.com renewal prices, compared honestly
First-year prices are advertising. Renewal prices are the truth. Prices in USD, checked against registrar pricing pages and independent trackers on 24 October 2026. Promotional first-year prices change constantly; renewal prices are the stable number that matters. Always confirm the live price before paying.
At-cost benchmark — Cloudflare Registrar
Sells domains at exact wholesale cost — $10.44 for a .com, zero markup, free WHOIS privacy. Catch: your domain must use Cloudflare's free DNS.
$10.44 / year, every year
Best all-rounder — Porkbun
Flat $11.08 pricing for registration, transfer and renewal, free WHOIS privacy and a dashboard people actually like. No DNS lock-in, no upsell maze.
$11.08 / year, every year
Cheapest overall — Spaceship
The cheapest .com we tracked: $8.88 first year and a $10.18 total renewal — that's the $9.98 list price plus the $0.20 ICANN fee at checkout. It lands below even Cloudflare's at-cost price because Spaceship is Namecheap's budget brand and subsidises the difference.
$10.18 / year renewal, total
Full table — 8 registrars
| Registrar | First year | Renewal / yr | 5-year cost | WHOIS privacy | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaceship Cheapest Lowest total | $8.88 | $10.18 ($9.98 + $0.20 ICANN fee) | $49.60 | Free | Lowest total — Namecheap's budget brand |
| Cloudflare Zero markup | $10.44 | $10.44 | $52.20 | Free | Wholesale price, zero markup |
| Dynadot | $10.88 | $10.88 | $54.40 | Free | Flat, fair, investor-friendly |
| Porkbun Best all-rounder | $11.08 | $11.08 | $55.40 | Free | Friendliest dashboard, flat price |
| Namecheap | $11.28 | $18.48 | $85.20 | Free | Good service, creeping renewal |
| Hostinger | $2.49 | $19.99 | $82.45 | Free | Great host, pricey domain renewal |
| IONOS | $1.00 | $20.00 | $81.00 | Not always incl. | $1 to join, $20 to stay |
| GoDaddy | $4.99 | $22.99 | $96.95 | Costs extra | The textbook renewal trap |
Five-year cost = first year + four renewals at today's renewal price, before taxes. “Transfer-in” at most registrars costs the same as one year at their standard rate, and the year is added to your expiry.
How to read this table
Sort by the renewal column, never the first year. A $0.99 first year followed by $22.99 renewals costs $96.95 over five years; a flat $11.08 costs $55.40. Free WHOIS privacy is included at every registrar above except where noted — never pay extra for it. Own several domains? Multiply the gap. Ten .coms at GoDaddy renewals burn about $125 a year more than at Cloudflare.
Registrar reviews — the honest short reviews
Every provider we compare, reviewed the same way: what it costs to stay, what's genuinely good, what isn't, and who should — and shouldn't — use it. No provider has paid for a word of this, and none is our affiliate; if that ever changes, it will be disclosed in our Disclaimer & Affiliate Disclosure.
Hostinger
$19.99 .com renewal / yr
What's good: Fast, popular hosting with a clean, beginner-friendly panel; low first-term hosting prices; domain and hosting can start in one account.
What's not: .com domain renews at $19.99 — nearly double the $10.44 wholesale cost; hosting renews at roughly 2–3× the intro price; the “free” domain bundled with hosting renews at Hostinger's rate.
Best for: hosting a website. Not for: keeping domains. Read our Hostinger renewal guide → Read our Hostinger hosting review →
Namecheap
$18.48 .com renewal / yr
What's good: Long-established registrar with a solid service reputation; free WHOIS privacy included; owns Spaceship, the budget brand we rank cheapest.
What's not: .com renewal has crept up to $18.48; the $11.28 first year sits far below the renewal; its own budget brand undercuts it by about $8 a year.
Best for: owners who like its dashboard and hold one or two domains. Not for: price-first buyers. Read our full Namecheap review →
GoDaddy
$22.99 .com renewal / yr
What's good: The world's biggest registrar — every TLD and add-on under one roof; big-brand support infrastructure, including phone support.
What's not: Highest .com renewal we track: $22.99 — about 120% over wholesale; WHOIS privacy costs extra; renewal carts collect paid add-ons that renew silently.
Best for: owners who want one big-brand account and human support. Not for: anyone watching the bill. Read our full GoDaddy review →
Porkbun
$11.08 .com renewal / yr
What's good: Flat pricing, free WHOIS privacy, and the friendliest dashboard in domains.
What's not: Fewer TLD add-ons than the giants; no phone support culture to match GoDaddy.
Best for: most small owners who want a fair flat price. Read our full Porkbun review →
Cloudflare
$10.44 .com renewal / yr
What's good: Exact wholesale cost, zero markup, free WHOIS privacy.
What's not: Your domain must use Cloudflare's free DNS; no phone support; transfer-only mindset, not a full hosting bundle.
Best for: owners happy on Cloudflare DNS. Read our full Cloudflare review →
Spaceship
$10.18 .com renewal / yr, total
What's good: Lowest total we track; modern interface; free privacy.
What's not: The $10.18 total depends on the current subsidised price — verify the checkout total before paying; a newer brand than Namecheap itself.
Best for: price-first buyers. Read our full Spaceship review →