Ask HN: Which domain registrant do you recommend?

[Kpourdeilami]

I have been using Namecheap for the past few years but I am thinking about moving my domains to another registrant. Namecheap is fine for the most part but I have found their support to be completely incompetent (looks to be outsourced, takes 10-15 emails to get the most simple of things resolved).

Google Domains has a decent UX but I'm concerned Google might close down my account out of nowhere and leading to me losing my domains

[hopesthoughts]

I also use namesilo.com for domain registration.

[ocdtrekkie]

I moved away from them before but am back at GoDaddy. Not the greatest company in the world, you'll get shoddy upsells everywhere you look, but their domain management tools are top class, their prices/promotions are usually worthwhile, and you can call them on the phone 24/7 and reach people who can help you out, which is a major outlier in this day and age.

There's little to no chance of GoDaddy moral crusading (I mean, look at them) and shutting down your account, or failing at the domain registrar business, and they give endless nag emails to ensure you don't lapse a domain. I let one lapse intentionally recently and have gotten about fifty emails about it.

My main advice though is to never register domains and host your site with the same company. As long as they're separate, migrating is relatively painless if you have issues. But companies with both your domain and your site can make leaving a pain in the rear.

[natch]

nearlyfreespeech.net

Plus:

- no upselling, no nonsense

- text based interface

- quick and easy to use/renew/change/etc.

- privacy add-on is reasonably priced and easy to select

- competent, long track record, reliable

- supports 2FA

Minus:

- there may be cheaper ones out there, but not by much.

- I don't know how many oddball TLDs they support.

- If you like animations, eye candy, flashy IU, gradients, 3D elements popping out of the web page, JavaScript changing the page out from under you as you click and hover around, then you won't feel at home there.

[4ensic]

I moved my domains to NameSilo.com. They support a moderate range of TLDs, don't charge extra for domain privacy, support 2FA and charge the same price for renewals as for the initial year. Plus the UX is usable and the charges are competitive.

[mhkool]

easydns since they are no-nonsense with a great helpdesk with virtually no waiting time for phone support.

[Rjevski]

DNSimple.