Time to jump ship? - domain names edition

November 17, 2015 4:01 PM

I have a domain that's expiring soon (less than 2 weeks) and I want to get it renewed. It's managed at GoDaddy, and has been since I bought it. However, with the price they're asking for renewal, I'm wondering if I can't get a better deal elsewhere. Would it be better to switch, and if so, which company would you recommend? As always, unique white precipitation inside.

I only use this domain for email, and so the mx bits of the domain are managed by Fastmail. Obviously, if I choose to move the domain, I'd like to do so without too much disruption to email.

For a 5 year renewal, GoDaddy wants $60 for the domain and then another $50 for private registration. Renewal codes not being as plentiful as they used to be, I can't seem to get the total down too much. So:

1. Is it worth the time and effort to transfer and renew elsewhere and if so, where?
2. Should I transfer now, or renew with GoDaddy (say, for a year) and then transfer?
3. Will I have to do anything with the mx records at Fastmail if I choose to transfer?

posted by Juso No Thankyou to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

Best answer: I'd transfer, if for no other reason than that I hate GoDaddy for many different reasons, not the least of which is that mass edits to nameservers is a huge PITA in their control panel and they have no API that can help automate the process. What will be required with your DNS depends on how it is currently set up. If fastmail is hosting your DNS records, it should be a seamless change.

If you set MX records in the GoDaddy DNS control panel, you'll need to set them up in your new registrar's control panel as well. If you do it immediately upon initiating the transfer, there should be no interruption in mail delivery.

As far as where to take the domain, I like NameCheap. My boss has several hundred domains with DirectNIC, which he likes, but they are (or were last I checked) a bit more expensive. Gandi has a good reputation, but I haven't personally used them. I used to use Dotster, which I liked fine. I switched because their renewal pricing was a bit worse than NameCheap, not because of any particular problem.
posted by wierdo at 4:22 PM on November 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

I found recently with Network Solutions that if you start the process on their website of transferring the name to another registrar, an offer pops up offering a much cheaper renewal. Worth a try in case GoDaddy have a similar desperation measure to retain clients.
posted by w0mbat at 4:24 PM on November 17, 2015

I'd go with PairNIC. Not the cheapest, but also not ridiculous, and the service is pretty good. They don't nickel and dime you for everything, including personal info hiding.
posted by clvrmnky at 4:49 PM on November 17, 2015

Best answer: I've had nothing but good experainces with Hover. They are most definitely not the cheapest registrar on the block. However, their prices are reasonable, they take your privacy seriously and their business model is not based on upselling you on a million different services. For me they're worth spending a few extra bucks on.

I've never used it personally, but Hover is also well-known for their "valet transfer" service where they will take care of doing the domain transfer from godaddy (or any other major registrar) for us. As I understand it, you just give them your account details and they take care of the rest.
posted by dyslexictraveler at 5:01 PM on November 17, 2015

NameCheap or Misk.
posted by brennen at 5:03 PM on November 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

Last year I started using NearlyFreeSpeech after seeing them recommended in another MF post. I've been happy with them ever since and haven't had a single issue. I just renewed for 2016.
posted by stubbehtail at 5:17 PM on November 17, 2015

I switched everything to Google domains. I like it.
posted by RustyBrooks at 5:21 PM on November 17, 2015

Seconding Hover. Transferring my domain was a breeze, they're good people and, unless this has changed recently, when you phone them, a real person picks up right away. Domain registry prices are mid-level, not the cheapest, but adding WHOIS privacy is free. Plus, they donate money to other good people like Radiotopia.
posted by maudlin at 5:42 PM on November 17, 2015

I use Network Solutions but I don't like it. I think it's hard to use and figure out how to do the things you want to do. Also, I am on automatic renewal and they charged me way early for it, which is basically like having me pay extra. You can only get customer service on the phone and I just didn't have time to deal with it, so I didn't complain. I'd think about customer service -- if you're only saving like $20, is it really worth dealing with a company that is frustrating to use?
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:42 PM on November 17, 2015

I switched from Go Daddy to Gandi a few years ago and have had a good experience with them.
posted by neushoorn at 11:48 PM on November 17, 2015

I don't think I've ever paid more than £10 for a domain!

It's for 5 years
posted by RustyBrooks at 4:47 AM on November 18, 2015

I also use Namecheap and have never had any issues with them.
posted by Gev at 6:02 AM on November 18, 2015

Namecheap has been great for me.
posted by Silvertree at 10:34 AM on November 18, 2015

15 years with Dreamhost, and am happy with their hosting fees, service, and domain reg fees.
posted by terrapin at 11:01 AM on November 18, 2015