Premium nTLD Frequently Asked Questions
This support article covers many of the frequently asked questions we receive regarding premium nTLD domains.
What are nTLDs?
To understand what an nTLD is, it is first helpful to know what a TLD is :)
A TLD is the highest-level of a domain name. TLDs are also referred to as "extensions". In short, a TLD is the last part of a domain name. The most famous examples of TLDs are .com, .net and .org. These most-commonly known TLDs are typically referred to as gTLDs where the "g" stands for "generic". Along with gTLDs, there are also ccTLDs which are specific to a country or region. Some common ccTLDs include .me, .cc and .tv.
Up until 2011, ICANN had been very slow to allow introduction of new gTLDs. Since then, ICANN has relaxed its limitations allowing many, many more TLDs each year - these new TLDs are commonly referred to as nTLDs. Most nTLDs are common words or abbreviations such as .club, .global and .money, just to name a few.
What is an nTLD registry?
Just like with gTLDs and ccTLDs, a registry is an entity that is responsible for management and delegation of a TLD. A handful of registries support most TLDs in the world. Among their many responsibilities, registries set wholesale pricing for registrars such as NameSilo.
What are premium nTLDs?
Premium nTLDs are nTLD domains that the sponsoring registry has determined should be sold at a higher price than other domains using the same TLD. Registries use their own criteria to determine which domains should be "premium" for each TLD. Further, in many cases, registries have setup different tiers of premium domains for each TLD. The different tiers each have their own pricing.
How will I know if I have selected a premium nTLD?
When searching for a new domain to register or transferring a domain to NameSilo, our system will display pricing for non-premium domains for each searched TLD. Once you add the domain to your cart, our system will highlight the price if the domain is premium and also display a highlighted box beneath the cart to indicate you have one or more premium domains in your cart. If premium, the price you see in the cart will be different than the previously-displayed price in your search and also different than the pricing we display for that TLD on our pricing page.
Why does NameSilo wait until a domain is in the cart before showing the premium price?
First and foremost, we take pricing transparency very seriously. It is part of our corporate mantra and we try to avoid confusion whenever possible. Unfortunately, our system must communicate with the registry for all nTLDs in order to determine pricing. This communication can be slow especially when searching for a lot of domains. Further, over 98% of all searches on our system are for non-premium domains. Therefore, in the interest of speed, we have made the decision to provide the fastest results possible when checking availability and to only query the registry for premium status once a domain is added to the cart.
What are the renewal prices for premium nTLDs?
Questions concerning renewal pricing of premium nTLDs are the most common questions we receive regarding nTLDs. Unfortunately, the answer is rarely simple. In short, we will virtually never know the renewal price for premium nTLDs in the future. This is because registries can charge anything they like at any time. This can result in a lot of confusion and apprehension for our customers. As a company, we are outspokenly against the policy of registries not committing to future year renewal pricing at the time of registration. We understand that it is disconcerting to spend more money (in some cases much more money) to register a premium domain compared to a non-premium domain with the same TLD, and then not to know how much it will cost to renew the domain in subsequent years. We certainly wish registries would commit to renewal pricing, but in virtually every case, they do not. It is entirely at their discretion to charge anything they like in the future, with or without notice, and the only time we as a registrar know what the price will be is when you go to renew the domain.
How does NameSilo's pricing for premium nTLDs compare to other registrars?
Similar to all other domains, our approach is to offer very low pricing for premium nTLDs. If you are on our site trying to register or transfer a premium domain, please understand that our pricing will still be far lower than most, if not all, of our competitors. We are not in business to gouge our customers, but we also must sell domains at a profit. If a registry has decided to charge a lot of money for a premium nTLD, our pricing must of course reflect and consider that wholesale cost. If you find yourself trying to register/transfer/renew a premium nTLD and believe our pricing is excessive, we strongly encourage you to compare our pricing versus other registrars and we are confident you will find ours to not only be competitive, but in most cases, lower than anywhere else.
To add to the confusion, many nTLD registries run extremely aggressive promotions at different times making the pricing discrepancy between registrars very large. As always, it is our commitment to offer straightforward and consistently low pricing for all domains. However, there are cases when renewing your premium nTLD with your current registrar could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars less than transferring to us. This is again due to the fact that registries can price premiums however they see fit and may offer a different renewal price compared to the transfer price of the same domain. Our pricing reflects the wholesale pricing provided by the registry at the point in time you add a domain to your cart.
Should I register a premium nTLD?
We get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, we cannot answer if the price and uncertainty of a premium nTLD makes sense for you. Our only piece of advice is to make sure you understand the renewal policies covered above. If you have found the perfect domain for your personal use, business or other, then the increased price and uncertainty regarding future renewal pricing may still be worth it.