How Much Does a Domain Name Cost? Year-One and Renewal Prices
A domain name costs about $10 to $25 a year for a .com in September 2026. Year-one vs renewal prices by extension, premium and aftermarket domains, hidden fees, and how to avoid paying too much.
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Short answer (updated September 19, 2026): a domain name costs about $10 to $25 a year for a standard .com. Country extensions like .co.uk and .ca sit in a similar range. Newer or trendy extensions such as .io and .ai commonly cost $30 to $100 a year, and premium domains can cost hundreds or thousands up front.
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The price that matters is the renewal, not the first year. Many registrars sell year one cheaply and renew at their standard rate.
TL;DR
- .com: about $10 to $25 a year at renewal.
- Cheap first year: $1 to $10 is common, then normal pricing.
- Premium or aftermarket names: $100 to $10,000+.
- Free with a builder plan: often for year one only.
- Always: own the domain in your own account and turn on auto-renew.
Website domain cost by extension
| Extension | Typical first year | Typical renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $5 to $15 | $10 to $25 | The default for most businesses |
| .net / .org | $5 to $15 | $12 to $25 | Similar to .com |
| .co.uk | $3 to $10 | $8 to $18 | UK businesses |
| .ca | $5 to $15 | $12 to $25 | Canadian presence requirements apply |
| .co | $5 to $15 | $25 to $40 | Often discounted in year one |
| .io | $30 to $60 | $40 to $70 | Popular with tech startups |
| .ai | $60 to $100 | $70 to $100 | Often requires a multi-year first registration |
| .app / .dev | $10 to $20 | $15 to $25 | HTTPS required by the registry |
Ranges come from published 2026 price lists at mainstream registrars. They move over time: registries set a wholesale price, registrars add their margin, and ICANN adds a small per-year fee (currently $0.20 for most generic domains). For .com, Verisign's agreement with ICANN allows limited wholesale increases in some years, which is why .com retail prices tend to creep upward rather than fall.
.com prices at real registrars, checked September 28, 2026
These are the .com prices each registrar showed on its own page on September 28, 2026, in US dollars, before tax and before any ICANN fee the registrar adds at checkout.
| Registrar | First year | Renewal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Registrar | $10.46 | $10.46 | Cloudflare says it charges only the registry and ICANN fee; figure from the cfdomainpricing.com tracker |
| Dynadot | $10.88 | $10.88 | Dynadot .com page |
| Porkbun | $11.08 | $11.08 | Porkbun domain pricing |
| Hostinger | $0.01 | $19.99 | Hostinger domain search |
| IONOS | $1 | Not stated on the page; the page shows $20 as the regular price | IONOS domains |
We could not read the .com price pages for Namecheap, GoDaddy, Spaceship or Squarespace Domains on the day (they blocked automated checks or did not show a price), so they are left out rather than guessed. Check their sites directly.
Worked example over five years: Porkbun at $11.08 every year is 5 x $11.08 = $55.40. Hostinger at $0.01 then $19.99 is $0.01 + 4 x $19.99 = $79.97. The one-cent deal costs about $24.57 more by year five. See the full best domain registrars list for more on each.
How much does a domain cost for a website over five years?
Year one tells you little. Here is what a single .com typically costs over five years at three kinds of seller. Illustrative numbers based on common pricing patterns.
| Seller type | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registrar with at-cost pricing | $11 | $11 a year | About $55 |
| Registrar with a year-one promo | $2 | $22 a year | About $90 |
| "Free" with a builder or host plan | $0 | $20 to $25 a year | About $80 to $100 |
The cheapest-looking option is often the most expensive. Registrars that price close to wholesale cost less over time, even without a promotion.
Premium and aftermarket domains
If the name you want is taken, you have two routes.
- Registry premium domains are unregistered but priced above standard because they are short or valuable words. Some renew at the premium price every year, which can mean $100+ annually. Check before buying.
- Aftermarket domains are owned by someone else and listed for sale. Prices are set by the seller and commonly range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Use an escrow service for the transfer.
