the 1st year. Add it to cart and then change it to 3 years and watch the price zoom up, not to 3x but more like 6-8x in cost. Now go to a different registrar and do the same. In my experience for 3 years Namecheap are always more expensive.

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#44
post #26

I've been using Cloudflare Registrar[1] for a year now for all .com domains. No nonsense or extra fees. Gandhi[2] for exotic TLDs (best price). For EU domain TLDs I stick to Vimexx[3] (in Dutch). [1] https://www.cloudflare.com/products/registrar/ [2] https://www.gandi.net/ [2] https://vimexx.eu/

They don't support buying new domains right? You need to buy elsewhere and transfer to CloudFlare.

Plus, their TLD coverage isn't great.

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#45
post #41
post #13

Gandi[1] and Namecheap[2] are the only ones that I trust. [1]: https://www.gandi.net/ [2]: https://www.namecheap.com/

Gandi's systems are incapable of handling a legal name change. You have to create a brand new account, individually transfer ownership of every single domain to the new account one by one, and then manually update all four contacts for each domain one at a time. It actually would have been faster and easier for me to transfer to a new registrar. https://docs.gandi.net/en/account_management/faq/index.html#...

Gandi is made for you if : - you need several (internal or external) users to have rights on your domains - you need to control your domains with an API - you need to be able to register domains for any customer or partner

If you have many domains, that you need to handle manually, any operation on all domain will take time, as it would likely take time with any other registrar.

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#46
post #28

In The Netherlands, I use openprovider ( https://openprovider.com/ ). They are actually a reseller solution for agencies and such, but it works equally well for personal domain registration needs. Pricing is competitive, service is excellent, and they are small enough to pick up the phone if necessary. I also like to think that a registrar with a support desk that operates in my local language (Dutch) reduces the att…

Been using them for 5+ years now. Both as reseller and private. I can attest to them being very good. Pricing is real good, but does depend on your volume. At some point it becomes interesting to get a subscription for which you get most domains at cost-price. Their service is indeed outstanding, often sameday reply on mail with actual solutions.

I wouldn't call them small though, they are in the top 50 domain registrars in the world, and I guess the biggest in NL.

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#49
post #8

Very happy with Namecheap [1]. I have 3 domains registered with them, one of them going back a long time. Never had problems with anything from search to payment. They have 2FA support that works with the open source TOTP apps too. [1]: https://www.namecheap.com

They support U2F as well now - works great.

Re: Ask HN: Which domain registrar do you recommend?

#50
post #8

Very happy with Namecheap [1]. I have 3 domains registered with them, one of them going back a long time. Never had problems with anything from search to payment. They have 2FA support that works with the open source TOTP apps too. [1]: https://www.namecheap.com

Namecheap is expensive when you go to renew. I switched all my domains to Porkbun - cheaper, and a cleaner/simpler UI.
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