Renewal prices compared
Each cell shows the annual renewal in large type and the standard first-year price under it. The cheapest renewal per extension is highlighted. Coupon prices are left out on purpose: a $2.90 first year is real, but it happens once, and it is not what your portfolio costs.
| Registrar | .com | .net | .org | .co | .io | .ai | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceshipOur pick | $10.181st yr $9.08 | $11.401st yr $10.44 | $11.591st yr $6.85 | $31.051st yr $9.31 | $51.751st yr $14.98 | $79.981st yr $79.98 | noneno surcharge |
| Dynadot | $10.881st yr $8.99 | $12.521st yr $12.52 | $11.641st yr $7.99 | $31.201st yr $4.80 | $53.501st yr $25.99 | $85.601st yr $85.60 | noneno surcharge |
| Namecheap | $14.981st yr $10.18 | $15.061st yr $12.18 | $15.381st yr $7.44 | $45.681st yr $19.48 | $60.981st yr $33.43 | $92.181st yr $84.18 | incl.$0.20, in prices |
| GoDaddy | $23.191st yr $12.19 | $25.191st yr $15.19 | $24.191st yr $10.19 | $60.191st yr $18.19 | $90.191st yr $60.19 | $160.191st yr $105.19 | incl.$0.20, in prices |
Annual renewal in large type, standard first-year price under it; the highlighted cell is the cheapest renewal for that extension. All four include WHOIS privacy free. Regular USD rates checked Sep 18, 2026 — regular published rates, checked against domainoffer.net registrar price tables. Coupon-only first-year prices are left out because you pay them once. Verify at checkout: registrars change prices without notice.
What a .com actually costs over five years
Standard first year plus four renewals, no coupons. This is the number to hold in your head when a registrar advertises a first-year price.
The spread widens on every extension that is not .com. On .co and .io the gap between the cheapest and most expensive renewal in the table is more than $25 a year per name — on a fifty-name portfolio that is a four-figure difference before you sell anything.
Which registrar for which job
Price is not the only axis. Each of the four does one thing better than the others, and a working portfolio usually touches more than one.
Lowest .com renewal of the four, free WHOIS privacy, built by the Namecheap team. First-year .com promos regularly run $2.90–$5 with a code; transfers have run $3.94 on promo.
Investor-friendly registrar with bulk tools, a marketplace and no ICANN surcharge. Registration and renewal are close for most TLDs — little first-year bait, little year-two cliff.
Huge TLD catalogue and frequent first-year promos; renewals sit above the investor registrars. Adds the $0.20 ICANN fee at checkout (already included in the prices shown here). New-account .com promos run around $6.79.
Largest registrar and the biggest aftermarket; the highest renewals in this table. US list prices; GoDaddy pricing varies by account, region and promo. The $0.20 ICANN fee is included in the prices shown here.
- Spaceship — hand-registrations and the long-term home for anything you plan to hold. Lowest .com renewal in the table, free privacy, no ICANN surcharge, and the same account can host the site if you build.
- Dynadot — the investor's tool bench: bulk pricing, expired-domain auctions, a marketplace, and renewals that stay close to the registration price so there is no year-two cliff to manage.
- Namecheap — the widest TLD catalogue and reliable new-account promos. Good for grabbing an unusual extension; less good as the place a large portfolio renews.
- GoDaddy — where the aftermarket is. If you buy on GoDaddy Auctions or sell through Afternic you will end up with names there. Their renewals are the highest in the table, so move keepers out after the 60-day lock.
How to move a domain to a cheaper registrar
- Check the 60-day rule. A domain cannot transfer within 60 days of registration, a previous transfer, or a registrant-name change at some registrars.
- Unlock it and grab the authorization code (EPP / auth code) from the current registrar. Turn off WHOIS privacy only if the losing registrar requires it for the approval email.
- Start the transfer at the new registrar with the code. Most add one year to the expiry as part of the transfer fee — that is why a transfer is really a renewal at the new price.
- Do it while there is runway. Transfers can take up to five days; do not start one inside the last two weeks before expiry.
- Move in batches. Every registrar in this table accepts bulk transfers; a CSV of auth codes moves fifty names as easily as one.
Hosting when the verdict is BUILD
Two partners, two different jobs. Keep the site in the same account as the domain, or take a price-locked VPS that allows the content shared hosts refuse.
Shared, WordPress and VPS plans in the same account as the domain — no DNS dance.
See Spaceship plansPrice-locked VPS from $3/mo per slice, month-to-month, US data centers. VPS plans permit adult and other content that most shared hosts ban.
See InterServer plansCheck your own portfolio
Questions investors ask
Why does the renewal price matter more than the first-year price?
You pay the first-year price once and the renewal every year after that. A registrar that sells .com for $3 in year one and renews at $23 costs more than one that charges $9 and renews at $10 as soon as you hold the name into year two.
Does transferring cost money?
Most registrars charge a transfer fee that includes one extra year of registration, so a transfer is effectively a renewal at the new registrar's price. The domain must be at least 60 days old and unlocked, and you need the authorization code.
Is the $0.20 ICANN fee included?
Yes. Where a registrar adds it at checkout (Namecheap and GoDaddy on gTLDs) it is folded into the price shown so the comparison is like-for-like.
How often are these prices checked?
The date is printed under the table. Registrars change prices and run promotions without notice, so confirm at checkout before you commit.
Registrar and hosting links on this page are affiliate links: DomainWorth may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never influence a valuation, and the table is sorted by price, not by payout.