Squarespace Domains review 2027

What problem does Squarespace Domains solve?

Squarespace Domains is the former Google Domains, and it keeps the two things that made that service easy to recommend: one flat price and secure defaults. The .com first year is 20 USD and the .com renewal is 20 USD/yr, so nothing changes when the promotional period ends. WHOIS privacy is free, DNSSEC is on, and two-factor login is available, so a non-technical owner does not have to hunt through settings to get the basics right. Google Workspace setup takes a few clicks, and the interface is the clean one inherited from Google Domains. The trade-off is stated plainly in the verdict: it is the right answer for someone who values simplicity over $9 a year, and the wrong one for a portfolio of domains.

How did it score in our tests?

We scored Squarespace Domains across four criteria for a total of 7.6 out of 10.

• Pricing — 22 out of 35. This criterion measures the .com renewal price and what the checkout adds by default, not the first-year promo. The flat 20 USD renewal is honest, but it is the reason the registrar lost ground overall.
• Privacy & security — 24 out of 25. This measures free WHOIS redaction, DNSSEC, two-factor login and registrar lock. Free privacy, DNSSEC and two-factor login are all present.
• Management — 15 out of 20. This covers the DNS editor, API, bulk tools, and how many clicks a transfer-out took. Our measured transfer-out time was 8 min, and there is no API.
• Support — 15 out of 20. This measures minutes to a human and whether the answer was correct. Support is chat and email during business hours.

Where does Squarespace Domains stand out?

The strengths are the ones a first-time domain owner notices. Pricing is flat and transparent, with nothing added at checkout. Privacy and DNSSEC are on by default rather than sold as extras. Google Workspace setup takes a few clicks, which matters if you want email on your domain without configuring records by hand. The interface is clean and inherited from Google Domains, so anyone who used that service will recognise it. Our measured transfer-out time was 8 min, and WHOIS privacy is free.

How does the technology work?

WHOIS privacy replaces your personal contact details in the public domain record with forwarding details, so your name, address and phone number are not published. DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS answers, which lets resolvers check that a response really came from your domain and was not altered in transit. Two-factor login asks for a second code beyond your password, so a stolen password alone is not enough to reach the account. Registrar lock prevents unauthorised transfers away from the registrar until you remove it.

What do you get, and how is it built?

The spec sheet is short and consistent. The .com first year is 20 USD and the .com renewal is 20 USD/yr. Free WHOIS privacy is included, DNSSEC is supported, and two-factor login is available. The registrar offers 300+ TLDs, and the transfer-in fee for a .com is 20 USD. Email hosting is a Google Workspace add-on. Squarespace Domains was founded in 2023, when it took over the Google Domains business.

How does it compare with other registrars?

Porkbun scored 9 and costs 11.06 USD, with a .com renewal of 11.06 USD/yr, free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 500+ TLDs and a transfer-in fee of 11.06 USD. Cloudflare Registrar scored 8.7 at 10.44 USD, renewing at 10.44 USD/yr, with free WHOIS privacy, one-click DNSSEC, two-factor login, 300+ TLDs and a 10.44 USD transfer-in. Namecheap scored 8.4 at 16.98 USD, renewing at 16.98 USD/yr, with free privacy forever, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 400+ TLDs and a 10.98 USD transfer-in. Name.com scored 7.5 at 18.99 USD, renewing at 18.99 USD/yr, with free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 500+ TLDs and a 12.99 USD transfer-in. GoDaddy scored 6.9 at 22.99 USD, renewing at 22.99 USD/yr, with basic free privacy, DNSSEC, two-factor login, 500+ TLDs and an 11.99 USD transfer-in. Squarespace Domains sits at 7.6, ahead of Name.com and GoDaddy on score, behind Porkbun, Cloudflare and Namecheap.

Feature comparison

Across the shared labels, Squarespace Domains matches the field on free WHOIS privacy, DNSSEC and two-factor login. It differs on price: its .com renewal of 20 USD/yr is above Porkbun, Cloudflare, Namecheap and Name.com, and below GoDaddy. Its 300+ TLDs is the smallest count here, level with Cloudflare. Its transfer-in fee of 20 USD is the highest of the group.

Where does it fall short?

Pricing is where it lost: 20 USD flat. That is 20 USD a year for a .com, nearly double Porkbun. There is no API, which rules it out for anyone automating DNS or bulk changes. Support is chat and email during business hours, so there is no 24/7 phone line. The management score of 15 out of 20 reflects the missing API and bulk tools, even though our measured transfer-out took 8 min.

Is it good value?

The price is 20 USD. The .com renewal is 20 USD/yr, the same as the first year, and the transfer-in fee is 20 USD. WHOIS privacy is free, and our measured transfer-out time was 8 min. You are paying a flat, predictable rate rather than a low first-year number that rises later.

Who should buy Squarespace Domains?

It is for non-technical owners of one or two domains. If you want a single honest price, privacy and DNSSEC already switched on, and Google Workspace set up in a few clicks, this is the straightforward choice. If you run a portfolio of domains, need an API, or want the lowest renewal, the cheaper registrars above are the better fit.