The short answer: yes, you can move your GoDaddy domain to Hostinger — and it usually pays for itself

If GoDaddy's renewal bills are wearing you down, moving the domain to Hostinger is a straightforward escape: unlock the domain at GoDaddy, get your authorization code, point it at Hostinger's nameservers, and start the transfer in your Hostinger dashboard. The whole transfer takes 5–7 days, the setup itself takes minutes, and Hostinger's transfer fee includes a 1-year renewal — so you are not paying extra on top of the renewal you'd pay anyway.

Here is why the math matters. A standard .com renews at $22.99/yr at GoDaddy but only $19.99/yr at Hostinger (published prices, re-confirmed 31 October 2026). That is roughly $3 a year saved per domain — and you also get free lifetime WHOIS privacy at Hostinger, where GoDaddy charges for it. This guide walks you through the transfer step by step, the real cost, the timeline, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Before you start: the 4-point eligibility checklist

Confirm these four things before touching anything — if even one is missing, the transfer will be rejected:

  1. The domain is at least 60 days old. ICANN rules prevent transferring a domain within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. If you just bought or moved the domain, wait out the window.
  2. The domain is unlocked at GoDaddy. GoDaddy enables domain lock by default. You will turn it off in Step 1 below.
  3. You have access to the registrant email on your GoDaddy account. The transfer approval request is emailed to that address. Check it is current — reminders and approval links are useless in a dead inbox.
  4. You have the authorization (EPP) code. You will pull this from GoDaddy in Step 3. Keep it private: anyone with the code can initiate the transfer.

Two timing notes. Country-code domains (ccTLDs like .uk or .de) follow their own registry's rules, not ICANN's — check GoDaddy's help docs for your extension if it isn't a .com/.net/.org. And start the transfer at least a week before your renewal date: the process takes 5–7 days, and a domain that expires mid-transfer can get stuck in limbo.

How much does the transfer cost?

Hostinger charges a transfer fee at checkout — and the fee includes a 1-year renewal of your domain, as Hostinger's own transfer tutorial states. So you are not paying a fee plus a renewal: the fee is the renewal. Even better, under ICANN's transfer policy a successful transfer adds one year to your existing expiry date (up to the 10-year maximum). You do not lose the time you already paid GoDaddy for.

Hostinger shows the exact transfer price for your domain when you start the transfer — for .com it typically tracks its $19.99/yr renewal rate. Confirm the figure on Hostinger's Domain transfer page before paying, since prices change.

Put it next to staying at GoDaddy:

  • Stay at GoDaddy: $22.99/yr per .com, every year, plus paid WHOIS privacy.
  • Move to Hostinger: ~$19.99/yr per .com, free WHOIS privacy included — roughly $3/yr saved per domain.
  • Over 5 years: $114.95 at GoDaddy vs $99.95 at Hostinger — about $75 saved per domain, before counting GoDaddy's privacy fees.

One more timing factor: Verisign's wholesale .com fee rises $10.26 → $10.97 at 04:00 UTC on 1 November 2026 (tomorrow) — transfers and renewals bought after that morning are billed at the new wholesale rate. Completing your transfer today locks in the old rate for the added year.

Step 1: Unlock the domain at GoDaddy

  1. Sign in to your GoDaddy account and open the Domain Portfolio page.
  2. Click the three-dot menu next to the domain you want to move and select Turn Lock Off.
  3. Read the disclaimer and click Continue & Verify.
  4. If Domain Protection is on, verify your identity with the code sent by SMS or your authenticator app.
  5. Check the lock status changes to Off before continuing.

Step 2: Point the domain to Hostinger's nameservers (the zero-downtime trick)

Do this before starting the transfer: DNS settings cannot be changed mid-transfer at GoDaddy, and moving nameservers first keeps your website and email running while the transfer completes. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate worldwide.

  1. On the GoDaddy Domain Portfolio page, click the three-dot menu next to the domain and select Edit DNS.
  2. Open the Nameservers tab and choose Change Nameservers.
  3. Select I'll use my own nameservers and enter Hostinger's nameservers:
    • ns1.dns-parking.com
    • ns2.dns-parking.com
  4. Click Save and wait for propagation (up to 24 hours) before starting the transfer if uptime is critical.

Step 3: Get the authorization (EPP) code from GoDaddy

  1. On the Domain Portfolio page, click the domain you want to transfer.
  2. Scroll to the Transfer section and click Transfer to Another Registrar.
  3. Review the transfer checklist and click Continue.
  4. Read the final disclaimer and click Continue — note that this step deactivates domain privacy so the contact details can move to the new registrar.
  5. Click Click here to see Authorization Code to reveal it. GoDaddy also sends it to your domain's administrative email address.

Copy the code into a safe place. It is the single credential that authorises the move — treat it like a password.

Step 4: Start the transfer in your Hostinger dashboard

If you don't have a Hostinger account yet: go to Hostinger's Domain transfer page, enter the domain you are moving from GoDaddy, and follow the instructions.

