About SideBySide Domains
We believe domain registrar pricing should be transparent. No bait-and-switch promos. No hidden fees. Just real data you can use to make informed decisions.
Our Mission
The domain industry has a problem: promotional pricing that hides the true cost of ownership. You've seen the ads—$0.99 domains, $1 first year specials. What they don't tell you is that renewal prices can jump to $20, $30, or more.
SideBySide Domains exists to cut through the noise. We track actual renewal prices, calculate 5-year total cost of ownership, and expose the registrars that rely on bait-and-switch tactics.
Exposed, Not Promoted
Unlike traditional affiliate sites that rank registrars by commission rates, we rank by value. Our methodology is simple:
- Renewal prices matter most — First-year promos are marketing. Renewal prices are what you'll actually pay.
- Total cost of ownership — We calculate 5-year TCO so you can see the real picture.
- Wholesale cost baseline — ICANN charges ~$10.44 wholesale for .com domains. We show you who's marking up 200% vs. who's near cost.
- Transfer friction exposed — Some registrars make leaving difficult. We document who supports fast transfers and who doesn't.
How We Make Money
Transparency about our business model: we earn affiliate commissions when you sign up for a registrar through our links. However, we recommend registrars based on value, not commission rates.
Case in point: Cloudflare Registrar operates at-cost with no affiliate program. We still recommend them because they offer genuine value. We'd rather earn your trust than a quick commission.
Our Data
Prices on this site are verified directly from registrar websites. We update our comparison data regularly and note when prices were last checked. If you spot an error, please let us know.