Domain registrars · Comparison
GoDaddy vs Namecheap vs Porkbun
3 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 | Namecheap | 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 priceA low first-year .com with free privacy, DNS, DNSSEC and email and URL forwarding, and the freedom to point it at any nameservers. | 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 | 7.6 | 8.5Best |
| Free option | Paid only | Paid only | Paid only |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $22.99/yr | $18.48/yr | $11.08/yr |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per domain per year | 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 | $11.28 (sale, list $14.98) / $18.48, 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 | $48.84, 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 $34.98 year 1, renews $75.98; .ai $89.98/yr, 2-year minimum, renews $114.98 | .io $28.12 year 1, renews $51.80; .ai $82.70/yr, 2-year minimum |
| ICANN fee | $0.20 a year, added at checkout | $0.20 a year, added in the cart | Included in the shown price |
| Restore (redemption) fee | Up to $99.99 for .com, plus the renewal | $88.48 for .com including the renewal | $200 plus the renewal (price page) |
| Grace period after expiry | 12 days at the normal renewal price | About 30 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 | 5 days, at Namecheap’s discretion | 96 hours with a 5% fee (help center); cart and agreement say no refunds |
| Nameservers | GoDaddy DNS or any external nameservers | Namecheap BasicDNS or any external nameservers | Porkbun DNS (on Cloudflare) or any external nameservers |
| Email forwarding | Separate paid product; price not stated | Free, up to 100 forwards, catch-all | Free, 20 per domain, no catch-all |
| Domain/DNS API | Domains API v3; help center adds conditions for availability checks | Yes, after 20 domains, a $50 balance or $50 spent; IP allowlist | Free; purchases use prepaid credit by default |
| 2FA | Passkeys and FIDO U2F security keys, authenticator app, SMS | Security keys and passkeys (FIDO/WebAuthn), authenticator app | 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 | Not stated |
| Registry lock | Not offered as a product on the pages read | Domain Vault for .com and some TLDs; price not stated | 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, Namecheap includes everything most owners need and keeps the cart clean, with a published restore price. Renewals cost more than the first year, the ICANN fee is added on top, and its pages disagree on the new-customer code and on renewal refunds. | 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; Namecheap: 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.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our GoDaddy review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick GoDaddy when
- You want BIND zone export, ISO 27001 for the registrar platform and a 45-day refund on one-year auto-renewals.
- Pick Namecheap when
- You want free email forwarding, a lower restore price ($88.48 including the renewal) and a one-year first purchase.
From our Namecheap review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Namecheap when
- You want a lower restore cost ($88.48 including renewal vs $200 plus renewal), a 5-day refund window and 100 email forwards.
- Pick Porkbun when
- You want a .com that renews at the same $11.08 it costs to register, with the ICANN fee included.
From our Namecheap review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Namecheap when
- You want free email forwarding, a lower restore price and a one-year first purchase.
- Pick GoDaddy when
- You want BIND zone export, ISO 27001 for the registrar platform and a 45-day refund on one-year auto-renewals.
From our Porkbun review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Porkbun when
- You want the same .com price every year with the ICANN fee included.
- Pick Namecheap when
- You want a lower restore price ($88.48 including renewal), 100 email forwards and a catch-all.
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
- Namecheap.com$11.28first yearFirst-year sale (list $14.98); renews at $18.48; $0.20 ICANN fee added each year
- Free WHOIS privacy, on by default
- BasicDNS with one-click DNSSEC
- Up to 100 email forwards and URL forwarding
- Auto-renew on in the cart
- 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, Namecheap 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 3 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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