Just the other day, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the email about domain name renewal from GoDaddy. The number was "shocking". Immediately, I decided it was time to "break up" with GoDaddy to transfer the domain name from GoDaddy to Cloudflare - a new destination that is much more delicious, nutritious, and cheaper. Transferring a domain name not only helps me save a fair amount of money each year, but also makes the website run much faster and has better security. If you are also suffering from increasing renewal costs, this is the article you need to read right now.
Why did I leave GoDaddy for Cloudflare? Three main reasons are undeniable
Why should you transfer your domain name to Cloudflare? The benefits of transferring a domain name to Cloudflare mainly revolve around buying at the original price without going through an intermediary, with a built-in super-fast content delivery network (CDN) system and a solid security shield.
With 10 years of experience in the web making profession, I have used countless providers. But up to now (March 2026), Cloudflare really brings a completely different experience. Below are the reasons why I decided to move the entire domain name system of customers at Pham Hai to this platform.
Saving domain name renewal costs: Numbers speak for themselves
Cloud-flare reduces domain renewal costs significantly because they operate as a wholesale Registrar, not charging additional profit margin on each domain name like GoDaddy does.
GoDaddy thường "dụ" chúng ta bằng mức giá năm đầu tiên cực kỳ rẻ, có khi chỉ 1-2 USD. Nhưng từ năm thứ hai trở đi, chi phí gia hạn tên miền bị đội lên rất cao, thường rơi vào khoảng 20-22 USD cho một đuôi .com. Trong khi đó, Cloudflare cam kết chính sách giá sỉ (wholesale price). Bạn chỉ cần trả đúng mức giá gốc cộng thêm phí ICANN, tổng cộng chỉ khoảng 9.77 USD/năm.
| Comparison criteria | GoDaddy (Renewal) | Cloudflare (Renewal) | Level of savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giá tên miền .com | ~22.17 USD/year | ~9.77 USD/year | ~55% |
| Giá tên miền .net | ~23.17 USD/year | ~10.50 USD/year | ~54% |
| Bảo mật WHOIS | Usually an additional fee is charged | Free for life | 100% |
Calculated every year, with just one domain name, you save more than half of your money. If you manage dozens of websites, this number is not small. Optimizing the budget right from the foundation is the core thing. If you are looking for smart options to get started, consulting Where to buy cheap, reputable domain names in 2026 is an important first step to avoid being caught wrong later.
Speed up your website for free with CDN and optimization from Cloudflare
Website acceleration with Cloudflare is done through a global CDN system, which helps store static caches on servers closest to users.
Page loading speed directly affects user experience and SEO rankings. When you move to Cloudflare, your website data will be distributed across hundreds of data centers around the world. Visitors in Vietnam will download data from servers in Vietnam or Singapore, instead of having to go all the way to the US.
Besides, this platform also provides image compression tools and automatically optimizes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript source code. I have tested on many projects at Pham Hai and found that Google PageSpeed Insights scores often increase significantly immediately after activating these features.
More comprehensive website security with free SSL and DDoS protection
Website security with Cloudflare is extremely strong thanks to automatic denial-of-service (DDoS) attack protection and completely free SSL certificate issuance.
GoDaddy often sells SSL certificates at quite expensive prices if you do not buy their premium hosting packages. In contrast, Cloudflare offers free SSL for every domain. Their firewall (WAF) also continuously learns from millions of websites globally to block spam traffic and bad bots extremely effectively. For those of you who are new to encryption protocols, learning What is SSL HTTPS and how to install it for your website will help you better understand the importance of this layer of protection.
Detailed instructions on how to transfer domain names from GoDaddy to Cloudflare (A-Z for newbies)
The process of transferring a domain name from GoDaddy to Cloudflare includes 5 basic steps: prepare the authorization code at GoDaddy, add the website to Cloudflare, point the Nameserver, enter the Auth Code for payment and finally confirm the conversion.
The steps to transfer GoDaddy Cloudflare domain names are actually not as complicated as many people think. As long as you follow the correct order, everything will go extremely smoothly. Below is the most detailed instructions for transferring GoDaddy domain names to Cloudflare that I have compiled.
Step 1: Prepare "papers" at GoDaddy's house
You need to log in to your GoDaddy account, turn off the Domain lock feature and get the authorization code (Auth Code) to start the transfer process.
First, visit your GoDaddy account management page. Find the domain you want to transfer and click install.
- Mở khóa tên miền: Bạn kéo xuống tìm mục "Khóa miền" (Domain lock). Mặc định tính năng này đang bật để chống chuyển trộm. Hãy gạt công tắc để tắt nó đi.
- Kiểm tra WHOIS: Đảm bảo email quản trị viên trong phần thông tin liên hệ là email bạn đang sử dụng. GoDaddy sẽ gửi các thông báo quan trọng về đây.
- Lấy mã ủy quyền: Nhấp vào liên kết "Chuyển miền khỏi GoDaddy" hoặc "Lấy mã ủy quyền" (Authorization Code). Hệ thống sẽ hiển thị một đoạn mã lộn xộn, hãy copy và lưu đoạn mã này ra một file text.
Step 2: Declare "join" at Cloudflare and get a new Nameserver
How to add a domain name to Cloudflare from GoDaddy starts by creating a Cloudflare account, selecting "Add a Site", entering the domain name, and getting two new Nameserver addresses.
If you don't have a Cloudflare account, sign up for one for free. After logging in to the Cloudflare Dashboard, you will see a big "Add a Site" button. Nhập tên miền của bạn vào đó (ví dụ: tenmienchuaban.com) và chọn gói Free (Miễn phí) ở bước tiếp theo.
