Spaceship vs Cloudflare Registrar: Which Budget Option Wins?
Spaceship offers near-cost pricing with more flexibility and better investor features.
Cloudflare famously sells domains "at cost" with zero markup. Spaceship somehow sells .com renewals below Verisign's wholesale price. Both are among the cheapest registrars on the planet. So which budget king deserves your business?
The Pricing Philosophy Difference
Cloudflare's approach: They sell domains at exactly what they pay Verisign/registries, plus ICANN fees. No markup, no profit on domains. Why? Because they want you in their ecosystem (CDN, Workers, Pages, etc.) where the real money is.
Spaceship's approach: They sell domains at aggressive prices—sometimes below wholesale—to gain market share. They're building a user base now and will monetize later through hosting, email, and premium services.
Both strategies benefit you in the short term. The question is which trade-offs work for your situation.
Price Comparison
| Extension | Spaceship | Cloudflare | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com Registration | $9.08 | $10.44 | 🚀 Spaceship |
| .com Renewal | $10.18 | $10.44 | 🚀 Spaceship |
| .io Registration | $31.98 | $42.00 | 🚀 Spaceship |
| .dev Registration | $14.98 | $13.50 | ☁️ Cloudflare |
| WHOIS Privacy | FREE | FREE | Tie |
Surprising finding: Spaceship actually beats Cloudflare's "at-cost" pricing on most popular TLDs. How? They're subsidizing domains to grow market share. Cloudflare passes through exact wholesale costs—Spaceship goes below.
The Cloudflare Catch
Cloudflare's domain pricing comes with strings attached:
- ⚠️ Must use Cloudflare DNS — Your domain has to point to Cloudflare's nameservers
- ⚠️ No aftermarket/resale features — Can't list domains for sale, no marketplace
- ⚠️ Limited TLD selection — Fewer extensions available than most registrars
- ⚠️ No new registrations for some TLDs — Transfer-only for certain extensions
For developers already using Cloudflare's CDN, Pages, or Workers—these aren't catches, they're features. The DNS requirement is a non-issue if you're routing through Cloudflare anyway.
For domain investors or users who want flexibility? It's a dealbreaker.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Spaceship | Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|
| External DNS Allowed | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Domain Marketplace | ✓ Sedo MLS | ✗ No |
| Fast Push Transfer | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Email Hosting | ✓ Spacemail | Routing only |
| Web Hosting | ✓ Yes | ✓ Pages (free) |
| CDN Included | ✗ No | ✓ Free CDN |
| DDoS Protection | ✗ No | ✓ Free |
| DNSSEC | Limited | ✓ Full |
Who Should Choose Cloudflare
- ✓ Developers using Cloudflare's ecosystem — Pages, Workers, CDN, R2 storage
- ✓ Users who want free CDN + DDoS protection — Unbeatable value if you need these
- ✓ Static site owners — Cloudflare Pages is free and excellent
- ✓ Those who trust no-markup philosophy — Predictable wholesale pricing
Who Should Choose Spaceship
- ✓ Domain investors — Sedo MLS, fast push, aftermarket features
- ✓ Users wanting DNS flexibility — Use any nameservers you want
- ✓ Those who want cheap business email — Spacemail from $0.99/month
- ✓ Anyone who wants even lower prices — Spaceship beats Cloudflare on .com
The Verdict
Both are excellent budget options, but they serve different users:
Cloudflare is the better choice if you're already in their ecosystem or want free CDN/DDoS protection. The DNS lock-in is a feature, not a bug, for these users.
Spaceship wins on pure domain pricing and flexibility. If you want the cheapest possible renewals without ecosystem requirements, Spaceship delivers.
For most domain-focused users, Spaceship offers more value. For developers building on Cloudflare's platform, Cloudflare Registrar is a no-brainer addition.
Spaceship gives you rock-bottom pricing without locking you into any ecosystem. Use any DNS, sell domains freely, keep your options open.
Try Spaceship FreeWe earn a commission from Spaceship signups. Cloudflare doesn't have an affiliate program—we recommend them purely on merit. Direct link: spaceship.sjv.io/QjVbn3