123-reg vs iwantmyname
A detailed comparison to help you choose between 123-reg and iwantmyname.
Quick Verdict
3.0/5
123-reg
0 reviews
3.3/5
iwantmyname
0 reviews
iwantmyname is rated higher (3.3 vs 3.0). 123-reg registers .uk and international domains with integrated hosting options. Designed for UK small businesses and individuals seeking bundled services at competitive introductory prices. Domain registrar focused on straightforward registration and management. Handles DNS, email forwarding, and basic hosting without unnecessary upsells or complicated interfaces.
123-reg UK domain registrar with hosting bundles — cheap first year, materially higher renewals | iwantmyname Simple domain registration without the bloat | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.0 (0 reviews) | 3.3 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $0.01/mo✓ | From $3.99/mo |
| Best for | UK small businesses and individuals registering .co.uk/.uk names who want domains, email, and hosting bundled under one control panel and are comfortable budgeting at renewal prices. | Developers, designers, and small businesses holding a small set of important domains who will pay a few extra dollars per year for a clean interface, free WHOIS privacy, and friction-free DNS setup |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacenter | api access |
| Visit 123-reg → | Visit iwantmyname → | |
123-reg
Pros
- + Established UK registrar since 2000 with 400+ extensions and consolidated domain, email, and hosting billing
- + Transparent first-year and renewal prices published together on 123-reg's own pages
- + Free .co.uk/.uk transfers in and free Nominet WHOIS privacy on UK domains
- + cPanel on hosting, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and DDoS protection with 24/7 monitoring on VPS
- + Bundles (domain + email + hosting + SSL) suit non-technical UK small businesses
Cons
- - Renewals jump sharply — .co.uk from £3.99 to £12.99/year, Economy hosting from £1.99/mo to £251.64 per 3-year term
- - WHOIS privacy for gTLDs costs extra (around £4.99/domain/year), compounding portfolio costs
- - UK-hours-only support with no published response-time SLA; phone support restricted to the UK
- - Backup advertising says daily; terms say files weekly and databases daily
- - April 2016 mass site-deletion incident across 67 servers remains on the reliability record
iwantmyname
Pros
- + Clean, ad-free domain management with no upsell culture — the founding philosophy still holds
- + Free WHOIS privacy enabled by default on every TLD whose registry allows it
- + Excellent hosted DNS: ~100 one-click integrations, forwarding, subdomains, and a documented API
- + 500+ extensions including a strong ccTLD range for international presence
- + App-based 2FA, domain locking, and a help centre with serious transfer-scam guidance
Cons
- - Premium pricing: .com $19.99 registration / $23.49 renewal versus ~$10-13 at price-focused registrars
- - No DNSSEC in the native DNS product — a real gap for security-conscious zone operators
- - Email/ticket support only; no live chat or phone for urgent incidents
- - No published DNS uptime SLA or anycast footprint disclosure
- - Now inside the Team Internet roll-up; no premium/aftermarket domain marketplace
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