A domain “deal” isn’t a deal if you can’t afford to keep it. Every year the same trap catches thousands of people: a $0.99 registration that renews at $50, $60, or more. This is our 2026 roundup of the worst renewal traps — the gaps between what you pay to register and what you’ll pay every year after.
For the live renewal pricing behind this report, see the Domain Price Index.
How the trap works
- A registrar advertises a near-free first year on a TLD.
- You register — maybe several domains, because they’re so cheap.
- Twelve months later, the renewal hits at the standard (often very high) price.
- Now you either pay up, or lose the domain (and any brand equity attached to it).
The trap works because the registration price is shown loudly and the renewal price is shown quietly.
The worst offenders by TLD
Certain TLDs are renewal traps almost everywhere because the registry sets a high wholesale price while registrars discount the first year aggressively:
- .store — first years under $1, renewals often $50–65.
- .online — first years around $1–2, renewals near $50.
- .tech — cheap to start, $50–60 to renew.
- .shop — heavily promoted, renews $35–45.
If the descriptive value of these TLDs is worth it to you, fine — just budget for the renewal, not the promo. Compare options on each TLD’s page, e.g. cheapest .store renewal.
The worst offenders by registrar
- GoDaddy — the canonical example. Sub-dollar registrations, premium renewals, plus upsells. (Why renewal beats registration at GoDaddy.)
- IONOS (1&1) — classic low-promo, high-renewal structure.
- Hostinger — great hosting bundles, but the bundled domain renews at full price.
None of these are scams — they’re legitimate companies using legal pricing tactics. The defense is simply knowing to look.
How to never get trapped
- Read the renewal price before you register. Every time. It’s usually one line below the big promo number.
- Prefer honest registrars where the renewal tracks wholesale: Cloudflare, Porkbun, NameSilo.
- Transfer after year one if you registered somewhere expensive — a transfer adds a year and usually beats the renewal, and GoDaddy vs Cloudflare shows the gap.
- Calculate the real cost. Multiply the renewal by the years you plan to hold the domain — the Domain Price Index has the real figures — and judge on that total, not the promo.
The one rule
If you remember nothing else: the renewal price is the price. The first year is marketing.