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Domain registrar · by Tucows

Hover

Canadian registrar focused only on domains and email, with free WHOIS privacy, no hosting upsells and flat but mid-range .com pricing.

Visit hover.com ↗ Alternatives Paid
Hover homepage
§1

Overview

Hover is the retail registrar of Tucows, based in Toronto, and it deliberately keeps its product narrow: domains, professional email and nothing else. There is no hosting or website builder to upsell. Instead, Hover Connect applies ready-made DNS settings to connect a domain to services such as Squarespace, Shopify or Ghost.

A .com costs $18.99 a year to register, renew or transfer, a price Hover set when Verisign's September 2024 increase took effect. That is flat, but it is well above registrars that sell .com near $10 to $11. Accounts with ten or more domains get lower renewal prices.

Free WHOIS privacy is included on supported extensions, and every account signs in with two-factor authentication. Hover's DNS handles standard record types, but its own nameservers do not sign zones: Hover's help centre says you can add DNSSEC DS records only when the domain uses another DNS provider. Support is available by phone, ticket and live chat.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan Price What you get
.com $18.99/yr Registration, renewal and transfer
Volume renewals Discounted Renewal savings start at ten domains in an account

Hover's pricing table loads with JavaScript and could not be read directly. The $18.99 .com price comes from Hover's own blog (price from 1 September 2024) and is confirmed as current by domainoffer.net's 24 September 2026 check. Email is sold separately. Volume renewal discount levels were not published on the pages read.

Source: www.hover.com/domain-pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Free WHOIS privacy
Your contact details are replaced with Contact Privacy Inc. on supported domains at no cost.
Hover Connect
Links a domain to common website and hosting platforms by applying preset DNS records.
Two-factor authentication
Sign-in and account changes use 2FA.
Email
Mailboxes and forwarding matched to your domain, sold separately.
DNSSEC via DS records
DS records can be added for domains that use third-party nameservers.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • No hosting or builder upsells
  • Flat pricing with no teaser first year
  • Free privacy and mandatory 2FA
  • Human support by phone, ticket or chat

Limitations

  • .com at $18.99 costs about $8 a year more than near-wholesale registrars
  • Hover's own nameservers do not offer DNSSEC; you need external DNS for it
  • DNS records can only be managed at Hover when the domain uses Hover nameservers
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Personal and small-business domains
  • People connecting a domain to a hosted site builder
  • Buyers who want a simple, quiet dashboard

Look elsewhere if

  • Developers who want DNSSEC on the registrar's own DNS
  • Large portfolios where price per domain matters
§6

Alternatives to Hover

Tool From Free option Stages
Squarespace Domains Domain registrar
$20/yr Paid
easyDNS Managed anycast DNS and registrar
$20/yr Paid
NameSilo Domain registrar
$17.29/yr Paid
Njalla Privacy domain service
€15/yr Paid
Infomaniak Domains Domain registrar
CHF 13.60/yr Paid
GoDaddy Domains Domain registrar
$22.99/yr Paid

All domain registrars →

§7

Questions

How much does a .com cost at Hover?

$18.99 per year to register, renew or transfer.

Is WHOIS privacy free at Hover?

Yes, on all supported domains.

Does Hover support DNSSEC?

Only by adding DS records for domains that use another DNS provider; Hover's own nameservers do not sign zones.

Who owns Hover?

Hover is operated by Tucows, a Toronto domain company.

Sources read for this page