Domain.com (opens in new tab), at the top of best online domain registrars courses and ideal for small and medium businesses, offers some of the most popular domains across over 25 country codes and also sells premium domains as a broker. With nearly two decades of online presence, the company - one of the world's largest domain name registrars - expanded into web hosting and now offers a variety of products, including a full design service and web hosting. Domain.com prices are typically average, but they have negotiated a 25% discount on almost everything in your cart*. Non-premium TLDs (.Life,.Men,.Live, and so on) begin at $2.99 for the first year ($2.24 with code). They rise significantly after the second year, in line with the rest of the industry).

You must pay $8.99 for privacy protection, plus you can add email, web hosting, SSL certificates, and malware protection, none of which are required. You can stick with its basic website builder, which is included with every domain: you get a drag and drop website builder, tons of mobile-friendly templates, up to six pages, SEO tools (opens in new tab), Paypal integration, and even access to a stock image library. With 24/7 chat, email, and phone support, support is more than adequate. Domain.com's prices aren't the cheapest, but it offers a well-rounded selection. After the initial discounted period, all renewals will be charged at the then-current standard list price for the selected period. This coupon is not valid with sunrise, landrush, EAP, pre-registrations, premium registrations, renewals, transfers, custom website design, other coupons, or special pricing.

REASONS TO BUY

• 25% off your order with TECHRADAR discount code
• Excellent speeds during testing
• Helpful live chat support
• Reasonable value

REASONS TO AVOID

• Best prices restricted to longer subscriptions

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here: domain.com/domains/

Bluehost domain registrar service ranks 2nd in the list of best online domain registrars courses. If you're looking for a reputable domain registrar with very reasonable pricing, Bluehost(opens in new tab) is one of the best options. Bluehost, for example, sells.com domains for $12.99 per year and.org domains for $9.99, but those looking for a hosting plan can also benefit from an excellent Bluehost offer. Bluehost shared hosting plans come with a free domain (plus a website builder), and the shared plan is normally $8.99 per month, but TechRadar readers can get it for $2.75 per month (for the first term) with theii exclusive offer. Obviously, that's a strong value proposition.

Bluehost provides an easy-to-use search system that clearly presents your options (as well as alternatives if your first choice isn't available). Furthermore, you can include domain privacy and protection with your purchase, which means your personal information and profile will be kept private and will not be publicly visible (via Whois). Bluehost also offers auto-renewal, which saves you the time and effort of manually renewing your website domain(s) and ensures that there are no accidental lapses that could result in the name(s) being poached. Those looking for web hosting as well as a domain purchase will get plenty of bang for their buck with the aforementioned offer, and keep in mind that there is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with the service.

REASONS TO BUY

• Competitive pricing for domains
• Superb value hosting bundle deal
• Good customer support
• 24x7 live chat is helpful

REASONS TO AVOID

• Not the cheapest domain name registrar

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here: bluehost.com/special/techradar

IONOS domain registrar service ranks 3rd in the list of best online domain registrars courses. IONOS(opens in new tab) is a well-known company for its wide range of hosting plans, and their domain registrar offering is similar. IONOS provides excellent value for the first year, but after that, the renewal price skyrockets. For instance, you can get .com, .org, .net, .biz, and several others for $1 for the first year. After that, the renewal fee for.com is $15 per year, and the fee for.org,.net, and.biz is $20 per year. Some domains, such as.mobi, are quite expensive because the initial price is the same as the renewal price, which is $20 per year.

After you select a domain, you will receive a professional email address with 2 GB of mailbox space. There's also a Wildcard SSL certificate, domain lock, up to 10,000 subdomains, and 24/7 customer support if you have any issues. There are less expensive options, but IONOS still provides a very good deal with nice extras, and the initial price is quite reasonable. Just keep the renewal cost in mind.

REASONS TO BUY

• Nice extras
• Great initial offer for most domains
• Good value
• Clear and simple pricing

REASONS TO AVOID

• Renewal price is expensive

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here: ionos.com/hosting/web-hosting

GoDaddy domain registrar service ranks 4th in the list of best online domain registrars courses. GoDaddy(opens in new tab) is the world's largest domain registrar, managing more than 75 million domains for 17 million customers worldwide. Unlike Bluehost, GoDaddy is well-known for its low headline prices, and it's the same story here; for example, a.org domain is available for $9.99 in year one. .com and.co, on the other hand, are less impressive (though still appear to be inexpensive), starting at $11.99. But beware: these aren't the steals they appear to be.

