HUGE Disadvantage of Using Cloudflare as a Domain Registrar

I’m a big fan of the Cloudflare domain registrar service, and I use it for all my domains. Here’s a screenshot of all the domains I have registered with Cloudflare:

Using Cloudflare as a Domain Registrar
Using Cloudflare as a Domain Registrar

However, there’s one significant disadvantage: You can’t transfer your nameservers to another service. Most of the time, this doesn’t matter because Cloudflare has excellent DNS servers. But if you want to try a competitor like QUIC.cloud, you can’t use native DNS integration.

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Inability to Change Cloudflare Domain Registrar Nameservers

All registrars allow you to change your nameservers, so you can use whichever DNS service you want. Cloudflare recommends using its nameservers even when you’re registered with another registrar. Here’s an example of NameHero’s domain registrar service that allows you to change nameservers:

Changing Nameservers with NameHero Domain Registrar
Changing Nameservers with NameHero Domain Registrar

In the above screenshot, my domain is registered with NameHero, but I’ve changed the nameservers to point to QUIC.cloud’s reverse proxy service. You can check out my QUIC.cloud vs Cloudflare comparison as the two are competitors of a sort. By contrast, Cloudflare doesn’t have an option in its domain name configuration screen to change nameservers:

Cloudflare Missing Option to Change Nameservers
Cloudflare Missing Option to Change Nameservers

Cloudflare also prohibits transfers to other registrars within 60-days of the initial transfer to Cloudflare. This rule isn’t quite the same as the one enforced by ICANN because ICANN only prohibits transfers if the WHOIS contact information is modified.

So if you want to change your nameservers, you have to switch out from Cloudflare, and if you just started using their domain registration services, you can’t do anything for two months.

Why it May Not Matter

The good news is that most people using the Cloudflare domain registrar service don’t want to use other nameservers. Cloudflare has one of the fastest nameservers in the world, and it’s one of the reasons why even the Cloudflare free tier is so good. Almost no other register’s nameservers can compete with Cloudflare for speed. So why would you want to use another set of nameservers?

As mentioned above, QUIC.cloud is a competing service, and it would be nice if Cloudflare let us change our nameservers to test it out. But the more you rely on Cloudflare, the more difficult it becomes to migrate to another provider. For example, I use Cloudflare to add a noindex X-Robots-Tag, and QUIC.cloud doesn’t have anything to compare.

Advantages of a Cloudflare Domain Registrar Service

The most significant benefit of using Cloudflare as a domain registrar service is their promise of not charging you a markup. In other words, Cloudflare doesn’t make money off your domain registrations and renewals; you pay the same amount they pay. Unsurprisingly, no other registrar can compare.

For example, here’s a screenshot of HostGator’s price to register a domain:

HostGator Domain Name Registrar Pricing
HostGator Domain Name Registrar Pricing

And here’s Cloudflare’s pricing for the same:

Cloudflare Domain Name Registrar Pricing
Cloudflare Domain Name Registrar Pricing

That’s a solid 25% savings over HostGator, and the renewals will be even cheaper. Cloudflare also has a high-speed and convenient interface for domain management, compared to others like GoDaddy, which has a complicated interface and is also expensive.

Final Thoughts on Using Cloudflare as a Domain Registrar

I think Cloudflare is a fantastic domain registrar. The low prices and ease of management are strong enough motivators for me to use Cloudflare as my primary registrar. However, knowing that you can’t change your nameservers is essential. If you’re willing to put up with that limitation, then Cloudflare is the best domain registrar.

About Bhagwad Park

I've been writing about web hosting and WordPress tutorials since 2008. I also create tutorials on Linux server administration, and have a ton of experience with web hosting products. Contact me via e-mail!

Comments

  1. The title is “HUGE Disadvantages”.
    Then you list “it really doesn’t matter to most people” reasons.
    Followed by *ADVANTAGES” for using CloudFlare.

    That all makes no sense. How are those all “HUGE disadvantages”?

    Reply

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