| Renewal / yr ▲ | Registrar | First year | Free WHOIS privacy | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $9.98CHEAPEST | Spaceship | $2.90 (bait) | ✓ | Cheapest .com renewal, below wholesale cost | Visit → |
| $10.44AT-COST | Cloudflare | $10.44 | ✓ | Pure at-cost, zero markup | Visit → |
| $10.88 | Dynadot | $10.88 | ✗ paid | Single-tier pricing, 800+ TLDs | Visit → |
| $10.99 | NameBright | $7.88 (bait) | ✓ | Cheap first year, low renewal | Visit → |
| $11.08 | Porkbun | $11.08 | ✓ | No renewal markup, fully transparent pricing | Visit → |
| $11.49 | Regery | $10.99 | ✗ paid | Cheap, hourly price updates | Visit → |
| $12.50 | InternetBS | $9.50 (bait) | ✗ paid | Volume discounts, budget-friendly | Visit → |
| $12.59 | OVH | $11.51 | ✗ paid | European registrar, transparent pricing | Visit → |
| $13.29 | ResellerClub | $10.69 (bait) | ✗ paid | Wholesale/reseller pricing, tiered | Visit → |
| $13.98 | Namecheap | $6.79 (bait) | ✓ | Great first year, free privacy | Visit → |
| $14.00 | DirectNIC | $12.00 | ✗ paid | Reseller-friendly, volume discount | Visit → |
| $14.50 | Enom | $10.50 (bait) | ✗ paid | Reseller/backend platform | Visit → |
| $14.95 | Dotster | $13.95 | ✗ paid | Boutique registrar, hands-on support | Visit → |
| $14.99 | BulkRegister | $11.99 (bait) | ✗ paid | Bulk domain purchases, resellers | Visit → |
| $15.50 | 101domain | $11.51 (bait) | ✗ paid | Specialty TLDs, international | Visit → |
| $15.99 | Epik | $15.99 | ✗ paid | No renewal surprises, stable pricing | Visit → |
| $16.00 | Netim | $14.50 | ✗ paid | French registrar, stable pricing | Visit → |
| $16.29 | Moniker | $14.89 | ✗ paid | For domain investors & flippers | Visit → |
| $17.29 | Namesilo | $11.05 (bait) | ✓ | Free privacy forever, discount program | Visit → |
| $17.47 | Njalla | $16.50 | ✓ | Privacy-focused, no personal data required | Visit → |
| $17.99 | Name.com | $13.19 (bait) | ✗ paid | Mid-range pricing, solid features | Visit → |
| $19.19 | Hover | $18.99 | ✓ | Premium UX, phone support included | Visit → |
| $19.95 | HostGator | $11.95 (bait) | ✗ paid | Discount hosting add-on | Visit → |
| $20.00 | IONOS | $12.99 (bait) | ✓ | Free privacy, part of web hosting | Visit → |
| $20.00 | Squarespace | $12.00 (bait) | ✓ | Integrated with website builder | Visit → |
| $20.19 | Hostinger | $12.00 (bait) | ✗ paid | Budget hosting + domains bundle | Visit → |
| $21.99 | GoDaddy | $9.99 (bait) | ✗ paid | Largest registrar, heavy upsells | Visit → |
| $23.19 | Rebel | $15.00 (bait) | ✗ paid | Budget registrar, renewal markup | Visit → |
| $23.29 | EuroDNS | $12.18 (bait) | ✗ paid | European focus, 600+ TLDs | Visit → |
| $23.99 | Bluehost | $12.99 (bait) | ✗ paid | Free .com with hosting, then a renewal trap | Visit → |
| $29.19 | Network Solutions | $12.99 (bait) | ✗ paid | Legacy registrar, expensive renewals | Visit → |
| $38.38 | Gandi | $11.00 (bait) | ✓ | Classic renewal trap, about 250% markup at renewal | Visit → |
The real cost: 10 years of a .com
A domain is a bill you pay every year, so the first-year price is the wrong number to shop on. Here is what a .com actually costs over 10 years (year one plus nine renewals). The cheapest first year and the cheapest decade are rarely the same registrar, Gandi reels you in cheap then costs $356.40 over ten years, while Spaceship stays honest at $92.73.
| 10-year total | Registrar | Renews at |
|---|---|---|
| $92.73 cheapest 10-yr | Spaceship lured you in at $2.90 | $9.98/yr renewal |
| $104.44 | Cloudflare | $10.44/yr renewal |
| $106.79 | NameBright lured you in at $7.88 | $10.99/yr renewal |
| $108.77 | Dynadot | $10.88/yr renewal |
| $110.83 | Porkbun | $11.08/yr renewal |
| $114.44 | Regery | $11.49/yr renewal |
| $122.03 | InternetBS lured you in at $9.50 | $12.50/yr renewal |
| $124.78 | OVH | $12.59/yr renewal |
| $130.27 | ResellerClub lured you in at $10.69 | $13.29/yr renewal |
| $132.58 | Namecheap lured you in at $6.79 | $13.98/yr renewal |
| $137.98 | DirectNIC | $14.00/yr renewal |
| $141.02 | Enom lured you in at $10.50 | $14.50/yr renewal |
Common questions
Why is my renewal dearer than the first year?
Many registrars sell year one cheap (sometimes $1) then renew at the standard rate forever after. Since you keep domains for years, the renewal is what matters, often 2-3× the teaser at GoDaddy and Namecheap.
What's the cheapest registrar?
For long-term cost, the at-cost ones: Spaceship, Cloudflare and Porkbun charge near wholesale with the same register/renew rate and no gimmick. Cloudflare adds zero markup by policy.
Which registrar has no renewal markup?
Cloudflare (at cost). Spaceship, Porkbun and Dynadot are also near-wholesale with flat, transparent renewals, which is why developers favour them.
Why are .io and .ai so expensive?
The registry sets a high wholesale price for those extensions, so every registrar charges more, usually with no cheap first year. Expect full price from day one and every renewal.
Hosting it at home instead
A domain is the cheap part. If the plan is to point it at something you own rather than something you rent, these track what that costs.
- Used NAS prices the usual starting point for self-hosting
- SSD value rankings cheapest per TB worth buying