Better than Godaddy?

[Fufu]

Also GoDaddy supported SOPA.
http://support.godaddy.com/godaddy/go-daddys-position-on-sopa/

Domain Registrars should not get involved with government policies or legislative acts.

 

[HannahP]

Want to see something cool ?

• Do a speed test on whatever site you have registered with namecheap.com
• Next move your domain name to a different register
• Do a new speed test

Someone told me this and I thought it was nuts (crazy).... It's not as crazy as I thought

90% of DNS lookups are served by the local computer or ISP cache (meaning the registrar is not even part of the DNS resolution), so I would respectfully suggest that any "speed" difference is in your imagination.

Even if the query isn't cached the nameserver for the domain is the authoritative source for the lookup, not the registrar.

Of course, the registrar can provide the nameserver (ns666.bobsdomains.com), but most developers use custom nameservers or a dedicated DNS service, don't they. I'm assuming that's what you do as well.

 

[Adam Howard]

90% of DNS lookups are served by the local computer or ISP cache (meaning the registrar is not even part of the DNS resolution), so I would respectfully suggest that any "speed" difference is in your imagination.

Even if the query isn't cached the nameserver for the domain is the authoritative source for the lookup, not the registrar.

Of course, the registrar can provide the nameserver (ns666.bobsdomains.com), but most developers use custom nameservers or a dedicated DNS service, don't they. I'm assuming that's what you do as well.

Used both actually.... I switched their name servers, my own custom name servers, and a dedicated DNS. I also switched host and tried connecting to the site from different locations (while I was on the road & at home).

I really did save 1 - 2 seconds on average switching away from namecheap.com You should try it sometime.

 

[DBA]

Used both actually.... I switched their name servers, my own custom name servers, and a dedicated DNS. I also switched host and tried connecting to the site from different locations (while I was on the road & at home).

I really did save 1 - 2 seconds on average switching away from namecheap.com You should try it sometime.

My site doesn't even take that long to load.

 

[Trent Gillespie]

Used both actually.... I switched their name servers, my own custom name servers, and a dedicated DNS. I also switched host and tried connecting to the site from different locations (while I was on the road & at home).

I really did save 1 - 2 seconds on average switching away from namecheap.com You should try it sometime.

One to two seconds is quite a bit of time in regards to DNS. While your experiences may be valid, the figures you are using here are quite extreme. If they were really that long, I would highly doubt their business would remain afloat.

 

[DBA]

Just did a webpagetest and here's what it said for DNS lookup:
DNS Lookup: 29 ms

 

[Adam Howard]

One to two seconds is quite a bit of time in regards to DNS. While your experiences may be valid, the figures you are using here are quite extreme. If they were really that long, I would highly doubt their business would remain afloat.

Why it happens.... I don't know.
How it happened.... It don't know.

End results... I do know. And that's good enough for me.

I also know I'm not the only person who notice this. When someone first told me that my problem maybe namecheap.com I thought it sounded crazy. A lot like mjp I believed such talk didn't add up or make much sense. So I switched 1 of my domain names to actually prove a point and disprove a theory. I was very surprised at the results.

I know it doesn't affect everyone. About 1/2 of the people who make the switch notice the difference and can actually record it (using various ways to measure site load time). But 1/2 is still convincing enough for me & actually seeing the results for myself was also enough.

I had moved my domain from namecheap.com to name.com (if that helps as a point of reference)

 

[Jason]

I think what mjp is trying to point out is that the registrar plays no part in the resolution process if you're not using their nameservers, so any "lag" experienced in that scenario is being caused elsewhere, since you're not querying their servers at all. The registrar only assigns names in the corresponding TLD registry -- it doesn't actually administer it.

The process is basically: (1) the network host is configured with hints of the addresses of the root name servers, which gets updated time-to-time. (2) a query is sent to one of these root servers to get the authoritative server for the top-level domain. (3) a query is sent to the TLD server, we just got from step 2, for the address of an authoritative nameserver for the second-level domain. (4) step 3 is repeated to process each domain label until the IP address is returned.

But, like mjp said, most ISPs provide caching nameservers, and many routers have DNS caches, making for a lot less querying.

