Domain registrars · Comparison
Namecheap vs Porkbun vs Squarespace Domains
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 | Namecheap | Porkbun | Squarespace Domains |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | 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. | Easy to adoptA domain with privacy, DNSSEC, email aliases and forwarding switched on, managed in a simple dashboard, with no website plan required. |
| Overall score | 7.6 | 8.5Best | 6.8 |
| 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 | $18.48/yr | $11.08/yr | $20/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, all fees included | Per domain per year |
| .com year 1 / renewal | $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) | $10 (first-year discount) / $20 |
| 3-year .com cost (scenario) | $48.84, computed | $33.24, computed at the prices listed on Oct 16 | $50, computed |
| .io and .ai | .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 | .io $60 year 1 (list $70); .ai $85, 2-year minimum |
| ICANN fee | $0.20 a year, added in the cart | Included in the shown price | Not mentioned; home page says fees are included |
| Restore (redemption) fee | $88.48 for .com including the renewal | $200 plus the renewal (price page) | $45 for .com |
| Grace period after expiry | About 30 days at the normal renewal price | Ends day 35–45 at the normal price; auction possible from about day 26 | 30 days (Squarespace Domains LLC); 40 days for Tucows domains |
| Refund window (new registration) | 5 days, at Namecheap’s discretion | 96 hours with a 5% fee (help center); cart and agreement say no refunds | 5 days for gTLDs; none for .io |
| Nameservers | Namecheap BasicDNS or any external nameservers | Porkbun DNS (on Cloudflare) or any external nameservers | Squarespace DNS or 2–13 custom nameservers |
| Email forwarding | Free, up to 100 forwards, catch-all | Free, 20 per domain, no catch-all | Free, up to 100 aliases, catch-all |
| Domain/DNS API | Yes, after 20 domains, a $50 balance or $50 spent; IP allowlist | Free; purchases use prepaid credit by default | Reseller API only, for approved resellers |
| 2FA | Security keys and passkeys (FIDO/WebAuthn), authenticator app | Security keys and passkeys (WebAuthn), authenticator app, email | Passkeys and hardware keys, authenticator app, SMS in five countries |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Registry lock | Domain Vault for .com and some TLDs; price not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Bottom line | 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. | From its public pages, Squarespace Domains is the most hands-off option here, with protections on by default and a $45 restore fee. A .com renews at $20 after a $10 first year, and bulk tools, DNS export and a customer API are not offered. |
Evidence: 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; Squarespace Domains: 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 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 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.
From our Squarespace Domains review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Squarespace Domains when
- You want privacy and DNSSEC set up for you and a $45 restore fee.
- Pick Namecheap when
- You want bulk actions, a domain list export and an API.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- 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
- Squarespace Domains.com$10first yearFirst-year discount (list $20); renews at $20 a year
- Free domain privacy
- DNSSEC on automatically
- Up to 100 email aliases with catch-all
- URL forwarding with SSL
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Namecheap 2026-10-16, Porkbun 2026-10-16, Squarespace Domains 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
Add a product
Search by product name or by what it does, such as “email” or “feature flags”. 1 more fits in this comparison.