Google Domains built a loyal following in a relatively short time. It launched in 2014, offered clean pricing with no aggressive upselling, bundled free WHOIS privacy, and gave technical users an interface they trusted. Then, in 2023, Google announced it was exiting the domain registration business entirely, selling the customer base and domain portfolio to Squarespace. Existing Google Domains customers were migrated over, and the standalone Google Domains product no longer accepts new registrations. If you’re one of the millions of former Google Domains users trying to figure out where to go — whether that means staying with Squarespace or moving somewhere else entirely — here’s a clear-eyed comparison of your best options.
What Actually Happened to Google Domains
The Squarespace Acquisition
Google sold its domain registration business to Squarespace, transferring the entire customer base, domain portfolio, and underlying infrastructure. For most former Google Domains customers, this meant an automatic account migration: your domains, DNS settings, and billing information moved to a Squarespace Domains account without requiring immediate action. Squarespace has generally kept core pricing close to what Google Domains charged, and DNS management remained largely familiar for anyone who migrated.
Why People Are Looking Elsewhere Anyway
Even though the migration was relatively smooth on a technical level, plenty of former Google Domains users have looked for alternatives for reasons that have nothing to do with reliability: some don’t want their domain registrar tied to a website-building platform they’re not otherwise using, some prefer a more developer-oriented interface, and some are simply uneasy about being moved to a new company without having chosen it themselves. If any of that resonates, here are the strongest alternatives, organized by what you’re actually optimizing for.
If You Want to Stay Close to the Google Domains Experience
Squarespace Domains
Staying put is the path of least resistance, and it’s a legitimate one. Squarespace has preserved much of Google Domains’ straightforward pricing model and continues to offer free WHOIS privacy protection and a reasonably clean management dashboard. The obvious advantage is doing nothing — your domain, DNS, and email forwarding likely already worked during the transition. The trade-off is that Squarespace’s dashboard is built with its website-building customers as the primary audience, so some of the more advanced DNS and developer-facing options that power users appreciated in Google Domains can feel like a step down in depth.
If You Want the Absolute Lowest Cost
Cloudflare Registrar
Cloudflare sells domains at wholesale cost with no markup at all, which makes it one of the cheapest places in the industry to register or renew a domain, particularly for popular extensions like .com. WHOIS privacy is included free, and DNS management is handled through Cloudflare’s well-regarded, security-focused platform, including free DDoS protection and a fast global DNS network. The catch: you generally need to already be using or willing to use Cloudflare’s broader platform, and its feature set is narrower — no hosting, no email, no bundled extras. For a technically comfortable user who just wants a cheap, secure, no-frills registrar, it’s hard to beat.
Porkbun
Porkbun has built a strong reputation as a flat-rate, no-nonsense registrar. Registration, renewal, and transfer prices are typically the same — no bait-and-switch pricing jump in year two — and the interface, while simpler than some competitors, covers everything a typical domain owner needs. Free WHOIS privacy and included DNS management round out the package. For anyone who valued Google Domains’ honest, no-surprises pricing model specifically, Porkbun is probably the closest philosophical match among current registrars.
If You Want a Broader Feature Set
Namecheap
Namecheap offers a wider ecosystem than Cloudflare or Porkbun — hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS, and email services alongside domain registration — while still keeping a clean, low-pressure checkout experience and free WHOIS privacy. It’s a strong middle-ground option for someone who wants more available features than a pure-play registrar offers, without stepping into GoDaddy’s more aggressive upsell environment.
Dynadot
Dynadot has moved to a single-tier pricing model where every customer gets the same competitive rate regardless of purchase volume, with registration, renewal, and transfer typically priced the same. It supports a large range of TLDs and offers solid DNS management and bulk tools, making it a reasonable pick for anyone managing a moderate-sized domain portfolio who wants predictable pricing without needing Namecheap’s broader hosting ecosystem.
If You Manage a Large Domain Portfolio
NameSilo
For domain investors or businesses holding fifty or more names, NameSilo’s per-domain pricing tends to become more competitive than most alternatives at scale, and it includes free WHOIS privacy and DNS management across the board. The interface is more utilitarian than Namecheap or Squarespace, but for a portfolio manager optimizing purely for cost-per-domain, that’s a reasonable trade.
If You’re Already Building on a Specific Platform
Vercel Domains
If your projects are hosted on Vercel, registering directly through Vercel keeps your domain, DNS, and SSL management inside the same dashboard as your deployments, removing the need to manually copy nameserver records between two separate providers. Pricing is close to wholesale cost, similar to Cloudflare, with the added convenience of tighter integration if Vercel is already your hosting platform.
