How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?

If you’re ready to build your first website, you’re probably wondering, “How much does a domain name cost?” 

Choosing the right domain name is an important step, but understanding domain name prices can be confusing for beginners. 

This guide explains how much domain names cost, the factors that affect pricing, and some tips to make informed decisions.

How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?

The cost of a domain name typically ranges from $10 to $20 per year for standard extensions like .com, .net, or .org. However, domain name cost can vary based on the name’s extension (like .com or .io) and the registrar you use.

The domain name cost of premium names—those with short, popular, or high-demand keywords—are sold through private sales and can cost thousands or even millions of dollars. For instance, in 2019, the domain name Voice.com sold for $30 million, making it one of the most expensive ever.

Most registrars also offer discounts for the first year but charge higher renewal fees. Always check the renewal cost to avoid surprises.

Can you get a domain for free?

Yes, you can get a domain for free, but there are limitations. 

Some website builders and hosting providers, like Wix or WordPress.com, include a free domain when you purchase one of their plans. However, these domains are often only free for the first year. Renewal fees apply afterward. 

In many cases, these domains don’t look professional and can hurt your brand’s credibility, which may outweigh the savings in domain name cost.

Alternatively, some services offer completely free subdomains (e.g., yourname.sitebuilder.com), but these don’t look professional and can hurt your brand’s credibility.

How much does a premium domain name cost?

Premium domain names are highly sought-after and can cost anywhere from a few hundred to millions of dollars. These are typically short, memorable names with popular keywords, like business.com or cars.com. 

The exact domain name cost of a premium name depends on factors like demand, relevance, and perceived value. You’ll have to negotiate with the seller to find a suitable price. 

Premium domains are sold through auctions, brokers, or domain marketplaces like Sedo and GoDaddy Auctions. These are two-sided platforms where sellers can list their domains for sale and buyers can make offers. The platform facilitates the transaction so no one risks losing their money or property. 

Here’s an example of domain names for sale on Sedo:

How much do expired domains cost?

Expired domains—those whose previous owners didn’t renew them—are often available at reduced prices through auction platforms. The domain name cost varies widely, from as little as $10 to several thousand dollars, depending on the domain’s age, keywords, and backlink profile. 

Many expired domains with strong SEO value are in high demand, which makes them pricier. Platforms like Dynodot or Expired Domains list expired domains for bidding or immediate purchase.

Here’s a list of expired domains on Dynodot:

Domain Name Cost Increases From Popular Registrars

Domain name cost can vary significantly depending on where you buy it. Registrars have their own pricing systems. They also offer additional services and renewal fees that can affect the final price.

Domain name costs aren’t just influenced by registrars and extensions—they’re also impacted by the registries that manage top-level domains (TLDs). 

A registry is the organization responsible for overseeing a specific TLD. For example, VeriSign operates the .com and .net TLDs and sets wholesale prices for those domains.

In recent years, some registries have implemented annual price increases. VeriSign, for instance, announced that the wholesale price of .com domains will rise to $10.26 in September 2024, up from $9.59 in 2023. These increases often trickle down to end-users, as registrars adjust their pricing to reflect higher costs from registries.

Why do registries raise prices? It’s often dictated by agreements between registries and ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). VeriSign’s agreement allows them to increase the cost of .com domains by up to 7% annually over a six-year period.

For domain owners, these increases mean that the cost of renewing or maintaining a domain portfolio may grow over time. You can reduce the burden on yourself by registering domains for multiple years at the current rate before increases take effect. 

It’s also smart to monitor registry announcements. This can help you stay informed about future cost changes.

Types of Domain Names

Before you buy a domain, it’s important to understand the different types available. Each type serves a unique purpose and can influence your website’s identity.

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)

These are the most common domain extensions, like .com, .org, and .net. They are not restricted to specific users or regions. Here are some of the most common gTLDs:

.com	.net	.org	.io	.co
.info	.store	.company	.tech	.me
.guru	.party	.wiki	.tv	.directory
.co	.digital	.io	.ai	.xyz
.world	.website	.photos	.rocks	.site
.studio	.ninja	.expert	.fit	.life
.live	.design	.today	.blog	.top

Those are just some of the more popular TLDs. There are hundreds more. See a full list here.

Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)

ccTLDs represent specific countries or regions, such as .uk for the United Kingdom or .ca for Canada. They are ideal for businesses targeting audiences in a specific location. 

These are typically less expensive than gTLDs, but must often satisfy certain policies of those territories. For example, if you want to use the .fr domain, you must have a French presence. 

Here are some more examples of ccTLDs:

ccTLD	Country/Region	Pricing
.us	United States	9.84€
.uk	United Kingdom	12.00€
.ca	Canada	15.00€
.eu	European Union	9.84€
.ch	Switzerland	12.00€
.de	Germany	9.84€
.fr	France	15.00€
.at	Austria	18.00€
.nl	Netherlands	15.00€
.ro	Romania	12.00€
.it	Italy	9.84€
.ru	Russia	21.00€
.sk	Slovakia	19.00€
.cz	Czech Republic	12.00€
.pl	Polonia	21.00€
.to	Tonga	68.14€
.hk	Hong Kong	61.00€
.be	Belgium	15.00€
.es	Spain	12.00€

Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs)

These domains are reserved for specific communities or industries, such as .edu for educational institutions or .gov for government entities. Each sponsored TLD has a sponsor that represents the community. The sponsor sets criteria for using the sTLD.

Here’s a list of sTLDs and their sponsors:

sTLD	Eligibility	Sponsors
.aero	Members of the air-transport industry	SITA
.asia	Companies, organisations and individuals in the Asia-Pacific region	DotAsia Organisation
.bank	Those in the banking sector. Domain names must correspond to the organization’s legal name.	Bank Policy InstituteAmerican Bankers Association
.cat	Catalan linguistic and cultural community	Fundació puntCat
.coop	Cooperative associations	DotCooperation LLC
.edu	US Institutions of higher education	Educause
.gov	United States government, states and local governments	Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (an independent agency of the US government)
.int	International treaty-based organizations	Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
.jobs	Human resource managers	Employ Media LLC/ The Society for Human Resource Management
.mil	US Military entities	Defense Information Systems Agency (US government)
.museum	Museums	Museum Domain Management Association
.post	Postal services	Universal Postal Union
.tel	For businesses and individuals to publish contact data	Telnic Limited/Telnames Limited
.travel	Travel agents, airlines, hoteliers, tourism bureaus, etc.	Donuts Inc.
.xxx	Pornographic sites	ICM Registry

Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)

IDNs include non-Latin characters, such as Arabic, Chinese, or Cyrillic scripts. These domain names make the internet more accessible globally by allowing you to target audiences in different languages. 

Here are some examples of internationalized TLDs:

IDN TLD	Language/Script
.中国	Chinese (China)
.भारत	Hindi (India)
.россия	Cyrillic (Russia)
.السعودية	Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
.台灣	Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
.한국	Hangul (Korea)
.ελλάδα	Greek (Greece)
.日本	Japanese (Japan)
.قطر	Arabic (Qatar)
.ไทย	Thai (Thailand)

Brand Top-Level Domains

Some companies create custom TLDs with their brand name, like .google or .bmw. These domains are exclusive to the brand. You’ll need to get permission from the brand in order to use them. Permission is rarely granted outside of their own businesses and partners. 

Here are some examples of brand TLDs:

Brand-Level TLD	Owner
.google	Google LLC
.bmw	BMW AG
.apple	Apple Inc.
.amazon	Amazon.com Inc.
.microsoft	Microsoft Corp.
.nike	Nike Inc.
.canon	Canon Inc.
.chanel	Chanel SA
.lego	The LEGO Group
.dell	Dell Technologies

6 Factors That Influence Domain Name Cost

Understanding what determines domain name cost can help you make informed decisions when registering one. Here are six factors that influence domain name costs.

1. Domain Registrar Fees

Domain name cost is almost entirely dependent on the registrar who sells it. They each set their own pricing, so you might see the same domain name priced differently at different vendors. For example, the domain name cost of a .com domain at SupportHost is $12.05 USD, whereas some registrars charge up to $20.00 USD. (That said, all SupportHost web hosting plans come with a free domain and no renewal fees).

