Features, Pros & Cons – Forbes Advisor

Though Dynadot does not have the widest range of services, it does have a large array of features. This includes a user-friendly domain registration, account lock and two-factor authentication for domain security, email hosting, SSL certificates and a drag-and-drop website builder.

Domain Registration

Finding and registering a domain with Dynadot is easy. It has a “Suggestion Tool” where users can input their desired domain and it will provide variations in order to help them find a suitable domain that is available, if their desired domain is not available. When viewing the list of available domains, both the introductory and renewal rates are displayed, avoiding any surprises later. It also includes WHOIS domain privacy to keep your information private, one free email address that uses your domain and access to its drag-and-drop website builder.

Though Dynadot’s domain registration process is easy, it is a bit cumbersome compared to other domain name registrars. For example, to purchase a domain, you must first register for an account. Upon completing the registration process, you then must go to your email and verify your email address before you can then go back to and log into your Dynadot account. Then, you can access your account, where you are required to add a security question as well as your birth date before you can return to the checkout page and purchase the domain.

Dynadot Domain Registration Cost

Website Builder

Dynadot has a proprietary drag-and-drop website builder that is available for free upon the purchase of a domain. It is not available to non-Dynadot users and while it is designed to be intuitive and boasts modern pre-built templates, it is fairly lightweight. In other words, it is a good tool for building a professional, informative website. However, those who are looking for a more comprehensive website builder with more advanced features will likely find that it is not sufficient.

Domain Security

To help add another layer of protection, Dynadot offers domain security features. This includes two-factor authentication, account lock and a physical security key. Users have the opportunity to take advantage of these features to further secure their domain.

Here are Dynadot’s domain security features:

• Two-factor authentication
• Account lock
• Domain lock
• Physical security key

SSL Certificates

There are two different SSL certificates that Dynadot has available, the Alpha SSL for $16.99 per year or the Wildcard SSL for $80 per year. In general, every website should have an SSL certificate to help increase site security and to assist with your search engine optimization efforts. It’s also required for any website to accept and process payments online, so it is a must-have for any online store.

• Alpha SSL: $16.99 per year
• Wildcard SSL: $80 per year

Keep in mind that many of the best web hosting services include an SSL certificate for free with web hosting plans. For this reason, it’s worth checking with your web hosting provider to see if you are eligible for a free SSL certificate before purchasing one from a third party.

Email Hosting

Get professional business email that uses your own domain name (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com) with Dynadot email hosting. One business email account is included with the purchase of every domain. But for those who need more than one email account, you can upgrade to the Pro plan, which includes unlimited email addresses with 1GB of storage for $20 per year. This amount of storage is very limited—even for one mailbox. So it’s not a great choice for those who rely on email to conduct business.

Here are the two email hosting plans from Dynadot:

• Free: One free business email address is included with the purchase of a domain name.
• Pro: For those who need more than one email address, there’s the Pro plan, which includes unlimited email addresses with 1GB of shared storage for $20 per year.

In our experience, setting up your new email address is very easy. Simply, navigate to “Email” from the left-hand vertical menu and then select the option to “Add New Email.” On the popup, use the “search domains” option to search for your domain name. Then, you can input your desired username and access your inbox.