How to Buy a Domain Name Without Overpaying
Six steps, from checking the renewal price to turning on the three settings that stop your domain being stolen.
Buying a domain takes five minutes. Buying it well takes one more.
1. Check the renewal, not the promo
The first-year price is marketing. The renewal is the real price: $10.44 at Cloudflare, $11.06 at Porkbun, $16.98 at Namecheap, $22.99 at GoDaddy, $39.99 at Network Solutions.
2. Make sure WHOIS privacy is free
Without it, your name, address and phone are public. Porkbun, Cloudflare, Namecheap, Squarespace, Name.com and GoDaddy include it. Domain.com and Network Solutions charge $9–$10 a year.
3. Untick the add-ons
Email, SSL, "SEO" and site builders are pre-selected at several registrars. You need none of them to own the domain.
4. Turn on two-factor login and registrar lock
Domains are stolen through email accounts and weak passwords. Every registrar in our ranking supports both.
5. Set DNSSEC
One click at Cloudflare and Porkbun; a few more elsewhere. It prevents DNS spoofing.
6. Keep the domain separate from hosting
A registrar and a host are two different jobs. Keeping them apart makes moving hosts a DNS change rather than a negotiation.
» See the full rankings: Best Place to Buy a Domain Name in 2026, Best Domain Registrars of 2026, Cheapest Domain Registrars (.com renewal under $17) .