--- title: ".com Price Increase November 1: What Owners Should Do Now" description: "Verisign raises the wholesale .com price 7% to $10.97 on November 1, 2026. See the math, your renewal choices and what it means for domains you do not use." url: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/post/com-price-increase-november-2026 publisher: Grit Brokerage contact: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact offer: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/inquiry --- [Market insights](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/blog?topic=market-insights) # .com Price Increase November 1: What Owners Should Do Now Verisign raises the wholesale .com price 7%, from $10.26 to $10.97, on November 1, 2026, plus ICANN's 20-cent fee. Renewing or transferring before then postpones the rise. You can renew up to 10 years. Verisign may add up to 7% in each of the next three years. By Grit BrokerageOct 10, 20264 min read The wholesale price of a .com goes up 7% on November 1, 2026. That is a small amount per name. It is not small for anyone who holds hundreds of names they do not use. Here are the facts, the math and our view as brokers. ## How much is the .com price increase? Verisign, the [registry operator](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/registry-operator) for .com, raises the wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97 a year. That is a rise of $0.71 per name. ICANN adds its own 20-cent fee on top, according to Domain Name Wire. Verisign announced the change on April 23, 2026, and its last increase was in September 2024. Wholesale is what [registrars](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/registrar) pay Verisign. What you pay at the checkout is the registrar’s retail price. ## Is this the first .com price increase? No. Verisign raised the price by 7% each year on September 1 from 2021 through 2024, according to Domain Name Wire. The 2026 rise follows a pause in 2025. It comes on a contract that, as Domain Name Wire explains, allows increases in the last four years of each six-year period. Year Event 2021 to 2024 Verisign raises prices 7% a year on September 1 2025 No increase April 23, 2026 Verisign announces the rise to $10.97 November 1, 2026 New wholesale price takes effect The base is large. Verisign reported 166.6 million .com registrations on June 30, 2026. Even a small rise per name moves a lot of money across that base. ## When does it take effect? November 1, 2026. Domain Name Wire reported on October 9 that registrants can renew or transfer existing domains this month to postpone the increase. Many registrars are also running transfer specials below the current Verisign renewal fee. Registrars set their own cutoffs. Do not wait for the last day of October. Renewals can fail on card checks or processing delays. ## Should I renew early, and for how long? Renew early only the names you plan to keep. Renewing before November 1 locks the current price for the years you add. Domain Name Wire notes you can renew for up to 10 years, and that Verisign can raise prices another 7% in each of the next three years. Your situation Sensible move Core brand name, used daily Renew for several years now Name you plan to sell Renew for the length of your selling plan, not 10 years Name you have not used in years Decide to sell or drop it before you renew Large portfolio Sort names into keep, sell and drop, then renew the first group This is a cost decision, not financial advice. A multi-year renewal ties up cash and does not guarantee a higher price later. ## Will my registrar raise prices too? Most likely, if it sells close to cost. Domain Name Wire says at-cost registrars such as Cloudflare, and many low-cost ones such as Porkbun, NameBright and Spaceship, will pass on the rise. GoDaddy’s Domain Discount Club Pro is also on its list. A registrar with a higher retail price may decide differently. Check the renewal price in your account, not the sign-up price. They are often different. Our [domain transfer process guide](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/domain-transfer-process) shows how to move a name if you decide to switch. ## Can Verisign raise prices again? Yes. Verisign’s contract lets it raise the maximum price by up to 7% in each of the final four years of every six-year period. Domain Name Wire reports that Verisign could raise prices in each of the next three years, and that it must give at least six months’ notice before any increase. Domain Name Wire’s April article says that if Verisign takes the full 7% each year, the wholesale price reaches about $13.42 by the end of this contract cycle. That is a projection, not an announced price. ## Does this change the math on domains I do not use? Slightly. The wholesale rise is small, but it adds up across a portfolio. These figures are our own arithmetic on wholesale prices only. Retail prices are higher. Names held Extra wholesale cost per year at $0.71 If wholesale reaches $13.42 (vs. $10.26) 100 $71 $316 1,000 $710 $3,160 5,000 $3,550 $15,800 The bigger cost is not the fee. It is a name that sits for years with no buyer. That is the [carrying cost](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/carrying-cost) of a portfolio, and it grows with each [renewal fee](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/renewal-fee). A good name with real demand is worth holding. A name with no search interest, no brand fit and no inquiries may not be. Our guide to [domain name valuation](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/domain-name-valuation) shows how to tell the difference. This is why we sell names for owners instead of waiting for inbound offers. Our team of researchers finds companies that could use a name, and our brokers contact them directly. Read how that works in [how to sell a domain name](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/how-to-sell-a-domain-name). ## Next step Own names you no longer use, or a premium .com that costs more each year to hold? Tell