Thinking about leaving GoDaddy?
In February 2026 GoDaddy quietly rewrote its terms so that every customer is now a "business" customer — even people with one personal domain. We read the change so you don’t have to, linked the sources, and wrote a plain-English guide to moving your domain out if you decide to. No pressure, no teaser rates.
What changed in GoDaddy’s 2026 terms
Effective February 2, 2026, GoDaddy updated its Universal Terms of Service. The line that got attention: its services “are not intended for private, personal or household use.” In practice the agreement now treats all customers — including individuals with a single personal domain — as commercial/business users.
Why that matters: many consumer-protection laws only apply to consumers. Reclassifying everyone as a business is widely read as narrowing which of those protections apply, and it changes how disputes (including arbitration) are framed as “commercial.”
In fairness — GoDaddy’s own position. GoDaddy says the update is meant to make its terms “clearer, more consistent, and easier to understand,” and that it does not change how you use your products day to day. We think you should read both takes and decide for yourself — so here are the sources:
The other reason people leave: the renewal
The terms change is what made headlines, but the everyday reason is the bill. GoDaddy’s first-year price is a promo you get once; the renewal is what you actually pay 9 years out of 10.
| GoDaddy | Modusdom | |
|---|---|---|
| .com first year | $0.01–$11.99 promo | $19.81 |
| .com renewal (year 2+) | $24.99/yr standard | $19.81/yr — forever |
| WHOIS privacy | Free basic — but a paid “Domain Protection” plan is pushed on top ($9.99/yr) | Included free, never an add-on |
| Checkout | Privacy / email / M365 often pre-ticked — you untick each | Nothing pre-ticked. Skip every add-on in one click |
| Transfer out later | $0 fee; the unlock + EPP option is buried a few clicks deep | $0 fee, one-click unlock + EPP code |
GoDaddy figures are public US list prices; ours are our published flat rates. See the full, dated breakdown on our Modusdom vs. GoDaddy comparison and the Renewal-Price Index. Spot a number that’s out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
When you should stay at GoDaddy
We’re not going to pretend leaving is right for everyone. Stay if:
- You rely on GoDaddy’s 24/7 phone support — we do email + scheduled calls, not a round-the-clock phone line.
- Your website builder, hosting, store, and payments all live inside GoDaddy and you want one roof. We register domains and run email; we don’t host websites.
- You actively use Afternic or GoDaddy auctions to buy and sell domains.
If none of those apply and you mostly want a domain plus real email at a price that never jumps — moving is straightforward.
How to transfer your domain out — step by step
The whole thing takes a few minutes of your time, then 5–7 days of waiting. Your site and email keep running the entire time.
- Check eligibility. The domain must be more than 60 days old and not transferred in the last 60 days (an ICANN rule, not a GoDaddy one).
- Unlock the domain in your GoDaddy account (Domain Settings → turn off the transfer lock).
- Get your authorization (EPP) code. GoDaddy emails or displays it from the same Domain Settings screen.
- Start the transfer at Modusdom. Paste the domain + EPP code on our transfer page. You pay one year’s renewal ($19.81 for .com) and ICANN adds that year onto your current expiry — you don’t lose time.
- Approve it. Confirm the email we (and GoDaddy) send. Approving from the GoDaddy side speeds it up; otherwise it auto-completes in about 5–7 days.
Want it handled for you? We’ll walk you through it on a call, or do the move and re-point your email for you. Just ask.
Bring your domain somewhere calmer.
Flat renewal that never jumps, WHOIS privacy included, and a real person who configures your email to land in the inbox. Transfer in keeps the year you already paid for.
No upsells at checkout · Free WHOIS privacy · Same price every year · Transfer out free, anytime
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