Comparison
Cloudflare vs Dynadot
Cloudflare sells domains at cost but makes you use its DNS. Dynadot charges a small margin on some names and gives investors a marketplace, backorders and bulk tools.
Cloudflare Registrar and Dynadot solve different problems. Cloudflare sells registrations and renewals at the registry and ICANN cost with no markup, but every domain must use Cloudflare's nameservers. Dynadot lets you point DNS anywhere and adds investor tools: a marketplace, free backorder requests, expired-domain auctions and a 1,000-name bulk search.
On price, the gap is small for .com. Dynadot listed a $10.88 .com renewal on October 30, 2026. From November 1, Cloudflare's at-cost .com works out to $11.17, the new Verisign fee plus ICANN's charge.
Key takeaways
- Cloudflare says it charges registry and ICANN fees with no markup. For .com that is $11.17 a year from Nov 1, 2026.
- Dynadot listed .com renewal at $10.88 on Oct 30, 2026, below the new $11.17 cost, so expect that price to be revisited.
- Every domain at Cloudflare Registrar must use Cloudflare nameservers. Dynadot has no such requirement.
- Dynadot offers free backorder requests (pay only on a catch), a marketplace with a 10% commission, and bulk search of up to 1,000 names.
- Cloudflare's docs cite over 400 supported TLDs. Dynadot's price list does not state a total, so check your exact extension at both.
Two different business models
Cloudflare: at cost, DNS included, DNS required
Cloudflare's registrar page says it does not mark up domain prices and charges no add-on fees. You pay what the registry charges plus ICANN's fee, at registration and at every renewal.
The catch is DNS. Cloudflare's FAQ says all domains on Cloudflare Registrar use Cloudflare nameservers, and third-party nameservers are not supported. The registrar is built to feed Cloudflare's DNS, CDN and security products.
Dynadot: a retail registrar with an aftermarket
Dynadot sells domains at its own list prices and runs a full aftermarket. Its aftermarket page lists user auctions, expired auctions, backorder auctions, closeout auctions and fixed-price listings.
In January 2025, Dynadot announced a one-tier pricing change. Its blog says every account now gets what were previously Superbulk prices. Bulk and Superbulk levels still exist for extra perks.
For a full profile of Dynadot alone, see our Dynadot review.
Renewal prices compared
Cloudflare does not publish a public price list on the pages we could open. Its prices follow the registry. For .com, that cost is public: Verisign's fee rose from $10.26 to $10.97 on November 1, 2026, and ICANN charges $0.20 per transaction-year.
| TLD | Cloudflare | Dynadot renewal | Dynadot first year |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $11.17 at cost from Nov 1 | $10.88 | $10.88 |
| .net | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $12.52 | $12.52 |
| .org | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $11.64 | $7.99 |
| .co | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $31.20 | $15.50 |
| .io | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $53.50 | $28.89 |
| .xyz | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $14.45 | $1.99 |
| .ai | At cost; price not published on pages we opened | $85.60/yr, 2-year minimum | $171.20 for 2 years |
Dynadot prices from its pricing and TLD pages, checked Oct 30, 2026. Dynadot notes prices may vary with currency exchange rates. The Cloudflare .com figure is the Verisign registry fee plus ICANN's fee, effective Nov 1, 2026.
Reading the table
Dynadot's .com renewal sat 29 cents below Cloudflare's new at-cost price on October 30. That listing predates the increase. A registrar selling below cost may hold the price or raise it, and Dynadot had not posted a change on the pages we opened.
On the other extensions, Dynadot shows a discounted first year and a higher renewal. The .xyz renewal is more than seven times the first-year price. Budget for the renewal line, not the first-year line.
Dynadot's .ai page states that .ai requires a minimum 2-year registration or renewal. Cloudflare's changelog says .ai became available to register and renew at cost in March 2025.
The DNS requirement
This is the deciding factor for many owners. At Cloudflare, the registrar and DNS come as a pair.
- Nameservers are fixed. Cloudflare's new-domain guide says you cannot switch to another provider's nameservers while using Cloudflare Registrar.
- Subdomains are the exception. The FAQ says you can delegate a subdomain to another provider.
- Leaving DNS means leaving the registrar. The FAQ says to move the domain to another registrar if you need different nameservers.
Dynadot has no such rule. You can use its DNS, point to a host's nameservers, or use a for-sale landing page. Its .com page lists advanced DNS settings, URL forwarding and stealth forwarding as included.
If your DNS already lives at Cloudflare, the requirement costs you nothing. If you park names with a marketplace's nameservers, or run DNS on Route 53 or your host, Cloudflare Registrar does not fit those domains.
Our comparison of Cloudflare and Porkbun covers the same DNS trade-off against another low-margin registrar.
Investor tools: where Dynadot pulls ahead
Cloudflare's registrar page does not mention a marketplace, backorders or auctions. Dynadot documents all three.
| Feature | Cloudflare | Dynadot |
|---|---|---|
| Sell from your account | Not documented | Fixed-price listings and user auctions, 10% commission; 5% via Pay Link for a buyer you found |
| For-sale landing page | Not documented | Yes, set in DNS settings; no listing fee "at this time" |
| Afternic syndication | Not documented | Yes; Dynadot's help page lists a 25% commission, $15 minimum |
| Backorders | Not documented | Free to place; pay only if caught; multiple backorders go to a 7–10 day auction |
| Expired auctions | Not documented | Yes, for names registered at Dynadot and not renewed |
| Bulk search | Not documented | Up to 1,000 names per search on a regular account, CSV upload |
| API | Registrar API in beta: search, check, register; transfers added Sept 2026 | RESTful API (beta) covering register, transfer and renew |
From each company's product, help and changelog pages, checked Oct 30, 2026.
