I first learned about Name.com during their .im special last year. What I have experienced so far with the domain registrar has not only been pleasant but full of surprises.

Cost

The prices are pretty decent and can be compared as average to other registrars. I have not seen anything that concerns me in this area. .im domains were tagged about $80 per year but Name.com seems to have lowered the price (around $13 at the time of this review).

Usability

This would have to be my only area of concern. Upon logging in, owned domains are listed, much like any other registrar but the control panel on the right is a bit clunky. Changing name servers, viewing account information and updating contact details are often a challenge because they reside in weird places. The bulk management feature seems to be iffy. I used this to change nameservers on a handful of names but some were left unchanged and I had to do it manually. I think this area needs to be cleaned up a bit bringing more common features forward and making them easier to find. (Ironically enough, Name.com is looking for a "User Interface (UI) Designer" at the time of this review.)

Features

Features are another area I am pleased with. Free whois privacy comes with .com domains (at the time of this review). However, the most impressive feature to me is the live lookup of bulk domains. If you ever used a bulk domain search, sometimes the page will hang up or time out. However, Name.com returns each status as it comes in. Try it. Other features focus on domain development such as their "Rapid Blog" service and hosting accounts.

Support

I had a billing problem last year due to a bug in the billing system. I wasn't very impressed as it was the first time I used Name.com. However, support is what turned me from an almost-ex-customer into a repeat buyer. The technician was prompt, helpful, responsive and did not hesitate to take responsibility on behalf of the company. And this took place via email.

I spoke with the charismatic and interesting Kellie Peterson via Twitter and Facebook who turned out to be the Executive Vice President of Name.com for months without realizing who she was. She barely used the opportunity to bombard fellow domainers with advertisements for the company, in that which I am also impressed.

Tools

If you haven't tried Name.com's BETA tools, you are missing out. There are two beta tools I want to highlight: "Domain Suggestions" and "Geo Domains".

Domain Suggestions is as it describes: a search utility that helps you find available domains based on a given keyword. The best part is you can specify which language you want results to appear. There are two sets of results: Name.com suggestions and Google keyword suggestions. Not only is this a handy tool for domains but a great way to upsell Name.com products.

Geo Domains is another search utility that searches for available domains based on place or location. Locations are displayed within a map along with a list of suggested results which include geo keywords (the place, location or combined keywords such as "resort", "real estate", etc.) You can target results by language or country.

Conclusion

Although Name.com has a few growing pains (especially with the user interface), their support is quality and the tools speak for themselves. Name.com has a good chance to take the lead in this industry providing domainers with much needed features and access to tools that assist with generating available domains. I can conclude that this company deserves two thumbs up.

Comments (11)

Arun Basil Lal February 03, 2010

I was a big fan of GoDaddy, but lately I moved to name dot com. The interface is simple and much better than that at GoDaddy. Just love it Nice review btw.

LD March 14, 2010

I agree! Name.com has been the best place to register domains. The admin panel is easier to navigate. I am in the process of moving all my domains to name.com.

adel

i like your article. but i think domain .com is really suck service.i don't advice anyone to go with them,very bad service ,very bad support...control panel like a riddle.when you search for support you are search for water in the desert.....very bad in general...

Sean Hakes June 27, 2011

Name.com is the best thing that has ever happened to me... I've used GoDaddy.com and 1and1 for years and am relieved that I fell upon Name.com. Great prices, great user interface and awesome staff. Lovin it.

shawn

Name.com hosting, isn't that good. Their hosting features are like invisible. They dont mention explicity what they provide. Also they have this problem with different php softwares, which don't work on it, like on other normal hostings.

John Willcox September 08, 2011

Name.com acquired my domain from a fly-by-night canadian registrar and just expired it with no notice and appears to be holding it hostage. No answer from support via email yet. On my 22 minute of hold. Do not trust this company. No service that I can access.

Buz Ferdi October 07, 2011

this is what i looking for, thanks for the information, I wonder if you wish write how to apply API name.com to register dropped domain. waiting your answer

David Miller November 11, 2011

This hosting is horrible if you write in php. It doesn't even recognize simple functions, but has no problem with a print statement. I don't get it. I've tried to talk to custommer service about this and everytime i call i end up being on hold for about 30 minutes. It's very aggrevating expecially if you are a small business and you need help with something. blah. i'm switching to another host when my plan expires this year.

Lev Pershin December 01, 2011

Name.com the best place to register domains.Thanks for great review.

Bunga December 17, 2011

i paid for a domain. It was cheapest than other registrar. after checking out using paypal, their system rejected my transaction and marked it as "Canceled". I checked the WHOIS, that domain has been successfuly registered to me through name.com. So, I contacted their support, and replied to transfer $ fund to their Paypal email. 24 more hours after their latest reply, they told me nothing even I asked why the domain still not listed on my name.com control panel... Their support is very slow!

Clem K

SUCKS. Run by children. Don't know how to process gift ( debits ) cards for payment. Slooooow customer service. Use someone else these clowns are a waste of your time...

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