Some vendors keep their domain name costs super cheap for budget website builders. Others bundle their domains with other services. Some even offer a free domain if you purchase their premium products, like hosting or privacy protection. 

All registrars charge a yearly renewal fee for the domain. They often offer a discount first-year purchase in exchange for higher renewals. Keep an eye out for these price increases and other hidden fees.

2. Top-Level Domain Pricing

Every URL (which stands for Uniform Resource Locator) uses the same sequence of information: 

1. Transfer protocol: Such as HTTP or HTTPs.
2. Machine name: Usually “www.”
3. Second level domain (SLD): This is your brand name.
4. Top level domain (TLD): Such as .com or .io or .org. 
5. File path: This is the location of specific pages. 

For example, in https://supporthost.com/domains, the SLD is “supporthost” and the TLD. is “.com.”

In some cases, you might see a subdomain before the second level domain. Subdomains are useful for large sites that need to keep content organized well.

Standard TLDs like .com are generally affordable, while specialty TLDs like .io or .tech often cost more, with prices sometimes exceeding $50 per year. 

Check out this example that shows the domain name cost for different TLDs. (See for yourself here.)

Why would someone buy a specialty TLD if they’re so expensive? Because simple .com or .net TLDs usually aren’t available. If you want something short or memorable, you may have to purchase it with a specialty TLD. 

Standard TLDs carry more credibility than others. For instance, according to a GrowthBadger study, .com domains are perceived as the most trustworthy, followed by .co and .org domains. 

3. Domain Privacy Protection

When you purchase a domain, you must share your name and contact information with ICANN, which is a nonprofit corporation that assigns and maintains domains. This is so the registrar can track each domain owner to help them resolve any disputes that may arise. 

Your contact information becomes part of a public directory called WHOIS. Anyone can find the owner of a domain on the public WHOIS database. Here’s an example of a public WHOIS record:

But making your information public opens you to spam, sales inquiries, and harassment. Some registrars offer a service that hides your personal contact by recording proxy information in the public database. The registrar retains your real information in order to notify you of any issues. 

Some include this privacy for free, but others charge extra. For instance, SiteGround charges for privacy protection, but it comes free with a SupportHost domain.

4. Domain Registration Duration

You can’t purchase a domain permanently. You have to renew it every year. Registrars are often willing to give you a discount if you purchase it for multiple years upfront. 

For example, registering a domain for five years might cost less per year than renewing it annually. Under ICANN regulations, a domain can be registered for no more than 10 years at a time. 

5. Domain Transfer Fees

If you decide to transfer your domain to another registrar or web host, you’ll often need to pay a transfer fee. These fees typically range from $10 to $20, though some registrars may offer free transfers as part of a promotion. 

It’s worth checking if transferring a domain will save you money in the long run, especially if you think you’ll be moving it around a lot. 

If you transfer to SupportHost, one year of registration is included with the transfer. This means you aren’t actually paying for the transfer, just renewing for one year.

6. Custom Email Address

Whenever you start a new website, you’ll probably want an email address on the same domain. A branded email address looks professional. It also makes people more comfortable about contacting you than if you used a Gmail or Hhotmail address. 

Some registrars offer domain-based email accounts as an add-on service. While basic email accounts are often free, advanced options with more storage or features may cost extra. All SupportHost hosting accounts include an email service that allows you to create as many professional email accounts as you want associated with your domain.

7. Seller’s Willingness

If a domain is unavailable, you can always make an offer to the current owner. You’ll have to find the owner’s contact information through ICANN and send them an email to open negotiations. 

When you start looking at aftermarket domains, you might be surprised at the prices. Private sales can’t start in the thousands of dollars and go into the millions for short, memorable domains. 

Domain Name Cost FAQs

Here are some common questions people ask about domains and domain name cost.

Understanding Domain Name Cost

A great domain name is the foundation of your online identity, and knowing the costs involved helps you plan better. Whether you’re buying a new domain, transferring one, or negotiating for a premium name, understanding domain name cost factors helps you find the best deal.