Network Solutions
Network Solutions is a well-established service provider specializing in domains, hosting, website design, and digital marketing tools.
It’s geared toward entrepreneurs, small to medium-sized businesses, and those looking to secure and grow their online footprint.
With a legacy in the domain industry, Network Solutions combines web essentials with various add-ons, including security, email, and SEO, for a robust online toolkit.
- Best For: Users with legacy domains or those already committed to Network Solutions.
- When to Choose: If consolidating older domains with existing services is a priority over pricing or features.
- Pricing: High domain and hosting costs; extra fees for privacy and SSL, minimal introductory discounts.
Basics to Understand
Network Solutions is an all-in-one platform that provides domain registration, web hosting, website building, and business-focused marketing solutions.
Originally focused on domain registration, it now offers a comprehensive suite of web services to build, secure, and market websites.
This platform is particularly useful for those wanting a centralized solution for domains and web hosting, eliminating the need to juggle multiple providers.
Notable Features
- Domain Registration and Management: Offers a vast selection of domain extensions, including popular and niche options, with easy management tools.
- Web Hosting Services: Provides various hosting plans, from shared to dedicated hosting, tailored to business and personal websites.
- Website Builder: Includes a drag-and-drop builder for designing custom websites without coding knowledge, suitable for beginners.
- Professional Email Services: Customizable business email options, integrated with Microsoft 365, providing a professional communication platform.
- Security and SSL Certificates: Offers SSL certificates and site protection features to ensure secure online transactions and data integrity.
- SEO and Marketing Tools: Provides tools for boosting search engine rankings and managing online marketing efforts to enhance visibility.
Pricing & Cost
Network Solutions offers domain registration starting at $25 per year for popular domains like .com, .org, and .net, which is significantly higher than most competitors.
Privacy protection costs an additional $9.99 annually. Web hosting plans range from $5.69 to $31.61 monthly (billed annually), with the entry-level plan providing 15GB storage but excluding essentials like a free domain or SSL certificate, which are often standard in competitors' plans.
Additional features, such as its drag-and-drop website builder, come at an extra cost of $14.95 per month after an introductory rate.
SSL certificates are also priced higher than average, starting at $76.89 annually.
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My Honest Thoughts
After using Network Solutions, I’d describe the experience as frustrating and overly expensive - even worse than GoDaddy.
Despite its long-standing reputation, the service seems stuck in the past, both in functionality and user experience.
The platform feels outdated, with clunky interfaces that haven’t seen a real upgrade in years, making even basic tasks like domain management unnecessarily tedious.
Their pricing is another major drawback; it’s far higher than most competitors, without offering any additional value.
Domains start at $25 per year, and domain privacy costs extra—something many providers include for free.
The checkout process is full of add-ons and upsells, and services that should be simple, like SSL certificates, come with steep fees.
I’ve also found the support to be extremely lacking.
It’s not uncommon to spend ages on the phone with reps who seem more focused on upselling than helping resolve actual issues. When I’ve needed assistance, especially for complex tasks, support has been inconsistent at best and unhelpful at worst.
Transferring domains away from Network Solutions was challenging, with obstacles at each step.
Overall, the experience feels like a throwback to an era when there were fewer alternatives—and you had to tolerate subpar service. Today, there are many better options that are more affordable, more reliable, and offer far superior support.
Alternatives
Namecheap is an affordable, reliable domain registrar and web hosting provider that excels with straightforward service and minimal hassle. This is my go-to affordable, no-frills, dependable option.
Domain.com is another solid choice, offering competitive pricing and similar features to Network Solutions but with better support and transparency. It comes with great customer service and straightforward plans.
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