The Facts
2009
Founded
NYSE: NET
Publicly traded
20%+
Of web traffic protected
At-Cost
Zero markup pricing
Why Cloudflare is Trustworthy
✓ Publicly Traded Company
As a NYSE-listed company, they're subject to SEC regulations, audits, and public financial reporting.
✓ Infrastructure Giant
They protect and accelerate 20%+ of all internet traffic. Domain registration is a tiny part of their business.
✓ ICANN Accredited
Officially authorized registrar since 2018.
✓ Transparent At-Cost Model
They publicly commit to charging only what they pay registries. No hidden margins.
✓ Enterprise-Grade Security
Same security infrastructure used by Fortune 500 companies protects your domains.
Why Are They So Cheap?
The "too good to be true" question. Here's their business model:
- 1. Offer domains at cost → Attracts users to their platform
- 2. Users adopt free CDN/security → Builds ecosystem lock-in
- 3. Some users upgrade to paid tiers → Where real revenue comes from
- 4. Enterprise customers pay premium → Funds everything else
Domain registration is a customer acquisition tool, not a profit center.
The One Trade-off
Must Use Cloudflare Nameservers
To use Cloudflare Registrar, your domain must use their nameservers. For most users, this is actually a benefit (free CDN, security). If you specifically need external nameservers, consider Porkbun instead.
Verdict: Extremely Legitimate
Cloudflare is one of the most trustworthy registrars available. A publicly traded infrastructure company with transparent pricing—doesn't get more legitimate than that.
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