Websites

Where should you register a .com?

A domain is the one piece of your online presence you should own outright. Registrars differ less in the first-year price than in everything after it: the renewal, what privacy costs, and how hard it is to leave.

Checked against each vendor's own pages on October 14, 2026. Every cell links to its source. Prices and plans change often, so click through before you buy.

Cloudflare Registrar

Cloudflare

.com first year
Not publishedVendor says prices are shown upfront, but no .com figure appears on the product page.Cloudflare Registrar product page
.com renewal
Not publishedVendor says renewal is at the registry list price with no markup. No dollar figure or billing basis is shown.Cloudflare Registrar docs overview
WHOIS privacy
Yes. Free WHOIS redaction is included.Redaction hides personal contact details from public WHOIS records. Docs also say redacted WHOIS is on by default.Cloudflare Registrar product page Cloudflare Registrar docs overview
Leaving
Out-transfer fee not published. Domains stay locked until you unlock them.Cloudflare Registrar product page
DNSSEC
Yes. Free, one-click DNSSEC on all domains.Docs also say DNSSEC is free to all Cloudflare customers.Cloudflare Registrar product page Cloudflare Registrar docs overview
Email forwarding
Free to verified addresses via Email Routing, a separate product.Vendor says sending to verified destination addresses is free on all plans. The page does not say whether the domain must be registered at Cloudflare.Cloudflare Email Routing docs
Our pick
Wholesale pricing and free privacy, but the product page shows no .com price. Best for a technical owner who will check inside the account.

Porkbun

Porkbun

.com first year
$11.08 per year, shown as an everyday low priceNo sale label on the .com row. The products page says registration and renewal prices are per year for non-premium domains. Checked October 14, 2026.Porkbun domains pricing Porkbun .com pricing
.com renewal
$11.08 per yearThe products page lists the .com renewal column at $11.08. The .com page shows no separate renewal figure but says the price you see is the price you pay, year after year.Porkbun domains pricing Porkbun .com pricing
WHOIS privacy
Yes, free WHOIS privacy on participating domainsSome extensions are excluded (for example .us, .de, .uk, .ca, .au). .com is not on the exclusion list, which ends with 'and potentially others'.Porkbun WHOIS privacy
Leaving
Transfer-out fee not stated on the pages checked; 60-day minimum at one registrar before any transferThe help article says ICANN rules require 60 days at one registrar before transfer, and describes unlocking the domain first. It states no transfer-out fee. A lock after registrant changes is not covered on the page checked.Porkbun help: transfer out
DNSSEC
Included free with Porkbun DNS; one toggleApplies to domains using Porkbun nameservers. For external nameservers the help article points to a separate 'How to install DNSSEC' article; no fee is stated for that.Porkbun DNS management Porkbun DNSSEC help
Email forwarding
Free, up to 20 email forwardsIncluded at no charge; the page states a cap of 20 forwards. No price for more than 20 appears on the pages checked.Porkbun domains pricing Porkbun .com pricing
Our pick
One price, shown up front, same at renewal, privacy and DNSSEC free. The easiest table to read here.

Namecheap

Namecheap

.com first year
$10.98 first year on sale (regular $14.98)A $6.48 new-customer promo was also showing. Plus the $0.20 ICANN fee.Namecheap domain prices
.com renewal
$18.48 per yearPlus the $0.20 ICANN fee.Namecheap domain prices
WHOIS privacy
Yes, free privacy protection for lifeNamecheap domain prices
Leaving
No outbound fee shown. 60-day lock after register or transferThe two transfer articles do not state an outbound transfer fee either way. Both state the ICAN-style 60-day rule (domain must be more than 60 days old and not transferred between registrars within 60 days), and the first says Namecheap has 5 days to release a domain. The 60-day article is about transfers into Namecheap, so the rule is applied here as a general restriction. The $0.18 ICANN fee the transfer-in article mentions is for transfers in, not out.What should I do to transfer a domain from Na... How to Transfer a Domain
DNSSEC
Toggle available for domains on Namecheap BasicDNS or PremiumDNS. Price not stated on the pageThe KB article says DNSSEC is enabled with a switch in Advanced DNS, takes 60 minutes to take effect, and does not mention any price.Managing DNSSEC for BasicDNS or PremiumDNS
Email forwarding
Free forwarding, up to 100 addresses, no sendingNeeds BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS. It is not a full mailbox and cannot send mail from the forwarding address. It cannot run alongside Private Email or another email service on the same domain. Private Email pricing was not checked.How to set up Free Email Forwarding
Our pick
Fine, and the $18.48 renewal is the real price. Ignore the first-year promo when comparing.

