Domain Name Statistics 2026: Registrations and Sale Prices
As of the first quarter of 2026 there were 392.5 million domain names registered across all top-level domains, according to Verisign's Domain Name Industry Brief. The .com base alone stood at 163.6 million, country-code domains (ccTLDs) reached 146.3 million, and newer generic extensions like .ai and .io hit 49.6 million after growing 31.3% year over year. On the aftermarket, industry reporting puts the median public domain sale near $549 and the average near $2,345, while the priciest verified sale on record is AI.com at $70 million in 2025. This page collects the current, sourced numbers on how many domains exist, what they cost to register, and what they sell for, so you can benchmark a purchase against real market data.
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Last updated July 2026. Figures are drawn from Verisign's Q1 2026 Domain Name Industry Brief, the Sedo and InterNetX Global Domain Report, W3Techs, and public sale records. Aftermarket figures are directional because most private sales are never disclosed.
How many domain names are registered in 2026?
There were 392.5 million domain names registered across all top-level domains at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up 5.6 million (1.4%) from the previous quarter. That total splits into legacy extensions like .com and .net, country-code extensions tied to a nation, and the wave of newer generic extensions introduced since 2013. The table below breaks down where those registrations sit.
| Category | Registrations (Q1 2026) | Share of total | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All TLDs combined | 392.5 million | 100% | Growing |
| .com and .net (legacy) | 176.1 million | 44.9% | +1.5% quarter over quarter |
| Country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) | 146.3 million | 37.3% | +2.4% |
| New generic TLDs (ngTLDs) | 49.6 million | 12.6% | +31.3% |
The single biggest story in those numbers is the new-gTLD column. Extensions like .ai, .io, .app, and .shop grew 31.3% year over year, far faster than .com or the country-code group, as startups reach past a shrinking pool of available .com names.
How many .com domains are there?
The .com registry held 163.6 million domain names as of March 31, 2026, and .net held 12.4 million, for a combined base of 176.1 million. That makes .com the largest single namespace on the internet by a wide margin. It also explains why short, dictionary-word .com names are so scarce and expensive: the good ones were claimed years ago, and a base that large means almost every common word is already taken. When you shop for a brandable .com today, you are choosing from names that other people registered and are now reselling, which is exactly what the aftermarket exists to serve.
Which domain extensions are growing the fastest?
New generic top-level domains are growing fastest, up 31.3% year over year in Q1 2026 to 49.6 million registrations, versus low-single-digit growth for .com, .net, and country-code domains. The rise of AI startups pushed .ai in particular from a niche Caribbean country code into a mainstream startup extension. Country-code domains grew 2.4% year over year to 146.3 million across 316 delegated extensions, with the top 10 country codes making up 57.6% of that group. For a buyer, the takeaway is that .com still anchors trust, but a relevant new extension is now a legitimate choice rather than a fallback.
How much does it cost to register a domain name?
A standard .com costs about $10 to $15 per year at retail, and $10.46 at the registry's wholesale cost, which is the Verisign fee of $10.26 plus the $0.20 ICANN fee. Newer and premium extensions cost more because their registries set higher wholesale prices. The table below shows typical first-year retail ranges; always check the current price and the renewal price separately, because introductory deals often renew higher.
| Extension | Typical retail price / year | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| .com | $10 to $15 | The default for almost any business |
| .net | $12 to $18 | Tech and infrastructure brands |
| .org | $10 to $15 | Nonprofits and communities |
| .co | $25 to $35 | Startups when the .com is taken |
| .io | $32 to $60 | Developer tools and SaaS |
| .ai | $70 to $160 | AI products and startups |
One number worth watching: Verisign is set to raise the wholesale .com fee to $10.97 on November 1, 2026, the maximum 7% increase allowed under its agreement, which retailers typically pass through. For a full breakdown of registration, renewal, and premium pricing, see our guide to how much a domain name costs.
What is the average domain name sale price?
On the public aftermarket the median domain sale is around $549 and the average is around $2,345, based on the Sedo and InterNetX Global Domain Report covering hundreds of thousands of transactions across more than 350 extensions. The median sits far below the average because a small number of five- and six-figure sales pull the mean upward while most names change hands for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. About 59% of aftermarket sales are .com. Averages hide a wide range, so treat them as a floor for a generic keyword name and expect strong brandable one-word names to run well into the thousands. If you want to sanity-check what a specific asset is worth before you buy, it helps to get an independent estimate of its value rather than trust the asking price alone.