The first caveat is that GoDaddy's starting prices apply only if you pay for two years in advance, and the second year is significantly more expensive (.com rises to $18.99,.co,.org, and.mobi are ridiculously high, $34.99 for.co, $20.99 for.org, and $31.99 for.mobi). Godaddy is now providing free basic Whois privacy, which was previously an optional service. In its most basic form, it removes your name, address, phone number, and email address from Godaddy's WHOIS directory, thereby preventing domain-related spam.

Although there may be better deals available elsewhere, GoDaddy may still appeal to web beginners looking for a bundled hosting and domain registration package. The company offers a wide range of products to meet every possible need, as well as telephone support if necessary, and purchasing your domain and hosting from the same provider will make life a little easier. Remember that other providers can also combine hosting and domain registration, and GoDaddy may not offer the best package for you. For possible alternatives, see our best web hosting and best website builder guides.

REASONS TO BUY

• Loads of hosting add-ons
• Telephone support

REASONS TO AVOID

• High prices

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here:godaddy.com/en-uk

Dynadot domain registrar service ranks 5th in the list of best online domain registrars courses. Most domain name registrars provide a basic identity service with little to differentiate them from the competition, but Dynadot(opens in new tab) is an interesting exception with some unique benefits. This starts right away, with your initial search. You can use the website in the same way you would any other - type your desired domain, press Enter, and read the results - but you also get Bulk and IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) search tools, and advanced options allow you to define which domain extensions to include in your searches, as well as set those as defaults for all future searches.

Optionally, these searches can return results from domain auctions, Dynadot's Marketplace (where other customers sell domains they no longer need), and other sources. There's also a Backorder option if a domain isn't currently available and hasn't been renewed. Dynadot offers both special deals on some extensions and good value at renewal, so prices are on the low side. For example,.com sites are priced at $7.99 for the first year and the same for renewal. If you want a.co.uk domain, it will cost you $2.49 initially ($6.99 on renewal), $8.99 initially, $10.99 on renewal, and $5.99 initially, $17.99 on renewal.

That's not all: Dynadot lavishes you with freebies. You can use a Website Builder to create and host a simple one-page responsive website. If you want to redirect visitors somewhere else, you can use free domain forwarding. DNS support allows for the creation of 50 subdomain records, ten email addresses, and five MX and TXT records. There's even a Grace Deletion list (opens in new tab) that allows you to return a domain if your mind changes. This comes with a small fee and isn't always permitted, but it's still a nice bonus that you won't find with other registrars. Dynadot's support wasn't always as good, with live chat being unavailable when they checked. However, the website does have a publicly accessible forum (opens in new tab) where anyone can browse common questions and see how happy (or unhappy) Dynadot's customers are.

REASONS TO BUY

• Powerful search tool
• Low prices
• Stacks of free extras
• Simplifies registering a domain

REASONS TO AVOID

• Difficult to manage your domain once registered

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here: dynadot.com/domain/site.html

Namecheap (opens in new tab) is a popular domain name registrar and web host that now manages over five million domains. Namecheap's excellent website allows you to search for individual domains or groups of up to 50. If the domain is already taken, you can view the Whois record or offer to buy the domain from the current user (via DomainAgents). If the domain is available, the results are divided into four categories: popular, new, discounted, and international. This is a clever approach that makes it easier to navigate the list and find what you're looking for.

Prices range from $9.48 (£7) for.com domains to $13.98 on renewal, $2.98 (£2.2) for.co.uk domains to $9.48 on renewal, $8.88 (£6.5) for.org domains to $14.98 on renewal, and $4.98 (£3.75) for.mobi domains to $19.98 on renewal. There are some special offers available, and Namecheap has an Agent 88 set of domains that are almost always available for $0.48 (£0.35) for the first year (these usually include the following:.site.website.space.pw.press.host.tech.online.fun - but there may be others as well).

That would be a good deal on its own, but Namecheap goes above and beyond by including WhoisGuard domain privacy for free. Namecheap's billing is simple and straightforward, with current and renewal prices clearly displayed in your Namecheap shopping cart and Auto-Renew turned off. However, if you have any questions, helpful FAQ pages and live chat are just a click or two away.

REASONS TO BUY

• It's cheap as the name suggests
• Free Whois privacy
• Live chat support
• Free website builder

REASONS TO AVOID

• No telephone support

Rating: 4.5

Enroll here: namecheap.com

Shopping around for a domain registrar can be time-consuming as you investigate companies you've never heard of, try to separate genuine bargains from marketing ploys, and read the fine print for hidden catches. With potential savings of only a few pounds or dollars per year, you may prefer to simply sign up with a big-name provider you know will provide a reasonable service, even if it does cost a little more. Enter Google Domains(opens in new tab), Google's lightweight domain registration arm, a straightforward provider that prioritizes speed and simplicity.

