Is there a reason that there isn’t a Let’s Encrypt-like disruptor for registrars? It seems like it’s such a cesspool.
When a registrar registers a domain, that costs the registrar money because the registrar has to pay a fee to the registry. So a registrar generally cannot give out domains for free.
Now, a registry could in decide to charge no fee. That's what .tk used to do. So you could get a .tk domain for free. Of course then .tk domains got the reputation of being cheap junk and spam.
Also keep in mind that domains are a “source of truth” unlike certs, which rely on the domains for verification.