BlueHost Private Domain Registration (+4 Top Domain Registrars)
Thinking of putting up a website? Well, there are a couple of things to acquaint yourself with first. Issues like bandwidth, disk space, databases, and malware.
However, as much as all the above-mentioned features are important, the most important thing to have from the beginning is a domain managed by a reliable domain registrar. By definition, a domain is the name of your website or your URL while a domain registrar is a company that registers your chosen domain for you making it unique to you. A visitor has to type your domain name (registered to you by your domain registrar) in order to access your website.
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It's important to note that web hosting and domain registration mostly go hand in hand. And with our best domain registrar reviews, you're set to know some of the best domain registrars in this industry today.
Domain Registrar | hosting | Rating |
---|---|---|
HostGator | Yes | |
Namecheap | Yes | |
GoDaddy | Yes | |
1&1 | Yes | |
BlueHost | Yes |
HostGator
You probably know them as the best web hosting provider because that’s where much of their focus lies but away from that, they have also build a name for themselves as a top domain registrar. Since its inception over a decade ago, they have made huge strides and currently they play host to roughly 9 million domains with a total of 400,000 clients spread out in 200 countries.
Domain Services
So what can one expect from their domain services? Well, we have free subdomains, automatic domain renewal, domain forwarding, private registration, simple Domain Management Panel, registrar lock and so much more. Thanks to their simple Domain Management Panel, you can go ahead and change name servers for each domain assigned to your management panel. You can as well create servers of your own. If you’d love to find out how to register a domain name on HostGator, watch the video below:
Extra Services
If there’s a space where HostGator shines, then it’s in web hosting. Whether it’s shared, VPS, dedicated, reseller or WordPress hosting they have it and so finding something that suits your hosting needs shouldn’t be hard with HostGator. And for their hosting plans, you get to enjoy 99.9% guaranteed uptime, unlimited bandwidth and space, an easy to use cPanel or their own customized Plesk control panel and so much more. A 45-day money back guarantee accompanies all their services.
Review
Currently, HostGator has customers from all over including average users; small, medium& large sized organizations; fortunate 500 companies, name it. One major reason for this is because they are a trusted, reliable and affordable web host and domain registrar. So if you need the best of these two, look no further than HostGator.
NameCheap
Namecheap is considered one of the best domain name registrars offering domain names to businesses and individuals. Established in 2000, they are an ICANN accredited domain registrar. Like most companies of their caliber, they also offer Web hosting. They began offering Web hosting services in 2007. This is after they established their domain registration arm.
Domain Services
Namecheap offers new TLD’s that are sure to enhance your online presence by drawing more attention to whatever segment your business is in. Lots of users have expressed love for Namecheap’s user interface as well as their backend for managing the domain names. Buying their domains is not just easy but fast and same also applies to domain transfer. DNS propagation will take under 30 minutes and price-wise, they have some of the most affordable domains.
Extra Services
Since they offer both the domain registration and Web hosting services, they are considered a one stop solution. Their plans are very pocket-friendly. In fact, Namecheap has some of the cheapest plans with prices starting from as little as $9.88 per year. This does not in any way compromise the quality of the services they offer.
Review
With over 15 years in domain registration, Namecheap deservedly earn their association with outstanding domain registration and the many 5-star domain registrar ratings. As for their web hosting, you can expect SSL certificates with site seal and browser ambiguity. They also offer excellent customer support where you can get help picking out a name for your blog. SSD drives ensure outstanding speed and reliability for your website. They also boast of the best uptimes and hardly will you hear incidences of down times.
GoDaddy
The world's largest domain registrar company, GoDaddy, has been around since 1997. Primarily a domain registration company before they added Web hosting to their services, they are ICANN accredited and arguably the most popular of all the companies sampled here.
