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Spaceship vs Porkbun: Which Is Better?
A head-to-head comparison using the same scoring methodology applied site-wide.
Porkbun is the better all-round pick (9.0 overall against 8.4): more transparent pricing presentation, a deeper DNS panel, and nine more years of operating history. Spaceship is the sharper choice on price and the nicer one to use, and it is the right call if the cheapest verified renewal on a mainstream extension is what you are optimising for — as long as you compare its figures with the ICANN fee added.
At a glance
The five things buyers actually decide on, each settled by the strongest evidence we hold — and left open where we hold none.
| What matters | Spaceship | Porkbun | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com renewal, per year | $10.18 all-in | $11.08 | Spaceship |
| MeasuredSpaceship is $0.90 a year cheaper on the renewal, which is the price you pay every year after the first. Read from each registrar's own pricing page on 2026-08-19 and 2026-08-19. | |||
| WHOIS privacy | Free | Free | Level |
| From published documentationBoth include WHOIS privacy at no cost, so this should not decide it. | |||
| Automation | API + bulk tools | API + bulk tools | Porkbun |
| Editorial judgementBoth publish API and bulk tools. Ranking the developer experience beyond that is our judgement, not a measurement. | |||
| Support access | Live chat, Email | Email, Live chat (business hours) | Level |
| Editorial judgementNeither side's published channels separate them, and we have not published response-time measurements, so this is our judgement. | |||
| Account security | TOTP authenticator app | TOTP authenticator app | Porkbun |
| Editorial judgementBoth document the same class of second factor, so separating them further is our judgement rather than a documented difference. | |||
Badges say what each verdict rests on: a figure we collected and verified, a fact from the registrar’s own documentation, or our judgement. We hold verified prices for 19 extensions at Spaceship and 274 at Porkbun — how much of each registrar this site can vouch for, not how large its catalogue is. How we decide.
Key differences
- Track record: Porkbun has been registering domains since 2014; Spaceship launched in 2023 and names a long product track record as the thing it does not yet have. For a domain you intend to hold for a decade, that is a real consideration rather than a snobbery.
- Pricing presentation: Porkbun scores 9.5 on transparency against Spaceship's 8.5, and the concrete reason is that Spaceship itemises the mandatory ICANN fee on a separate line — its shelf price is not the price you pay, so it has to be compared all-in.
- Interface: Spaceship scores 9.0 on beginner UX against Porkbun's 8.5, with a modern panel and sensible defaults; Porkbun answers with a deeper DNS feature set (8.5 against 8.0), including ALIAS records and free email forwarding.
- Both include WHOIS privacy free, both offer an API and bulk tools, and both use TOTP two-factor authentication — so privacy, automation and account security are not what separates them.
Winner by category
| Category | Spaceship | Porkbun | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | 8.5 | 9.5 | Porkbun |
| Renewals | 8.5 | 9.5 | Porkbun |
| Pricing transparency | 8.5 | 9.5 | Porkbun |
| WHOIS privacy | 9.0 | 9.5 | Porkbun |
| DNS | 8.0 | 8.5 | Porkbun |
| Security / 2FA | 8.0 | 8.5 | Porkbun |
| Support | 8.0 | 8.0 | Tie |
| Transfer | 8.0 | 9.0 | Porkbun |
| TLD coverage | 8.0 | 8.5 | Porkbun |
| Developer / API | 8.0 | 8.5 | Porkbun |
| Beginner UX | 9.0 | 8.5 | Spaceship |
| Overall | 8.4 | 9.0 | Porkbun |
How they compare on privacy, DNS, support and security
Scores summarise these categories; the paragraphs below compare the underlying facts.
WHOIS privacy
Both include WHOIS privacy at no extra charge, so cost is not the deciding factor here — the wording is.
