Epik vs Hover
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Epik and Hover.
Quick Verdict
2.5/5
Epik
0 reviews
3.2/5
Hover
0 reviews
Hover is rated higher (3.2 vs 2.5). US-based ICANN-accredited domain registrar (founded 2009) offering WHOIS privacy, bulk registration and marketplace tools. Sold to Registered Agents Inc. in 2023; under new ownership it repositioned toward small businesses with tighter terms of service. Hover is known for having the cleanest checkout experience in domain registration — no upsells, no bundled hosting pitches. Flat pricing, free WHOIS privacy, and email forwarding included.
Epik Domain registration with privacy protection and reseller support | Hover Clean domain registrar — no upsells | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 2.5 (0 reviews) | 3.2 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $9.99/mo | From $2.99/mo✓ |
| Best for | Small-business buyers who want domains alongside the parent company's registered-agent and LLC-formation services, and existing holders who value the tightened post-2024 terms of service over price. | Individuals and small businesses holding a few important domains who want a clean, upsell-free registrar experience and will pay modestly more for it |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | api access | — |
| Visit Epik → | Visit Hover → | |
Epik
Pros
- + WHOIS privacy included free on registrations — no per-domain privacy upsell
- + Published price table for common TLDs and bulk/marketplace tooling included in the platform
- + ICANN accreditation survived the 2023 ownership change; transfer was reviewed and finalised openly (31 January 2024)
- + New ownership has tightened abuse handling and repositioned the platform toward small businesses
- + Mid-scale operational footprint: 22nd largest US registrar as of January 2022
Cons
- - Expensive against mainstream registrars: .com $15.99 register/renew, $129 redemption ($229 for .shop)
- - September 2021 breach exposed ~180 GB including credentials and private keys; initially denied by the company
- - 2023 financial collapse and forced $5M sale to Registered Agents Inc., whose corporate structure drew press scrutiny
- - History of upstream terminations (Voxility, Linode, PayPal) tied to its old customer base and practices
- - Product story beyond domains is scattered; support depth lags top-tier registrars
Hover
Pros
- + Flat registration/renewal/transfer pricing on mainstream TLDs (.com $18.99/yr)
- + WHOIS privacy included free; $0.20 ICANN fee is the only surcharge
- + Clean checkout with no upsells or pre-checked add-ons
- + ICANN-accredited registrar backed by Tucows' wholesale infrastructure
- + Straightforward DNS and portfolio management, plus email forwarding
Cons
- - Above budget-registrar pricing on .com and other legacy TLDs
- - Public review scores are poor (Trustpilot 1.3 across ~120 reviews)
- - Promo-then-jump pricing on newer TLDs (.online $2.99 → $36.99 renewal)
- - No hosting, no notable reseller programme, thinner tooling for large portfolios
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