Domains - GoDaddy vs. Google Domains - why the price difference? $17.00 vs. $0.99

Hi everyone,

I have just completed building my first website and am ready to host it. It is my own website where people can connect with me to book piano lessons, plus I have plans to build it to a lot more than just that in the future.

Now I am at the point where I have a few questions:

If I host with the webflow.io domain for now and then get a custom domain later, what would be the draw backs for that? How would that effect things like google rankings and would it be hard to rank with the new domain later? Reason being, I am trying to keep cost as low as possible for now.

I have also just found out that the custom domain I want to get, is only $0.99 on GoDaddy versus $17.00 on Google Domains. Why is that? Are there any specific pros and cons with going either route? What is your choice and why?

I have also just noticed that GoDaddy sais that “Restrictions apply”, and Google doesn’t say that. What does that mean?

Thanks in advance.

Hi @VladyRahn

The 0.99 price from GoDaddy is likely a single year price for the domain and will probably shoot up in price for the 2nd year and then stay at that higher price for the rest of them.

Thanks for your reply @austin. That could very well be. Are there any other pros and cons between Google and GoDaddy that are recommended to take into consideration?

Thanks

the google domains interface is much easier to use when setting up and managing domains. also godaddy will try to upsell you a service every time you do anything on the platform which is mad annoying to me. for me, google domains is a much better user experience than godaddy if that sort of thing matters to you. i’m a web designer so i have to interact often with the interface so the experience matters a lot to me but if you only make changes once a year or so then it may not matter too much for you.

and i agree with the other poster…that 0.99 is likely an introductory price based on some yearly commitment. definitely make sure you read any fine print before going with godaddy. like i said, they try to upsell you stuff every step of the way and if you don’t realize it you could be paying more for something you don’t really need without realizing it.

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I personally use Namecheap… But have heard really good things about Google domains.

Thanks @dapitts08 and @austin for your replies. I really appreciate that. I have heard a few not so pleasant things about GoDaddy before, so I will probably go with Google Domains. I have started my web design business and will be interacting with a domain provider in the future plenty of times yet, so Google it is. This really helped.:+1:

If anybody else wants to chime in and share their experiences and help others decide between domain providers, be everyone’s guest.

Cloudflare domains are priced at wholesale. You don’t need to be on a paid plain to purchase domains. Last I checked .com’s are $8. I am a wholesaler and my prices are much higher. So yes, they are getting much more of my business.

Additional Benefit: No issues with multiple A records with Webflow and the fastest DNS resolution on the planet.

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Just registered the domain with Godaddy, but having read the thread I decided to move it to Google. Do you advise me to do it?

@evgeny1 => Godaddy has a cheap entry fee that only lasts the first year (last I checked) and they bombard users during checkout with endless upsells which most clients get confused about and end up adding things they do not need, which is entirely Godaddy’s purpose. If you are cool with that then do it.

Hi @VladyRahn

GoDaddy & Google domains both do the same thing at the core level - domain management. With both platforms, you can buy a domain, hook it up & also buy an email for your custom domain. However, they both handle domain management differently - I’ve used both.

GoDaddy is a lot cheaper due to its simple pricing strategy, you’ll buy the domain but nothing else. Then, during the checkout phase, you’re prompted by other products they upsell. This can be good for some customers who aren’t versed in the world of the web, e.g. subscribing to their page builder. It could be useful to go with GoDaddy if you’re looking for a complete package.

On the other hand, Google is a search engine - the biggest one, so their platform is more refined. Working directly with Google domains can reduce the hassle of dealing with support as they offer email, chat & phone support. Also, GoDaddy does sell SSL Certification starting from $63.99 a year, whereas Google offers Domain Name System Security Extensions with their domains.

I hope these points help with your decision