The system will automatically scan all of your current DNS records. Just scroll down to the bottom and click Continue. To better understand how to configure this domain name resolution system, you can read Cloudflare DNS basic installation instructions. Immediately after that, Cloudflare will give you 2 Nameserver lines (in the form of jean.ns.cloudflare.com).
Step 3: Change GoDaddy Nameserver to Cloudflare
Instructions for changing GoDaddy Nameservers require you to return to GoDaddy's DNS management page, delete the old Nameservers and replace them with the two Cloudflare addresses just provided.
Transferring GoDaddy DNS to Cloudflare is a mandatory condition before performing the registration transfer order.
- Go back to the GoDaddy tab, go to the DNS management section of the domain name.
- Find the "Nameservers" section and select "Change".
- Select "Enter my own nameservers (advanced)".
- Paste the 2 Nameserver lines that Cloudflare just provided in Step 2 here and save.
The process of changing GoDaddy Nameservers to Cloudflare can take from a few minutes to a few hours to update globally. Go back to the Cloudflare tab, press the "Done, check nameservers" button and wait for the system to say "Active" in green for success.
Step 4: Enter the authorization code (Auth Code) and complete payment on Cloudflare
In Cloudflare's Domain Registration section, select Transfer Domains, paste the authorization code obtained in step 1 and proceed to pay the 1-year renewal fee.
Many people often ask me: is there a fee for transferring GoDaddy domain names? The answer is that you do not have to pay a "conversion fee" to any party, but international law requires you to pay a 1-year renewal fee for the domain name at the new provider.
On the Cloudflare Dashboard interface, look at the left menu column, select Domain Registration > Transfer Domains. Select the domain you want to transfer. The system will ask you to enter the Auth Code (the code you copied in Step 1). Paste the code, fill in Visa/Mastercard card information and click confirm payment.
Step 5: Return to GoDaddy to confirm "giving" to make the process faster
To not have to wait for the system to automatically process, go back to GoDaddy, find the Transfers section and click Approve to complete immediately.
Usually, general regulations will allow the old provider (GoDaddy) to hold your domain name for about 5-7 days waiting for confirmation. But we don't have time to wait that long. Go back to your GoDaddy account, find the Transfers menu, select Transfers Out. Here you will see your domain name is in pending status. Check it and click Approve Transfer.
Boom! Only about 15 to 30 minutes later, your domain name is officially in Cloudflare's arms. It should be noted that transferring a domain name only changes the place where the domain name is managed, not the place where the source code is stored. If you are planning to upgrade the server as well, please refer to Switch hosting without downtime instructions to ensure the website always operates continuously.
Frequently asked questions when transferring domain names
Below are answers to common questions about time, cost, safety, and DNS data preservation when performing the domain name transfer process from GoDaddy to Cloudflare.
With experience supporting hundreds of customers at Pham Hai, I realize that people often have some common concerns when performing technical operations. I will briefly answer below.
How long does it take to transfer a GoDaddy domain name to Cloudflare?
How long it takes to transfer a GoDaddy domain name to Cloudflare depends on whether you have manual confirmation or not, the time ranges from 15 minutes to a maximum of 7 days.
As I shared the tip in Step 5, if you proactively return to GoDaddy to click "Approve", this process happens extremely quickly. On the contrary, if you are busy and skip that step, ICANN's default system will automatically release the domain name after about 5 to 7 working days.
Exactly how much does it cost to transfer a domain name from GoDaddy to Cloudflare?
The cost of transferring a domain name from GoDaddy to Cloudflare is Cloudflare's wholesale renewal fee for the next year, usually around 9.77 USD for the .com extension.
You only have to pay Cloudflare once to add 1 year of use to the current term of the domain name. For example, your domain expires in December 2026. When moving to Cloudflare in March 2026, the new deadline will be added to December 2027. Absolutely no loss of the months you have previously paid at GoDaddy.
Will such a conversion cause the website to "crash"? Is it safe?
Is it safe to transfer GoDaddy domain names to Cloudflare? Completely safe and contributes to optimizing uptime rate up to 100% without causing downtime if you follow the correct order.
The secret is in Step 3. Since we pointed the Nameserver and let Cloudflare take over the DNS traffic before executing the Transfer Registrar command, everything went seamlessly. Your website still welcomes visitors normally, no one will notice you are "cleaning house" behind the scenes.
After changing Nameserver, will the old DNS records be lost?
When you initially add a website to Cloudflare, their smart system will automatically scan and copy all old DNS records from GoDaddy.
However, machines sometimes make mistakes. My advice is that you should open two windows in parallel: one side is GoDaddy's DNS table, the other side is Cloudflare's DNS table. Check to see if the A records (pointing to IP Hosting), CNAME records, or TXT records (used to verify Google Workspace, send emails) have been fully copied. If it's missing, you just need to add it manually (Add record) from Cloudflare and you're done.
Since the day I decided to transfer my domain name from GoDaddy to Cloudflare, I have completely forgotten my immediate worries about expensive renewal costs each year. The website not only loads faster thanks to CDN, is safer against cyber attacks, but the management interface is also very intuitive and modern. At first, the technical operations may make you a little strange, but believe me, this is an extremely worthwhile investment decision for anyone who owns a website and wants to optimize long-term performance.
Have you tried transferring your domain name to Cloudflare? How long does your actual procedure take? If you have any questions or encounter errors during the implementation process, don't hesitate to leave a comment below, I will assist as best I can!
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