DNS tools
Neither runs an anycast platform. Both are conventional managed DNS, which is fine for a typical site — and either domain can be pointed at a dedicated DNS provider later without moving the registration. Porkbun's recorded DNS summary names DNSSEC support and Spaceship's does not. Read that as an absence of evidence rather than evidence of absence — verify with Spaceship before relying on signed zones. Porkbun supports ALIAS records, which point a bare apex domain at a hostname — the practical fix when a host hands you a CNAME target instead of an IP address.
Support
Spaceship offers live chat, email or tickets, self-serve documentation. Porkbun offers business-hours live chat, email or tickets, self-serve documentation. What we record here is which channels exist and when they are staffed — not guaranteed response times, which vary by queue and by day.
Security and 2FA
Neither supports hardware security keys, so an authenticator app is the strongest second factor either offers. It beats SMS comfortably and is still phishable — a fake login page can relay the code the moment you type it.
.com pricing comparison
| Registrar | First-year | Renewal | 3-year cost | WHOIS privacy | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaceship | $8.88 +$0.20 (verified price) | $9.98 +$0.20 (verified price) | $29.44 (verified price) | Free | 2026-08-19 |
| Porkbun | $11.08 (verified price) | $11.08 (verified price) | $33.24 (verified price) | Free | 2026-08-19 |
+$0.20 marks the mandatory ICANN fee where a registrar itemises it separately instead of including it in the headline price. Prices are shown exactly as each registrar publishes them, and every ranking on this site compares the all-in total, so no registrar gains a position by splitting its price up.
Pricing across popular TLDs
| TLD | Spaceship first-yr | Spaceship renewal | Porkbun first-yr | Porkbun renewal | Cheaper renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $8.88 +$0.20 | $9.98 +$0.20 | $11.08 | $11.08 | Spaceship |
| .net | $11.20 +$0.20 | $11.20 +$0.20 | $12.52 | $12.52 | Spaceship |
| .org | $6.65 +$0.20 | $11.39 +$0.20 | $7.98 | $11.84 | Spaceship |
| .io | $31.98 | $51.75 | $28.12 | $51.80 | Spaceship |
| .ai | $79.98 | $79.98 | $82.70 | $82.70 | Spaceship |
| .co | $4.98 | $31.05 | $15.76 | $31.20 | Spaceship |
Renewals are the dominant long-term cost. Use the cost calculator for multi-year totals.
- Modern, clean account UI
- Competitive renewal pricing across many TLDs
- Backed by the same group as Namecheap
- Newer brand — fewer independent long-term reviews
- Some advanced enterprise features still missing
- Among the lowest renewal prices for .com, .net, .io, .dev
- Free WHOIS privacy and SSL on many domains
- Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
- Support limited to business hours for chat
- Smaller brand recognition than legacy registrars
Which should you choose?
Choose Spaceship if you want the cheapest verified renewals on mainstream extensions and a modern, uncluttered panel, and you are comfortable with a registrar founded in 2023.
Choose Porkbun if you want a longer track record, all-in pricing with nothing itemised separately, and the stronger DNS feature set.
Both are ICANN-accredited and both include privacy free, so a transfer either way is routine and costs nothing extra in privacy terms. If you are moving to Spaceship for the price, price the transfer and the following renewal with the ICANN fee included — comparing its shelf figure against Porkbun's all-in figure will overstate the saving.
Final recommendation
Porkbun is the better default — it leads on overall score and is our recommended pick for users who want cheap renewals and free whois privacy.
Spaceship is the better choice if modern ux is your top priority, or if you specifically need competitive renewals.
Either way, avoid Porkbun if you need enterprise account management, and avoid Spaceship if you need legacy enterprise workflows.
FAQ
Which is cheaper for .com renewals, Spaceship or Porkbun?+
Which has better DNS, Spaceship or Porkbun?+
Is WHOIS privacy free at both Spaceship and Porkbun?+
What should I know about transferring a domain between Spaceship and Porkbun?+
Sources
- /methodology/ — scoring methodology
- /registrars/spaceship/ — Spaceship review
- /registrars/porkbun/ — Porkbun review