Domain price comparison: registration, renewal, and true cost
The cheapest domain is not always the lowest first-year price. Renewals, transfers, WHOIS privacy, taxes, premium fees, and checkout add-ons can significantly change the real cost of owning a domain. Compare the full cost before choosing a registrar.
Best Domain Finder shows first-year, renewal, and 3-year cost on each checked result, pulling live data from Porkbun, NameSilo, and Cloudflare Registrar. The registrar's checkout confirms the exact final price before any purchase.
What to compare when choosing a domain registrar
- First-year registration price: the cost to register the domain for the first 12 months. Often discounted.
- Renewal price: the recurring yearly cost after the intro period. This is the real ongoing cost.
- Transfer price: the cost to move the domain to a different registrar. Often includes a one-year extension. Expanded results show it for Porkbun and NameSilo. Cloudflare's API returns none, so check there directly.
- Three-year cost: a practical estimate of total ownership cost over three years.
- WHOIS privacy: whether privacy protection is included or sold as an add-on.
- Provider route: which registrar actually manages the domain and handles DNS, renewal notices, and support.
Why renewal price matters more than the intro rate
A low promotional registration price can look attractive, but the renewal price is what you pay every year from year two onward. For example, Porkbun's .io was $28.12 for the first year and $51.80 to renew in the table below. If you plan to build a real brand, the multi-year cost is almost always the more important number.
The gap depends on the extension as much as the registrar. In the table below, renewal matched the first-year price on .com, .ai, and .net at all three registrars, and ran higher on .io, .app, .dev, and .org at all three.
Live prices on October 31, 2026
From one check of our own price API, using one unregistered test name on each extension. This is a dated sample, not a current quote. Search your own name for today's prices.
| Extension | Porkbun first year / renewal | NameSilo first year / renewal | Cloudflare first year / renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $11.08 / $11.08 | $17.29 / $17.29 | $10.46 / $10.46 |
| .ai | $82.70 / $82.70 | $99.99 / $99.99 | $80.00 / $80.00 |
| .io | $28.12 / $51.80 | $38.99 / $69.99 | $32.00 / $50.00 |
| .co | $15.76 / $31.20 | $19.49 / $38.99 | $30.00 / $30.00 |
| .app | $8.75 / $14.93 | $10.99 / $16.99 | $8.20 / $14.20 |
| .dev | $8.75 / $12.87 | $10.99 / $14.99 | $8.20 / $12.20 |
| .net | $12.52 / $12.52 | $15.95 / $15.95 | $11.86 / $11.86 |
| .org | $7.98* / $11.84* | $10.79 / $14.99 | $8.50 / $11.20 |
Prices exclude taxes and fees and change often. NameSilo figures come from its API account pricing and may differ from its public site. *The Porkbun .org figure is a price-list rate, not an exact availability check.
In this sample, Cloudflare had the lowest renewal on all eight extensions. Porkbun had the lowest first-year price on .io, .co, and .org, and Cloudflare on the other five. NameSilo, our only referral partner, had the highest renewal on all eight. Best Domain Finder has no live data for Namecheap, GoDaddy, Dynadot, or Spaceship.
Compare prices for your own name Go back to the form at the top of this page and enter a name.Frequently asked questions
- Which registrar has the lowest domain prices?
- It changes by extension and over time, so we don't name a permanent winner. Search your exact name to compare live first-year, renewal, and 3-year prices from Porkbun, NameSilo, and Cloudflare Registrar.
- How does Best Domain Finder pick the best route?
- Best route is the lowest first-year price among registrar quotes. A quote qualifies if that registrar reports the name available, or if it is a price-list quote and at least one registrar has verified the name available. So the winner may not be the registrar that verified it. Referral status plays no part. How it works has the details.
- Why is domain renewal more expensive than registration?
- Many registrars use discounted first-year pricing to attract customers, then charge the full renewal rate from year two. The renewal price is the real ongoing cost. In our sample above, the largest gap was about 2 times the first-year price, and registrars that lead with promotions can differ. Always check the renewal price before deciding.
- Are the prices shown including taxes?
- No. Prices exclude taxes and fees. The provider's checkout confirms the final price.
- Is WHOIS privacy free?
- Often, but check per extension, since some extensions do not allow it. Our registrar guide links to the providers' own statements.