Spaceship and Porkbun are the two cheapest mainstream .com registrars right now — and they are separated by just $0.90 a year. Spaceship renews a .com for $10.18 a year in total, while Porkbun charges $11.08. That is the headline, but the right choice depends on more than ninety cents: first-year pricing, transfers, privacy, and how each registrar treats you when something goes wrong. This guide compares them on the numbers that actually decide your bill over five years.
The .com renewal prices, side by side
Renewal price is the number that matters most, because you pay it every year while first-year discounts last only once. Prices below are the .com renewal totals we checked on 28 October 2026.
| Registrar | .com renewal (total) | Free WHOIS privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Spaceship | $10.18 ($9.98 + $0.20 ICANN fee) | Yes |
| Porkbun | $11.08 | Yes |
For context, the same .com costs $10.44 at Cloudflare Registrar (at cost), $10.88 at Dynadot, $18.48 at Namecheap and $22.99 at GoDaddy. Spaceship and Porkbun sit at the very cheap end of the market — the gap between them is small, but over several domains and several years it adds up. See our full comparison at RenewPings Compare or work out your own total with the renewal calculator.
What 5 years actually costs
Renewal prices are flat at both registrars, so the five-year maths is simple — five renewals at the same rate:
- Spaceship: 5 × $10.18 = $50.90
- Porkbun: 5 × $11.08 = $55.40
- Difference: $4.50 over five years per domain
With three domains the saving grows to $13.50 over five years. It is real money, but it is not life-changing — which is why the rest of this comparison matters. If you already have domains at Porkbun, a $0.90-a-year saving alone is rarely a reason to move them.
First year and transfers
Spaceship often wins the first year too: its .com registration is commonly listed around $8.88–$9.98 plus the $0.20 ICANN fee, while Porkbun usually charges close to its renewal rate for the first year. Transfer pricing follows the same pattern — Spaceship transfers are typically a little cheaper than Porkbun's, and both include a one-year renewal with the transfer. Before you move a domain, read our step-by-step guide on how to transfer a domain to Porkbun and our guide to transfer vs renew so you do not lose email or uptime in the move.
Spaceship: pros and cons
Pros: the lowest mainstream .com renewal price; free WHOIS privacy; a clean, modern dashboard with little checkout clutter; launched by the team behind Namecheap, so it is backed by an established registrar group.
Cons: a younger brand (live since 2022), so its long-term track record is shorter than Porkbun's; no phone support; its hosting and email products renew well above their intro prices, so judge the registrar and the host as two different offers.
Porkbun: pros and cons
Pros: transparent, flat pricing with almost no upsells; free WHOIS privacy; a loyal following among domain owners for honest pricing; renewal prices that have stayed stable year after year.
Cons: $0.90 a year more than Spaceship for a .com; the interface is quirky and takes some getting used to; support is ticket- and chat-based rather than phone.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose Spaceship if the lowest possible renewal bill is your priority, you manage several domains, or you are registering a new .com and want the cheapest first year as well as the cheapest renewal.
- Choose Porkbun if you value its no-nonsense pricing history, you already have domains there and do not want the hassle of moving for $0.90 a year, or you simply prefer its straightforward style.
- Either is fine if you own one domain and just want a fair price with free privacy — both are far cheaper than Namecheap ($18.48) or GoDaddy ($22.99) for the same renewal.
A note on prices rising in November 2026
Verisign, the .com registry, is raising its wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97 on 1 November 2026. Registrars that sell close to cost — including Spaceship and Porkbun — may pass some of that increase on. The prices in this article were checked on 28 October 2026; always confirm the final total at checkout before you pay. For a full rundown of every registrar's renewal cost, see our cheapest .com renewal prices guide.
Checklist: switching to the cheaper registrar
- Check the renewal price at both registrars on the day you plan to move — promos change, renewals rarely do.
- Unlock your domain and get the authorisation code from your current registrar.
- Start the transfer at least 7 days before expiry — never on the last day.
- Confirm your admin email works, because the transfer approval goes there.
- After the move, turn on auto-renew and check that free WHOIS privacy is still active.
Bottom line: Spaceship is the cheapest .com registrar on renewal at $10.18 a year, and Porkbun is a close second at $11.08. Pick Spaceship to save the most, pick Porkbun if you prefer its track record — either way you are paying close to the true cost of a .com, and that is what matters.