Registration price: $140–$400 for the first 2 years
The .ai registry charges roughly $70/year wholesale with a mandatory 2-year minimum, so the first transaction is $140 at the cheapest registrars and up to ~$400 at the most expensive. Renewals follow the same 2-year cadence.
Aftermarket clearing prices by tier
Observed prices across the past 24 months of .ai transactions, both publicly recorded and from our own brokered deals.
| Tier | Clearing price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Category one-word .ai | $250K–$2M+ | cursor.ai, character.ai tier |
| Brandable one-word .ai | $25K–$250K | Real English noun, available off-market |
| Pronounceable LLL .ai | $10K–$50K | Three letters that read as a word |
| Hard-consonant LLL .ai | $3K–$10K | Three letters, awkward pronunciation |
| Two-word brandable .ai | $1K–$25K | Verb+noun or modifier+noun combos |
| Long-tail .ai | $140–$1K | 3+ word, lower interest names |
What moves price within a tier
Length (shorter = more), pronounceability (a real word or a word-like LLL = more), category fit (a name that obviously means AI = more), recent comparable sales (if NameBio shows a $400K comp last quarter, all similar names re-anchor up), and seller motivation (an estate sale or a holder downsizing portfolio sells lower than a speculator with no time pressure).
Why two buyers get different quotes for the same name
Sellers price against perceived buyer demand. A direct inquiry from [email protected] signals 'funded company with a deadline' and routinely 3–10x the quoted price vs. anonymous outreach. The same exact name will quote at $50K to a broker and $300K to a founder.
If you're acquiring premium .ai, use a buy-side broker for anonymity before you make any offer.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to register a .ai domain?
- $140–$400 for the first 2 years at any major registrar. The .ai registry enforces a 2-year minimum, so there is no 1-year option. Cloudflare and Porkbun tend to be the cheapest; GoDaddy and Namecheap sit in the middle; some registrars charge $200+/year.
- How much does a .ai domain cost per year?
- Roughly $70–$200 per year depending on registrar, billed in 2-year increments. Cloudflare prices renewals close to wholesale (~$70/yr); most retail registrars charge $100–$160/yr.
- What is the cheapest place to buy a .ai domain?
- Cloudflare Registrar typically has the lowest .ai renewal pricing because it charges at-cost. Porkbun is competitive and has a friendlier UX. Namecheap is the founder default. Avoid GoDaddy if renewal cost matters — its sticker price is fine but renewals are higher.
- How much do premium .ai domains sell for?
- Pronounceable one-word .ai (the Cursor / Perplexity tier): $250K–$2M+. Brandable one-word .ai: $25K–$250K. Pronounceable LLL (three-letter) .ai: $10K–$50K. Two-word .ai with clear meaning: $1K–$25K. Long-tail .ai: $100–$1K.
- Do .ai domains appreciate in value?
- Premium .ai has appreciated 5–10x since 2021. Future appreciation depends on AI industry growth and the supply of memorable unregistered names (now near zero for one-word). Long-tail .ai is unlikely to appreciate; premium .ai may continue rising more slowly.
- Why does my .ai domain quote keep going up?
- Sellers re-quote against the buyer when they detect interest from a funded AI startup. Direct outreach from a recognizable founder email is the single biggest cause of inflated quotes. Anonymous broker outreach typically holds price 30–60% lower than direct.
Keep reading
Need a name acquired off-market?
Laser AI brokers premium .ai and .com domains for funded startups. Anonymous outreach, comp-anchored offers, escrow handled.