For most small businesses, adding a word (yourbrandplumbing.com), a location (yourbrandleeds.co.uk) or picking a clear country extension is far cheaper than buying a premium name. The business name generator can help you find names that are still available.
Hidden domain fees
- Renewal jumps after a promotional first year.
- Privacy protection charged as an add-on, when many registrars include it free.
- Redemption fees if the domain expires and you recover it late. These are often $80 to $200.
- Transfer lock-ins and upsells for email, SSL or site builders you may not need.
- Multi-year minimums on some extensions, notably .ai.
How to choose a domain without overpaying
A few rules keep both the price and the future headaches down:
- Prefer .com if it is available at a normal price. It is what most people type by default. If it is taken, a clear country extension (.co.uk, .ca, .com.au) is usually better than an obscure new one.
- Keep it short and easy to say. If you have to spell it out on the phone, customers will mistype it.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers. They are hard to say aloud and easy to forget.
- Check trademarks first. A name that clashes with an existing brand can cost far more than the domain itself.
- Buy the obvious typo or plural only if it is cheap. Most small businesses do not need a portfolio of domains.
- Register for more than one year if the renewal price is fair. It removes one reason for the site to go offline by accident.
When comparing registrars, look at three numbers side by side: the first-year price, the renewal price and the transfer-out policy. A registrar that is a dollar more in year one but $8 cheaper at every renewal wins within two years.
Getting the domain onto your website
Buying the domain is step one. Connecting it means pointing its DNS records at your website. On a hosted builder that usually takes a few minutes: you add the records the builder shows you, or change nameservers, and SSL is issued automatically.
On We.Inc, the free plan publishes on a we.inc address, and the Starter plan at $20 a month lets you connect a domain you already own. You can also search for and buy a domain from inside the builder. If you have not built the site yet, you can start free and add the domain when you are ready.
Domain ownership: the rule that saves the most money
Register the domain in your own name and your own account. The most expensive domain problems we see are not about price. They are domains registered by a former designer, an ex-employee or a hosting company, where the business cannot get control back. If someone builds your site, give them access to DNS settings, not ownership.
For agencies managing client domains
If you run sites for clients, keep each domain in the client's own registrar account, and connect it to the site you host. With a white-label website builder, those client sites run under your brand: We.Inc's white-label pricing is tailored to your volume and setup; book a demo for your exact price.
The bottom line
Budget $10 to $25 a year for a .com, compare renewal prices rather than first-year deals, and keep the domain in an account you control. The domain is the smallest line in your website budget. For the rest, see how much it costs to build a website and website hosting costs.
Build your own-domain website today. Sign up free, start from a template site and publish it free on a we.inc address. AI builds from one prompt on paid plans from $20/mo. Prefer a head start? Start from the design for lawyers, roofing companies or spas.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a domain name cost per year?
A standard .com costs about $10 to $25 a year in 2026, depending on the registrar. Country domains like .co.uk or .ca are often similar. Newer extensions such as .io or .ai cost more, commonly $30 to $100 a year.
Why is my domain renewal more expensive than the first year?
Many registrars discount the first year to win the sale and charge their regular price at renewal. A domain that costs $1 to $5 in year one can renew at $15 to $25. Check the renewal price before you buy.
Can I get a domain for free?
Sometimes for the first year. Many website builders and hosts include a free domain with an annual plan, then charge the normal renewal price from year two. Truly permanent free domains are rare.
What is a premium domain?
A domain the registry or a previous owner prices above the standard rate because it is short or a common word. Premium domains range from about $100 to many thousands of dollars, and some also carry higher yearly renewals.
Do I need domain privacy protection?
It hides your name and address from public WHOIS lookups. Many registrars now include it free, and for many extensions personal details are already redacted. Avoid paying extra for it unless your registrar charges and your extension still publishes owner details.
Where should I register my domain?
Any accredited registrar with clear renewal prices, free privacy and easy DNS settings. Keep the domain in an account you own, not your web designer's, and turn on auto-renew.
This page is part of our Website builder pricing hub: see all website builder pricing pages.
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