What to Check Before You Move Anywhere
Confirm Your Domain Isn’t Locked
Before initiating any transfer, make sure your domain isn’t within the 60-day lock period that follows a recent registration or a prior transfer — ICANN rules generally prevent transfers during this window regardless of which registrar you’re moving to or from.
Unlock the Domain and Get Your Auth Code
Whether you’re moving away from Squarespace or from any other registrar, you’ll need to unlock the domain in its current dashboard and retrieve an authorization (EPP) code, which the new registrar will ask for to initiate the transfer.
Double-Check DNS Records Before You Start
Export or screenshot your current DNS records — A records, MX records for email, CNAME entries, TXT records for verification — before starting a transfer. Most transfers preserve DNS settings automatically, but having a backup means you can restore everything quickly if anything doesn’t carry over cleanly.
Expect a Short Overlap, Not Downtime
A domain transfer typically takes anywhere from a few hours to about a week, depending on the registrar and TLD, and your website and email should remain live throughout the process as long as your DNS records are configured correctly at the new registrar before the transfer completes.
Making the Decision
If You Want to Do Nothing
Staying on Squarespace Domains is a completely reasonable choice if your priority is minimal disruption and you don’t have strong feelings about registrar features.
If Price Is Your Main Driver
Cloudflare Registrar or Porkbun will save you the most money over time, especially if you’re managing more than a couple of domains.
If You Want Room to Grow Into More Services
Namecheap gives you the most flexibility to add hosting, email, or other services under one account without switching providers again later.
If You’re Managing a Large Portfolio
NameSilo or Dynadot’s flat, predictable pricing structures scale better than most consumer-facing registrars once you’re past a handful of domains.
The Bottom Line
The end of Google Domains wasn’t the disruption it could have been — Squarespace’s acquisition kept most customers online without requiring immediate action, and pricing has stayed broadly comparable. But the shutdown is a useful prompt to actually evaluate whether your registrar still fits your needs, rather than staying somewhere purely out of inertia. If you liked Google Domains for its no-nonsense pricing and clean interface, Porkbun and Cloudflare are the closest matches in spirit. If you want more surrounding services, Namecheap is the safer general-purpose pick. Whichever you choose, the actual process of moving is low-risk and well-documented — the hardest part is usually just deciding to do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have to Move My Domain Away from Squarespace?
No. If you were migrated from Google Domains to Squarespace and haven’t experienced any issues, there’s no requirement to move anywhere else. Staying is a perfectly reasonable choice, and it’s worth periodically comparing its current pricing to alternatives just to confirm it remains competitive for your specific extension.
Will Switching Registrars Break My Email?
Not if you handle the transfer correctly. As long as your MX records are correctly recreated at the new registrar (or left untouched if your DNS management stays with a separate provider), your email will continue working throughout and after the transfer without interruption.
Is Cloudflare Registrar Good for Beginners?
It’s more technical than Squarespace or Namecheap, since it requires setting up a broader Cloudflare account and becoming familiar with its DNS-first dashboard. It’s a great option for a beginner willing to learn a bit more, but not necessarily the gentlest starting point if you want the absolute simplest possible experience.
What If My Former Google Domains Name Uses a Country-Code Extension?
Country-code extensions sometimes have their own specific transfer rules that differ from generic TLDs like .com. Check the specific policy for your extension with both your current and prospective registrar before assuming a standard transfer process applies exactly the same way.
Is There Any Advantage to Choosing a Registrar Also Used for Hosting?
Keeping your domain and hosting with the same provider can simplify DNS management, since everything lives under one dashboard, but it also means less flexibility if you ever want to switch just one service without the other. Many experienced users deliberately separate the two for exactly that reason.
Can I Split My Domain and DNS Between Two Different Providers?
Yes, and it’s a common setup. You can register a domain at one registrar while pointing its nameservers at a completely different DNS provider, such as Cloudflare, which many users do specifically to take advantage of Cloudflare’s DNS speed and security features without registering through Cloudflare itself.
How Do I Know If My Migration from Google Domains Was Successful?
Log into your Squarespace Domains account and confirm your domains are listed with active status, correct expiration dates, and unchanged DNS records. If anything looks unfamiliar or incorrect, Squarespace’s support team can help verify what carried over from the original Google Domains migration.
Are There Any Fees for Leaving Squarespace Domains?
Standard transfer-out processes don’t typically involve a special exit fee beyond the usual transfer cost charged by whichever registrar you’re moving to, which is generally comparable to a single year’s registration price. Always confirm current terms directly, since policies can be updated over time.
Does It Matter Which Alternative I Pick If I Only Own One Domain?
For a single domain, the financial difference between most of the alternatives discussed here is modest — usually a few dollars a year. The bigger factor for a single-domain owner is usually which interface and feature set feels most comfortable, rather than squeezing out the absolute lowest possible price.
