{"id":2136,"date":"2021-06-23T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/porkbun.com\/blog\/?p=2136"},"modified":"2023-06-27T15:45:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T15:45:29","slug":"how-much-does-a-domain-name-really-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/porkbun.com\/blog\/how-much-does-a-domain-name-really-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Does a Domain Name Really Cost?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At Porkbun, we\u2019ve always strived to provide industry-low pricing consistently and transparently. But domain industry pricing as a whole can be confusing. In this post, I\u2019ll explain not only how the domain industry pricing model works, but how we provide exceptional value you can trust at Porkbun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We haven\u2019t seen a post like this elsewhere from our friends in the domain industry, so we hope it\u2019s informative. Contact us on social<\/a> for any additional questions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SPOILER<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Renewal pricing. The most important consideration is to check renewal pricing when you\u2019re buying a domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porkbun has the lowest renewal prices on more of its supported TLDs than any other registrar. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Of course with every domain we provide first-class support as well as tons of free services, (Whois Privacy, SSL certificates) affordable hosting, and website tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Domain Industry Pricing Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The domain industry is regulated: the registry is the wholesaler and the registrar is the retailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the registry for .com is a company you\u2019ve perhaps never heard of, Verisign, which has the exclusive contract to manage all .com names. Your favorite registrar, Porkbun.com, sells .com domains to consumers, paying Verisign the price that it has set for each name and setting our own retail price. The difference between the registry\u2019s wholesale price and the registrar\u2019s retail price is the retail markup aka registrar profit (for .com, ours is often $0). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Year Discounts and Renewals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since registries don\u2019t have customers themselves (remember, they\u2019re only allowed to do wholesale), they don\u2019t have many ways to get consumer attention. They need to work with registrars, including the most exceptional registrar in any known dimension, Porkbun.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registries have one effective tool: first-year pricing. This is one of the few ways they can make their product shine and sparkle on registrar sites. Most registries offer first-year discounts, and the registrar passes on those discounts. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll see lots and lots of first-year sales when shopping for domains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewal discounts are generally not as common (due to industry regulation). So, if you\u2019re buying a domain that you plan to use, build, or invest in, pay attention to the renewal price! That<\/em> is the actual cost of the domain you\u2019ll be paying every year. At Porkbun, we pass on first year discounts to our customers, and we also transparently show you the renewal price. We think this is the best way to save you money and allow you to make the right decision.<\/strong> Some domains are certainly worth the higher renewal pricing, just be aware of your options and consider your plans when making your decision!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price Increases <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most price increases are likely due to registry decisions and not registrar decisions. Different registries have different contracts but all pretty much have the ability to raise prices over time. Generally speaking, registrars also have the ability to raise prices but in our experience most price changes are a result of registry updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are hundreds of domain options, and so while registry price increases remain relatively rare, they do happen. Verisign, the .com registry, recently raised prices and has won approval to do so over the next three years<\/a>. It\u2019s reasonable to believe that other registries that have similarly priced domains could adjust their prices upward as .com increases in value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Approach at Porkbun<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We currently, and historically, have sold .com, .net, .org domains at cost<\/em>. That means at the cost we pay the registry + fees we need to cover, such as regulatory taxes and card processing fees, without any profit for ourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do this to stand out in a competitive market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we mark up other, standard domains, typically the most we do so is $1 + those fees. We often do less than $1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, we do this to stand out in a competitive market. We are successful and growing thanks to our growing base of customers, not  the markup we charge them, so tell your friends about us! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We try to have the lowest registration price whenever we can. This often involves registry deals, some of which are not always offered to us. Since renewal pricing is more regulated with fewer secret deals, we almost always have the lowest renewal pricing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add-ons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another quick thing to consider is if you will be paying for WHOIS Privacy or SSL certificates for your domains. We offer those for free. We\u2019re glad that free WHOIS Privacy is now more commonplace, but we were one of the first registrars to offer it. Why? Because it was always the right thing to do, even before privacy laws forced even the big registrars to get more creative in how they charge consumers for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than Pricing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At Porkbun, we want to be affordable, but not cheap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to have incredible customer support, and we do every day of the year via phone, chat, and email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to offer cutting-edge products, and we have some of the most innovative offerings around, such as our free, easy wordpress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to have fun at work and with our customers, and, well, you saw the pig butt, right?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gets more confusing?!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/3o7527pa7qs9kCG78A\/giphy.gif\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I hope that clears up some of the mystery in our industry. I know many companies in the industry have made it intentionally hard to understand pricing practices, so we\u2019re glad to try to level with you. But, nothing is simple in the domains industry. Here\u2019s a few other oddball factors which can influence domain pricing. Tweet<\/a> or message us if we can add more to this article!<\/p>\n\n\n\n