Godaddy just has too many tricks up its sleeve IMO. I use moniker (special pricing at 7.19) and fabulous (wholesale pricing at 6.89)
I am godaddy reseller and have been for years i keep the prices at the lowest godaddy is a great REGISTRAR...not so much on hosting get domains and privacy as low as 1.99
If you're mostly interested in getting the best price, check out http://www.domainnamepricer.com which compares the cost of buying a domain name from a large list of well known registrars. Currently Netfirms and 1and1.com and GoDaddy (for .us) seem to have the best prices for the best known TLDs (Top-Level Domains -- ie. .com, .net, .org, .us, .info). Netfirms is a good registrar - I have used them a couple of times and they seem ok. They're cheap for .ca domains if that's what you're looking for. However, their prices for .com, .net, .org, etc. seem to be promotional prices, so be careful. As for 1and1, I have about 150 domains with them. They've been consistently cheap and have worked well for me. I'm not sure why other people say to stay away from them - for the price, I think they're a great deal, and they don't raise their prices - last year they raised them because their fees went up. Also, they are no fly-by-night operation -- they are, I believe, the largest hosting company in the world. FYI, if you're looking for .co.uk domains, I think telivo is the best - 5 pounds for 2 years!
I think especially for people who will be transferring domains at some point (domainers and web developers etc), 1and1 is a hassle and an unnecessary expense. Why? Well, because 1and1 have NO Free Push. When a domain is transferred from one 1and1 customer to another, 1and1 cancels the domain and then re-registers it... this also comes with a fresh registration fee for the new owner, at the most current prices. For best registrars, I suppose it depends on what you plan to do with the domain name (resell? develop? etc) Overall, I'd say the following are the better ones, in my opinion: (In no particular order ...reg fee for .com) 1)Name.com ~Reg Fee = $5.99 and includes privacy shield 2)Namecheap.com ~Reg Fee varies $7.50-$9+ (with coupon, without) 3)Moniker.com ~Reg Fee $6.29 (?) 4)Godaddy.com ~Reg Fee $6.95-$9.99 (with coupon,without) 5)Enom 6)Dynadot 7)Dotster Though I have more names registered at Godaddy than anywhere else, I personally prefer Name.com, Namecheap.com, then maybe in 3rd place...Godaddy One of the main reasons I have a few reservations regarding Godaddy is... that I sell domain names and often accept PayPal payment. PayPal + Godaddy... The two are not a good mix. .
For quality of service, definitely Namecheap or Moniker. For price, check the lists on Domparison. Otherwise GoDaddy is a reasonably safe bet (make sure you use discount codes to get cheap prices)
All prices at GoDaddy do not include $0.20 ICANN fee, this is almost nothing but makes a difference at checkout when compared with other registrar services even when you try coupons to get lower prices that are always above any other deal out there. They do no sell quality or anything special over other registrars, but marketing campaigns to make you believe you are getting the best deal. I have over 60 domains with GoDaddy, some as a result of RegisterFly's takeover, some others registered prior this experience and, as long as the last 3 years, I haven't found anything that makes GoDaddy special or cheaper, sometimes convenient though. However, in order to cheaper to expensive, I prefer Name.com, 1&1, Domainsite, Dynadot and MyDomain, registrars where all my other domains reside
I reg many of my domain at Name.com. They are really cheap for .com and .net domains compared to Godaddy. Both of them cost slightly lesss than 6$ at Name.com where as they are around 10$ at Godaddy.
Just remember one more advantage we can get with Name.com, it has Private Whois... So i would strongly recommend Name.com
All of my domains were purchased at GoDaddy.com. If the domains are with another registrar, I promptly transfer them to GoDaddy.com. I have been with them for over 7 years with no problems. I cannot say the same for some of the other discount registrars. Regarding the prices, there are many GoDaddy.com coupons available on the net.