Google Domains will not mislead you with endless sales or'special' deals that turn out to be not so special after all. Upselling is restricted to a minimum. Instead, it's all about making the purchasing process as simple as possible: search, click, and check out. The distinction is obvious from the moment you arrive at the site. There are no animated ads at the top of the page, no 'Sale!' banners, and no low headline prices: just a search box into which you enter a single domain. The results page is similarly straightforward, with prices for nine common top-level domains listed and an All Endings tab listing every option alphabetically (domain.academy, domain.bargains, domain.camera).

One potential issue is that Google Domains does not support all of the domain extensions available elsewhere, including some fairly common examples (.mobi, .tv). If you think you might want to buy something other than the most popular extensions, make sure your likely options are available before you buy. Prices are standardized to whole numbers, so.com,.co.uk, and.org domains, for example, are all $12.

That's slightly above average overall, but better than some, especially since Google Domains includes free Whois privacy for the duration of your registration. That's a valuable perk that would otherwise cost $2.80 to $11.20 per year. If you have any questions, a Help link provides articles on common issues. If that isn't enough, the Contact Us page allows you to communicate with a support agent via email, live chat, or phone (Google calls you), which is the highest level of domain registrar support they've seen anywhere.

REASONS TO BUY

• Excellent support
• Easy-to-use
• Provides a step-by-step wizard

REASONS TO AVOID

• Fractionally above average prices
  
• A few TLDs aren't supported

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Enroll here: domains.google.com/registrar/

Hover domain registrar service ranks 8th in the list of best online domain registrars courses. Hover (opens in new tab), one of Tucows' best domain registrar services, runs eNom and the domain reselling platform OpenSRS. The website of Hover is simple and straightforward. A domain pricing page allows you to check registration costs before you begin, or you can use the search box to find your preferred TLD quickly (top-level domain). The results page by default displays every domain you can register as well as their prices, giving you a lot to scroll through and read. However, a handy sidebar allows you to filter domains by categories such as Personal, Businesses, Audio and Video, Food and Drink, and more. It's a nice touch that could help you spot an appealing domain that you might have missed otherwise.

Prices are very reasonable, with.com domains costing $13.99 for the first year,.co.uk domains costing $10.99,.org domains costing $13.99, and.mobi domains costing $19.99. You can find slightly lower prices elsewhere if you shop around, but Hover is generally a good value. Whois Privacy is a welcome bonus that is free for as long as the domain is managed by Hover. Even in the final shopping cart stage, the company keeps upselling to a minimum. You're simply offered three email-related extras: $5 per year for email forwarding, $20 for a 10GB email account, or $29 for a 1TB inbox, file sharing, a calendar, and more. If you have any questions, support is available via email and chat, although it's not 24/7. Working hours are 8am to 8pm (Eastern Time) Monday to Friday, and 12pm to 5pm at the weekend.

REASONS TO BUY

• Free Whois privacy included
• Fair pricing
• Easy search filtering
• A ton of top-level domain options

REASONS TO AVOID

• Support isn't 24/7

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Enroll here: hover.com/

Network Solutions domain registrar service ranks 9th in the list of best online domain registrars courses. Network Solutions(opens in new tab) is a great choice because it provides domain registration services in addition to hosting services. Network Solutions offers private registration when registering a new domain name to protect your personal information online. The additional protection is free for the first month and then auto-renews for $1.99 per month. You can register a completely new domain name through Network Solutions, search through their premium domains to help you achieve a higher search engine ranking, or bid on and purchase an expired domain name. During the bidding process, the company updates a list of expired or expiring domain names from which you can choose, as well as the option to sign up for email alerts.

To obtain a free domain name from Network Solutions, you must purchase one of its hosting plans, and to obtain a free SSL certificate (opens in new tab), you must select the "Premium" plan. Network Solutions accepts all major credit cards and PayPal, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who are unsure about their services. If you have registered a domain name, it will not be refunded, but you are free to keep it. If you have your heart set on a domain name that someone else has already registered, Network Solutions offers a certified offer service through which you can make an offer to the current owner of the domain you want. Network Solutions handles everything from presenting the offer to transferring the domain name into your account. Network Solutions makes the offer anonymously, and no payment is made to the seller until the domain is transferred.

REASONS TO BUY

• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Beginner-friendly approach
• Customer support
• Affordable hosting
• Flexible billing

REASONS TO AVOID

• Limited hosting options
• Windows servers are not an option

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Enroll here: networksolutions.com/hosting