Extension:
Currency:
| Renewal / yr ▲ | Registrar | First year | vs wholesale | Free WHOIS privacy | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.15CHEAPEST | Sav | $7.95 (bait) | 0.99x | ✓ | Cheapest renewal here, still under the wholesale fee, privacy included | Visit → |
| $10.18AT-COST | Spaceship | $9.08 | 0.99x | ✓ | Also renews below the wholesale fee, privacy included | Visit → |
| $10.44AT-COST | Cloudflare | $10.44 | 1.01x | ✓ | Pure at-cost, zero markup | Visit → |
| $10.46AT-COST | Above.com | $10.46 | 1.02x | ✓ | Portfolio manager, and it renews at the same price it sells | Visit → |
| $10.88 | Dynadot | $10.88 | 1.06x | ✗ paid | Single-tier pricing, 800+ TLDs | Visit → |
| $10.99 | NameBright | $7.88 (bait) | 1.07x | ✓ | Cheap first year, low renewal | Visit → |
| $11.08 | Porkbun | $11.08 | 1.08x | ✓ | No renewal markup, fully transparent pricing | Visit → |
| $11.35 | Cosmotown | $8.59 (bait) | 1.10x | ✓ | Free lifetime WHOIS privacy, but the first year is a hook | Visit → |
| $11.45 | Truehost | $8.50 (bait) | 1.11x | ✓ | Host with a cheap entry price and a modest renewal | Visit → |
| $11.48 | Nameslink | $10.88 | 1.11x | ✓ | Chinese registrar and marketplace, small markup either year | Visit → |
| $11.49 | Regery | $10.99 | 1.12x | ✗ paid | Cheap, hourly price updates | Visit → |
| $12.17 | Dotology | $12.17 | 1.18x | ✗ paid | Same price every year, privacy billed separately | Visit → |
| $12.59 | Alibaba Cloud | $11.99 | 1.22x | ✓ | Alibaba's cloud arm, one of the flatter renewals here | Visit → |
| $13.13 | CanSpace | $12.40 | 1.27x | ✓ | Canadian host, prices converted from CAD | Visit → |
| $13.21 | Infomaniak | $11.01 (bait) | 1.28x | ✓ | Swiss host, renews close to what it charges up front | Visit → |
| $13.29 | ResellerClub | $10.69 (bait) | 1.29x | ✗ paid | Wholesale/reseller pricing, tiered | Visit → |
| $13.48 | Whois.com | $13.48 | 1.31x | ✗ paid | Flat pricing, privacy is a paid extra | Visit → |
| $13.80 | InternetBS | $10.99 (bait) | 1.34x | ✗ paid | Volume discounts, budget-friendly | Visit → |
| $13.89 | Upflare | $13.89 | 1.35x | ✓ | Flat pricing with privacy included | Visit → |
| $13.95 | Namesilo | $13.95 | 1.35x | ✓ | Free privacy forever, and now flat: renewal equals the first year | Visit → |
| $13.99 | OVH | $11.75 (bait) | 1.36x | ✗ paid | European registrar, transparent pricing | Visit → |
| $14.19 | NearlyFreeSpeech | $13.89 | 1.38x | ✗ paid | Pay-as-you-go host, almost no renewal markup | Visit → |
| $14.22 | Netcetera | $14.22 | 1.38x | ✓ | UK registrar charging the same every year | Visit → |
| $14.50 | Enom | $10.50 (bait) | 1.41x | ✗ paid | Reseller/backend platform | Visit → |
| $14.99 | Hello.co | $14.99 | 1.46x | ✗ paid | Flat pricing, no privacy option offered | Visit → |
| $15.00 | Amazon Route 53 | $15.00 | 1.46x | ✓ | AWS, flat pricing and no first-year discount at all | Visit → |
| $15.17 | ISTanCo | $15.17 | 1.47x | ✗ paid | Flat pricing, privacy not offered | Visit → |
| $15.75 | BigRock | $10.85 (bait) | 1.53x | ✓ | Indian registrar, priced in rupees and converted | Visit → |
| $15.99 | Epik | $15.99 | 1.55x | ✗ paid | No renewal surprises, stable pricing | Visit → |
| $16.00 | Hostcab | $16.00 | 1.55x | ✗ paid | Flat pricing, privacy is a paid add-on | Visit → |
| $16.22 | alldomains.hosting | $13.90 | 1.57x | ✓ | German registrar, priced in euros and converted | Visit → |
| $16.29 | Moniker | $14.89 | 1.58x | ✗ paid | For domain investors & flippers | Visit → |
| $16.59 | Crazy Domains | $15.39 | 1.61x | ✗ paid | Australian registrar, privacy costs extra | Visit → |
| $16.98 | Openprovider | $11.98 (bait) | 1.65x | ✗ paid | Reseller platform, privacy is charged separately | Visit → |
| $17.00 | Netim | $17.00 | 1.65x | ✗ paid | French registrar, flat pricing with no first-year discount | Visit → |
| $17.38 | Njalla | $17.38 | 1.69x | ✓ | Privacy-focused, no personal data required | Visit → |
