Domain registrars · Comparison
GoDaddy vs Porkbun
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | GoDaddy | Porkbun |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Easy to adoptFree privacy and DNS on an ISO 27001-certified registrar platform, from a large provider, with self-serve auth codes and BIND zone export. | Worth the priceAn all-in $11.08 .com that costs the same to register, renew or transfer, with privacy, DNS, DNSSEC and forwarding included. |
| Overall score | 5.5 | 8.5Best |
| Free option | Paid only | Paid only |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $22.99/yr | $11.08/yr |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per domain per year | Per domain per year, all fees included |
| .com year 1 / renewal | $0.01 with a 3-year purchase / $22.99, each plus $0.20 ICANN fee | $11.08 / $11.08 (about $11.81 announced from Nov 1, 2026) |
| 3-year .com cost (scenario) | $46.59, computed | $33.24, computed at the prices listed on Oct 16 |
| .io and .ai | .io $0.01 year 1 (3-year purchase), renews $89.99; .ai $49.99 year 1 (2-year purchase), renews $159.99 | .io $28.12 year 1, renews $51.80; .ai $82.70/yr, 2-year minimum |
| ICANN fee | $0.20 a year, added at checkout | Included in the shown price |
| Restore (redemption) fee | Up to $99.99 for .com, plus the renewal | $200 plus the renewal (price page) |
| Grace period after expiry | 12 days at the normal renewal price | Ends day 35–45 at the normal price; auction possible from about day 26 |
| Refund window (new registration) | 5 days; 45 days for a 1-year auto-renewal | 96 hours with a 5% fee (help center); cart and agreement say no refunds |
| Nameservers | GoDaddy DNS or any external nameservers | Porkbun DNS (on Cloudflare) or any external nameservers |
| Email forwarding | Separate paid product; price not stated | Free, 20 per domain, no catch-all |
| Domain/DNS API | Domains API v3; help center adds conditions for availability checks | Free; purchases use prepaid credit by default |
| 2FA | Passkeys and FIDO U2F security keys, authenticator app, SMS | Security keys and passkeys (WebAuthn), authenticator app, email |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | ISO 27001:2022 for the registrar and DNS platform; SOC 2 not stated | Not stated |
| Registry lock | Not offered as a product on the pages read | Not stated |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, GoDaddy offers a certified registrar platform, free privacy and DNS, and good exit tools. Its first-year offers are well below the $22.99 renewal, the ICANN fee is added on top, and the grace period at the normal price is short. | From its public pages, Porkbun pairs an all-in .com price that does not rise at renewal with free essentials and a capable API. The restore fee is $200, and its refund pages disagree. |
Evidence: GoDaddy: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Porkbun: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- GoDaddy.com$0.01first year3-year purchase required; additional years $22.99; taxes and the $0.20 ICANN fee extra
- Free domain privacy
- DNS with up to 500 records
- DNSSEC free for the first 5 domains
- Transfer lock on from registration
- Porkbun.com$11.08/yrRegister, renew or transfer; ICANN fee included; about $11.81 announced from Nov 1, 2026
- Free WHOIS privacy, on by default
- DNS with up to 200 records and one-click DNSSEC
- 20 email forwards and URL forwarding
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: GoDaddy 2026-10-16, Porkbun 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- PorkbunSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.5/10).
- Lowest starter price
- Porkbun$11.08/yr for the .com renewal (yearly list price) plan.
- Highest overall score
- Porkbun8.5/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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