What are the most expensive domain names ever sold?
The most expensive domain name ever sold in a verified, cash-only deal is AI.com, which changed hands for $70 million in 2025 amid the rush to brand AI products. Below are the highest publicly reported single-domain sales, excluding transactions that bundled a running business or equity. These are outliers, not benchmarks: they show the ceiling for a one-word .com that maps to a huge category, not what a normal name costs.
| Domain | Price | Year |
|---|---|---|
| AI.com | $70,000,000 | 2025 |
| Voice.com | $30,000,000 | 2019 |
| 360.com | $17,000,000 | 2015 |
| Chat.com | $15,500,000 | 2023 |
| NFTs.com | $15,000,000 | 2022 |
| Rocket.com | $14,000,000 | 2024 |
| Sex.com | $13,000,000 | 2010 |
| Icon.com | $12,000,000 | 2025 |
| Tesla.com | $11,000,000 | 2014 |
| Hotels.com | $11,000,000 | 2001 |
Notice how many are single dictionary words in .com. That pattern is why premium one-word names command such prices, a dynamic we unpack in why premium domains are so expensive.
How much of the web uses .com?
About 44% of all websites use a .com domain, according to W3Techs surveys of the top sites, making it more common than every other extension combined. That dominance is self-reinforcing: because users expect .com, businesses pay to get it, which keeps demand and prices high. It is also why many companies register the .com even after launching on a newer extension, both to protect the brand and to redirect traffic. If you are weighing a newer extension against holding out for the .com, our comparison of .io versus .ai for startups walks through the trade-offs.
How long does a domain registration last?
A domain can be registered for 1 to 10 years at a time and renewed indefinitely, so no one owns a name forever, they hold the exclusive right to use it as long as they keep renewing. If a name lapses, it moves through a roughly 75 to 80 day lifecycle before it is released: an auto-renew grace period, then a redemption window with a restore fee that commonly runs $50 to $250, then a short pending-delete stage. That lifecycle is why expired-domain investing exists and why valuable names rarely reach the public drop. You can read the full path in our guide to what happens when a domain expires.
Domain name statistics at a glance
The most-cited figures on this page, collected for quick reference:
- 392.5 million domain names were registered across all TLDs in Q1 2026.
- 163.6 million .com domains and 12.4 million .net domains make up the largest legacy namespace.
- 146.3 million country-code domains span 316 delegated extensions.
- 49.6 million new-gTLD domains grew 31.3% year over year, the fastest of any group.
- About 44% of all websites use a .com.
- $10.46 is the at-cost price of a .com; retail runs $10 to $15, rising at the wholesale level to $10.97 on November 1, 2026.
- $549 median and $2,345 average are the reported public aftermarket sale prices; about 59% of sales are .com.
- $70 million for AI.com (2025) is the highest verified cash-only domain sale on record.
Frequently asked questions
How many domains are registered in the world?
About 392.5 million domain names were registered across all top-level domains at the end of the first quarter of 2026, per Verisign's Domain Name Industry Brief. That figure grows most quarters, driven lately by new generic extensions such as .ai and .io. It counts registered names, not live websites, since many domains are held for investment, defense, or email only.
What percentage of domains are .com?
The .com registry holds 163.6 million names, roughly 42% of all 392.5 million registered domains, and about 44% of active websites use a .com. It remains the single largest and most trusted extension, which is why premium .com names carry the highest aftermarket prices and why businesses still treat it as the default choice.
Is it too late to get a good domain name?
No, but the strategy has changed. Nearly every common single-word .com is taken, so the practical routes are buying a two-word or brandable .com on the aftermarket, choosing a relevant newer extension like .io or .ai, or acquiring an expiring name. Most businesses today buy a name someone already owns rather than registering a fresh one, which is what a curated marketplace is built to serve.
How much should I expect to pay for a premium domain?
Most public aftermarket sales land between the $549 median and a few thousand dollars, with the $2,345 average pulled up by rarer five- and six-figure deals. A generic two-word brandable typically runs from the low hundreds into the low thousands, while a short one-word .com in a hot category can reach five or six figures. Compare listed prices against reported sale data before making an offer.
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