Businesses trust GoDaddy with their websites as an astounding 77 million domain names are managed by GoDaddy.com. This makes it the largest domain name registrar on the Internet, but there are better and cheaper GoDaddy alternatives ⇣ out there.
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Quick summary:
- Best overall: Bluehost ⇣ is one of the cheapest hosting providers on the market offering beginner-friendly and quality web hosting. Domain name registration is included for free when you buy a web hosting plan.
- Runner-up, Best overall: Namecheap ⇣ is the best domain name registration alternative to GoDaddy, the main reason is that Namecheap offers WHOIS Privacy protection for free with all their domain names.
- Most secure GoDaddy domains alternative: Domains.Google ⇣ is the most secure and reliable hosting option. Domains. Google is Google’s domain name registrar for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Businesses trust GoDaddy with their websites and although there’s a lot that is good with GoDaddy, there are some things that might have you looking for an alternative to the famous domain registrar.
One such thing is higher domain name renewal prices. GoDaddy charges you a lot less for the first year than it does for renewals. It sounds like a discount but ends up costing you much more than most other domain name registrars.
Best GoDaddy alternatives in 2023
GoDaddy is one of the most popular domain names and web hosting services. Here are the best GoDaddy alternatives that are both better and cheaper.
Here are the best GoDaddy competitor sites out there right now.
1. Bluehost.com (all in one domain name, web hosting and blog)
- Official website: www.bluehost.com
- Trusted by hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world.
- Domain name comes free when you buy an annual web hosting plan.
- One of the highest-rated excellent customer support teams in the industry.
Why Use Bluehost Instead of GoDaddy
If your website runs on WordPress, then there’s no one better in business than Bluehost. They have won numerous awards for solid support and are one of the recommended hosts on the official WordPress.org website.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Bluehost
If you run a business that is growing really fast, then you should go with GoDaddy. Bluehost’s services are more suitable for small businesses and professional bloggers.
2. Namecheap.com (includes free WHOIS privacy)
- Official website: www.namecheap.com
- One of the most popular domain registrars on the Internet. Namecheap is the best alternative to GoDaddy.
- All domains from Namecheap.com come with free WHOIS domain privacy. Other domain name registrars including GoDaddy charge extra for this.
- Has been in business since the year 2001.
Why Use Namecheap Instead of GoDaddy
Unlike GoDaddy, Namecheap offers WHOIS Privacy protection for free with all their domain names. And Unlike GoDaddy, Namecheap offers renewals at the same price as when you buy your domain.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Namecheap
Namecheap is known only as a domain name registrar, but they do offer web hosting as well. If you want the best in running your online small business and want to be able to manage everything in one place like hosting, emails, and ecommerce – then go with GoDaddy.
3. HostGator.com (cheapest domain name and hosting combination)
- Official website: www.hostgator.com
- All annual shared web hosting plans come with a free domain name that renews every year for free with your subscription.
- Offers all types of web hosting services including Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Managed WordPress Hosting.
Why Use HostGator Instead of GoDaddy
If you just want to run a blog or a small news site, then HostGator is the way to go. Whether you are running a boutique bicycle repair shop or a news site that gets millions of visitors, HostGator can handle it all.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of HostGator
If you want to be able to easily scale your website to millions of visitors, then GoDaddy is the best choice. Their clients include local boutique shops to big brands.
4. Hostinger.com (cheap web hosting)
- Official website: www.hostinger.com
- The Hostinger has made a name for themselves by offering the cheapest web hosting plans.
- Plans starting from only $1.96 per month.
- All annual web hosting plans come with a free domain name.
Why Use Hostinger Instead of GoDaddy
If you are just starting out and want the cheapest web hosting prices, go with Hostinger. Although they are popular for cheap web hosting, it doesn’t mean that their web hosting services can’t compete with other big players on this list.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Hostinger
If you don’t like to compromise quality for money, then Hostinger might not be the best web host for your business.
5. Domains.Google (domain names registered with Google)
- Official website: www.domains.google
- Want Google’s security and reliability? Domains.Google is Google’s domain name service for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
- Manage all the applications including Google Drive and Gmail for your business from one account.
Why Use Google Domains Instead of GoDaddy
Although Google Domains is not as popular as most of the other domain name providers on this list, their domain name service is trusted by thousands of businesses around the world.
Google’s aim with all its services including Google Domains is to make setting up and running a website easy for business owners. If you are looking for an easy way to set up and manage your website, then you can count on the simplicity of Google’s domain name services.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Google Domains
If you want to be able to manage everything including your web hosting accounts and domain names all under one website, then go with GoDaddy.
6. Dynadot.com (good alternative to GoDaddy)
- Official website: www.dynadot.com
- One of the oldest domain name registrars on the Internet was founded in 2002.
