Domain Registration Comparison Review – Godaddy vs Network Solutions vs 1&1 vs Netfirms
Domain Registration Comparison Review -
Godaddy.com vs Network Solutions vs 1&1 vs Netfirms
There are many different domain registrars at which you can register a domain which are not in this review. The 4 Domain Registrars that we at PostHits have had much experience with are GoDaddy, Network Solutions, 1&1, and Netfirms.
www.godaddy.com
We have been using GoDaddy for quite sometime…ever since we found out they were charging about $10.00 per domain, while Network Solutions was charging $50.00.
Things have changed for the better since then.( you’ll see as you read on)
As we are writing this, The standard pricing on GoDaddys website for a dot com domain is $9.99.
If you search around the web for “godaddy promo codes” you’ll find all sorts of promo codes that will reduce your prices for various services upon checkout. The best GoDaddy Promo Code we found was oyh3. oyh3 will give you .coms at $6.95 per domain!
We have tried some of godaddy’s other services, such as webhosting, domain auctions and domain aftermarket selling services…but with all said & done, the thing we feel that GoDaddy does best & better than anyone else (right now) is domain management and domain registration. Why?
Their domain control panel is one of the easiest things to figure out. Changing DNS servers, & contact information is a breeze. We have never had a problem with GoDaddy in this respect. Their phone tech support is great!
Network solution only charges $9.00 for dot coms right now. If you only need a to register a couple of domains, then i would suggest Network Solutions is the way to go. For anything more I would recommend godaddy (mainly for .com’s).
Where we find Network Solutions does excel above the rest, is in SSL Certificates for your website or ecommerce based store. Although alot of other registrar companies sell SSL Certificates, we feel that the goal of getting an SSL Certificate for your website is to establish customer confidence, as well as to provide security. Being that Network Solutions is a very well known and recognized organization, we feel getting an SSL Certificate from them delivers on these points. The price as of today for an SSL Certificate at Network Solutions is $89.00 per year.
There are 2 things that we take into consideration for domain registration. First is the price, the second is the usability of the control panel for things such as DNS administration, Domain Transfers & Updates of Service.
When we first registered some domains at 1&1…we did it because their promo said buy one get another domain free. The thing they don’t tell you is that the second domain is one they pick for you..some noname domain like onlinehomes2343.us. I tried calling them and asking “Whats the deal with this” The guy on the phone had a hard time figuring out why i didn’t find the second domain a very great deal.
Secondly..when changing DNS to non 1&1 Servers…it takes alot longer for the DNS changes in propogating. Also..when you change your DNS..you get a message saying that..they will not be able to guarantee that your DNS or website will work if you stop using the 1&1 servers. Along with that, I started to get follow emails saying that my DNS servers where still set to 1&1’s, but after logging in..the control panel showed the new servers I had set.
Thirdly..alot of the services in their control panel cost money…and this isn’t very clear when you are clicking. I started to receive charges on my credit card for an SEO site submission of $14.00 per month..which i never entered my credit card in for, not remember seeing that there was a charge for this when clicking.
Bottom line…although the name 1&1 sound fairly simple..Our experience with them has been nothing less then complicating. We would not recommend 1&1 for any services that they offer.
Netfirms has been our registrar of choice for Canadian .ca domain names. Pricing is $9.95 CAD per domain. Their control panel is not that bad, although one thing Netfirms can improve on is bulk domain registraring. If you are an existing customer, you must log into your netfirms account if you want the domain purchase to show up under your existing netfirms account. At time of purchase, there is no option to log into your account. There is an import feature in your account for this, as I guess they are aware of this problem, but a better solution would be to provide login capabilities when purchasing.
The other thing about their control panel is it only allows you to buy 1 domain at a time when you are logged in.
Other than that, we have no issues with Netfirms.
Conclusion:
If your interested in registering a domain, we would suggest Godaddy.com is the place to start. If your looking for .ca domain names, we recommend Netfirms.ca. SSL Certificates is somewhat of a toss up with us, as Godaddy has pretty good online credibility as well..although we would still recommend Network Solutions for all of your SSL Certificate Needs. 1&1…well..lets just say…maybe another time.
