GoDaddy Pricing
The world's largest domain registrar. Known for aggressive marketing and promotional pricing, but renewal costs can be steep.
2.1/5.0
Score Breakdown
Registration Price (.com)3/5
15%Renewal Price (.com)1/5
25%Renewal Markup2/5
20%WHOIS Privacy3/5
15%Transfer Ease3/5
15%Checkout Transparency1/5
10%View raw data
| Dimension | Score | Key Data |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Price (.com) | 3 | .com registration:$11.99 |
| Renewal Price (.com) | 1 | .com renewal:$22.99 |
| Renewal Markup | 2 | Renewal markup:91.7% Formula:((22.99 - 11.99) / 11.99) × 100 = 91.7% |
| WHOIS Privacy | 3 | WHOIS privacy included:❌ No WHOIS privacy cost:$9.99 Note:WHOIS privacy costs $9.99/year — most competitors include it free |
| Transfer Ease | 3 | Transfer features:2 Features present:auth epp code in dashboard, no outbound transfer fee Features absent:no transfer lock beyond icann, automated unlock process |
| Checkout Transparency | 1 | Dark patterns found:4 dark patterns present:email hosting preselected, website builder preselected, ssl certificate pushed, auto renew no clear toggle Dark patterns checked:domain privacy preselected |
Last verified: 2026-02-10 · Full methodology
Domain Pricing
| TLD | Register | Renewal | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $11.99 | $22.99 | $11.99 |
| .org | $9.99 | $23.99 | $9.99 |
| .net | $14.99 | $22.99 | $14.99 |
| .io | $49.99 | $59.99 | $49.99 |
| .co | $11.99 | $34.99 | $11.99 |
| .dev | $15.99 | $21.99 | $15.99 |
What's Included
✗ WHOIS Privacy ($9.99/yr extra)
✓ DNS Management
✓ Email Forwarding (100/day)
✓ Domain Forwarding
✓ Transfer Lock
✓ DNSSEC
⚠️ Hidden Costs & Fine Print
WHOIS Privacy ($9.99/yr)
Unlike many competitors, GoDaddy charges $9.99/year for WHOIS privacy protection. This adds up over time.
Massive Renewal Increases
.com renewals jump from $11.99 to $22.99 — a 92% increase. Always check renewal prices before committing.
Aggressive Upselling
Checkout is filled with pre-selected add-ons: email, SSL, website builder. Uncheck carefully or your bill balloons.
Auto-Renewal Default
Domains auto-renew by default at renewal pricing. Combined with stored payment info, surprise charges are common.