If you manage domains for clients, you’ve likely outgrown retail-first registrars.
To solve operational challenges and increase margins with domains in 2025, the better move for resellers, agencies, and hosting providers is a platform built for scale: the right Name.com alternative offer predictable cost-price buying, automation that trims tickets, and wider TLD access so you never say “we don’t support that extension”.
That’s exactly what Openprovider delivers through its Membership model (domains at registry cost), pro-grade APIs and modules, and an extensive TLD portfolio all geared to reseller workflows.
With Name.com, you can resell via its API and set your own margins on top of retail prices fine for side projects, but it can squeeze margins and complicate pricing as you scale. Openprovider flips the model: a flat Membership unlocks cost-price domains and discounts on add-ons, helping you forecast and grow with confidence.
What you’ll learn below: where Name.com’s reseller setup creates friction (pricing, DNSSEC, and TLD breadth), and how Openprovider’s Membership, automation, and tools help you consolidate, reduce ops load, and improve margins in 2025.
This guide doesn’t aim to discredit the mentioned brands, but to offer an objective comparison based on publicly available data, customer feedback, and internal product testing as of August 2025.
Where Name.com creates friction for resellers
Name.com is solid for individual buyers, but resellers, agencies, and hosters often hit limits as they scale. The most common pain points we hear:
- Pricing predictability: retail-first markups make margin planning hard across hundreds of renewals; promotions fluctuate and are hard to forecast at portfolio level.
- TLD breadth for expansion: niche ccTLDs and IDNs can require additional vendors, fragmenting toolsets and support.
- Manual DNS and record hygiene: day-to-day tasks (DNSSEC, nameserver updates, bulk zone changes) can add ticket load when multiplied across clients.
- SSL lifecycle overhead: certificate issuance, renewals, and reissues often sit outside a clean, reseller-friendly workflow.
- Automation gaps: APIs exist, but retail-oriented assumptions can increase engineering effort to fully automate bulk operations, transfers, and reporting.
- Support alignment: queues and SLAs are optimized for single-domain users, not for teams running migrations, bulk updates, or multi-brand portfolios.
Openprovider vs Name.com: comparison at a glance
| Capability | Openprovider | Name.com |
| Pricing model | Membership unlocks registry cost-price domains; clear margins you control. | Retail-based with reseller margins layered on top. |
| TLD coverage | Very broad portfolio with +1,900 TLDs across gTLDs, exotic TLDs, ccTLDs, and nTLDs) acting as a centralized vendor. | Strong core set; niche TLDs may require additional suppliers. |
| Automation and API | Pro-grade domain, DNS, SSL, and account APIs; WHMCS/Blesta modules; bulk endpoints. | API available; deeper automation may require custom workarounds. |
| DNS management | Free DNS plus Premium DNS option; bulk tools for records, DNSSEC, and nameservers. | Standard DNS features; bulk changes can be more manual. |
| SSL control | Integrated ordering, renewals, and reissues; supports upsell motions. | SSL available; workflows less tailored to reseller ops. |
| Billing and payments | Prepaid balance, consolidated invoices, Membership tiers, predictable renewals. | Standard retail billing; reseller margins vary by SKU/promo. |
| Support and SLAs | Reseller-aligned support with playbooks for transfers and bulk ops, and 24/7 email support. | Optimized for retail use cases; reseller workflows may face longer paths. |
| Compliance and security | Built for policy changes (e.g., NIS2), account roles/2FA; ISO-driven processes. | Meets core registrar requirements; retail focus can limit admin controls. |
| Transfer tooling | Guided bulk transfers, portfolio import, status visibility. | Standard transfers; large migrations can be labor-intensive. |
| Reporting | Portfolio, renewal, and margin-friendly exports, allowing precise cost tracking. | Basic reports; deeper finance ops may need external tooling. |
Pricing clarity and margin control
For teams managing hundreds or thousands of domains, predictable unit economics matter. Openprovider’s Membership model gives you cost-price domains and transparent renewals you can forecast.
With Name.com, you integrate via its API and layer your own margins on top of retail pricing. That works for side projects, but at scale it makes portfolio-level margin planning harder than a flat cost-price model.
Automation and integrations
Name.com offers a modern CORE API plus a WHMCS module. It is developer-friendly, supports domain lifecycle, and is actively maintained.
Note: their docs highlight that accounts with two-step verification enabled are not compatible with the API, which is a consideration for teams standardizing MFA.
DNSSEC and DNS hygiene
If DNSSEC is a hard requirement for your customers: be aware that Name.com’s nameservers might not currently support DNSSEC.
You can still set DS records when using third-party DNS that supports DNSSEC, but it adds moving parts and operational overhead.
For less operational headache and access to a single point of control, refer to your free RCP account, or visit our dedicated page to Premium DNS.
SSL and site security add-ons
Name.com sells SSL certificates from leading CAs and promotes SiteLock for site protection. These are available, but workflows are oriented to retail buyers; you can set up and install certs through their dashboard or pass them to your host.
Pro tip: when reselling SSL certificates, don’t just mention features: look for intrinsic needs. For certain business dimensions and models, like e-commerce, Premium SSLs are your go-to solution.
TLD coverage and bulk search
Name.com exposes a broad TLD catalog and a bulk search that lets you filter by many extensions at once. This is useful for quick checks, but resellers often need unified pricing and reporting on top of breadth.
Why Openprovider is a better fit for resellers
- Cost-price buying via Membership: predictable renewals and healthier long-term margins than retail-first models.
- Consolidation without compromises: broad gTLD, new gTLD, ccTLD, and nTLDs coverage to reduce vendor sprawl.
- Ops efficiency: bulk tools and APIs for domains, DNS, and SSL designed around reseller workflows, not one-off retail purchases.
- Compliance and security by design: role-based access, 2FA, and processes aligned to evolving rules like NIS2; ISO 27001:2022 certification.
- Support for migrations: guided bulk transfers, portfolio import, and reporting tailored to finance and support teams.
How to switch from Name.com to Openprovider in 3 steps
- Open an account and choose a Membership plan
Pick the Membership tier that matches your portfolio size to unlock cost-price domains and predictable renewals.
- Migrate your domains with guidance
Access your RCP account to manage your domains, import your portfolio, start bulk transfers, and use our checklists to keep nameservers, DNSSEC, and renewals aligned during cutover.
- Automate your workflows
Connect our API or integrations like WHMCS/Blesta modules, set role-based access, and standardize billing and reporting for your teams.