Squarespace Domains

Squarespace

.com first year
$10 to $20 per year, no single price shown. Promo rates may applyVendor pages disagree. Blog gives .com $10 to $20 and says a .com may show $1.99 or $4.99 for the first year. FAQ says common TLDs like .com are $20 per year. Homepage says 'only $10' without naming .com.Squarespace Domains blog: How much does a dom... Squarespace domains FAQ
.com renewal
Not one fixed price. Blog says $18 or more per yearBlog also gives a $10 to $20 range. FAQ says a free domain renews for $20 after one year and lists common TLDs like .com at $20 per year. Live renewal price not confirmed.Squarespace Domains blog: How much does a dom... Squarespace domains FAQ
WHOIS privacy
Yes. Free on eligible domains, including .comThe .com page says 'eligible' domains. The FAQ says privacy is included free with all domains registered through Squarespace. Some country-code domains may not allow privacy.Squarespace Domains: .com domain page Squarespace domains FAQ
Leaving
No transfer-out fee stated. 60-day lock after purchase or transfer-inPage lists a possible 60 day registration lock after purchase and a 60 day transfer lock after transfer-in, plus a contact update lock with no stated duration. The new provider may charge for continued service, which is not a Squarespace fee.Squarespace help: Transferring a domain away...
DNSSEC
DNSSEC is named as a feature on the homepage. No price or free/paid statement is givenHomepage lists DNSSEC powered by CloudDNS but does not say whether it costs extra.Squarespace Domains homepage
Email forwarding
Free with a Squarespace-managed domain. Up to 100 aliasesWildcard (*) alias allowed. Homepage also says email forwarding is a feature with each domain. Third-party-registered domains follow their provider's docs.Squarespace help: Email forwarding with a Squ...
Our pick
Convenient if the site is on Squarespace. Prices are a range, not a number, so check before you renew.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy

.com first year
$0.01 first year, only with a 3-year purchase. Promo: $2.99 for 1 year, new customersThe $0.01 price needs a 3-year total purchase. The $2.99 promo uses code GDWELCOME, new customers only, validated at checkout, valid for one domain. A separate $0.20/year ICANN fee is listed for .com.GoDaddy, How much does a domain name cost
.com renewal
$22.99 per year, standard price (excludes sale and promo pricing)Shown in the GoDaddy pricing tables on the how-much page. The renewal-price help page gives no number and says the price shows in your account.GoDaddy, How much does a domain name cost
WHOIS privacy
Yes, Domain Privacy is free and on by default on eligible domainsSome extensions are not eligible, e.g. .us, .ca, .de, .fr, .au.GoDaddy, What is Domain Privacy?
Leaving
No outbound fee stated on the page. 60-day lock applies after new registration, transfer or contact change (when the lock option was chosen); bundled domains 120 daysThe page lists no transfer-out fee, so the fee is unconfirmed. The 60-day lock applies only if the registrant chose it when approving contact changes. Bundled domains cannot transfer for 120 days after registration.GoDaddy, Transfer my domain away from GoDaddy
DNSSEC
Yes, 5 free DNSSEC credits, for domains on GoDaddy nameservers onlyMore domains need a Premium DNS upgrade; domains on other nameservers need DS records added by hand. Upgrade price not stated on the page.GoDaddy, Turn DNSSEC on or off
Email forwarding
Not publishedThe email forwarding and renewal help pages state no price or free inclusion. Forwarding credits bundled with domains can no longer be used.GoDaddy, Create, edit or delete forwards with...
Our pick
The $0.01 headline needs a three-year purchase, and renewal is the highest here. Transfer out when it comes due.

Compare the renewal price, not the first year

The first year is a hook. You will pay the renewal price for as long as the business exists, so that is the number to compare.

  1. 01Renewal, not promoYou will pay the renewal price for as long as the business exists. If a registrar does not show it, ask before you buy.
  2. 02Privacy includedA public WHOIS record can expose your name and address. Privacy should cost nothing.
  3. 03Register it yourselfPut the domain in your own account, with your own login, and point it at whatever host you use. Never let a web designer register it for you.

Turn on two-factor authentication at the registrar today. Losing the domain is the hardest website failure to undo.

Spearworks AI

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Nathan Spear · spearworksai.com

Spearworks Labs · All comparisons · Checked October 14, 2026. Not affiliated with any vendor listed.