Switching from 123-reg
Moving your website from 123-reg
123-reg is a familiar name for UK domains. What many customers don’t realise is that it has been owned by GoDaddy since 2017. If you’d like an independent UK host with support around the clock, we’ll move your website across for you, free of charge. Even if you only have domains there, moving your .uk domains to us cuts your renewal costs.
- Free migration — our UK team moves your website for you
- Your site stays live at 123-reg until everything is tested
- Plans from £7/month ex VAT, with no renewal price jump
- .co.uk and .uk renewals £7.80/year, against £12.99 at 123-reg
- 24/7 tickets answered within an hour, plus UK phone support
Why people move from 123-reg to PAC
Help outside office hours
123-reg’s phone and chat support run Monday to Friday 8am–7:30pm, with chat at weekends2. We answer tickets 24/7 within an hour, and our UK phone line is open on weekdays.
No three-year lock-in
123-reg’s £1.99/month Economy price needs a 3-year term, then renews at £6.99/month1. With us you pay monthly or yearly at the same price.
Cheaper .uk domain renewals
123-reg charges £3.99 for the first year of a .co.uk or .uk domain, then £12.99 a year to renew8. Our renewal price is £7.80 a year, so you save £5.19 a year (£6.23 inc. VAT) on every .uk domain you move. Transfers in are free.
Room to grow
123-reg’s Economy plan includes one 1GB mailbox1. Our Personal plan includes unlimited email accounts, which share the plan’s 10GB of storage, and up to five websites.
123-reg and PAC side by side
Here are the entry-level plans, compared using facts from 123-reg’s own website.
| Entry plan | 123-reg | PAC Personal |
|---|---|---|
| Signup price | £1.99/month on a 3-year term (Economy)1 | £7/month, or £70/year |
| Renewal price | £6.99/month (£251.64 per 3 years)1 | Same price. No introductory discount, so no jump at renewal |
| Support | Phone and chat Mon–Fri 8am–7:30pm, chat at weekends 9am–5pm2 | 24/7 tickets (1-hour response) plus UK phone support, weekdays 9am–5:30pm |
| Backups | Advertised as daily. Hosting terms say files weekly, databases daily3 | Twice daily, 30-day retention, stored in the UK and EU |
| 1 mailbox, 1GB1 | Unlimited email accounts, sharing the plan’s 10GB storage. Up to 5 websites | |
| .co.uk / .uk domain | £3.99 first year, then £12.99/year to renew8 | £7.80/year to renew, free transfer in |
| Company | 123-Reg Ltd, owned by Host Europe Group, part of GoDaddy4 | PAC Web Hosting Ltd, independent UK company since 2007 |
123-reg and PAC prices on this page both exclude VAT. Details checked 6 October 2026. See the sources at the bottom of this page.
What our free migration includes
- Your website files and databases, copied across by our team rather than a plugin you have to wrestle with.
- Your email accounts, moved so your messages and folders come with you.
- A test before anything goes live. We check the site on our servers before your domain is pointed at us.
- The DNS switch, timed to keep disruption to a minimum.
- Your domain transfer, if you want to move it too. Free with qualifying domains.
How to move from 123-reg, step by step
- Order your PAC planChoose a plan and tell us you’re coming from 123-reg. Keep your 123-reg hosting running for now.
- We copy your site123-reg hosting uses cPanel, so with your login we can copy your files, databases and mailboxes across cleanly and test them on our servers.
- Point your domain at usWe give you the nameservers or DNS records to set in your 123-reg control panel and check everything is resolving correctly.
- Move the domain (optional)For a .co.uk or .uk domain, enter our IPS tag in the 123-reg control panel. Their own tag is 123-REG6, and there’s no code needed5. For a .com, unlock the domain and get the authorisation code from Manage All, then Transfer to Another Registrar. You can’t transfer within 60 days of registration or 7 days of expiry7.
- Cancel 123-reg lastOnce everything has run happily with us for a few days, cancel your 123-reg hosting and switch off auto-renew.
When staying with 123-reg might make more sense
We’d rather you moved for the right reasons. It may not be worth switching:
- If your site was built with 123-reg’s own website builder. Builder sites can’t be copied across as they are, so moving means rebuilding, for example in WordPress. We’ll tell you honestly what’s involved first.
- If you’re partway through a prepaid 3-year term and the hosting suits you. Moving nearer renewal avoids paying twice.
Not sure? Ask us and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Questions about leaving 123-reg
Is it worth moving just my .co.uk domain from 123-reg?
Yes, even without hosting. 123-reg renews .co.uk and .uk domains at £12.99 a year ex VAT, and we renew them at £7.80. That saves £5.19 a year ex VAT (£6.23 inc. VAT) for each domain, and transferring a .uk domain to us is free. If you have ten domains, that’s £51.90 a year ex VAT.
Is 123-reg owned by GoDaddy?
Yes. 123-Reg Ltd is controlled by Host Europe Group, which GoDaddy bought in 2017. Companies House lists Host Europe Group as 123-reg’s majority owner.
How do I transfer a .co.uk domain from 123-reg?
Log in to 123-reg, open the domain and change its IPS tag to PAC’s tag, which we’ll give you when you order. There’s no authorisation code and no transfer fee from Nominet.
Will I lose emails when I move from 123-reg?
No. We copy your mailboxes across and only switch your mail records once your new mailboxes are ready.
Can I keep my domain at 123-reg and just move the hosting?
Yes. We’ll give you the DNS records to point the domain at us, and you can move the domain later if you want everything in one place.
How much does the migration cost?
Nothing. Website migration is free when you buy a PAC hosting plan.
Moving from somewhere else? See our guides for GoDaddy or IONOS, or read how switching to PAC works.
Ready to leave 123-reg?
Pick a plan, tell us where your site is now, and we’ll handle the move. If you change your mind, you have 60 days to get your money back.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 123 8000, weekdays 9am–5:30pm.
- 123-reg web hosting (Economy pricing ex VAT, mailbox, cPanel) – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/web-hosting/
- 123-reg contact (support hours) – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/contact/
- 123-reg web hosting terms (backup frequency) – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/terms/web-hosting-terms/
- Companies House: 123-REG LIMITED persons with significant control – https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05306504/persons-with-significant-control
- 123-reg support: transferring a .uk domain away – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/support/domains/transferring-a-uk-domain-away-from-123-reg-co-uk/
- 123-reg support: transferring a .uk domain to 123-reg (IPS tag) – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/support/domains/transferring-a-uk-domain-name-to-123-reg/
- 123-reg support: obtaining the authorisation (EPP) code – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/support/domains/how-do-i-obtain-the-authorisation-epp-code-for-my-domain-name/
- 123-reg domain names (.co.uk and .uk first-year and renewal prices, in the pricing table further down the page) – https://www.123-reg.co.uk/domain-names/
