Why domain prices are rising, and what makes up the price
Domain prices rise mainly because the registries that run each extension raise their fees, and registrars pass the rise on. For .co.za, the .za Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) now adjusts the registry fee every October in line with inflation. For .com, Verisign's contract with ICANN allows it to raise its price by up to 7% in four years out of every six, and it has done so repeatedly. Names priced in US dollars also cost more in rand when the rand weakens. This article explains what makes up a domain's price, how each part has moved, and where to see current prices at Noiz.
What you pay for when you pay for a domain
| Part | Who sets it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Registry fee | The registry, under its agreement with the regulator or ICANN | Running the extension's database and nameservers |
| ICANN fees (generic names) | ICANN | A small charge per name per year, collected through the registry and the registrar |
| Registrar's charge | The registrar | Selling, renewing and supporting the name, and the registrar's margin |
The registrar sets only the last part. The first two move on decisions the registrar does not make.
.co.za: a yearly inflation-linked fee
For .co.za, .org.za, .net.za and .web.za, ZADNA sets the registry fee. Following a public consultation in 2024, it adopted a method that adjusts the fee each year in line with inflation, announced in July and applied from 1 October:
| From | Registry fee per name per year |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2024 | R61, up from R55 |
| 1 October 2025 | R65 |
| 1 October 2026 | A further 6.2% |
ZADNA gave inflation and the effect of exchange rates on its operating costs as the reasons. The same 2024 decision allowed .za names to be registered for up to five years at a time.
.com: increases written into the contract
Verisign is the sole registry for .com under its agreement with ICANN, which runs to November 2030. Verisign's own filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission say the agreement allows it to raise the .com price by up to 7% in each of the final four years of each six-year period, and the dated rises follow that pattern:
| From | .com wholesale price per year |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2021 | US$8.39, up from US$7.85 |
| 1 September 2022 | US$8.97 |
| 1 September 2023 | US$9.59 |
| 1 September 2024 | US$10.26 |
| 1 November 2026 | US$10.97 |
Over five years the wholesale price of a .com has risen by about 40%. The .net price rises too: Verisign has announced US$12.00 from 1 March 2027, up from US$10.91.
On top of the registry price, ICANN charges registrars US$0.20 for each year of each registration, renewal or transfer.
.org: no price cap since 2019
Until 2019 the .org registry agreement capped the price and its yearly rises. When ICANN renewed the agreement in June 2019, the caps were removed, after more than 3,200 public comments in which their removal was a main theme. What remains is a protection worth knowing about: the registry must give registrars 180 days' notice of a renewal price rise, and registrants may renew for up to ten years at the current price before the rise takes effect.
The rand and the dollar
.com, .net and many other extensions are billed to registrars in US dollars. A South African registrar pays the same dollar price whatever the exchange rate, so when the rand weakens, the rand cost of the same name rises, even in a year when the registry raises nothing.
Where to see the current price
A domain is not a product we improve: the registry runs it, and our work is registering it in your name, renewing it on time and keeping its records right. Every price in our store is printed live, so the domain price table always shows the current registration, transfer and renewal price for each extension.
What you can do about rising prices
- Renew ahead where a rise is announced. ZADNA announces the .za adjustment in July for October, and .org's registry must give 180 days' notice. A longer renewal before the date locks in the current price where your registrar offers it.
- Drop names you do not use. Many businesses renew variations and old campaign names out of habit.
- Keep the names that matter on automatic renewal, with a registrant email you read, so a price rise never turns into a lapsed name.
Sources
Checked 19 October 2026.
.za
- ZADNA: registry fee adjustment and multi-year registration policy, June 2024
- ZADNA media statement, July 2025
- ZADNA media statement on the adjustment effective 1 October 2026
.com and .net
- Verisign filings with the SEC: 10-K for 2021, 10-K for 2023, 10-Q for the second quarter of 2026 and 8-K of 27 August 2026
- ICANN: .com registry agreement
- ICANN: registrar-level fees for fiscal year 2026
.org
- ICANN: proposed renewal of the .org registry agreement, March 2019
- ICANN: report of public comments, June 2019
- .org registry agreement, 30 June 2019, section 2.10
Noiz
Note: while some of this content was produced with the help of AI, the final editing has been done by a real human being.
