Domain Name Registration: Reviews

In an industry marred by questionable business practices, reviewers and customers say that Namecheap -- despite the un-reassuring name -- wears a white hat, and prices are extremely competitive. E-mail and URL forwarding,… security features, free transfers and domain management control are included with all domain registrations. Namecheap proclaims "no hidden charges and you own the domain in your name." Privacy protection is an option, as are e-mail accounts, but Namecheap does not offer website hosting. Namecheap offers 22 top-level domains. Support is through e-mail only. Namecheap accepts PayPal -- another plus.

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About one-sixth of all domains are registered through GoDaddy, which is twice as many as its nearest competitor. The company's business practices are controversial to the degree that they attract some customers and repel… others. However, even detractors agree that GoDaddy has excellent prices and good customer service. Promotions are frequent, and domains are discounted when bundled with other services. Support is through e-mail, online help, and toll telephone calls. Users complain that GoDaddy's interface is difficult to use, and aggressive up-selling continues after the sale. Even so, this hasn't seemed to affect GoDaddy's popularity.

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Experts disagree about whether your best bet is to acquire your domain name from your web hosting service or a third party. Using one company is obviously simpler and cleaner. A third party, such as Namecheap, can be less… expensive. Most hosting services charge $15 per year for .com names. In some cases, they are leasing the domain from a third party. Some hosting services bundle free or below-cost domains with hosting service. See the Full Story of this report, as well as our related report on web hosting for details.

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