Domain guides
Buying & Pricing
What a domain should cost, why renewals differ from first-year prices, and how to pay without surprises.
How Much Does a Domain Name Cost in 2026? Real Prices by Extension →
Most domains cost $10 to $20 a year, built from a registry fee, an 18-cent ICANN fee and the registrar's margin. Real price ranges for .com, .net, .org, .io, .ai and country codes, and how to compare them properly.
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Why Is the Renewal Price Higher Than the First Year? →
The first year was a discount sold below the $10.44 wholesale floor; the renewal is the real price plus add-ons that stopped being free. How to read the invoice, when to transfer, and how to avoid the jump next time.
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How to Buy a Domain Name: Step by Step →
Six decisions in ten minutes: the name, extension, registrar, term, registrant details and checkout switches. The registry rules behind each one, and how to end the day with working email on your new name.
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How to Buy a Domain in Nigeria and Pay in Naira →
Skip the declined foreign card: pay for .com, .ng or .com.ng in Naira through Paystack, pick the right extension for a Nigerian business, and have email on the name the same day.
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Can You Buy a Domain Without Hosting? →
Yes, and most domains are bought that way. What a bare domain can do (email, redirects, verification, reservation), why registrars and hosts bundle the two, and how to point at a host later without touching email.
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Can You Get a Free Domain? What Free Really Means →
Free domains are platform subdomains, bundled first years, abandoned free TLDs or coupons with a renewal attached. What each one gives up, why free TLDs wreck email, and what a real name costs over three years.
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How Many Years Should You Register a Domain For? →
Register for as long as you are sure the business will exist, up to the 10-year cap. What a longer term locks in, what it does not do, how transfers and the cap interact, and a term-by-term cost table.
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Domain Pricing Compared: Namecheap vs GoDaddy vs MailShrine →
A five-year comparison of one .com with privacy and a mailbox at Namecheap, GoDaddy and MailShrine. Why the $0.01 tab ends up most expensive, and what to check about the cost of leaving.
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What Is a Registrar Markup and Why Prices Differ →
Every registrar pays Verisign the same $10.26 for a .com; the markup above $10.44 pays for card fees, DNS, support, accreditation and included extras. The three markup shapes and how to see which one you are paying.
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Verisign .com Price Increases: What Changes in 2026 →
The .com wholesale fee stays at $10.26 through 2026; the next permitted increase is 1 September 2027. The full 2021 to 2030 schedule, what 7% does to a retail price, and when prepaying a longer term makes sense.
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How to Buy a Domain for Someone Else or a Client →
The client must be the registrant from day one. Two ways to buy for someone else, the three roles to separate, the 60-day lock a later registrant change triggers, and how to hand over cleanly.
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Buying a Domain Name That Is Already Owned: Aftermarket and Offers →
A taken domain is bought from its holder, not the registry. How to find the owner with RDAP, read a Buy Now listing, negotiate or use a broker, pay through escrow, and move the name into your own account.
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