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Domain registrars

Domain registrars compared: what a .com really costs over 3 years

The short answer

For one .com kept three years, Spaceship is cheapest at $28.84 ($29.44 with the ICANN fee it adds), then Cloudflare ($31.38) and Porkbun (about $34.70). The $0.01 deals at GoDaddy and Hostinger need a 3-year purchase and cost $45.99 and $39.99. Compare renewal prices, not first-year deals.

The short version

A domain costs you its renewal price every year you keep it. The first-year price is paid once. So compare registrars on what one .com costs over three years, not on the headline deal.

A domain registrar is the company you rent your domain name from. The domain itself, and how names work, is explained in our encyclopedia entry on domain names.

One .com over three years, eight registrars

Prices are each company’s own published prices for one .com, in US dollars before tax, checked October 23, 2026. Cloudflare shows prices only in its domain search, so its figures come from a third-party price tracker. Totals are year 1 plus two renewals.

RegistrarYear 1Renewal3-year totalGood to know
Spaceship$8.88 (sale)$9.98$28.84Lowest renewal we found; plus $0.60 ICANN fee at checkout ($29.44)
Cloudflare Registrar$10.46$10.46$31.38Sold at cost; must use Cloudflare DNS
Porkbun$11.08about $11.81 from Nov 1about $34.70ICANN fee included; one price for register, renew, transfer
Hostinger$0.01$19.99$39.99Needs a 3-year purchase up front; ICANN fee may add $0.60
IONOS$1 (intro)$20$41.00ICANN fee included
GoDaddy$0.01$22.99$45.99Needs a 3-year purchase up front; ICANN fee may add $0.60
Squarespace Domains$10 (offer)$20$50.00The $10 offer does not name a term; $60 at the $20 standard price
Namecheap$11.28 (sale)$19.98 from Nov 1$51.24Add $0.60 for the ICANN fee; $41.24 if you buy 3 years up front before Nov 1

Verisign, which runs .com, raises its wholesale fee from $10.26 to $10.97 a year on November 1, 2026. Namecheap and Porkbun have published their new prices, and the table uses them. The others had not on the pages we checked, so expect some renewals in this table to rise. If Cloudflare passes the new fee through at cost, as it says it does, its renewal becomes $11.17 and three years $32.80.

Which one fits you

Where we stand. We manage our own domains at Namecheap and Spaceship and pay like any customer, with no affiliate deal. Spaceship lists itself as a trademark of Namecheap, Inc. Everything about the other registrars comes from their own pricing and help pages.

Four things to check before you buy

  1. The renewal price. It is the price you pay every year after the first.
  2. Free WHOIS privacy. It hides your name and address from public lookups.
  3. Two-factor login. Your domain controls your website and email. Turn it on the day you sign up.
  4. An easy way out. Under ICANN rules you can move a domain after 60 days, and the registrar must give you the transfer code within 5 days. See how to transfer a domain.

Buying hosting too? Many hosts give a free domain for the first year, then renew it at their own price. Our web hosting guide compares the hosts on the same three-year basis.

Questions people ask

Which domain registrar is cheapest for a .com?

At published prices on October 23, 2026, Spaceship: $8.88 the first year and $9.98 to renew, $28.84 over three years. Cloudflare ($31.38) and Porkbun (about $34.70) come next.

Are $0.01 domain deals worth it?

Read the fine print. GoDaddy's and Hostinger's $0.01 .com need a 3-year purchase, so you pay $45.99 and $39.99 up front. Both cost more over three years than Spaceship, Cloudflare or Porkbun.

Is the .com price going up?

Yes. Verisign's wholesale fee rises from $10.26 to $10.97 a year on November 1, 2026. Namecheap has set its renewal at $19.98 and Porkbun at about $11.81 from that date.

Registrar guides

RegistrarCloudflare Registrar review: at-cost domains, with one catchCloudflare Registrar sells domains at cost with no markup, so a .com is $10.46 to register and $10.46 a year to renew: $31.38 over three years at today's prices, or…RegistrarGoDaddy domain registrar review: what a .com really costsGoDaddy works as a registrar, but it is not a cheap place to keep a domain. Its $0.01 .com needs a 3-year purchase, and the extra years are $22.99 each, so you pay…RegistrarHostinger domains: what a .com really costs to buy and keepHostinger's .com is $0.01 for the first year, but only on a 3-year term, and it renews at $19.99 a year. That makes three years $39.99, paid at checkout ($40.59 if…RegistrarIONOS domains review: what a .com really costs after the $1 first yearIONOS is a cheap way to start a .com, at $1 for the first year for new customers, but it renews at $20 a year. Three years cost $41.00 ($1 + $20 + $20), with ICANN's…RegistrarNamecheap domains: what a .com really costs over three yearsNamecheap is a solid registrar with good free extras, but not the cheapest to keep. A .com is $11.28 the first year on sale, then $19.98 a year from November 1, 2026,…RegistrarPorkbun review: what a .com really costs to keepPorkbun is a good pick if you want one clear price: a .com is $11.08 to register, renew or transfer, with ICANN's fee and WHOIS privacy included. Porkbun says the…RegistrarSpaceship domain review: what a .com really costs over three yearsSpaceship has the lowest .com renewal in our registrar comparison: $8.88 the first year, then $9.98 a year, or $28.84 over three years ($29.44 with ICANN's $0.20…RegistrarSquarespace Domains review: what a .com really costs to keepSquarespace Domains is an easy, all-in registrar with free privacy, free DNS and up to 100 forwarding addresses, but a .com renews at $20 a year. Over three years a…GuideBest domain registrars in 2026, compared on what renewal really costsFor a single .com, Spaceship is the cheapest to keep at today's prices: $28.84 over three years ($8.88, then $9.98 a year). Cloudflare ($31.38) and Porkbun ($33.24)…GuideHow to transfer a domain name (and get it out of Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or GoDaddy)Many people only need to point their domain at a new site by changing DNS, not transfer it. To transfer, copy your DNS records, check the domain is more than 60 days…GuideDomain and hosting together or separate? The 3-year mathHosts give a free first-year domain, then renew a .com at $19.99 to $23.99 a year. Buying it separately at a low-cost registrar saves about $11 to $19 over three…

Keep reading

GuideBest domain registrars in 2026, compared on what renewal really costsFor a single .com, Spaceship is the cheapest to keep at today's prices: $28.84 over three years ($8.88, then $9.98 a year). Cloudflare ($31.38) and Porkbun ($33.24)…GuideHow to transfer a domain name (and get it out of Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or GoDaddy)Many people only need to point their domain at a new site by changing DNS, not transfer it. To transfer, copy your DNS records, check the domain is more than 60 days…GuideDomains 101: how to choose, buy, connect and protect a domain namePick a short .com that is easy to say, check it in USPTO Trademark Search, and buy it at a registrar in your own name, comparing the renewal price rather than the…GlossaryWhat is a domain registrar?A domain registrar is the company you rent your domain name from, such as Namecheap, Porkbun, Cloudflare, GoDaddy or Squarespace Domains. First-year prices look…Guide.com, .co, .io, .ai or .us: which domain extension should you pick?For most US small businesses, the best domain extension is .com: it is what customers type by default, and it renews for $9.98 to $18.48 a year at Namecheap, Porkbun,…

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