How Dynadot backorders work
Dynadot's backorder page says placing a request is free and you pay only if the name is caught. If more than one user backorders the same name, it becomes a public auction lasting 7 to 10 days. The first backorder serves as the opening bid.
Catches are not guaranteed. The original owner can still restore a name during its grace period.
Cloudflare's API
Cloudflare's April 2026 blog post introduced a Registrar API beta for search, availability checks and registration. Its changelog added transfers into Cloudflare on September 30, 2026. The post said renewals and contact updates were planned but not yet included.
TLD coverage and expiry handling
Coverage
Cloudflare's TLD docs say it supports over 400 TLDs; its product page cites over 390. Its TLD policies list includes .com, .net, .org, .io, .co, .ai, .xyz, .dev, .app, .me, .us, .ca and .uk. We did not find .de or .es on it.
Dynadot's price list does not state a total count. Neither company supports every extension, so search your exact TLD at both before planning a move.
Cloudflare does not support internationalized domain names, according to its registration guide.
When a domain expires
| Stage | Cloudflare | Dynadot |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-renew | On by default; first attempt about 30 days before expiry | Not covered on pages we opened |
| After expiry | 30-day Redemption Grace Period; restore may cost extra | Renewal grace period of up to 30 days on most extensions, at regular renewal price |
| Later | Not described | Redemption period with a restore fee; .com restore listed at $100.92 |
| Auction | Not documented | Name may go to Dynadot's Expired Auction |
| Refunds on renewals | None; renewals are final | Not covered on pages we opened |
Checked Oct 30, 2026. Periods vary by TLD at both companies.
Which one to use
Choose Cloudflare if
- Your DNS is already on Cloudflare, or you are happy to move it there.
- You want renewals that track the registry price with no markup, now and after future increases.
- You hold a modest number of names for real sites and do not trade domains.
Choose Dynadot if
- You buy and sell domains and want listings, auctions and backorders in one account.
- You need DNS somewhere other than Cloudflare, or park names on marketplace nameservers.
- You manage large portfolios and need bulk search or a TLD Cloudflare does not carry.
Many investors split the difference. They keep names for live sites at an at-cost registrar and hold inventory where the aftermarket tools are. Moving between the two is a standard transfer, subject to the 60-day rule after any registrar change. See our domain transfer guide for the steps.
FAQ
Is Cloudflare cheaper than Dynadot?
Not always. For .com, Dynadot listed $10.88 on October 30, 2026, while Cloudflare's at-cost price is $11.17 from November 1 (the $10.97 Verisign fee plus ICANN's $0.20). Dynadot's figure predates the increase and may change. On other TLDs, compare Dynadot's listed renewal with Cloudflare's checkout price for the same name.
Can I use my own nameservers with Cloudflare Registrar?
No. Cloudflare's FAQ says all domains on Cloudflare Registrar use Cloudflare nameservers and third-party nameservers are not supported. You can delegate a subdomain elsewhere. To use different nameservers for the whole domain, you must move it to another registrar.
Does Cloudflare have a domain marketplace or backorders?
Cloudflare's registrar product page does not mention a marketplace, backorders or auctions. Dynadot documents all three: fixed-price listings and auctions with a 10% commission, free backorder requests that charge only on a successful catch, and expired-domain auctions.
How much does a Dynadot backorder cost?
Dynadot says placing a backorder request is free and you pay only if it catches the domain. Listed starting prices vary by name. If several users backorder the same domain, it goes to a public auction that runs 7 to 10 days.
Does Dynadot charge for WHOIS privacy?
No. Dynadot's help page says it provides domain privacy for free, with a choice of partial privacy (hides email, address and phone) or full privacy (also hides the name). Not every TLD supports privacy. Cloudflare provides WHOIS redaction free by default.
Which supports more TLDs?
Cloudflare's docs say it supports over 400 TLDs. Dynadot's price list does not state a total count. Cloudflare's TLD policies list did not include .de or .es when we checked, so search your specific extension at both before deciding.
This comparison uses each company's published prices and documentation as of October 30, 2026. We have not used either service. Prices can change, especially around the November 1 .com increase. Confirm the checkout total and terms before you buy, bid or transfer.
Sources
- Cloudflare Registrar — Cloudflare
- Registrar FAQ — Cloudflare Docs
- Register a new domain — Cloudflare Docs
- Renew domains — Cloudflare Docs
- Top-level domains — Cloudflare Docs
- TLD policies — Cloudflare
- Registrar changelog — Cloudflare Docs
- Register domains wherever you build: Cloudflare Registrar API now in beta — Cloudflare Blog
- Domain prices — Dynadot
- .com domain — Dynadot
- .ai domain — Dynadot
- New one-tier pricing update — Dynadot Blog
- Domain Aftermarket: Auctions & Backorders — Dynadot
- Domain Backorders for Expiring Domain Names — Dynadot
- How to List Domains For Sale Using Our For Sale Landing Page — Dynadot Help
- Who is Afternic? — Dynadot Help
- How to Use Bulk Domain Search — Dynadot Help
- How do I add domain privacy to a domain in my account? — Dynadot Help
- Renewal grace period — Dynadot Help
- Restful API — Dynadot
- Verisign Reports First Quarter 2026 Results — Verisign Investor Relations
- Registrar Fee Approved, FY27 — ICANN