Domains · .com register vs renewal on record
What a .com really costs to keep.
A public, dated record of .com domain costs across 4 major registrars — the registration price, the renewal price, the markup between the two, WHOIS-privacy cost, and the total over 3 and 5 years. Some registrars renew at well over double what they charge to register.
Each .com figure is a recorded reading — source-backed where a provider page has resolved a .com atom, a recorded price file otherwise — and dated Feb 2026. Domain prices are annual, not monthly. Not a live feed and not a quote; rates change, so confirm with the registrar before you buy.
- Register
- The first-year .com price a registrar is recorded to charge.
- Renewal
- What that same .com is recorded to cost every year after — often higher.
- Total
- Register + renewals + WHOIS privacy over 3 and 5 years, on the recorded math.
- Caveat
- A dated reading, not a live quote — confirm with the registrar before you buy.
Section · The record
True cost of a .com, by registrar
Ranked by the dated 3-year total — registration, renewals and WHOIS privacy on the recorded math. All 4 figures are recorded price files; a provider page upgrades its row when it resolves a source-backed .com atom. Prices are annual; this index is not live tracking.
| Registrar | Register | Renewal | Markup | WHOIS privacy | 3-yr total | 5-yr total | On file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Lowest recorded renewal | $10.11/yr | $10.11/yr | No markup | Free | Lowest 3-yr $30.33 | $50.55 | Recorded file |
| Porkbun Low renewals | $9.73/yr | $10.91/yr | +12% | Free | $31.55 | $53.37 | Recorded file |
| Namecheap Budget buyers | $10.98/yr | $18.48/yr | +68% | Free | $47.94 | $84.90 | Recorded file |
| GoDaddy Brand recognition | $11.99/yr | $22.99/yr | +92% | $9.99/yr | $87.94 | $153.90 | Recorded file |
The 3-year spread on file is $57.61 (Cloudflare → GoDaddy). Totals are the recorded register-plus-renewal math for a single .com held continuously; a registrar's first-year promo may differ, so confirm with the registrar before you buy.
Annex · Off the ranking
Archived registrar files — no current public price to rank
Kept on file, held out of the ranking above: on the dated check no public page displayed a register or renewal price, so these figures can no longer be re-read. The Feb 2026 readings stay visible as a dated archive† — records of what was displayed then, never a current rate or a rank.
- Squarespace Domains not displayed at source · Jul 7, 2026Register · Feb 2026 $12.00/yr Renewal · Feb 2026 $12.00/yr 3-yr · Feb 2026 $36.00Archived · Feb 2026 file
Archived: no public price sheet was displayed as of Jul 7, 2026. The Feb 2026 readings are kept on file; the exact price is shown only at the registrar's checkout. These figures are held out of the ranking, the 3-year spread and the record count above.
Section · Open a registrar's file
The 4 registrars on record
Each file holds the registrar's recorded .com register and renewal figures, WHOIS-privacy cost and the source behind them. Open one to see the full reading.
Section · How this file stays honest
Source, passport and corrections
Prices are recorded files unless a provider page has resolved a source-backed .com figure; PriceWorld does not treat this index as live tracking. Every registrar's reading carries the evidence behind it — watch a renewal so you hear before it changes, or flag a figure that looks wrong.
- Cloudflare Recorded price file
- Porkbun Recorded price file
- Namecheap Recorded price file
- GoDaddy Recorded price file
Watch a renewal before it charges
Start a Price Passport on a registrar's .com and we'll alert you before its renewal price changes or your first-year term lapses — we tell you, not the registrar. Free early access; preview environments don't save an email.
Free early access · we alert you, not the vendor · unsubscribe anytime.
Start a Price PassportSeen a different price?
Quality-checkedHelp keep these .com figures honest. Confirm a price, report a different one at checkout or renewal, or submit a source — every report opens a verification review and never overwrites a published figure on its own.
- Confirm it still matches what the registrar charges today.
- Report a different price you saw at checkout or renewal.
- Submit a link or receipt that backs the real figure.
Know the renewal before you register.
.com figures here are dated, recorded readings — confirm with the registrar before you buy, then browse the rest of the record.
Figures are recorded .com readings, each dated Feb 2026 — source-backed where a provider page has resolved a .com atom, recorded price files otherwise. Totals are the register-plus-renewal-plus-WHOIS math over 3 and 5 years for a single .com held continuously; first-year promos may differ. Domain prices are annual, not monthly. Not a live feed; rates change, so confirm with the registrar before you buy. Counts are coverage on record, not a promise of accuracy.