 

[RickM]

Jasons right. You cant pin a slow domain on your registrar (unless of course you're using their free DNS service) as all they do is 'add' domaons to the DNS Root Zone - every domain is in it, and who registers it has zero bearing on how it is called up.

Think of it like a simple mysql database - it doesnt matter who inserts the record, it still comes out the same way.

If you've experienced slowdown with 1 particular registrar there are only 2 possible causes.

1) You're using their DNS
2) Its a coincidence

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I use GoDaddy, mostly because they are cheap. I looked into switching to NameCheap at some point, but found that it would cost us several hundreds a year extra, so I stuck with GoDaddy.

I find that curious. If you want private registration, GoDaddy is far more expensive than Namecheap. Unless you're getting some special intro deal, your conclusions don't add up.

 

[Forsaken]

I find that curious. If you want private registration, GoDaddy is far more expensive than Namecheap. Unless you're getting some special intro deal, your conclusions don't add up.

NameSilo is cheaper as well; the registration is always free, and not just the first year.

 

[HannahP]

Why it happens.... I don't know.
How it happened.... It don't know.

You know, that reminds me of an old salesman's story.

Young kid starts working as an appliance salesman with an old timer who has been selling for decades. On his first day the kid ropes in a female customer who is shopping for a refrigerator. He talks up the refrigerator, touting all its features and finally says, "The freezer even defrosts automatically!"

The woman asks him, "How does that work?" The kid launches into a tedious explanation about temperature, relative humidity and Freon gas and the woman's eyes glaze over and she leaves the store without a refrigerator.

The kid flops down on a chair next to the old timer, saying he can't figure out why he didn't close the sale. The old timer smiles and says, "Kid, selling this stuff is easy. Tell them whatever you have to tell them to close the deal, and if they ask how something works just say, 'it does it at night while you're asleep.'"

 

[Adam Howard]

You know, that reminds me of an old salesman's story.

Young kid starts working as an appliance salesman with an old timer who has been selling for decades. On his first day the kid ropes in a female customer who is shopping for a refrigerator. He talks up the refrigerator, touting all its features and finally says, "The freezer even defrosts automatically!"

The woman asks him, "How does that work?" The kid launches into a tedious explanation about temperature, relative humidity and Freon gas and the woman's eyes glaze over and she leaves the store without a refrigerator.

The kid flops down on a chair next to the old timer, saying he can't figure out why he didn't close the sale. The old timer smiles and says, "Kid, selling this stuff is easy. Tell them whatever you have to tell them to close the deal, and if they ask how something works just say, 'it does it at night while you're asleep.'"

Sounds about right.... It does it while you're sleeping.

(All seriousness though. I do understand what you were saying and agree, but the results show differently then what either of us would expect. And in the end, its the results that matter)

 

[Sim]

Another vote for moving off GoDaddy ... I moved 600+ domains to name.com and have been very happy with their service, and the new admin interface is a big improvement on what they had before.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

They have good prices for transfers, but do these prices hold up for the second year? It doesn't seem as if there's a full price list on the site. Also wonder what WHOIS privacy costs. You know? I'm sure it must be at the site, but it's well hidden.

 

[Dragapult]

Hi I currently register my domains with Godaddy. It is Ok, but I was wondering what other people used and whether it is cheaper?

- and NO I do not host with them, just looking for name registrars

I've been using NameCheap since 2005. Cheap and never had a single issue with them.

 

[bot]

netfirms.com namesilo.com they both are greate

 

[intradox]

Namecheap.com and Name.com

Only ever used GoDaddy when i bought a domain from someone else and had to wait the 90 days to transfer it.

 

[SchmitzIT]

You pay $18.16 for a domain at GoDaddy with private registration.

At Namesilo you pay $7.49-$8.99 depending on what domain ($16.99 for .me) with free private registration.

I find that curious. If you want private registration, GoDaddy is far more expensive than Namecheap. Unless you're getting some special intro deal, your conclusions don't add up.

I have to admit I never go for private registration. If that's free, that might make me switch Though the slowness report from Adam kind of puts me off.

 

[Carlos]

I'm a namecheap customer, too. Good company, good user interface, and all around great service (I get good support from live support).