.com Prices Rise on 1 November 2026: What It Means and What to Do
Verisign is raising the wholesale .com price 7% to $10.97. Every registrar pays it and every registrar will pass it on. It opens a new four-year cycle that could reach $13.45 by 2029, and there is one thing worth doing before the date.
September 21, 20265 min readPricing · Renewals · Verisign
The short answer. On 1 November 2026 the wholesale price of a .com rises 7%, from $10.26 to $10.97. Every registrar in the world pays that same fee, so every registrar will raise retail prices. If you hold .com domains and your registrar allows multi-year renewal, renewing before the date locks the current rate for as many years as you buy.
What is changing
Verisign operates the .com registry and charges every registrar the same wholesale fee per domain per year. Verisign announced on 23 April 2026 that this fee rises 7% effective 1 November.
Add ICANN's fixed $0.18 per-domain fee and the genuine at-cost price of a .com moves like this:
| Today | From 1 November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Verisign wholesale | $10.26 | $10.97 |
| ICANN fee | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| At-cost total | $10.44 | $11.15 |
Every retail price you see sits on top of that floor. A registrar selling .com at $10.44 today is making nothing; from November it needs $11.15 just to break even.
Why this keeps happening
Verisign's agreement with ICANN permits price increases of up to 7% in four of every six years of its contract cycle. This is not an unusual event, it is a scheduled option being exercised.
This increase is the opening move of a new four-year cycle. Industry analysis puts wholesale .com at roughly $13.45 by 2029 if Verisign takes every increase available to it, which on recent form is the way to bet.
Planning point: a .com is not a fixed cost. It is a cost that rises about 7% a year in four years out of six. If you hold a portfolio, build that into what you expect to pay rather than being surprised annually.
What it means for your bill
If your registrar sells at cost, the increase passes through immediately and exactly. Your renewal goes up by $0.71.
If your registrar adds a margin, expect the increase to arrive within weeks, often rounded upward. Registrars rarely absorb registry increases, and a 7% wholesale rise frequently becomes a larger retail one.
If you are on a promotional first year, this does not affect it. It affects the renewal you were already going to be surprised by. Our registrar price comparison shows how wide that first-year to renewal gap already is.
If you hold many .com domains, multiply $0.71 by your portfolio and then by the years ahead. On 500 domains that is $355 a year, before registrar margin, and it recurs.
What to do before 1 November
1. Renew multi-year on domains you are certain about. This is the only real consumer hedge. Most registrars let you renew up to ten years ahead on .com, and renewing at today's wholesale rate locks it for that period. On names you will definitely keep, this is free money.
2. Check your renewal dates first. Renewing early adds years to your existing expiry rather than resetting it, so nothing is wasted. Find every .com you hold and its expiry date before deciding.
3. Decide which domains you are not keeping. A price rise is a good forcing function for the annual question nobody asks: which of these defensive registrations still earns its cost? Our portfolio audit checklist covers the full review.
4. Compare registrars while you are in there. If you are going to prepay several years, do it at a registrar whose renewal rate is not already the highest available. The spread between cheapest and dearest on a five-year .com is substantial before any increase.
5. Do not panic-buy new .com domains. A $0.71 increase is not a reason to register names you did not otherwise want. The hedge applies to domains you already intend to keep.
What this does not change
.net, .org and everything else have their own registries with their own pricing schedules. This announcement is .com only, though .net operates under similar Verisign arrangements.
Domains already renewed are unaffected for the period you have paid for. That is the entire point of renewing early.
Your existing registration does not change price mid-term. The new fee applies to renewals and registrations processed from 1 November.
Common questions
How much is .com going up?
The wholesale fee rises 7%, from $10.26 to $10.97 per year, effective 1 November 2026. Retail prices rise by at least that much and often more once registrar margin is applied.
Can I avoid the .com price increase?
Partly. Renewing multi-year before 1 November locks the current rate for the years you buy. You cannot avoid it indefinitely, because every renewal after that period pays the new rate.
Why does Verisign keep raising .com prices?
Its agreement with ICANN allows increases of up to 7% in four out of every six contract years. The current increase begins a new four-year cycle.
Will .com reach $13?
If Verisign exercises every increase available under the current contract, wholesale pricing reaches roughly $13.45 by 2029. That is the contractual ceiling on the current path rather than a forecast.
Does this affect .net and .org?
Not directly. Each registry sets its own pricing. This announcement covers .com only.
Should I switch registrars because of this?
The increase affects every registrar equally, so it is not a reason to switch by itself. It is a good moment to check whether your registrar's margin on top of the wholesale fee is competitive.
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