I've used godaddy, namecheap, and 1&1, but ended up switching all my domains to name.com. One of the best interfaces I've used as it doesn't try to abstract the DNS records from you. That was one of my biggest issues with 1&1 and godaddy - their interface made it so that I never knew exactly what my DNS settings were, just what the spoon-fed messages that I was given told me. The only "abstracted" thing that they do is provide a one-click solution for setting the dns entries for google apps (which you can still manually edit, as they appear in your DNS records). Here's some screenshots of the backend:
Seriously, try it. I liked them so much that I paid to have my other domains transfered to them. That alone should show you how much I enjoy it over the others I've tried.
Further, I find it somewhat ironic as one of the product classes the company pushes is, obviously and prominently, authorized certificates.
Also, their https connections (login, purchase) are quite often bog slow.
Other than that, I like their service. I'd prefer they fix these issues, rather than finding myself compelled to move away from them.
Its clean, no BS, and just works.
Second, it lets my boss deposit cash as name.com prepaid 'credits'; so, I can act on domain purchases/renewals without running to the accounts guy everytime.
I hear namecheap does the 'credits' feature too.
I would also highly recommend name.com
Under the hood I used enom for domain registration and PowerDNS for the DNS portion. enom has the best API of all of the registrar APIs I looked at. To be a reseller there is a bit of an investment, but it's still significantly less expensive than becoming an accredited registrar.
I've been in the domain industry since 1999 when .com was deregulated, and built one of the first domain registrars (but I wasn't the founder thus left when the founder decided to go other directions) and it is unfortunate how little inovation has occurred in the domain industry. Hopefully that'll start changing soon.
http://easydns.com for DNS (don't be cheap on DNS - most that registrars offer is slow/cheap/bad/down)
(I wish they offered .com.au though)
http://namecheap.com/ - Almost as cheap, and has a much better interface.
Those are the two I use exclusively, minus some for ccTLD-specific domains.
I use godaddy to register my domains, and I use the DNS management I get with my VPS provider (slicehost). I have no complaints.
On the other hand, GoDaddy renewals are roughly $3 cheaper than Namecheap, because many GoDaddy coupons work for renewals, but I can never find good coupons for Namecheap renewals.
GoDaddy is popular, but it's a terrible service, has underhanded billing, foists misfeatures on unaware domain purchasers, and uses sexist advertising.
I recommend Gandi.net (upvoted the previous submission below).
Price is not the only consideration -- your time is worth something, and the practices of your business partner mean something.
I suspect they are increasing revenue as they prepare to sell the company.
Other than that it seems like a pretty decent service, especially if you want to take advantage of their privacy policies, etc.
https://google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new
$10.
The advantage is they come all easily configured for Google Apps usage.
It's a pretty good deal though, you get a domain with email, apps, etc... built in, all for 10$.
Name.com has this built in as well and they're a proper registrar.
I don't have any particular experiences with doing this; rather, I'm just being pre-emptively cautious.
I've never had any big issues and my small issues are dealt with swiftly.
If you're registering 100+ then Fabulous.com is the best registrar around (though they only deal in com/net/org/info).
1 year = $10 (privacy included).
Is there any route to direct access to eNom, in the event Google (lack of) support becomes a problem?
No fuss, no tricks, non-crappy administration area. They even provide their own name servers for free. I've been using them for years and have no complaints.
GoDaddy made it clear they have no respect for the customer with their horrendous UIs and upselling. Felt compelled to leave them recently.
If you're going to do any quantity of domains above 5 or 6, it's worthwhile.
Stay away from godaddy.com (IME).
Enom has a nice interface and good prices, though I don't trust their DNS or email (occasional outages).
Also,
- If you just click the "email" select box in the UI, it can drop your custom MX record, even if you don't hit save.
- If you use their DNS hosting for an outside domain that expires, they point to an advertising page and it's hard to make them switch back.
Lots of issues to consider beyond price. Go with a US based registrar if you are in the US as you will be governed by their laws with regard to disputes or jurisdiction issues. Some will hit you with hefty RGP (redemption grace period) fees if you miss the renewal date. Domain theft is a becoming a huge issue, so finding a good registrar can be very important for your business.
Moniker.com and NameCheap.com are the best in my opinion with Demand Media's eNom right behind them.
All in all, would you guys recommend keeping your domains registered at a different company than your hosting company? I've considered moving my domains in the future when they expire to a separate domain register, but not sure if it's worth the hassle...
1. Domains 2. Hosting 3. DNS 4. Email
Don't throw all eggs in one basket... ;)
I notice that a couple of those mentioned (Namecheap.com, Name.com and Gandi.net) offer this service, but is there a specialist registrar anywhere, or are these good enough?
(I'm looking to register a number of .nl domains and have no idea where to look in terms of quality registrars.)
One thing I'll point out though, sometime the lowest prices aren't the most important thing. The domain name people at work have recently chosen to shift all of our domains to a http://www.austdomains.com.au/ account, which is not the cheapest around, but apparently has a _much_ better multiple domain management system than any of our previous registrars. A buck or less extra per domain per year, but it saves a _lot_ of time/money when the management system "just works".
(Note, this is from over-the-cubicle conversations and overheard rants rather than firsthand experience, so don't read it as a personal recommendation of austdomains, rather as a warning that managing hundreds or many hundreds of domains is a different scale of problem from a few or a few dozen, and make sure if you're likely to run into that problem that you consider the suitability of your proposed registrars. I've been happy enough with Intaserve for my .au domains, but my work colleagues _hate_ them with a passion!)
Can't one set up a DNS-Server and start propagating records, while perhaps informing the authority that you are using a (previously available) domain now?
I am currently in the process of switching all of my domains from Godaddy to Name.com. The simplicity of the UI, Google Apps integration and reliability of their network made this a no-brainer.
I would stay away from 1and1. They have some pretty sketchy billing practices.