us what you have and we will say honestly whether it can sell. Start at [sell your domains](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact?interest=sell) or see our [selling domains](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/selling-domains) page. ## Questions this post answers ### How much is the .com price increase? Verisign is raising the wholesale .com price by 7%, from $10.26 to $10.97 per year. That is $0.71 per name. ICANN adds a 20-cent fee on top. Your retail price depends on your registrar, and it may rise by a different amount. ### When does the .com price increase take effect? It takes effect on November 1, 2026. Domain Name Wire reports that registrants can renew or transfer existing domains in October to postpone the increase. Check your registrar's exact cutoff, because some set their own deadlines. ### Should I renew .com domains early? For names you will keep, renewing before November 1 locks the current price for the renewed years. You can renew up to 10 years. Verisign may raise prices up to 7% a year for three more years. For names you may drop, extra years add cost with no return. ### Will my registrar raise prices too? Probably, if it sells near cost. Domain Name Wire says at-cost and low-cost registrars, including Cloudflare, Porkbun and NameBright, should pass the rise through. Registrars with higher retail prices may decide differently. Read your registrar's notice. ### Can Verisign raise .com prices again? Yes. Verisign's contract lets it raise the maximum price up to 7% in each of the final four years of a six-year period. Domain Name Wire reports it may do so in each of the next three years. It must give at least six months' notice before an increase. ## Sources 1. [Domain Name Wire: Breaking: VeriSign raising wholesale .com prices (Apr 23, 2026)](https://domainnamewire.com/2026/04/23/breaking-verisign-raising-wholesale-com-prices/) 2. [Domain Name Wire: Time is running out: .com prices go up on November 1 (Oct 9, 2026)](https://domainnamewire.com/2026/10/09/time-is-running-out-com-prices-go-up-on-november-1/) 3. [Domain Name Wire: Verisign can increase .com prices in 2026 (Nov 19, 2025)](https://domainnamewire.com/2025/11/19/verisign-can-increase-com-prices-in-2026/) 4. [Verisign: DNIB.com Reports Internet Has 401.6 Million Domain Name Registrations at the End of Q2 2026](https://investor.verisign.com/news-releases/news-release-details/dnibcom-reports-internet-has-4016-million-domain-name) ## Terms in this post - [Registry operator](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/registry-operator) - [Carrying cost](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/carrying-cost) - [Domain name](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/domain-name) - [Renewal fee](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/renewal-fee) - [Brand name](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/brand-name) - [Registrar](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/registrar) - [Verisign](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/verisign) - [ICANN](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/icann) ## Keep reading - [How Much Is My Domain Worth? Domain Valuation ExplainedA domain is worth what a specific buyer will pay for it. Start with comparable sales of similar names, then adjust for length, extension, keywords, and brand fit. Treat automated appraisals as rough guides. The same name can be worth far more to an end user than to an investor.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/domain-name-valuation) - [How Domain Transfers Work: Auth Codes, Transfer Locks, and Push vs TransferA domain transfer moves a name to a new registrar, or to a new owner, using an auth code and a domain with the registrar lock off. A registrar transfer usually finishes in 5 to 7 days. A push between accounts at one registrar is usually faster. A 60-day lock can block registrar transfers after some changes.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/domain-transfer-process) - [How to Sell a Domain Name: A Broker's Step-by-Step GuideTo sell a domain name, set a realistic price from comparable sales, then reach buyers through a marketplace, a broker, or direct outreach. Agree on a price, close through a third-party escrow service, transfer the name to the buyer's registrar account, and collect payment once the transfer is verified.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/how-to-sell-a-domain-name) - [.ai Passed 1 Million Domains and Raised Prices in 2026The .ai domain passed one million registrations on January 20, 2026, up from about 587,000 a year earlier. The registry raised the two-year wholesale price from $140 to $160 on March 5. Bot.ai sold for $1.2 million, but AI.com sold for $70 million. Launch on .ai, and budget for the .com.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/post/ai-domains-one-million-price-increase) - [.com vs .ai vs .io vs .co: How to Choose a Domain Extension.com is still the safest default because buyers, investors and email systems expect it. Choose .ai if your product is AI and you accept higher renewals. Choose .io for developer tools with some registry risk. Choose .co mainly as a cheaper fallback. Whatever you pick, try to own the .com too.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/com-vs-ai-vs-io-vs-co) - [When Should a Startup Upgrade to a Better Domain Name?Upgrade when the weak domain costs you more than the better one would: customers mistype it, investors or partners question it, or you are about to spend on brand and marketing. Most startups do it right after a funding round or before a major launch, using a broker so the owner does not see a funded buyer.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/startup-domain-upgrade) ## Buying or selling a domain? Call, text or email. Responsiveness is our trademark, and a broker answers, not a form robot. [Talk to a broker](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact) [Call (442) 500-GRIT](tel:+1-442-500-4748)