- Offer free WHOIS privacy protection included in the base price of all their domains.
- Free Website Builder offered with all domains to allow you to build professional-looking websites within minutes.
Why Use Dynadot Instead of GoDaddy
If you want WHOIS privacy protection included in the price of your domain name, then go with Dynadot. WIth Dynadot, you aren’t limited to just the free website builder; you can also host your website on a VPS server right from the same dashboard.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Dynadot
GoDaddy offers a wider range of services and products, which can be helpful when scaling your business.
7. DreamHost.com (trusted provider)
- Official website: www.dreamhost.com
- One of the most recommended web hosts for Bloggers and Entrepreneurs just starting out.
- All the annual shared hosting plans come with a free domain name that renews every year with your subscription.
- The customer support team is one of the best in the industry.
Why Use DreamHost Instead of GoDaddy
DreamHost is known for their great chat support team and has been the PCMag Editors Choice winner 4 years in a row. With DreamHost, you can choose vanilla shared hosting or go with a Managed WordPress hosting plan. DreamHost pricing plans and offerings can easily scale with your business.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of DreamHost
If you want more than just web hosting and a domain name, go with GoDaddy. GoDaddy offers everything from Premium SSL certificates to Email Marketing Services.
8. Domain.com (been around for years)
- Official website: www.domain.com
- The company owns Domain.com domain name.
- Has been in business since the year 2000.
Why Use Domain.com Instead of GoDaddy
Their aim with their service offerings is to simplify the process of owning a website and make it as easy as possible. And to make it a reality, they offer a free website builder to help you publish your first site within minutes without hiring a web designer.
Why Use GoDaddy Instead of Domain.com
What I don’t like about this registrar is that unlike most of the others on this list, they don’t offer WHOIS privacy protection for free with their domains. You have to pay for it separately for all your domains.
If you want to be able to manage everything your website needs from one place, then go with GoDaddy.
Worst Web Hosts (Stay Away!)
There are a lot of web hosting providers out there, and it can be hard to know which ones to avoid. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the worst web hosting services in 2023, so you can know which companies to steer clear of.
1. PowWeb
PowWeb is an affordable web host that offers an easy way to launch your first website. On paper, they offer everything you need to launch your first site: a free domain name, unlimited disk space, a one-click install for WordPress, and a control panel.
PowWeb offers only one web plan for their web hosting service. This might look good to you if you’re building your first website. After all, they offer unlimited disk space and have no limits for bandwidth.
But there are strict fair-usage limits on server resources. This means, if your website all of a sudden gets a huge surge in traffic after going viral on Reddit, PowWeb will shut it down! Yes, that happens! Shared web hosting providers who lure you in with cheap prices shut your website down as soon as it gets a small surge in traffic. And when that happens, with other web hosts, you can simply upgrade your plan, but with PowWeb, there’s no other higher plan.
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I would only recommend going with PowWeb if you’re just starting and are building your first website. But even if that’s the case, other web hosts offer affordable monthly plans. With other web hosts, you might need to pay a dollar more every month, but you won’t have to sign up for an annual plan, and you’ll get better service.
One of the only redeeming features of this web host is its cheap price, but to get that price you’ll need to pay upfront for 12 months or more. One thing I do like about this web host is that you get unlimited disk space, unlimited mailboxes (email addresses), and no supposed bandwidth limits.
But it doesn’t matter how many things PowWeb does right, there are just too many poor 1 and 2-star reviews plastered all over the internet about how terrible this service is. All those reviews make PowWeb look like a horror show!
If you are looking for a good web host, I would highly recommend looking elsewhere. Why not go with a web host that’s not still living in the year 2002? Not only does its website look ancient, it still uses Flash on some of its pages. Browsers dropped support for Flash years ago.
PowWeb’s pricing is cheaper than a lot of other web hosts, but it also doesn’t offer as much as those other web hosts. First of all, PowWeb’s service isn’t scalable. They only have one plan. Other web hosts have multiple plans to make sure you can scale your website with just one click. They also have great support.
Web hosts like SiteGround and Bluehost are known for their customer support. Their teams help you out with anything and everything when your website breaks down. I’ve been building websites for the last 10 years, and there’s no way I would ever recommend PowWeb to anyone for any use case. Stay away!
2. FatCow
For an affordable price of $4.08 per month, FatCow offers unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, a website builder, and unlimited email addresses on your domain name. Now, of course, there are fair-usage limits. But this pricing is only available if you go for a term longer than 12 months.
Although the pricing seems affordable at a first glance, be aware that their renewal prices are much higher than the price you sign up for. FatCow charges more than twice the sign-up price when you renew your plan. If you want to save money, it would be a good idea to go for an annual plan to lock in the cheaper sign-up price for the first year.
