Many friends have recently been planning to build their own international business websites and asked me for advice on choosing and registering domain names. To make things easier, I’ve put together this comparison of .com domain prices from popular registrars such as Cloudflare, Namecheap, Namesilo, and others, so you can quickly see what each provider really charges.
For most website projects, the domain itself is not a major expense — typically around $10–15 per year. However, if you care about long-term costs, it’s critical to look beyond the first-year promo price. Always pay attention to the second-year renewal price and the estimated 5-year total cost. Some registrars offer extremely low prices in year one (or even “free”), but then sharply increase the renewal fee.
Also, watch out for hidden charges after purchase, such as domain privacy (WHOIS), SSL certificates, DNS or nameserver limitations, and domain transfer fees. To help you avoid surprises, I recommend checking the updated comparison table below — especially the second-year renewal and long-term price stability.
.com Domain Price | Renew Price | 5-Year Cost Comparison
If your project is short-term or just for testing, you might choose a registrar with very cheap first-year pricing, such as Namecheap or Ionos. But if you’re building a long-term website or brand, it’s usually smarter to go with registrars that offer stable pricing and transparent renewals, such as Cloudflare, Namesilo, Namecheap, or SpaceShip.
Among them, SpaceShip currently offers one of the lowest long-term costs, with an estimated 5-year total of around $49 for a .com domain (based on its current pricing). If privacy matters to you, choose a registrar that provides free WHOIS privacy, so your ownership details are not publicly visible. Below is a table comparing the first-year price, second-year renewal, and key notes for each registrar:
| Registrar | New User 1st Year |
New User 2nd Year Renewal |
Existing User 1st Year |
Existing User 2nd Year Renewal |
Transfer Fee | 5-Year Cost (Est.) |
WHOIS Privacy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceShip | $8.88 | $9.98 | $8.88 | $9.98 | $9.48 | $48.80 | ✅ Free | Free CDN, Namecheap sub-brand |
| Cloudflare | $10.44 | $10.44 | $10.44 | $10.44 | $10.44 | $52.20 | ✅ Free | Cannot change nameservers unless on paid plan, free SSL/CDN |
| Porkbun | $11.08 | $11.08 | $11.08 | $11.08 | $11.08 | $55.40 | ✅ Free | Free SSL |
| Dynadot | $10.88 | $10.88 | $10.88 | $10.88 | $10.88 | $54.40 | ✅ Free | Well-established registrar |
| NameSilo | $17.29 | $10.80 | $17.29 | $10.80 | $10.80 | $60.49 | ✅ Free | Nameservers can be changed |
| Namecheap | $6.49 (promo, 1 domain) |
$18.48 | $11.28 | $18.48 | $11.48 | $80.41 | ⚠️ Free 1st year, then ≈ $2.88/yr |
Popular brand, strong first-year deals |
| DreamHost | $4.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 | $9.99 | $84.95 | ✅ Free | Cheap first year, high renewal |
| GoDaddy | $0.01 (3-year purchase) |
$21.99 | Promo / Standard | $21.99 | $11.99 | $87.97 | ✅ Basic free ❌ Full ≈ $9.9/yr |
Well-known, high renewal |
| Squarespace | Free w/ website plan or $15–$20 |
$20/yr | $15–$20/yr | $20/yr | $15–$20 | ≈ $98.00 | ✅ Free | Free SSL, Google-recommended |
| Ionos | $1.00 | $17–$20/yr | Promo / Standard | $17–$20/yr | Same as renewal | ≈ $75.00 | ✅ Free | Very cheap first year, unclear renewal |
| Bluehost | Free w/ hosting or $12.99 |
$21–$24/yr | $12.99 | $21–$24/yr | $12.99 | ≈ $104.99 | ❌ Paid (≈ $15/yr) | Cheap first year, expensive renewal |
Important notes: If you use Namecheap shared hosting, you may need to change the domain’s nameservers to use it as an addon domain. With Cloudflare Registrar, you generally cannot change the domain’s nameservers unless you upgrade to a paid Cloudflare plan (often around $200/year). For most users, Cloudflare is best when you already plan to use Cloudflare’s DNS/CDN ecosystem.
