September 27, 2004

Curious George: Domain registrars I'm thinking of finally getting my own domain.

I will probably be using Textdrive for hosting, but before I get so far, I have to register a domain name. So, which registration service should I choose? Who do the monkeys use and/ or recommend?

posted by Skrik 20 years ago
  • I use registerfly and enom. I used to use godaddy, but their website has ads and shady package deals crawling out of every nook and cranny these days. See also this Ask MeFi thread.
  • From memory and because I'm too lazy to check, I believe monkeyfilter.com is registered with godaddy, although we used an NZ company for our .nz ones, and US registrars are cheaper.
  • I have had absolutely NO problems with GoDaddy.com -- registered about 12 domains through them over the last 3 years, and not one problem at all. And, of course, it's inexpensive, which is a plus.
  • I've used Dotster for a couple of years, and I'm happy with them.
  • Some of my domains are with godaddy, and I never had a problem. My site's now hosted at 1 & 1, so I get most of my domains though them now, and I have to say that I am really happy with 1 & 1 - they're awesome!
  • I also use dotster, and have no problem with them. I can't remember how many domains I have right now, but it's less than 10.
  • I would look at godaddy and tucows. Also, for certain kinds of sites, nearlyfreespeech.net could be a very good host.
  • I used to handle domain dispute, registration and transfer issues for my company. Tucows is great, but they do not sell direct to consumers. If you want them you have to go through one of their resellers (we are one). GoDaddy.com is where I have all 10+ of my domains. Never a problem, inexpensive and with a good number of options for yours domains. I heartily recommend them. These are the registrars that our hosting customers routinely have issues with: Joker, Gandi, Network Solutions, and Schlund (through 1&1). There are a few others that seem troubling every now and again, but these are the folks that we hear horror stories about ALL THE TIME. good luck.
  • I had a very bad experience with Dotster. They botched my transfer to GoDaddy at the beginning of this year, and in the end my domain (including my email) was down for two weeks. It took those two weeks and two emails just to find out why they had rejected my transfer. I tried to fight them, but in the end I just sucked it up and paid Dotster for another year plus their stupid late penalty. It felt like blackmail, as they took their sweet time to answer my inquiries and meanwhile I was in a panic with my primary email address and web page down. When the account comes due in a few months, I'm dumping Dotster and not looking back.
  • dotster here, no problems so far. The renewal fees suck though, anyone let you renew for less than $15? not transfer, but renew?
  • Thanks for all the answers. I went with Gandi, after Jessamyn's glowing recommendation.
  • I use Gandi too, and I've never had the slightest problem.
  • And IgnorantSlut, if you're in the biz, should you really be in the position of knocking the competition?
  • Dotster here too, never had a problem and too busy (or is that lazy) to look for cheaper.