⚡ Quick Take
.com is still king for credibility and mainstream appeal. But .io and .ai have become acceptable alternatives in tech circles—especially for developer tools and AI products.
Tech Startup TLD Comparison
| TLD | Price | Tech Cred | Mainstream Appeal | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $10-15 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| .io | $45-60 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| .ai | $80-100 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| .co | $25-35 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| .dev | $12-18 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | Good |
| .app | $15-20 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Good |
| .tech | $40-55 | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | Good |
Successful Startups by TLD
.io Examples
- notion.io (pre-acquisition)
- socket.io
- github.io
- codepen.io
.ai Examples
- stability.ai
- character.ai
- perplexity.ai
- synthesia.ai
The .io Question
⚠️ The Controversy
.io is the country code for British Indian Ocean Territory—a region with a complicated colonial history. Some companies avoid it for ethical reasons.
Practical impact: Minimal for most businesses. But if your company values are important, you might prefer alternatives like .dev or .app.
Naming Strategies When .com Is Taken
Option 1: Modify the Name
Add "get", "try", "use", or "hq" to find an available .com:
getnotion.com, tryzapier.com, usefathom.com
Option 2: Use Alternative TLD
Accept .io/.ai/.co for launch, acquire .com later:
notion.io → notion.so → notion.com
Option 3: Choose Different Name
Find a name with an available .com. Sometimes the best domain is a different brand name entirely.
What Investors Think
VCs generally don't care about your TLD at seed stage. They care about:
- • Is the name memorable?
- • Can customers easily type it?
- • Does it sound like a real company?
But: Many investors expect you'll acquire the .com before Series A/B, especially for B2C companies.
Our Recommendation by Stage
Pre-seed/MVP: .io, .co, or modified .com is fine. Focus on shipping.
Seed/Series A: Start planning .com acquisition if you don't have it.
Growth stage: .com strongly recommended for mainstream B2C.
AI startups: .ai is increasingly acceptable, even preferred.