đź’° Your Savings Calculator
$23.98
GoDaddy .com renewal
$11.08
Porkbun .com renewal
Save $12.90/year per domain + Free WHOIS privacy (GoDaddy charges extra)
Why Transfer to Porkbun?
| Feature | GoDaddy | Porkbun |
|---|---|---|
| .com Renewal | $23.98 | $11.08 |
| WHOIS Privacy | Basic free, Full costs extra | Free (included) |
| Email Forwarding | Paid add-on | Free |
| Interface | Cluttered with upsells | Clean, minimal |
| 5-Year Cost (.com) | ~$120 | ~$55 |
Step 1: Prepare at GoDaddy
1A. Disable Domain Lock
- Log into GoDaddy
- Go to My Products → Domains
- Click on your domain name
- Scroll to "Additional Settings"
- Find "Domain Lock" and click Edit
- Toggle OFF and confirm
1B. Get Your Authorization Code
- Still on the domain settings page
- Find "Transfer" section
- Click "Get authorization code"
- GoDaddy will email the code to your account email
- Check your inbox (arrives within minutes)
Note: GoDaddy codes expire in 7 days. Get it when you're ready to transfer.
⚠️ Check for Domain Protection
If you have GoDaddy's "Domain Protection" add-on, you may need to disable it or call support. This is different from the standard domain lock.
Step 2: Start Transfer at Porkbun
- Go to porkbun.com/transfer
- Enter your domain name
- Click "Transfer"
- Paste your authorization code from GoDaddy
- Review pricing (should be ~$11.08 for .com transfer)
- Create a Porkbun account if you don't have one
- Complete payment
Transfer = Renewal: When you transfer to Porkbun, you're paying for one year of registration. This year gets ADDED to your existing registration—you don't lose any time you already paid GoDaddy for.
Step 3: Approve the Transfer
You'll receive emails from both registrars:
📧 Email from GoDaddy
Subject: "Transfer request for [yourdomain.com]"
Click the link to approve the transfer. This speeds things up significantly.
📧 Email from Porkbun
Confirmation that transfer is in progress. Usually no action needed.
Timeline:
If you approve the GoDaddy email: ~1-2 days
If you don't respond: Auto-completes after 5 days
Step 4: Verify at Porkbun
- Log into Porkbun
- Go to Domain Management
- Your domain should appear with "Active" status
- Check that DNS records transferred correctly
- Enable WHOIS privacy if not already on (it's free!)
- Set up email forwarding if you need it
What About My Website?
Good news: transferring your domain doesn't affect your website hosting.
- If DNS was at GoDaddy: Your DNS records should transfer with the domain. Verify they're correct in Porkbun's dashboard.
- If you used external nameservers: Those settings remain unchanged. Your site continues working.
- Email: MX records transfer too. Verify they're correct to avoid email issues.
Pro tip: Before transferring, take a screenshot of your current DNS settings at GoDaddy. If anything looks wrong after transfer, you can manually recreate the records.
Troubleshooting
❌ "Transfer rejected"
Check that domain lock is OFF and code hasn't expired. Get a fresh code and try again.
❌ "Domain is locked"
GoDaddy may have multiple lock types. Check both "Domain Lock" and "Domain Protection" settings.
❌ "60-day lock"
If you registered or transferred the domain in the last 60 days, ICANN rules prevent another transfer. Wait it out.
Your Annual Savings
$12.90
Per domain/year
$64.50
5 domains/year
$645
5 domains over 10 years
Plus you get free WHOIS privacy, free email forwarding, and a much cleaner interface.
Compare All Registrar Prices →