The best Google Domains alternatives, compared honestly
Google Domains was the clean, no-upsell registrar developers loved, until Google shut it down and sold every domain to Squarespace, where renewals climbed and a few features quietly disappeared. Here's where to move instead, and how to pick by what actually matters to you.
Google Domains shut down in 2023 and its domains moved to Squarespace. The best replacement depends on what you're optimizing for:
- Cheapest, at-cost pricing → Cloudflare Registrar: ~$10.44 .com, registration = renewal, free WHOIS privacy.
- Closest Google Domains feel → Porkbun: flat ~$11 .com, free privacy, SSL and forwarding.
- Cheap first year, mature tooling → Namecheap: ~$5.98 first year, free WHOIS privacy (renews ~$13.98).
- Just staying put → Squarespace Domains: where your domains already live.
Why people are moving
Why Google Domains users are leaving
This isn't a normal "the product got worse" story: the registrar was discontinued and everyone was moved to a different company. That forced migration is exactly the moment to reconsider.
The product was killed
Google announced the shutdown on June 15, 2023 and sold every registration to Squarespace. The registrar you signed up for no longer exists.
Renewals went up
Squarespace honored old prices for about 12 months. A plain .com that was ~$12/yr at Google renews around ~$20/yr now, an ~$8/yr jump per domain.
Features quietly disappeared
Dynamic DNS stopped auto-updating, ACME TLS certificates stopped auto-renewing, and Google's built-in forwarding breaks under custom nameservers.
It's a website builder now
Domains are bolted onto a site-builder account, not a focused, developer-first registrar. Different priorities, different UI, more upsell surface.
The dev-friendly edge is gone
The clean console and Google Cloud DNS integration that made developers pick it in the first place didn't carry over intact.
You didn't choose this
Your account and domains were migrated for you. Since you're already being moved, it's the natural time to pick a registrar you actually want.
The shortlist
6 Google Domains alternatives worth trying
Ranked for a developer-leaning audience: the people who chose Google Domains for being clean and integrated. If you only want the lowest price, start with #1; if you want the closest Google Domains feel, #2.
Sells domains at cost (~$10.44 .com, registration = renewal) with free WHOIS privacy and world-class DNS. Catch: you must use Cloudflare's nameservers, and there's no email hosting.
Flat ~$11 .com (no year-two surprise), free WHOIS privacy, free SSL, free email + URL forwarding, 800+ TLDs and a clean modern console. The spiritual successor most indie devs land on.
Cheap first year (~$5.98) and free WHOIS privacy forever, with a broad TLD catalog and mature tooling. Watch the renewal; it climbs to ~$13.98 after the promo year.
Where your Google Domains already live. Free WHOIS privacy is retained, but .com renews around ~$20 and it dropped developer features like DDNS auto-update. Fine if you also build on Squarespace.
Focused purely on domains and email with no upsell wall and free WHOIS privacy, close in spirit to Google Domains. Pricier than the at-cost registrars (~$18 .com).
Widest TLD selection and 24/7 phone support. Downsides: aggressive upsells, a cheap first year that renews high (~$22.99 .com), and WHOIS privacy sold as an add-on on some plans.
Side by side
Google Domains alternatives compared
.com pricing over two years is where they diverge most; privacy and DNS are close to table stakes, but DNSSEC and forwarding still vary.
| Registrar | .com/yr (reg → renew) | Free WHOIS privacy | DNS + DNSSEC / DMARC | Email / forwarding | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Domains (now Squarespace) | ~$20 (was ~$12) | ✓ | Partial: DDNS/ACME dropped | Breaks under custom NS | Staying on Squarespace |
| Cloudflare Registrar | ~$10.44 → $10.44 | ✓ | ✓ DNSSEC | ✗ no email | Cheapest, if on Cloudflare DNS |
| Porkbun | ~$10.99 → $10.99 | ✓ | ✓ DNSSEC | ✓ free forwarding | Closest Google Domains feel |
| Namecheap | ~$5.98 → $13.98 | ✓ | ✓ DNSSEC | ✓ forwarding | Cheap veteran + add-ons |
| Hover | ~$18 → $18 | ✓ | Partial DNSSEC | ✓ email add-on | Clean, domain-only |
| GoDaddy | ~$12 → $22.99 | Add-on | ✓ DNSSEC | Paid | One-stop + phone support |
Pricing models and free tiers change often; check each vendor for current terms. Compiled July 2026 from each vendor's official pages.
Official pages: Squarespace / Google Domains · Cloudflare Registrar · Porkbun · Namecheap · Hover · GoDaddy
A fair call
When staying on Squarespace is fine
Migrating a domain is real work, and not everyone needs to. Here's the honest split.
Stay on Squarespace if…
- You already build your website on Squarespace and want one bill.
- You only have a domain or two and don't want to deal with a transfer.
- You value having chat/phone support in the same account.
- The ~$20 .com renewal isn't worth a migration to you.
Move to an alternative if…
- You want at-cost pricing with no markup: go to Cloudflare.
- You miss the clean, flat-priced Google Domains feel: try Porkbun.
- You want a cheap first year with free privacy and mature tooling: look at Namecheap.
- You manage many domains and records and want zonefile import + an API.
Common questions
Google Domains alternatives: common questions
Why did Google Domains shut down?
Google announced on June 15, 2023 that it was discontinuing Google Domains and selling the registration business to Squarespace. The sale closed on September 7, 2023, and all domains and customer accounts were migrated to Squarespace through 2024.
Do I have to stay with Squarespace?
No. Your domains were moved to Squarespace automatically, but you can transfer any domain to another registrar. Unlock it, get the auth/EPP code, and start the transfer at your new registrar. ICANN transfers take roughly 5–7 days and add a year of registration.
What's the cheapest Google Domains alternative?
Cloudflare Registrar, which sells domains at cost: about $10.44 for a .com with registration equal to renewal, plus free WHOIS privacy. The trade-off is that you must use Cloudflare's nameservers.
Which alternative is most like Google Domains?
Porkbun. It has flat pricing (about $11 for a .com with no year-two jump), free WHOIS privacy, free SSL and email forwarding, 800+ TLDs and a clean modern console, the closest match to the Google Domains experience.
Which alternative is best for developers?
It depends on how you work. Cloudflare Registrar pairs at-cost pricing with world-class DNS and DNSSEC if you're happy on Cloudflare's nameservers. Porkbun gives you DNSSEC, free SSL and free forwarding with a clean modern console. If you mainly miss the dropped developer features, both are a step up from Squarespace, which no longer auto-updates dynamic DNS or renews ACME certificates.
Will my DNS records survive a domain transfer?
Your registration transfers, but DNS records don't automatically follow. Export your zonefile in BIND format and import it at the new host to bring records over in one step; Cloudflare and Porkbun both support zonefile import. If DNSSEC is enabled, remove the DS records before the transfer and re-add them afterward.
Is WHOIS privacy free on these alternatives?
Yes on Cloudflare, Porkbun, Namecheap, Hover and Squarespace. GoDaddy sells it as a paid add-on on some plans. Free WHOIS privacy was a signature Google Domains feature, so it's worth confirming before you move.