Google Domains is a domain name registrar operated by Google. With domain registration and hosting services, Google Domains can help you get your website up and running in the easiest way possible.
It provides a simple solution to finding a reliable domain name through native Google support, security, and additional features for added value without the excess price.
Google Domains Compared
Google Domains didn’t make our top list, though it is still a good product. With that in mind, the best domain registrar for most people is GoDaddy because of its extensive privacy and protection features. Purchase a two-year plan today and grab a .com domain ending for just $0.01 for the first year.
Want to read more about the best domain registrars? We reviewed dozens of options and narrowed it down to the top seven. If you want to scope out all of your options, see all of our top picks here.
- GoDaddy — Best for domain protection and privacy
- Hostinger — Best for bundling domain registration and web hosting
- Porkbun — Best for creative domain extensions
- Domain.com — Best for fast and simple domain purchasing
- Network Solutions — Best for long-term domain registrations
- Namecheap — Best for affordable domain registration
- NameSilo — Best for buying domains in bulk
About Google Domains
Although Google Domains didn’t make it onto our top list, it still provides an excellent and affordable service for its users. With added security features and intuitive tools, you can find the perfect domain name without hidden fees.
Google Domains’ main suite of products includes multi-domain registration, domain verification, DNS hosting, dynamic DNS, domain forwarding, and email forwarding. However, you can also find integrated services, such as Google Workspace, website design, Google sites, and online ads.
Google Domains Health and Stability
Google Domains is one of the many byproducts of Google and was officially launched in 2014 under a beta test mode, which lasted for eight years and ended in March of 2022. While Google Domains isn’t an individual company, Google is a multinational corporation founded in 1998 and has 13 current investors.
As of today, Google has raised a total of $36.1 million and has more than 10,000 employees around the world. With a 4.5-star rating on Glassdoor across 37,000 reviews, it seems that Google offers a diverse and inclusive work culture with countless programs and initiatives.
Google Domains Pricing
Google Domains has incredibly transparent pricing that supports more than 300 top-level domain endings. Each pricing tier is secure and reliable through Google’s Cloud DNS. Whether you need a domain for your blog, restaurant, or retail store, Google Domains has got you covered.
Google Domains Pricing Structure
Google Domains has structured its pricing in a simple way. It provides you with seven different industries and their most popular respective domains. You can choose from any domain ending at a solidified starting price that you will pay yearly.
The rest of Google Domains’ integrated products, such as Google Workspace, is priced monthly, except for its online advertising service, which Google calculates for you from a personal budget of your choice.
Google Domains Pricing Comparison
Google Domains pricing will vary due to the type of domain ending you choose. The pricing for each domain ending will increase depending on its popularity. The starting price for the most sought-after domain endings, such as .com, .net, and .org, is $18 per year, which also happens to be Google Domains’ most inexpensive option.
In comparison to other popular domain registrars, Google Domains offers higher pricing for its domain endings. For example, GoDaddy’s domain endings for .com start at $0.01 per year for a two-year contract, with Porkbun offering $9.73 per year and Hostinger starting at $9.99 per year.
Google Domains Trials and Guarantees
Google Domains doesn’t currently offer trials or free forever plans for any of its primary services. However, it guarantees value for money, as it comes with additional features at no extra cost, including protection measures, two-factor authentication, and domain sharing.
Google Domains Registrar Review
Compared to other domain registrars, Google Domains stands out for its user-friendly interface and the additional free features it provides for ultimate protection. You could benefit from Google Domains’ suite of services if you are looking for a diverse range of domain endings.
Google Domains is a suitable service for any website because it offers options in almost every industry. To read more about its competitors and how they stack up against each other, check out our top picks for domain registrars.
What Makes Google Domains Registrar Great
- Transparent pricing: Instead of offering various confusing discounts for one or two-year contracts, Google Domains has transparent, one-off pricing that you can’t go wrong with. While discounted pricing can be more affordable in the beginning, with Google Domains, you know exactly how much your domain will cost and how much the renewal price is each year because it will remain the same. Google Domains also makes it much easier to choose a domain name because it structures its pricing based on different industries.
