this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2025
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I want to get some domains for selfhosted stuff, but I'd like to use a registrar that I won't regret doing business with later, both in terms of ethics and potential customer service stuff. Who do y'all like most?

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[–] [email protected] 57 points 21 hours ago (6 children)

Top answers from the last 39580202 times this was asked:

  • Namecheap
  • Porkbun
  • Gandi
  • Cloudflare
[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Gandi massively increased their prices 2 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago

For email hosting only. But yes, they are not as trustworthy as they once were

[–] [email protected] 17 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

I was with Namecheap for years, and they're totally fine. I am now with Cloudflare because they're a bit cheaper and their API is well supported in various tools, and they also seem fine.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Exactly this. Also it annoys me that Namecheap tries to automatically "top up funds" over a month before renewals are due. I think they've always done it but it wound me up enough this year to move to Cloudflare.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

Counterpoint, I quite like this. I’m terrible at keeping payment details up to date, and I’ve got long renewal periods on my domains. The early renewal attempt allows me to get an email that my payment is expired or revoked (due to a stolen card number or something) and I have a month to go correct it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 16 hours ago

I use porkbun and you get cloudflare through them, not sure to what extent, porkbuns just cheaper, I like their ui, straightforward, everything you need on one screen.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I wouldn't buy domains from Cloudflare from a risk mitigation perspective. At work I direct six figures of budget their way annually, but as a free-tier customer in my personal life I don't trust them not to fuck up at some point and lock my account. If I register my domain elsewhere I can bring myself back online by moving the nameservers. If it's registered at Cloudflare I'm fucked.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

I have one of my domains on Cloudflare and was thinking of moving the rest of them there. What makes it harder to move name servers away from Cloudflare than other places?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

You'll be fine to move them to Cloudflare.

What the other user is describing would be an extremely rare scenario, and you should be able to change registrars in that case anyway.

There's really not much of any practical benefits of that kind of excessive "risk mitigation".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Your registrar (the place you buy your domains) is where you update your nameservers. If Cloudflare have locked you out then you won't be able to change them. Other standard registrars will have far less cause, legitimate or not, to lock or disable your account, since they don't host/proxy your content.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not sure what the consequences are for ignoring it, but it would violate the ICANN RAA to lock a person out of being able to transfer their domain except for legal reasons like evidence of fraud or a court order. Sure, they can terminate your account on their services but they can't prevent you from transferral without violating their agreement with ICANN.

It would be a weird scenario that you're describing that would be unusual and exceedingly rare. You would need to be directly connected to something highly illegal for that to happen, not just a normal user.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 hours ago

That's why I said I don't trust them to not fuck up, not that it's something that should ordinarily be expected. Additionally, especially considering how the rule of law in their jurisdiction is going recently I wouldn't assume it will always be this way.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Another +1 for name cheap, been using em for a decade now. Their deals are stellar and renewal prices are on par with any other competitors usually

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago

Transferred all my domains from nanecheap to CloudFlare and I'm saving like 1/3 of price on renewals.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 20 hours ago

I'll throw in for namecheap. Been with them for a while with no complaints.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 18 hours ago

I like pair domains.