If you already have a Hostinger (hosting) account:

  1. Log in to the Hostinger dashboard and go to Domains → Transfers.
  2. Select Transfer domain to Hostinger.
  3. Enter the domain and hit Transfer.
  4. You will see the transfer price — which includes the 1-year renewal. Review it and click Purchase.
  5. Paste the authorization code from GoDaddy and select Use Hostinger nameservers.
  6. Open the confirmation email Hostinger sends you and approve the transfer.

What happens next: the transfer timeline

  • Minutes after checkout: Hostinger sends the approval email. Click the confirm link promptly — nothing moves until you do.
  • Days 1–5: GoDaddy releases the domain. Under ICANN's transfer policy the losing registrar has up to 5 days to approve or object; in practice GoDaddy usually releases sooner.
  • Around day 5–7: the transfer completes. Your domain's expiry date moves one year forward from its previous date — the transfer adds a year, it does not reset the clock.
  • After completion: Hostinger becomes the registrar of record. Re-check your WHOIS privacy settings there (privacy is free and included).

Watch the admin email address closely during this window — including the spam folder. A missed approval email is the single most common reason transfers stall.

Transfer stuck? 5 common failures and how to fix them

1. "Domain is locked"

You skipped Step 1, or the lock re-enabled itself. Go back to GoDaddy's Domain Portfolio and turn the lock off again, wait a few minutes, then retry the transfer.

2. The authorization code is rejected

Paste the code exactly — no extra spaces at the start or end. If it still fails, request a fresh code from GoDaddy (codes can expire), and make sure you are not confusing the letter "O" with the digit "0" if typing manually.

3. The domain is less than 60 days old — or was transferred within the last 60 days

This is the ICANN 60-day rule, and no registrar can override it. Check your domain's registration date in WHOIS, wait out the remaining days, then restart the transfer.

4. The approval email never arrives

First, check the spam folder of the registrant email listed in your GoDaddy account. If the address itself is wrong or dead, update it at GoDaddy — but note the caution: changing registrant contact details can trigger an optional 60-day transfer lock at some registrars, so if you must update it, opt out of the lock during the change if GoDaddy offers that choice.

5. The domain is expired or about to expire

Start transfers at least a week before expiry. If the domain already expired, renew it at GoDaddy first, then transfer — a transfer of an already-expired domain often fails, and renewing first is cheaper than fighting the failure.

Should you transfer — or just point the domain at Hostinger?

If your only goal is to host a website at Hostinger, you don't have to transfer at all: keep the domain at GoDaddy and just change the nameservers (Step 2 above), which is free and instant. Transfer when you want the renewal savings and a single bill — at roughly $3/yr less per .com plus free privacy, the transfer pays for itself in the first year for most owners.

Unsure what your domains are costing you right now? Compare registrars on our comparison page, run the 5-year numbers on the renewal calculator, and see our step-by-step GoDaddy transfer-out guide for the unlock and auth-code part in more detail. If you use Hostinger hosting, our Hostinger domain renewal guide and transfer vs renew guide cover the broader decision, and the 2026 renewal price breakdown shows what every registrar charges.

FAQ

How long does it take to transfer a domain from GoDaddy to Hostinger?

Starting the transfer takes a few minutes; the full process takes 5–7 days, depending on the domain extension and how quickly GoDaddy releases the domain.

Does the transfer cost extra on top of renewal?

No. Hostinger's transfer fee includes a 1-year renewal — and the transfer adds that year to your existing expiry date, so you don't lose time you already paid GoDaddy for.

Will my website or email go down during the transfer?

Not if you point the domain to Hostinger's nameservers (ns1.dns-parking.com, ns2.dns-parking.com) before starting the transfer and let the change propagate first.

Can I transfer a domain I registered less than 60 days ago?

No. ICANN rules block transfers within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. Wait out the window, then proceed.

Do I lose the years I already paid GoDaddy for?

No. The transfer adds one year to your current expiry date (up to the 10-year maximum), so your paid time carries over.

Is transferring from GoDaddy to Hostinger worth it?

If GoDaddy's $22.99/yr .com renewal bothers you: yes — Hostinger renews the same .com at $19.99/yr with free WHOIS privacy, saving roughly $3/yr per domain (published prices, 31 October 2026). For even cheaper renewals, compare the full list on our cheapest .com renewal rankings.

Transfer steps: Hostinger's official transfer tutorial (updated 28 September 2026) and GoDaddy's transfer/auth-code help documentation. Renewal prices: RenewPings central price list — GoDaddy .com $22.99/yr and Hostinger .com $19.99/yr, re-confirmed 31 October 2026 against multiple published sources. Note: Hostinger shows the exact transfer price at checkout; confirm it before paying. Verisign's .com wholesale fee rises $10.26 → $10.97 at 04:00 UTC on 1 November 2026, so renewal prices may edge up after that date.