Buy a .com Domain — The True Cost in 2026

A .com domain in 2026 should cost you between ₹399 and ₹1,200 per year, every year, including WHOIS privacy. If a registrar is charging less than the wholesale price for year one, the markup is hiding in year two — and they're betting you won't notice.

Here's the actual math, line by line.

Where the wholesale price comes from

Verisign operates the .com registry under a contract with ICANN. Wholesale price for a .com in 2026 is $10.26/year (about ₹860 at current FX, before GST). Every registrar pays this. It's the floor.

When a registrar advertises .com at ₹99 for the first year, they're losing roughly ₹760 per domain. They expect to make it back in years 2+ at higher renewal prices, plus add-ons (privacy, email, hosting). That's the business model.

REXO HOST publishes the same price every year: ₹399 for .com, period. Below the wholesale floor in some currencies because we keep margins thin and don't sell add-ons. It's possible because we don't pay sales-team commissions or run TV ads.

True 5-year cost — three real scenarios

Year	"Cheap first year" registrar	Big-name registrar	REXO HOST
Y1 (registration)	₹99	₹899	₹399
Y2 renewal	₹1,899	₹1,499	₹399
Y3 renewal	₹1,899	₹1,499	₹399
Y4 renewal	₹1,899	₹1,499	₹399
Y5 renewal	₹1,899	₹1,499	₹399
WHOIS privacy (5 yrs)	₹2,995	Free Y1, then ₹2,500	Free
5-year total	₹10,690	₹8,395	₹1,995

The first-year discount on a .com is almost always a 5x markup at renewal. The math works out the same way at most registrars — they need ~₹1,500/year average margin to fund the operation.

What you should NOT pay for

• WHOIS privacy — free in 2026 at any honest registrar
• DNS management — included
• DNSSEC — free
• URL forwarding / email forwarding — should be free or unnecessary (use Cloudflare for advanced needs)
• "Premium support" — every customer should get the same support level
• "Domain protection" upsells — these are mostly useless paid features for problems that don't exist

What you SHOULD pay for (separately)

• Hosting — completely separate from domain. Don't bundle. We recommend pairing your REXO HOST domain with any standard provider.
• Email — Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, or Proton — these have nothing to do with the registrar.
• SSL certificate — your hosting/CDN provider gives you these free (Let's Encrypt). More on SSL.

The "first year free with hosting" trap

Every cPanel-style hosting bundle offers a "free domain" with their hosting plan. Three things to know:

1. The domain renewal isn't free — usually ₹1,500-₹2,000/year after year one
2. The domain is locked at that registrar — transferring out often requires you to keep the hosting going for the lock-in period
3. You can't move the domain to a better registrar — until you've paid through the lock period

A clean, separately-purchased .com from an honest registrar gives you flexibility. More on this trap.

Frequently asked questions

Why is .com the most expensive TLD?

Because Verisign's wholesale price ($10.26/year in 2026) is higher than most newer TLDs. Demand is also relentless — .com remains the default people type when they don't remember a URL.

Can the .com price ever drop?

ICANN allows Verisign to raise the wholesale price by up to 7% per year for four years out of every six. Prices have only ever gone up. Lock in long-term renewals if you can.

Is a 10-year .com registration a good idea?

Sometimes. You lock the wholesale price at today's rate (Verisign honors multi-year locks). Make sure your registrar passes through the savings; some don't. We support multi-year at the same per-year rate.

Search a .com now

Check availability — fixed ₹399 every year — no first-year discount tricks, no WHOIS privacy upcharge, no auto-renew surprises.