| $17.40 | INWX | $17.40 | 1.69x | ✗ paid | German registrar, same price every year, privacy extra | Visit → |
| $17.75 | AEserver | $13.50 (bait) | 1.72x | ✗ paid | UAE registrar, renewal a third above the first year | Visit → |
| $17.99 | OnlyDomains | $12.49 (bait) | 1.75x | ✓ | New Zealand based, and the renewal steps up | Visit → |
| $18.68 | Namecheap | $15.18 (bait) | 1.81x | ✓ | Free privacy; the cheap first year needs a promo code | Visit → |
| $19.19 | Hover | $18.99 | 1.86x | ✓ | Premium UX, phone support included | Visit → |
| $19.37 | DirectNIC | $15.18 (bait) | 1.88x | ✗ paid | Reseller-friendly, volume discount | Visit → |
| $19.95 | HostGator | $11.95 (bait) | 1.94x | ✗ paid | Discount hosting add-on | Visit → |
| $19.99 | Name.com | $12.99 (bait) | 1.94x | ✗ paid | Mid-range pricing, solid features | Visit → |
| $19.99 | DreamHost | $9.99 (bait) | 1.94x | ✓ | Free WHOIS privacy for life, but the renewal doubles | Visit → |
| $20.00 | IONOS | $12.99 (bait) | 1.94x | ✓ | Free privacy, part of web hosting | Visit → |
| $20.00 | Squarespace | $12.00 (bait) | 1.94x | ✓ | Integrated with website builder | Visit → |
| $20.19 | Hostinger | $10.19 (bait) | 1.96x | ✗ paid | Budget hosting + domains bundle | Visit → |
| $20.19 | 101domain | $15.19 (bait) | 1.96x | ✗ paid | Specialty TLDs, international | Visit → |
| $20.36 | MrDomain | $12.71 (bait) | 1.98x | ✓ | DonDominio's international brand, cheap year one then a jump | Visit → |
| $21.35 | Wix | $7.90 (bait) | 2.07x | ✗ paid | Sold with the site builder, and the renewal nearly triples | Visit → |
| $21.99 | Domain.com | $11.99 (bait) | 2.13x | ✗ paid | Renewal nearly doubles and privacy is a paid add-on | Visit → |
| $22.16 | EuroDNS | $12.66 (bait) | 2.15x | ✗ paid | European focus, 600+ TLDs | Visit → |
| $22.17 | GoDaddy | $14.84 (bait) | 2.15x | ✗ paid | Largest registrar, heavy upsells | Visit → |
| $23.19 | Rebel | $15.00 (bait) | 2.25x | ✗ paid | Budget registrar, renewal markup | Visit → |
| $23.99 | Bluehost | $12.99 (bait) | 2.33x | ✗ paid | Free .com with hosting, then a renewal trap | Visit → |
| $25.88 | 123 Reg | $10.99 (bait) | 2.51x | ✓ | UK registrar, and the renewal is well over double | Visit → |
| $29.19 | Network Solutions | $12.99 (bait) | 2.83x | ✗ paid | Legacy registrar, expensive renewals | Visit → |
| $38.38 | Gandi | $11.00 (bait) | 3.73x | ✓ | Classic renewal trap, about 250% markup at renewal | Visit → |
How we rank. By the renewal price because you keep a domain for years and pay that every single one, the cheap first year is a one-off hook. The standouts are the at-cost registrars: Cloudflare adds zero markup by policy, and Spaceship, Porkbun and Dynadot sit near the wholesale registry price with the same rate to register and renew. GoDaddy and Namecheap lure you with a cheap first year then mark the renewal up, and GoDaddy charges extra for WHOIS privacy. Premium extensions (.io, .ai) have a high wholesale price everywhere, with no cheap first year. Prices are indicative USD, converted live to your currency, confirm on the registrar's site. First-year figures are the registrar's own list price without a coupon, so a promo code can beat them; the renewal is what we rank by and no code changes that.
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 Sav stays honest at $99.30.
| 10-year total | Registrar | Renews at |
|---|---|---|
| $99.30 cheapest 10-yr | Sav lured you in at $7.95 | $10.15/yr renewal |
| $100.70 | Spaceship | $10.18/yr renewal |
| $104.44 | Cloudflare | $10.44/yr renewal |
| $104.60 | Above.com | $10.46/yr renewal |
| $106.79 | NameBright lured you in at $7.88 | $10.99/yr renewal |
| $108.77 | Dynadot | $10.88/yr renewal |
| $110.74 | Cosmotown lured you in at $8.59 | $11.35/yr renewal |
| $110.83 | Porkbun | $11.08/yr renewal |
| $111.55 | Truehost lured you in at $8.50 | $11.45/yr renewal |
| $114.20 | Nameslink | $11.48/yr renewal |
| $114.44 | Regery | $11.49/yr renewal |
| $121.70 | Dotology | $12.17/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