Name.com review 2027

What problem does Name.com solve, and who is it for?

Name.com is a domain registrar for people who want the everyday jobs handled without drama: registering a name, keeping WHOIS privacy on, editing DNS, and moving a domain out when they choose. The verdict headline is "Good all-rounder", and the test notes back that up — free WHOIS privacy since 2022, a full API and bulk tools, a broad TLD list, and support that answered in 5 minutes. The verdict is blunt about the limits: it does nothing wrong and nothing that justifies the extra $8 a year over Porkbun. It is a sensible place to stay if your domains are already there; not a reason to move. The material names existing customers as the group it still suits.

How did it score in our tests?

Name.com finished on 7.5 out of 10, fifth of the eight registrars tested. The score is built from four weighted criteria.

• Pricing — 20 of 35. This measures the .com renewal price and what the checkout adds by default, not the first-year promo. Name.com renews at $18.99/yr, and the checkout adds email and SSL offers.
• Privacy & security — 22 of 25. This covers free WHOIS redaction, DNSSEC, two-factor login and registrar lock. Name.com offers free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC and two-factor login.
• Management — 17 of 20. This covers the DNS editor, API, bulk tools, and how many clicks a transfer-out took. Name.com has a full API and bulk tools, and a transfer-out took 10 minutes.
• Support — 16 of 20. This measures minutes to a human and whether the answer was correct. Support answered in 5 minutes.

Pricing is where the points went missing, and it is also the stated reason it lost: $18.99 renewal.

What does Name.com do well?

The strengths are practical rather than flashy. WHOIS privacy has been free since 2022, so the public record of a registration is redacted at no extra cost. The API and bulk tools suit anyone managing more than a handful of names, and the TLD list is broad at 500+. Support answered in 5 minutes, which is the kind of result that matters when a renewal or a DNS change goes wrong. Transfer-out took 10 minutes, so leaving is not made deliberately awkward.

How does the technology work?

WHOIS privacy replaces your personal contact details in the public registration record with forwarding details, so your name, address and phone number are not published. DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS answers, letting resolvers check that a reply really came from the domain's own zone rather than an impostor. Two-factor login requires a second proof — usually a code from an app or a hardware key — in addition to your password, so a stolen password alone is not enough to reach the account. Registrar lock prevents a domain being moved to another registrar without your approval.

What are the parts and build?

The specification is straightforward. The .com first year is $12.99, and the .com renewal is $18.99/yr. Free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC and two-factor login are all included. The registrar offers 500+ TLDs, transfer-in on a .com costs $12.99, and email hosting starts from $2.99/mo. Name.com was founded in 2003.

How does it compare with the competition?

Porkbun scored 9 and costs $11.06 for the first year and $11.06/yr on renewal, with free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 500+ TLDs, transfer-in at $11.06 and free email forwarding. Cloudflare Registrar scored 8.7 at $10.44 first year and $10.44/yr renewal, with free WHOIS privacy, one-click DNSSEC, two-factor login, 300+ TLDs, transfer-in at $10.44 and free Email Routing. Namecheap scored 8.4: $10.28 first year, $16.98/yr renewal, free WHOIS privacy forever, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 400+ TLDs, transfer-in at $10.98 and Private Email from $1.24/mo. Squarespace Domains scored 7.6 at a flat $20 first year and $20/yr renewal, with privacy and DNSSEC on by default and no upsells. GoDaddy scored 6.9: $11.99 first year, $22.99/yr renewal, basic free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 500+ TLDs and transfer-in at $11.99.

Against Porkbun, Cloudflare and Namecheap, Name.com is behind on price at renewal. Against Squarespace and GoDaddy it is cheaper at renewal, and it matches the field on privacy, DNSSEC and two-factor login.

Where does Name.com fall short?

The shortfall is pricing: $18.99 renewal, which is the stated reason it lost. The checkout adds email and SSL offers, so the total at purchase can be higher than the headline figure if you do not decline them. The test notes also record that there is nothing it does better than Porkbun, which is a fair summary of a registrar that is competent across the board but not the leader on any single measure.

Is it good value?

The price summary is $18.99. That is the renewal figure, and it is the number that matters after the first year. The first year is $12.99, so the cost rises at renewal. Compared with Porkbun at $11.06/yr, Cloudflare at $10.44/yr and Namecheap at $16.98/yr, Name.com is the more expensive renewal of the four, while remaining cheaper than Squarespace at $20/yr and GoDaddy at $22.99/yr. What you get for that price is free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, a full API, bulk tools, 500+ TLDs and support that answered in 5 minutes.

Who should buy Name.com?

Existing customers. If your domains are already registered here, the free privacy, the API and bulk tools, the broad TLD list and the 5-minute support response are reasons to stay rather than move. If you are registering a new .com and price at renewal is the deciding factor, the material points elsewhere.