Hover
Hover is a Toronto-based domain name registrar and email hosting provider founded in 2008 and owned by Tucows Inc., offering self-serve registration across 300+ TLDs, bundled professional email, and a partner-integrated platform serving SMBs, creators, and web developers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hover does
Hover is a Toronto-based domain name registrar and email hosting service founded in 2008 and operated as a wholly-owned consumer-facing brand of Tucows Inc. (NYSE: TCX), the parent company and largest wholesale domain registrar. The company offers self-serve domain registration across 300+ top-level domain extensions (1-10 year terms), bundled professional email hosting at $30/year (10GB) or $40/year (1TB), and a Realnames Email product that enables firstname@lastname email addresses without requiring a domain purchase. The platform is built on Tucows/OpenSRS infrastructure and provides in-house technical capabilities including full DNS record management (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, HTTPS, SVCB, DNSSEC), domain forwarding, private nameservers (glue records), and CalDAV/CardDAV synchronization across iOS, Android, Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and Outlook clients.
Hover generates revenue primarily through annual recurring domain registration fees (subscription model) and email subscriptions, with secondary revenue from one-time domain transfer fees, a $175 domain redemption recovery fee, and 20%-commission affiliate referrals processed via ImpactRadius. The customer base is fragmented across SMBs, individual creators and influencers, web developers, artists/designers, and micro-businesses, with no disclosed enterprise anchor concentration. Distribution combines a product-led self-serve e-commerce channel (hover.com), the Hover Connect partner program integrating with 10+ platforms (Etsy, Elementor, Format, Bigcartel, PageCloud, Leadpages, 22Slides, Pixpa, Exposure, Resurva), and an ImpactRadius-managed affiliate program. Free Whois privacy, mandatory two-step sign-in, and a North American phone/chat/email support team are positioned as trust and reliability differentiators.
A significant inflection event occurred in August 2023 when Hover began absorbing Vistaprint's domain and email customer base through a batched migration completed by September 15, 2023, materially expanding its installed recurring-revenue base. The company is ICANN-accredited through Tucows, GDPR-compliant with a designated lead supervisory authority in Germany, and operates globally with primary markets in North America (US, Canada), Europe (UK, Germany), and Oceania (Australia).
Hover firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hover
- Legal name
- Tucows.com Co.
- Website
- https://hover.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hover is a Toronto-based domain name registrar and email hosting provider founded in 2008 and owned by Tucows Inc., offering self-serve registration across 300+ TLDs, bundled professional email, and a partner-integrated platform serving SMBs, creators, and web developers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Hover is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hover business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Domain Registration: Annual domain name registration fees across 300+ TLDs. Customers can register domains for 1-10 years with auto-renewal options. Pricing varies by extension (.com vs specialty TLDs).
- Email Services: Professional email hosting with two mailbox tiers: 10GB at $30/year and 1TB at $40/year. Includes IMAP/POP access and calendar synchronization.
- Domain Transfers: One-time fees for transferring domains from other registrars to Hover. Premium domains have separate pricing set by registries.
- Affiliate Referrals: 20% commission on sales generated through affiliate links managed via ImpactRadius platform.
- Domain Recovery Fees: $175 redemption recovery fee plus applicable renewal fees for expired domain recovery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Email Mailbox - 10GB |
| Subscription | Annual | Large Email Mailbox - 1TB |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Domain Registration |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One time/ perpetual license | Domain Transfer |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hover product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hover is a consumer-facing domain name registrar that lets individuals and small businesses search, register, transfer, and manage domain names across 300+ top-level domain (TLD) extensions on 1-10 year terms. It complements domain registration with professional custom email hosting (10GB and 1TB mailboxes), Realnames firstname@lastname email, DNS management with DNSSEC, domain forwarding, and an integrated Hover Connect partner platform that lets third-party services offer domain registration to their users.
Product overview
Hover is a domain name registrar and email service provider operated by Tucows Inc., offering a unified platform for domain registration and professional email. The core product portfolio consists of domain registration (300+ TLD extensions), custom email addresses matching domains (available in 10 GB and 1 TB mailbox sizes), and Realnames Email (personalized firstname@lastname addresses without domain purchase). Related services include Hover Connect (partner program for service providers), an affiliate program, DNS management, domain forwarding, transfer services, private nameservers, and mandatory two-step authentication. The company is based in Toronto, Canada and has been operating since 2008.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hover Connect: Partner program that allows website builders, hosting companies, and service providers to offer domain registration to their customers with discounted pricing and seamless DNS integration.
- Realnames
Products and services
- Domain Registration Domain name registration service allowing customers to purchase and manage domain names across 300+ TLD extensions including .COM, .ONLINE, .XYZ, .CO, .BIZ, .SHOP, .APP, .DESIGN, .ART, and niche-specific extensions. Supports registrations for 1-10 years with auto-renewal options. Targets creators, small businesses, web developers, and designers.
- Custom Email
Quantifiable outcome
- Free Whois privacy included with all domain registrations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hover
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Hover technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
Feature6 records
Hover partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- EtsyminorEtsy is a partner through Hover Connect, allowing Etsy sellers to easily register and manage domains for their online stores through the Hover platform.
- FormatminorFormat is a portfolio platform partner that offers Hover Connect integration, enabling photographers and creatives to register domains directly through Format.
- ElementorminorElementor website builder partners with Hover Connect to offer domain registration services to their website building customers.
- BigcartelminorBigcartel is an e-commerce platform partner providing Hover Connect integration for artists and makers selling products online.
- PageCloudminorPageCloud website building platform integrates with Hover Connect to offer domain services to their customers.
- LeadpagesminorLeadpages landing page platform partners with Hover Connect for domain registration services.
- 22Slidesminor22Slides portfolio platform for photographers integrates with Hover Connect.
- PixpaminorPixpa creative platform partners with Hover Connect for domain services.
- ExposureminorExposure storytelling platform integrates with Hover Connect.
- ResurvaminorResurva booking platform partners with Hover Connect for domain services.
- OpenSRS StorefrontminorSister company OpenSRS offers Storefront, a white-label domain reselling solution. This is an alternative to Hover Connect for those wanting to sell domains from their own website.
- TucowscoreHover is a service provided by Tucows.com Co., an ICANN-accredited domain registrar. Tucows is Hover's parent company and provides the underlying registration infrastructure through OpenSRS.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hover competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hover social profiles
Digital presenceHover compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Hover financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hover leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Hover funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hover M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hover
What does Hover do?
Hover is a consumer-facing domain name registrar that lets individuals and small businesses search, register, transfer, and manage domain names across 300+ top-level domain (TLD) extensions on 1-10 year terms. It complements domain registration with professional custom email hosting (10GB and 1TB mailboxes), Realnames firstname@lastname email, DNS management with DNSSEC, domain forwarding, and an integrated Hover Connect partner platform that lets third-party services offer domain registration to their users.
Is Hover a public or private company?
Hover is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hover founded?
Hover was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hover based?
Hover is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Hover make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Domain Registration is the primary driver. The others are email Services, domain Transfers, affiliate Referrals and domain Recovery Fees.
Does Hover have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hover.