| Extension | Registration | Renewal | Best 3-year total | Registrars compared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | US$1.00 | US$10.15 | US$31.17 | 35 |
| .xyz | US$0.75 | US$11.20 | US$27.97 | 33 |
| .dev | US$4.99 | US$11.99 | US$30.35 | 31 |
| .app | US$4.99 | US$14.20 | US$34.51 | 31 |
| .co | US$4.97 | US$25.00 | US$75.99 | 30 |
| .io | US$26.99 | US$50.00 | US$130.97 | 31 |
| .ai | US$60.00 | US$68.99 | US$206.97 | 25 |
.com is still the baseline
A startup does not need a .com to launch, but every alternative is judged against it. Customers recognize .com immediately, investors and partners rarely need it explained, and the extension has broad registrar support. Its main disadvantage is availability: the exact short name a founder wants is often already registered.
The current three-year benchmark also shows that .com is not automatically the expensive option. A low first-year promotion can distract from renewal, but competitive registrars keep ordinary .com ownership within the same range as several newer technical extensions.
.ai buys a clear message at a recurring premium
.ai tells the market what kind of company it is before the homepage loads. That clarity can be valuable for an artificial-intelligence product, especially when the matching .com is unavailable or priced as a premium aftermarket name.
The trade-off is recurring cost. The lowest current .ai ownership total is several times the .com benchmark, and some registrars require a two-year initial term. A founder should treat that difference as permanent brand infrastructure—not as a one-time launch expense.
.io remains familiar in technology, but it is not cheap
.io has years of recognition among developer tools, infrastructure companies and software products. It is shorter and broader than .ai because it does not lock the brand to one technology trend.
Its renewal price is nevertheless high compared with .com, .app and .dev. The extension makes the most sense when the shorter available name materially improves the brand and the company is comfortable paying the premium every year.
.app and .dev are the cost-controlled technical options
.app communicates a consumer or software application; .dev speaks directly to developers. Their current three-year totals are close to the .com range, making them easier to budget than .io or .ai.
Both extensions are preloaded for HTTPS. That is a security benefit, but it also means the website must serve HTTPS correctly from the start. The naming fit is strong for a product, documentation site or developer platform and weaker for a company that may expand far beyond software.
.co and .xyz solve different naming problems
.co looks visually close to .com and is widely used by startups, but the renewal cost is materially higher. It also carries a practical risk: users can mistype the address as .com. Owning or monitoring the matching .com matters when confusion would be costly.
.xyz often offers the lowest entry price and can work for a modern, broad brand. Its low promotional pricing should not be confused with zero long-term cost. As with every extension, the quality and memorability of the full name matter more than novelty alone.
Choose the name and the renewal bill together
A strong available name on the right extension can be better than an awkward .com. The decision should combine audience trust, pronunciation, email clarity, expansion plans and three-year ownership cost. If two names are equally strong, lower renewal cost is a rational tie-breaker.
The table compares the lowest current market price in each column, so registration, renewal and three-year totals may come from different registrars. Taxes and premium-name pricing can change the final checkout for a specific domain.