Domain Services
One thing you are guaranteed to like the most about GoDaddy is their abundance of TLDs (over 900) yet new ones continue to be introduced. You are also allowed to carry out bulk domain searches and above all else, they offer you a variety of domain services ranging from certification, protected registration, SSL security to private registration and so much more. Best of all, GoDaddy hosts the largest and top domain name auctions in the industry where there are unique domain name offerings.
Extra Services
With the experience of domain registration, GoDaddy has been able to also venture into the web hosting space and offer excellent plans. For just $4.99 per month, you will be on a shared hosting plan that offers you enough resources to grow your online presence. The features offered also enable beginners to comfortably manage their website.
Review
While many people believe that no one can be a top web host and a leading domain registrar at the same time and provide both services satisfactorily, GoDaddy has proved that they can do both remarkably well. Having said that, their strength lies in domain registration. They reportedly have over 62 million domain names under management and in excess of 13 million happy customers.
Their web hosting platform is consistent and reliable. Onboarding is simple and easy, while the SSD drives ensure your new website loads fast. This is in addition to their outstanding award-winning customer support team. They have invested heavily in security for both services as well.
1&1
Handling well over 11 million domains for both individuals and businesses, 1&1 are clearly a smaller but a formidable establishment in domain hosting. The services offered by the company range from domain registration and web hosting to email and e-commerce solutions as well as VPS and dedicated servers. Currently, they service over 14 million customers.
Domain Services
1&1 currently offers dozens of TLDs and they still continue to introduce new ones so as their customers can have a wide range to choose from. If you wish, you can pre-reserve your domain and the best thing about this is that there will be no obligation to follow up on the purchase. Just like in web hosting, package registrants will receive free private domain registration, one email account (with 2GB disk space), and a 5-page parking page.
Extra Services
As part of their offering, 1&1 hosting plans are best suited for smaller websites. They offer tiered hosting plans with their 1&1 smart hosting going for $0.99. These plans include unlimited web space, a free domain, and over 140 building apps.
Review
1 &1 is one of the largest domain registrars globally. You can expect extremely affordable prices when you access their services. And since they use SSD drives, you are guaranteed a fast and reliable website. On top of that, their customer service is impeccable and professional as reviewed by many customers satisfied with their services and coming for more. The site's uptime record is excellent and reliable as well.
BlueHost
Although BlueHost is not primarily a domain registrar, they nonetheless provide excellent domain name registration services. This is in addition to their web hosting services that are outstanding as well. As part of the Endurance International Group, they are in direct competition with some of their sister companies like GoDaddy who are world renown for their domain registration services.
Domain Services
What’s so good about BlueHost is that you get not just a free domain setup but also a free domain worth a year when you buy their shared hosting plan. As a user, you will be able to enjoy an unlimited number of domains, domain transfers, and even host those cherished international domains. They also offer parked domains as well. Sometime back in 2004, they upgraded their domain registration interface to make it easy for users to search for, register new domains (including in bulk), and also be able to view TLDs based on their category.
Extra Services
As an official WordPress partner, this site is highly recommended and popular for its web hosting services. They offer shared, VPS, dedicated and cloud hosting plans at affordable prices. For as little as $3.95 per month, you can get on a hosting plan on BlueHost. They are generous with their resources, even on a limited hosting plan like the shared hosting.
Review
In many domain name registrars reviews, BlueHost has emerged not just the oldest but most reputable web hosting company in the world. Despite episodes in the past that have interfered with their services, they have maintained excellent uptimes, speed, and the site is reliable and offers high-end performance on all fronts. BlueHost also has, without a doubt, one of the most outstanding customer support team in the industry.
Conclusion
While there are many more domain registrars with outstanding capabilities, the top five mentioned in our domain registrar reviews have caught the attention of many clients because of their level of service, expediency, reliability, and reputation.
From the biggest to the most popular, they all offer a platform that meets the needs of their target market. But most importantly, they remain true to their fundamental purpose; a reliable and fast service.
However, if you're torn between them and still not sure which one to go for, we recommend HostGator as it has proven itself as a leader on both fronts: domain registration and web hosting.