One of the most common questions I get from blog readers is, “What registrar should I use for my domains?” I personally keep most of my domains between Go Daddy and Moniker, and a handful of other registrars. I’ve always had a great experience with both of these registrars but with so many other registrars out there it’s not fair for me to only promote these two. So I’ve decided to run a completely unbiased 2012 Domain Registrar Showdown.
The idea here is that I will evaluate a number of registrars based on five key qualities that I think we all agree are pretty darn important. I’m still picking the final list of registrars I will be evaluating, feel free to recommend a few. I have finalized the criteria I will be using, both are listed below!
Registrar Evaluation Criteria
- Technical Support – how long do I have to wait on hold before I get a real person? (I will be calling three times to get a fair average)
- Registration and Renewal Fees – how much does it cost to manage your portfolio at a registrar?
- Security – not all registrars are created equal when it comes to security, I’ll be getting under the hood to find-out which have the best security.
- User Interface – does the registrar provide an easy-to-use interface or is it like navigating a maze?
- Hosting – does the registrar offer hosting options, if so how good are they?
Registrars To Be Evaluated
- Go Daddy
- Moniker
- Dotster
- NameCheap
- Name.com
- OnlyDomains.com
- 101Domain.com
- Epik
- DomainIt
- 1&1
- Network Solutions
- Register.com
- Fabulous
- eNom
- FastDomain.com
- Domain Monster
If you notice that a registrar that you use is missing from the list please let me know and I’ll make sure to add it to the evaluation. The entire process will take roughly one month and I plan to share the results in mid-to-late February. Stay-tuned, more to come!
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