- User-friendly interface: As a byproduct of Google, Google Domains has an incredibly intuitive interface similar to other Google services. The best part is that you don’t need to create an account if you own an existing Google account because Google Domains utilizes this so that you can benefit from a single sign-on. Because Google Domains is similar to other Google services, its dashboard fits Google’s aesthetic, so there’s a high chance you won’t find it difficult to navigate the platform if you are already using any other Google product.
- Privacy protection and one-click DNSSEC: Not many domain registrars offer additional protection measures at no extra cost, but that’s where Google Domains stands out. Google Domains has one-click DNSSEC, which makes it easier to protect all of your domains from DNS threats, including cache poison attacks and DNS spoofing. Google Domains also covers the cost of protecting your domain name and contact information on WHOIS and RDAP registries to prevent unwanted spam.
- Free email forwarding: Instead of paying between an extra $8.40 and $25.20 per month for Google Workspace, Google Domains comes with free email forwarding, which is one of the most popular features within Google Workspace. With built-in email forwarding, you can create up to 100 email aliases for your business and custom-send any emails from your chosen alias. Google Domains also lets you use your current email address in Gmail or elsewhere, making it more convenient to receive all your messages in one secure place.
- Google-powered DNS servers: Not all DNS servers are made equally, and they can affect your website’s loading times. However, Google Domains uses built-in Cloud DNS, which runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses, which provides premium-level loading times without the excessive price tag. Google Domains also offers Cloud DNS support, which scales to meet your website’s traffic and loading times, and provides fast DNS resolution. With Google-powered DNS servers, not only do you get the best infrastructure, you receive DNS export, so you can download all your records to standard formats, such as BIND or YAML, for easy migration.
- 24/7 support: Google Domains offers 24/7 support to all its users. After looking through dozens of reviews, we found that most users were happy with Google Domains’ support, claiming that it’s fast, friendly, and helpful, which is excellent for a domain registrar service. Google Domains also has email support, a help center, and a frequently asked questions page with an abundance of resources to help anyone before they need to make a call or shoot off an email.
Where Google Domains Registrar Falls Short
- Not available worldwide: While Google Domains is available in some of the most populated countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, it doesn’t currently offer worldwide availability. Some of the countries it doesn’t support include Finland, Portugal, and South Korea, to name a few. In fact, Google Domains only supports 26 out of 195 countries. The good news is that as Google Domains only recently came out of beta test mode in 2022, it is working on expanding its availability to more countries in the future.
- Higher domain pricing: Google Domains has higher domain pricing compared to other domain registrars on the market today. All its popular domain endings start at $18 per year, while most competitors start at $9.99. It doesn’t hurt to shop around for a more affordable alternative, but keep in mind that Google Domains prices its domains in this way because it includes various costs, such as extra protection and features like email forwarding.
- Separate web hosting: Unlike most popular domain registrars, Google Domains doesn’t offer an integrated web hosting service within its domain name process. However, you can host your website through one of its trusted website partners or utilize Google sites—but be prepared to feel confused as the process is fairly complex, unfortunately.
Google Domains Registrar Compared
While Google Domains is an excellent domain registrar that can help you find a domain ending with ease due to its intuitive interface and transparent pricing, the best domain registrar for most people is GoDaddy because of its leading introductory offers and next-level protection.
- GoDaddy — Best for domain protection and privacy
- Hostinger — Best for bundling domain registration and web hosting
- Porkbun — Best for creative domain extensions
- Domain.com — Best for fast and simple domain purchasing
- Network Solutions — Best for long-term domain registrations
- Namecheap — Best for affordable domain registration
- NameSilo — Best for buying domains in bulk
Final Verdict
Google Domains has an excellent pricing structure, a user-friendly interface, and offers free additional features, so its users can feel protected while choosing their perfect domain name. If you need to find a diverse domain ending in minutes, Google Domains is the perfect place to start.
As a byproduct of Google, you can expect the fastest and most professional service in the industry. And more than eight years after its launch, Google Domains has become one of the most reliable and secure domain registrars on the market today.