But why would you? FatCow may not be the worst web host in the market, but they are also not the best. For the same price, you can get web hosting that offers even better support, faster server speeds, and more scalable service.
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One thing I don’t like or understand about FatCow is that they only have one plan. And even though this plan seems to be enough for someone who’s just starting, it doesn’t seem like a good idea for any serious business owner.
No serious business owner would think that a plan that is suitable for a hobby site is a good idea for their business. Any web host that sells “unlimited” plans is lying. They hide behind legal jargon that enforces dozens and dozens of limits on how many resources your website can use.
So, It begs the question: who is this plan or this service designed for? If it’s not for serious business owners, then is it just for hobbyists and people building their first website?
One good thing about FatCow is that they offer you a free domain name for the first year. The customer support may not be the best available but is better than some of their competitors. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you decide you’re done with FatCow within the first 30 days.
Another good thing about FatCow is that they offer an affordable plan for WordPress websites. If you’re a fan of WordPress, there might be something for you in FatCow’s WordPress plans. They are built on top of the regular plan but with some basic features that might be helpful for a WordPress site. Same as the regular plan, you get unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and email addresses. You also get a free domain name for the first year.
If you are looking for a reliable, scalable web host for your business, I wouldn’t recommend FatCow unless they wrote me a million-dollar check. Look, I am not saying they are the worst. Far from it! FatCow may be suitable for some use cases, but if you are serious about growing your business online, I can’t recommend this web host. Other web hosts might cost a dollar or two more every month but offer a lot more features and are much more suitable if you run a “serious” business.
3. Netfirms
Netfirms is a shared web host that caters to small businesses. They used to be a giant in the industry and were one of the highest web hosts.
If you look at their history, Netfirms used to be a great web host. But they are no longer what they used to be. They got acquired by a giant web hosting company, and now their service no longer seems competitive. And their pricing is just outrageous. You can find better web hosting services for much cheaper prices.
If you still believe for some reason that Netfirms might be worth a try, just look at all the horrible reviews about their service on the internet. According to the dozens of 1-star reviews I’ve skimmed, their support is terrible, and the service has been going downhill ever since they got acquired.
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Most Netfirms reviews you’ll read all start the same way. They praise how good Netfirms was about a decade ago, and then they go on to talk about how the service is now a dumpster fire!
If you take a look at Netfirms’ offerings, you’ll notice that they are designed for beginners who are just getting started with building their first website. But even if that’s the case, there are better web hosts that cost less and offer more features.
One good thing about Netfirms plans is how generous they all are. You get unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited email accounts. You also get a free domain name. But all these features are common when it comes to Shared Hosting. Almost all shared web hosting providers offer “unlimited” plans.
Other than their Shared Web Hosting plans, Netfirms also offer Website Builder plans. It offers a simple drag-and-drop interface to build your website. But their basic starter plan limits you to only 6 pages. How generous! The templates are also really outdated.
If you’re looking for an easy website builder, I wouldn’t recommend Netfirms. Many website builders on the market are much more powerful and offer a lot more features. Some of them are even cheaper…
If you want to install WordPress, they offer an easy one-click solution to install it but they don’t have any plans that are optimized and designed specifically for WordPress sites. Their starter plan costs $4.95 a month but only allows one website. Their competitors allow unlimited websites for that same price.
The only reason I can think of to host my website with Netfirms is if I was being held hostage. Their pricing doesn’t seem real to me. It’s outdated and is much higher when compared to other web hosts. Not only that, their cheap prices are only introductory. That means you’ll need to pay much higher renewal prices after the first term. The renewal prices are twice the introductory sign-up prices. Stay away!
What is GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the most trusted and known domain name registrars on the Internet. Their platform is where you go to buy a domain name for your website. If your website is Facebook, then your domain name will be Facebook.com.
Benefits of GoDaddy
The biggest benefit of going with GoDaddy is that they provide a wide variety of services. When you buy a domain from GoDaddy.com, you get to access all the other services required to run a website from one place.
They offer everything from web hosting, website building tools, ecommerce software, email hosting to premium enterprise-level SSL certificates.
Best GoDaddy Alternatives 2023 – Summary
Is GoDaddy the best option?
Although I like GoDaddy’s services and I have been a customer for years, one of the things I don’t like about them is that their renewal prices are much higher than the sign-up prices.
And unlike a lot of the domain registrars above, they don’t offer WHOIS privacy protection for free. As I have covered here there are a couple of good GoDaddy competitors out there for domain registration and web hosting.
If you are just starting out, I recommend going with Namecheap because of the free WhoisGuard domain privacy protection, or Bluehost as they have one of the best support teams in the industry and are one of the most recommended web hosts for beginners.
They are even recommended by the official WordPress.org community site.
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