How much does a domain name cost? Examples and prices

A domain typically costs between a few cents and a couple of dollars per month. For addresses with certain special ex­ten­sions, as well as already reg­is­tered domains, monthly costs can reach triple digits. Which factors specif­i­cal­ly influence the cost of a domain name?

How much does a domain name cost?

When dis­cussing domain prices, it’s important to dis­tin­guish between available domains and already reg­is­tered domains. Reg­is­tered domains can sometimes be sold at very high prices—if they’re even offered for sale at all—depending on demand. However, for most users, the cost of available domains is more relevant, and these prices are de­ter­mined solely by the chosen top-level domain (TLD).

The domain costs for older top-level domains are rel­a­tive­ly low in com­par­i­son. However, you must keep in mind that many com­bi­na­tions are already taken. New TLDs offer much more choice. Al­ter­na­tives to the .com domain can also be better tailored to a specific offering. For example, a .io domain is very fitting for IT startups.

Below, we present prices for various top-level domains. Since there are small price dif­fer­ences from registrar to registrar, you’ll find price ranges in the table that refer to the costs for one year.

Prices correct as of November 2025.

Why are there price dif­fer­ences in domain costs?

While the Domain Name System (DNS) — es­sen­tial­ly the internet’s phone book — is virtually limitless, no one wants a cryptic string of numbers and letters as their web address. Memorable words and phrases are quickly claimed and highly sought after. Moreover, different top-level domains carry varying levels of prestige, which also in­flu­ences how much a domain name costs. Tra­di­tion­al ex­ten­sions like .com or .org remain among the most popular domain ex­ten­sions, while newer TLDs are gaining traction more slowly.

After all, there are many domain providers. While their prices usually don’t differ greatly, some providers regularly offer special deals. Although cost shouldn’t be the only factor when choosing a provider, it’s still worth­while to compare a few options.

Whichever provider you choose, make sure to thor­ough­ly un­der­stand what services you are paying for. Not all costs and services are im­me­di­ate­ly apparent.

• Costs in the sub­se­quent year: You usually commit to a domain long-term. Providers often offer discounts in the first year that do not apply in the second year. Keep this in mind when planning your budget.
• Setup fees: Some providers charge a one-time fee for reg­is­ter­ing a domain. While this is usually minimal, it should not be over­looked.
• Auto-renewals: Domains are typically reg­is­tered for one year. Some providers au­to­mat­i­cal­ly renew the contract at the end of the year unless you cancel be­fore­hand. While this may surprise some customers, it ensures that the domain and the website do not suddenly go offline.
• Multi-domain discounts: It might be ben­e­fi­cial for you to purchase multiple domains at once. Reg­is­trars often offer special rates for this.
• All-inclusive plans: Many domain providers also offer hosting services. If you need web space, email addresses, and SSL cer­tifi­cates as well, you should consider pur­chas­ing a package deal.

How much should you spend on a domain? 3 examples

Depending on your goals and budget, you should plan different amounts for pur­chas­ing a domain. The following examples refer to pro­fes­sion­al use cases. For hobby projects that don’t depend on traffic or strong Google rankings, it’s best to choose the cheapest option to keep domain costs as low as possible.

Free­lancers

Let’s say you work freelance as a voice actor. Your marketing budget is likely limited, and you primarily want to use your website as an online business card where potential clients can learn about you. Since your name is also your brand, you should def­i­nite­ly include it in the domain. It might be a good idea to start out with a .com domain.

Domain costs: ap­prox­i­mate­ly $1.50 per month

Startup and SMBs

As a startup, your business has different re­quire­ments for its online presence. You want to present yourself pro­fes­sion­al­ly and make the most of SEO op­por­tu­ni­ties. That’s why it’s a good idea to secure multiple domains. This increases your vis­i­bil­i­ty to potential clients and reduces the chances of com­peti­tors in­ter­fer­ing with your marketing. For example, if your startup is in the IT sector, domain ex­ten­sions like .io and .app can be great additions alongside the classic .com domain.

Domain costs: starting at ap­prox­i­mate­ly $12.00 per month

Large cor­po­ra­tions

Es­tab­lished companies and cor­po­ra­tions usually already own at least one domain. But that alone isn’t enough. To protect your brand, you should secure as many relevant domains as possible—which may also involve pur­chas­ing domains that are already taken. Prices for these can vary greatly depending on the domain’s recog­ni­tion and demand.

Domain costs: starting at around $100.00 per month plus a one-time fee starting at about $1,000.00