How much does it cost to renew a domain in 2026?

What does the 2026 renewal index show?

Renewals cost more than first years at most registrars and on most extensions. DotAlmanac is a domain extension guide and registrar: compare every extension, then register it with no KYC and pay in crypto. We publish our own grid next to four competitors so the gap is visible before you buy.

1. Most extensions renew higher. 35 of the 43 extensions DotAlmanac sells in your name cost more from year two. Eight keep one price: .com, .net, .ai, .co, .xyz, .info, .me and .gg.
2. The .io jump starts at the registry. Cloudflare sells at cost, with no markup, and its .io still goes from $32.00 to $50.00 (+56%) on 8 October 2026.
3. Developer extensions jump the most. At DotAlmanac, .app rises 67% and .dev 44%. Porkbun shows almost the same jumps: +71% and +47% on 19 October 2026.
4. Promo codes hide the real .com price. Namecheap's $6.48 first year needs a code for new customers. The renewal is $18.48, or $14.78 with a second code: +185% at list price.
5. .xyz has the widest gap in the index. Porkbun sells the first year at $2.04 and renews at $14.21. DotAlmanac charges $11.99 in both years.
6. The .com floor moves on 1 November 2026. On that date Verisign's fee rises from $10.26 to $10.97. Adding the $0.20 ICANN fee, a registrar's cost per .com year moves from $10.46 to $11.17 (+6.8%).

What does a .io cost over five years at each registrar?

Over five years, the renewal makes up 86% to 88% of the bill, whatever the registrar. The first year is only 12% to 14% of the total. Totals at the prices read in October 2026:

• Cloudflare Registrar: $32.00 + 4 × $50.00 = $232.00
• Porkbun: $28.12 + 4 × $51.80 = $235.32
• Dynadot: $28.89 + 4 × $53.50 = $242.89
• Namecheap: $32.18 + 4 × $60.98 = $276.10
• DotAlmanac: $33.99 the first year, then 4 × $52.49

Over five years, DotAlmanac's .io costs more than at Cloudflare, Porkbun or Dynadot. We do not claim to be the cheapest registrar. What we add is registration with no ID, payment in crypto, and the renewal price printed next to the first-year price. Compare both on the .io guide and in .io vs .com.

How was the index built?

Every price was read on a known date, and that date sits in the column header.

• DotAlmanac prices come from our live price list of 29 October 2026, the same grid used at checkout. The price list always shows the current figures.
• Porkbun and Dynadot prices come from their own public price lists.
• Cloudflare Registrar prices come from cfdomainpricing.com, which tracks its at-cost list. Cloudflare's FAQ states that it charges the registry and ICANN fees with no markup.
• Namecheap prices come from domainoffer.net: the .com on 19 October 2026, the .io and .ai on 8 October 2026.
• Change in percent is the renewal divided by the first year, minus one, rounded to a whole percent.
• Registry rules, such as the 2-year .ai minimum, come from DotAlmanac's table of 225 extensions. According to that table, .ai is the only extension that imposes a 2-year minimum.
• Wholesale cost of .com: Verisign $10.26 plus the $0.20 ICANN fee, and $10.97 plus $0.20 from 1 November 2026.

What does the index not tell you?

The index is a dated snapshot, not a live feed. Read each figure with its date.

• Prices move. Any registrar, DotAlmanac included, can change a renewal price before your domain renews. Promo codes change most often.
• Five registrars only. Many other registrars sell these extensions. We chose four with public price lists that we could date.
• Blank cells are blank on purpose. We show a competitor price only when we hold a dated source for it.
• Options are not included. DotAlmanac's Domain protection adds +$29/year per domain to the domain price.
• Source quality varies. The registry facts come from DotAlmanac's table of 225 extensions: 155 entries were checked against registry or registrar sources, and 70 rest on secondary sources such as Wikipedia. The full rules are on the extension rules 2026 page.