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Ask HN: Alternative to Namecheap?

32 points by pcdoodle ↗ HN
I really liked this company. However, persistence of the web is too important for me to trust that 10 years from now, something I write on a website will be deemed unacceptable and everything gets flushed. Domains are the ultimate form of control and having a whole country banned just blows my mind. What about dissent from within? What about services that might keep the conversation going?

I'm hoping for recommendations for companies that have a history of supporting the free and open web no matter the hot item of the day / year / decade.

16 comments

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version_five
I'd like to switch away from namecheap as well, but realistically, if the mob comes for you, you're sol I think unless maybe there is a dark web solution.

I use AWS, Microsoft, google, etc, (not to mention Canadian banks) I think all of those are just as likely as namecheap to be subject to political whims. And of you cant pay whichever provider you use, the point is moot anyway. Maybe having redundant providers that are as politically decoupled as possible is a potential hedge?

muzani
Microsoft has a term in their face processing software where they don't allow its usage for law enforcement. So yeah, they're subject to political whims as well.

Being decoupled from everything is a decent goal, but I'll cross the bridge when I get there. It's different levels of risk to different people, but there's probably a good reason why Pavel Durov left Russia to work on Telegram.

lmarcos
Gandi. Been a customer for years. Zero complaints.
thatcat
Njalla has some protection promises
seanw444
There was another thread related to this one that recommended Njalla. I checked it out. Looks very promising. Already in the process of transferring my domain there from Namecheap.

In a nutshell: they act as the "domain owner" on your behalf, that way all the registration that's passed above them has nothing to do with you specifically. However, their contract to you says that you still fully own that TLD, so it's not like you surrender it to them. "Whois" should not return your personal information. Super cool. Also, pay with crypto is a big bonus.

Engineering-MD
While I understand your point, withdrawing your services to a nation that is invading your country does seem reasonable (to me anyway), and I can see many companies doing something similar when push comes to shove.
foxbee
I switched to Google and it's been great. The UI/UX around management is much better/easier.