Float is a domain name registrar headquartered in Ontario, Canada. It is a subsidiary of Tucows, a publicly traded US-Canadian internet service provider. Tucows formed Hover in 2008 by merging three domain registration services it already owned; NetIdentity is your domain (IYD) and Domain Direct.
Hover is first and foremost a domain name registration platform. But, it also offers additional services like webmail boxes and email forwarding.
We’ve tested Hover extensively to give you a detailed and unbiased review. We rated the platform based on specific criteria, including features, pricing, customer support, ease of use, and more.
Packages and prices
Hover charges varying prices for different domain name extensions. Its domain names cost between $5 and $50 per year – generic extensions like .COM and .NET cost $10 to $20 per year, and atypical extensions like .IO cost $30 to $40 per year. Hover sometimes offers deep discounts for specific domain name extensions, bringing their first-year prices down to less than $5.
Hover charges $5 per year for personalized email using your domain name. It also requires additional storage costs; $20 per year for 10GB or $29 per year for 1TB.
Features
The main feature of Hover is domain name registration. You can search any domain name you want and buy it on the platform if it is available. Hover supports over 300 domain name extensions, including generic extensions like .COM and .NET and rarer ones like .APP, .CLUB and .IO. The uses of domain names are countless. It is useful for individuals and organizations.
Hover also allows you to transfer a domain name from another registrar to its platform. This feature is useful if you have domain names on other platforms that you want to move to one place and manage easily. Hover does not charge any fees for transferring domains. It only charges for an additional year of registration added each time your domain is about to expire.
Domain name transfers to Hover typically take one to two weeks, depending on various factors, such as the specific domain extension. Each domain you want to transfer to Hover must be registered for at least 60 days elsewhere. This rule is standard in the domain name industry.
Hover automatically includes WHOIS privacy protection in every domain name purchase. This means that people cannot look up your information in the WHOIS database. This feature makes it easy to prevent spammers from contacting you.
Hover allows customers to create personalized emails using their domain names. Personalized emails look more professional than bland emails, especially for organizations. You would rather have “John-Doe@myorganization.com” than “John-Doe@gmail.com”.
Hover’s email client works like any other email client. It just has a different interface. You can send and receive emails as usual. The platform has anti-spam tools to help detect and filter illegitimate emails. You can create custom rules to control your inbox. It also supports automatic email forwarding.
Hover charges $5 per year for each personalized email, and you can create as many as you want. You have to pay for storage; $20 per year for 10GB and $29 per year for 1TB.
Hover over Connect
Hover does not offer web hosting or website building services, which is a downside compared to competing platforms. However, the company tries to compensate for this with “Hover Connect”, which connects your domain directly to third-party platforms.
Hover Connect lets you connect your Hover domain directly to third-party web hosting and publishing tools, such as Ecwid, Jimdo, and Weebly.
Security
Hover has security measures and protocols to protect user accounts from compromise. An example is two-factor authentication (2FA), which requires two separate modes of identification before logging into an account.
Interface and in use
Hover has a user-friendly interface. The platform is easy to understand and navigate for most users. Registering and managing a domain name with it is quite simple. The webmail interface is also user-friendly.
Customer service
Hover offers customer support via email and phone, and it’s excellent. You can dial the helpline and instantly get in touch with a real customer support representative to help you whenever you have an issue, unlike many platforms that give automated responses. If you inquire by email, expect a response within 24 hours.
Judging by the response time, Hover’s customer support is top notch. The platform also has an extensive knowledge base where you can learn the ins and outs of registering a domain, transferring a domain, setting up personalized email, and more. .
The competition
Hover’s main competitors are Domain.com, Google Domains and Namecheap. Hover’s domain name registration services are quite expensive compared to these competitors. However, Hover stands above these competitors in terms of usability.
final verdict
Hover is a proper domain name registrar. You can use it to easily find and register any domain name or transfer a domain from elsewhere to its platform. The platform is user-friendly and offers simple pricing for customers. It also provides privacy protection for domain records, which is helpful.
However, Hover has some notable drawbacks, such as being relatively expensive and not offering any web hosting or website building services.
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