Register.com review

Register.com combines domain registration and transfers with web hosting and website-building tools. Its homepage also lists an eCommerce builder, Google Workspace, SSL certificates and trademark protection. That makes it a broad option for setting up an online presence, though the published product information does not spell out how those services work together or what each costs beyond the listed hosting plans and add-ons.

The main distinction to keep clear is that registering a domain and hosting its DNS are separate jobs. Reddit sysadmins report outages with Register.com’s DNS service, so buying a domain there does not mean you have to use its nameservers. You can register a domain with one provider and manage DNS elsewhere.

Our verdict: consider Register.com for basic hosting, but check renewal costs and think twice before relying on it for DNS.

The clearest case for Register.com is a small site that needs hosting and a domain-related service under one roof. Its listed plans include unmetered bandwidth on the three standard hosting tiers, and the WordPress Basic plan is a separate option for a single WordPress site.

The pricing information lists these monthly plans:

• Starter: $5.69 for one website, 15 GB storage and one email box.
• Essential: $9.96 for three websites, 300 GB storage and three email boxes; it also lists SiteLock basic scanning.
• Premium: $25.70 for 10 websites, 500 GB storage and 10 email boxes, with SiteLock Premium scanning and removal.
• Premium Plus: $30.28 for 10 websites, unlimited storage, 10 email boxes, SiteLock Premium and an SSL certificate.
• WordPress Basic: $7 for one website, 50 GB storage, 10 email addresses and 3,000 GB of monthly data transfers.

Register.com also lists domain registration and transfers, plus a website builder starting at $19.99 per month. That gives buyers several ways to assemble a basic setup, although the published information does not establish that the builder is included with hosting.

The biggest concern is DNS reliability. In Reddit discussions, sysadmins describe multiple Register.com DNS outages, including one thread reporting three major outages in six months and another describing resolution failures that affected customers. These are user reports, not a complete uptime record, but they are enough to make us cautious about using Register.com as both registrar and DNS host. The services can be separated; the registrar does not have to host your DNS.

Pricing also needs checking before you commit. The listed monthly rates include introductory prices that may renew higher, but the renewal amounts are not published here. Annual-billing prices are not published either, and the published pricing does not give domain-registration or transfer costs. The Website Builder starts at $19.99 per month, an added cost to account for if you need it.

The plan limits are specific: Starter covers one site with 15 GB storage and one email box; even Premium Plus is capped at 10 sites. If you need predictable long-term costs or DNS you trust, compare alternatives before moving your stack.

The listed monthly prices run from $5.69 for Starter to $30.28 for Premium Plus. Starter covers one website, 15 GB of storage and one email box. Essential is $9.96 for three websites and 300 GB; Premium jumps to $25.70 for 10 websites, 500 GB and SiteLock Premium scanning and removal. Premium Plus costs $30.28 and adds unlimited storage and an SSL certificate. WordPress Basic is a separate $7-per-month option with one website, 50 GB of storage and 10 email addresses.

The step from Essential to Premium is steep: $15.74 more per month for added sites, storage and malware removal. The pricing information says some introductory rates renew higher, but doesn’t publish renewal prices or annual-billing prices. Budget separately for add-ons: extra email mailboxes are listed at $20 per year, and the Website Builder starts at $19.99 per month. That makes it a poor fit if a low-cost builder is the priority.

Register.com lists domain transfers, website hosting and a website builder, so it covers several parts of a basic online setup. But the available information doesn’t publish transfer timing, transfer fees, migration assistance or what happens to website content and email when you leave. Confirm those details before moving a live site, and keep a copy of your site and records outside the service.

The stated verdict is to keep DNS elsewhere and check renewal costs before committing; treat DNS reliability as a point to investigate, not a documented service guarantee. If you’re leaving, Register.com lists domain transfers, but the published information doesn’t explain the steps or whether hosting data can be exported. We also don’t have Reddit posts or comments in the published material, so we can’t responsibly say what users report as their reason for leaving. Ask support for written answers on transfer, export and renewal terms before switching either way.