Which domain extension should you choose?
The popular TLDs, who they suit, and the one thing worth knowing before you buy. Prices change often, so check them at your registrar.
- .comAnyone, anywhere. The default people type. Short names are rare, so expect to add a word or pay a premium.
- .aiAI products. Open to everyone worldwide. Historically sold in 2-year minimum terms and usually priced above .com.
- .ioDeveloper tools, SaaS. A tech favorite for a decade. The 2024 Chagos sovereignty agreement raised questions about its long-term future; worth watching.
- .coStartups, companies. Marketed globally as "company". Easy to mistype as .com, so watch for leaked email.
- .devDevelopers, docs, side projects. HSTS-preloaded: browsers only load it over HTTPS, so you need a TLS certificate from day one.
- .appWeb and mobile apps. Also HSTS-preloaded, so HTTPS is mandatory.
- .soProductivity and tools. Short and readable. Notion famously ran on notion.so for years.
- .shCLIs, infra, dev tools. A nod to shell scripts. Handy for domain hacks that end in -sh.
- .xyzExperiments, web3, catch-alls. Huge inventory, so short names are still around. Alphabet uses abc.xyz.
- .mePersonal sites, portfolios. Reads naturally in phrases like about.me or hire.me.
- .ggGaming, communities. "Good game". Popular with esports and Discord-adjacent projects.
- .tvVideo, streaming, creators. Twitch made it famous. Revenue is a meaningful income source for Tuvalu.
- .fmPodcasts, radio, audio. Reads as "FM radio". A natural fit for podcasts and audio apps.
- .techTech companies, hardware, events. Says what you do. Generic TLD with plenty of short names left.
- .netNetworks, infra, fallback for .com. Original 1985 TLD, run by Verisign. Fine as a fallback, rarely a first choice.
- .orgOpen source, nonprofits, communities. Open to anyone; no nonprofit status required.
How to choose
If the .com is available at a sane price, it’s still the safest default. Otherwise, pick the extension your audience will recognize: .ai for AI products, .dev or .sh for developer tools, .io and .co for startups in general.
Country-code TLDs (two letters, like .ai or .io) belong to a country or territory and set their own rules. Most popular ones are open to anyone, but check before you build a brand on one. More in the naming tips.