Is Domain.com a Good Service? What’s It Best At?

7.5

Ten out of 10

SupportChat, Phone, & Knowledge Base
UptimeExcellent (100% in the past 6 months).
No cost DNS
No cost domain privacy
Best forNo-Nonsense Domain Registration
StrengthsStraightforward Pricing
WeaknessesCheaper Domains Otherwhere
PromotionUse DOMAIN10 to Save 10%

What is Domain.com?

Domain.com, an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, was founded in 2000 and offers web hosting, email, website builders, SSL certificates, and other services. Newfold Digital now owns many of the most prominent names in web hosting such as:

  • Bluehost
  • HostGator
  • Constant Contact

Domain.com is a domain-focused company, but Domain.com now positions themselves as more than domains. Domain.com believes that domains are just the beginning. Domain.com recommends a great domain name.

Domain.com’s domain registration is the main focus of this review. They don’t offer any other services that are core to their business.

Domain.com Pricing

There are over 300 domain extensions, so here’s the pricing information for some of the most popular TLDs at Domain.com.

Domain Ext.RegisterRenewalTransfer
.com$9.99/yr.$15.99/yr.$9.99/yr.
.net$12.99/yr.$15.99/yr.$12.99/yr.
.org$8.99/yr.$14.99/yr.$14.99/yr.
.biz$16.99/yr.$18.99/yr.$16.99/yr.
.co$27.99/yr.$29.99/yr.$29.99/yr.

Domain.com’s current prices

Domain.com Alternatives

Visit NamecheapNamecheap Reviews

Rating

9.0/10

No cost DNS

Yes

No cost domain privacy

Yes

Promotion

Buy a.COM for $0.98

Visit GoDaddyGoDaddy Review

Rating

8.0/10

No cost DNS

Yes

No cost domain privacy

No

Promotion

Purchase a.COM for as low as $4.99

Visit Google DomainsGoogle Domains Review

Rating

8.5/10

No cost DNS

Yes

No cost domain privacy

Yes

Promotion

20% Off Promo Code DOMAINS20

Find the Best Domain Registrars

Domain.com Pros

These are the benefits Domain.com offers over direct competitors in domain registration.

Usability (Simple Search, Purchasing, Control Panel)

Domain.com’s greatest pro is its simplicity.

They make it easy to search for and register domains. It is simple to use, clean and easy to navigate. The interface doesn’t have many bells or whistles which is fine for domain registrars. We don’t require them. Domain.com’s interface provides both functionality and usability. It is simple and directs you to the right place.

Once you have signed up, they will take you directly into your Control Panel. It is a seamless and easy process with absolutely no confusion.

Once you are inside the Control Panel, it is easy to navigate and find everything.

The entire process, from searching to signing up to domain management, is straightforward, clear, and simple.

Transparency

Nothing is more frustrating than visiting a domain registrar to search for pricing information. Domain.com’s pricing is transparent and open to all. You can view the price of domains on Domain.com’s homepage. They also have a page that explains the Top Level Domains (TLDs), they offer, and how they are priced.

They are also very clear about their pricing terms and auto-renewal policy.

Domain.com is refreshing in a market where pricing policies are often more complicated than site owners might like (I’m thinking of you – Network Solutions and Register.com). Domain.com’s transparency and clarity is especially refreshing for a large corporate brand.

There are many TLDs

Talking of TLDs… Now that ICANN has allowed more TLDs beyond generic.com/.net/.org domains, website owners need to ensure their domain registrars have all the variants they require (especially if buying bulk). Domain.com has a lot more TLD options than generic domains. There are currently 41.

Domain.com doesn’t offer many international TLDs. This doesn’t apply if you don’t have international presence. If you do have an international presence, you can find other domain registrars with more options.

Upsells

Although they are not inherently bad or annoying, upsells can be irritating. However, many domain registrars make the error of trying to sell customers directly. This can lead to annoying results.

Domain.com is not among these domain registrars. They do offer hosting and websites, but they are not intrusive. They can be added during the checkout or from the control panel. However, you won’t be bombarded by pop-ups or emails like other registrars.

Complementary Products

A domain is not a website. It is not email or any other type of service. It is simply your online address. It allows people to find your property by telling browsers/email/etc which direction to go to obtain whatever they need (website files and emails, images, etc).

Hosting is required if you wish to set up a website.

Domain.com offers an all-in one solution with complementary products. Domain.com allows you to bundle domain, web builder, hosting and email, all within one platform.

While I prefer to keep my domains and hosting separate for added control and reliability, many website owners prefer them to be bundled together for ease of use.

Domain.com offers a range of complementary products. These include hosting packages, email management, site builders, and more. They are all accessible from the Control Panel and the homepage.

Domain.com allows you to bundle everything together for ease of use

Domain.com Cons

Domain.com reviews are plentiful online. Many are either negative or positive. I attempt to find and balance the real disadvantages of a company…and to whom those disadvantages might apply. Everyone has different needs & goals. As a customer, your goal is to understand these needs and find the company that meets them. These are Domain.com’s downfalls.

Pricing

Domain.com’s biggest cons is its pricing. Domain.com’s first-year discount price for domains.com is $9.99 You can save a lot of money by using a discounter such as GoDaddy, which offers regular promo codes.

Domain.com’s renewal pricing is not the most expensive ($13.99 per.com). However, it’s still not the best. Namecheap offers cheaper renewal rates.

Domain.com’s $8.99 domain privacy fee is perhaps its biggest pricing drawback.

Domain.com doesn’t offer this service. However, many registrars do. Your domain registration will cost you over $18. This is certainly one of the most expensive registrars.

There is no real onboarding

Every software has a section in which you are unsure what the next step is. Domain.com lacks this “onboarding” – the process by which the provider guides you through the setup process.

Apart from a brief email with key information about creating an account, there was not much information on how to use the new domain.

This may not matter if you are an expert in setting up and buying domains. It is simple enough to use. Domain.com is not for you if domain management is new to you.

Recommendations

If you are:

  • You want a simple process for buying domains
  • You don’t need any guidance in setting up or managing your domain.
  • You are looking for complementary products that you can tailor to your needs?

Domain.com might be a good option for you.

Domain.com’s current prices

But, you can:

  • You are looking for a cheap domain name registration
  • You want WHOIS privacy included
  • Are you less familiar with online shopping?
  • You need to know how to set up and manage your domain.

There are better options available for you (I recommend Namecheap).

Read on to find out how Domain.com ranks and which domain registrars I recommend.

Sezmi
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