.io vs .app: Price, Renewal and Availability
Pick .app for a consumer, mobile or web app and .io for a developer or B2B product. .app is far cheaper to keep: $8.75 then $14.93, $68.47 over five years against .io's $235.32. .app sites must run on HTTPS. 36% of .io names checked on domhaul were already registered, against 37% of .app.
Standard (non-premium) names, USD per year, quoted October 24, 2026.
| Measure | .io | .app |
|---|---|---|
| First year (lowest) | $28.12 | $8.75 |
| Renewal (lowest) | $51.80 | $14.93 |
| Renewal vs first year | +84% | +71% |
| 5 years, cheapest registrar | $235.32 (Porkbun) | $68.47 (Porkbun) |
| Minimum term | 1 year | 1 year |
| Porkbun first year | $28.12 | $8.75 |
| Porkbun renewal | $51.80 | $14.93 |
| Porkbun transfer | $51.80 | $14.93 |
| Dynadot first year | $28.89 | Not sold |
| Dynadot renewal | $53.50 | Not sold |
| Taken when checked on domhaul | 36% of 77 | 37% of 399 |
| Type | Country code (British Indian Ocean Territory) | Generic |
| Registry | Internet Computer Bureau Limited | Charleston Road Registry Inc. |
| Rules | Open to anyone | Open to anyone; HTTPS required (HSTS preload) |
| DNSSEC | Signed | Signed |
Is your name free as .io and .app?
One name, both extensions, checked live against the registries.
No name yet? Browse available domain name ideas by niche, checked against the registry.
Pick .io if
- Your buyers are developers or technical teams.
- The brand is a platform, not one app.
- The .app of your name is taken.
Pick .app if
- People install or open it as an app.
- You want the lower renewal.
- Your hosting serves HTTPS (almost all does).
.io vs .app questions
Is .app cheaper than .io?
.io costs $28.12 for the first year and $51.80 to renew; .app costs $8.75 and $14.93. Over five years (first year plus four renewals at the cheaper registrar) that is $235.32 for .io and $68.47 for .app, so .app is the cheaper one to keep by 3.4x. Standard names at Dynadot and Porkbun, quoted October 24, 2026.
Does a .app domain need HTTPS?
Yes. The whole .app extension is on the HSTS preload list built into Chrome, Firefox and Safari, so browsers only load .app sites over HTTPS and refuse plain HTTP. Put a TLS certificate on the site before you point the domain at it (most hosts issue one free). Email is not affected: HSTS applies to websites, not to mail.
Is the .io domain going away?
.io is the country code of the British Indian Ocean Territory (the Chagos Islands). In October 2024 the UK agreed to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. ICANN has said that if the IO code is removed from the ISO 3166-1 list, a five-year window to phase the domain out would begin, and past retirements have run slowly. .io was still delegated in the root zone when these prices were taken, and it registers and renews normally. It is a risk to weigh for a name you plan to keep for decades, not a reason to panic.
Who runs .app and .io?
Google Registry runs .app, a generic extension open since 2018. .io is the British Indian Ocean Territory's country code, run by Internet Computer Bureau Limited. Both are open to anyone.
More comparisons
- .com vs .app 5 yrs $54.40 vs $68.47
- .app vs .dev 5 yrs $68.47 vs $60.23
- .com vs .io 5 yrs $54.40 vs $235.32
- .io vs .ai 5 yrs $235.32 vs $413.50
- .io vs .co 5 yrs $235.32 vs $140.30
- .io vs .dev 5 yrs $235.32 vs $60.23
Full price pages: .io and .app. All domain extension comparisons, the price list for every TLD, and the long read on .com vs .io vs .app vs .dev for startups. Have a name? The domain value calculator prices it and finds available alternatives.