It is one of the oldest tricks in the domain industry: advertise a $0.99 first-year registration, then charge $19.99 to renew. Millions of people fall for it every year. Understanding how registrar pricing works can save you significant money over the lifetime of a domain.
How the Price Trap Works
Domain registrars are intensely competitive on acquisition. They advertise first-year prices aggressively because getting you to register is the hard part — keeping your domain is easy for them. Once you have built a website and set up email, switching registrars requires effort. Registrars count on this inertia.
How to Protect Yourself
1. Always Check the Renewal Price Before Registering
Before you click "Register," find the registrar's renewal pricing page. Use EasyTLDs to see both registration and renewal prices side by side for all major registrars.
2. Prefer Registrars With Transparent Pricing
- Porkbun — low prices, same at registration and renewal
- Cloudflare — sells domains at cost price, no markup
- Namecheap — generally transparent, occasionally runs promotions
3. Transfer Before Renewal
Domain transfers typically come with a one-year extension at the new registrar's price. If your current registrar is charging more for renewal than a competitor, transfer instead.
The Real Lifetime Cost
A domain that costs $1.99 to register and $19.99 to renew will cost $81.95 over 5 years. The same domain at a transparent registrar charging $10 flat costs $50 over the same period — a $31.95 saving for doing nothing except picking the right registrar upfront.
Conclusion
Always compare both registration and renewal prices before you commit. Use EasyTLDs to make the comparison instant and automatic.