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Switching from GoDaddy: one day of backups, deleting in the right order and the domain lock
Updated Oct 6, 2026
Export your whole Web Hosting (cPanel) account as a tar.gz from Backups before you cancel, because only one day of backups is kept. Turn off auto-renew rather than deleting until the new host is live: deleted products may not be recoverable. Unlock the domain before you transfer it; transfers typically take 5-7 days.
The steps
- Step 1 · 30 days (annual) or 48 hours (monthly) · not stated on its pages
Check your refund window and renewal date
Annual plans: full refund within 30 days; monthly plans within 48 hours. Economy auto-renews at $551.63 for the next term.
source - Step 2 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Export the whole cPanel account
Download a tar.gz of the entire Web Hosting (cPanel) account from Daily Backups.
source - Step 3 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Or download parts as a zip
Pick domains, files, databases, mailboxes or mail forwarders from a daily backup.
source - Step 4 · not stated on its pages · Migration service by personalized quote
Import into IONOS
Follow IONOS's site-move guide (it links GoDaddy's help), use a WordPress plugin, or buy its migration service.
source - Step 5 · DNS propagation up to 24-48 hours; cancel the old host about 72 hours after the nameserver change · Free migration help
Or import into Namecheap
Use its GoDaddy guide to move files, databases, mail and FTP accounts, or ask its team for free help (a manual move is not guaranteed).
source - Step 6 · not stated on its pages · Free plugin; not all migrations free
Or import into Liquid Web
Free migration plugin on the Launch and Thrive managed WordPress tiers; assisted moves free only on one tier.
source - Step 7 · Typically 5-7 days; 60- or 120-day lock · not stated on its pages
Unlock and transfer your domain
Check the 60- or 120-day lock, then unlock the domain (the change can take up to 90 minutes to show) and start the transfer.
source - Step 8 · Runs to the end of the subscription · not stated on its pages
Turn off auto-renew
Keep using the hosting until the end of the subscription.
source - Step 9 · At subscription end · Refunds only by phone, SMS or chat
Delete only after the move
At the end of the subscription GoDaddy deletes the product and all its files; deleting early may lose remaining time.
source
Carries over
- The whole cPanel account exports as one tar.gz file.
- Files, databases and mailboxes can also download as a zip.
- A domain transfer typically takes 5-7 days.
- Namecheap and IONOS both point to GoDaddy-specific instructions.
What you lose
- Only one day of backups unless you upgrade.
- Website Builder backups stay in the builder; no export to another host is described.
- Deleted products may not be recoverable, even with time left.
- Bundled domains stay locked for 120 days after registration.
Where to switch to
| Destination | Price from | Visit |
|---|---|---|
| IONOS No affiliate relationship | $6 per month | Visit IONOSOn ionos.com |
| Namecheap No affiliate relationship | $4.29 per month | Visit NamecheapOn namecheap.com |
| Liquid Web No affiliate relationship | $8.10 per month | Visit Liquid WebOn liquidweb.com |
GoDaddy's Web Hosting runs on cPanel, which makes the site itself easy to take with you: one tar.gz file holds the whole account. The things to watch are the single day of backups, the order in which you delete products, and a domain lock that can run to 120 days. We read GoDaddy's help centre and each destination's migration pages on Sep 30, 2026. GoDaddy's legal agreements returned "Access Denied" that day, so the refund terms come from our Sep 25, 2026 read.
Download the whole account
Daily Backups lets you download a tar.gz backup of your entire cPanel account. You can also download domains, files, databases, mailboxes or mail forwarders as a zip.
Act quickly after a problem. Web Hosting keeps a single day of backups unless you upgrade to 7, 14 or 30 days. Sites built with GoDaddy's Website Builder are a different case: its backup leaves out blogs, products and images and stays inside the builder, and we found no way to export a builder site to another host.
Cancel in the right order
GoDaddy gives two ways out. You can delete the product, or turn off auto-renew and use it until the end of the subscription. Many products auto-renew by default. Deleting is immediate: GoDaddy warns that a deleted product "might not be recoverable - even if there's time remaining in the subscription". So download your backup first, and only delete once the new host is live.
If you cancel instead, you can keep using the product until the subscription ends, then GoDaddy deletes it and all its files.
Refunds: annual plans get a full refund within 30 days, and monthly plans within 48 hours (read Sep 25, 2026). To claim one, you delete the product first and then ask by phone, SMS or chat. Email requests are not processed. No early termination fee is stated in the help pages we read.
Economy costs $5.99 a month on a 36-month term and the cheap-hosting page says it auto-renews at $551.63 for the next term, which works out to $15.32 a month (prices read Sep 25, 2026). Leaving before that renewal avoids the jump.
Move your domain
GoDaddy blocks transfers within 60 days of registration, a transfer or a contact change if that 60-day lock was applied, and for 120 days on domains bought in a bundle. Unlock the domain first; the change can take up to 90 minutes to show. Transfers typically take 5-7 days. If you only want the site to move, point the domain's nameservers at the new host and leave the registration where it is.
Where to go
IONOS links GoDaddy's own help pages in its guide to moving a site with its files, databases and email. WordPress sites can move with plugins such as Duplicator, or through its paid Website Migration Service at a quoted price. A domain transfer to IONOS takes about a week. Essential is $4 a month for a 1-year term, then $8 (read Sep 27, 2026).
Namecheap has a guide for moving from GoDaddy by copying files, databases, mail and FTP accounts. Its migration team helps free of charge and does free full cPanel transfers, though it cannot guarantee to finish a manual move and generally does not move email. But the same page says a full account transfer from GoDaddy is not possible, which conflicts with GoDaddy's own full cPanel export. Plan for a manual move and treat a full transfer as a bonus. Stellar renews at $55.88 a year (read Sep 27, 2026).
Liquid Web offers a free migration plugin on its Launch and Thrive managed WordPress tiers, but says not all migrations are free. Allow for a possible 20 to 50 minutes of downtime at the DNS switch. Essentials WordPress is $9 a month, with no refunds (read Sep 27, 2026).
Keep the site up
Keep GoDaddy running until the new host serves the site and DNS has moved. Namecheap suggests cancelling about 72 hours after the nameserver change.
Who should switch
Switch if your 36-month term is near its end, or you want more than one day of backups without an upgrade. Wait if you built on Website Builder and have no time to rebuild, because we found no way to export that site. Compare hosts in our web hosting ranking and see how we score them.