.COM Renewal Prices (2025)
| Registrar | 1st Year | Renewal | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaceship | $1.00* | $9.98 | $40.92 | $90.82 |
| Cloudflare | $10.44 | $10.44 | $52.20 | $104.40 |
| Porkbun | $10.37 | $11.06 | $54.61 | $109.91 |
| Namesilo | $11.95 | $11.95 | $59.75 | $119.50 |
| Dynadot | $11.99 | $11.99 | $59.95 | $119.90 |
| Squarespace | $20.00 | $20.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 |
| Namecheap | $6.49* | $16.98 | $74.41 | $159.31 |
| GoDaddy | $2.99* | $21.99 | $90.95 | $200.90 |
*First-year promotional pricing. Prices verified October 2025.
The Real Cost Over Time
GoDaddy's $2.99 First Year = $200.90 Over 10 Years
That "cheap" first year is followed by $21.99 renewals. Meanwhile, Cloudflare's $10.44/year stays flat—saving you $96.50 over a decade per domain.
CHEAPEST 10-YEAR
$90.82
Spaceship
BEST VALUE
$104.40
Cloudflare
MOST EXPENSIVE
$200.90
GoDaddy
Why Renewal Prices Vary So Much
Wholesale Cost: ~$10.44
This is what registrars pay Verisign (the .com registry). Cloudflare passes this through at cost. Others add markup.
Loss Leader Strategy
GoDaddy and Namecheap lose money on first-year registrations to acquire customers, then profit on renewals.
Bundled Services
Registrars with higher prices often include services like email hosting, SSL, or website builders in their pricing model.
How to Never Overpay
- 1. Check renewal price before buying — Ignore first-year prices
- 2. Calculate 5 or 10 year cost — This is what you'll actually pay
- 3. Transfer domains when possible — If you're overpaying, move to a cheaper registrar
- 4. Lock in multi-year registration — At good registrars, this protects against price increases
Best Renewal Value
Cheapest: Spaceship ($9.98/year) — but minimal features
Best overall: Cloudflare ($10.44/year) — at-cost + free CDN/security
Good balance: Porkbun ($11.06/year) — low price + excellent support
Compare All Registrars →