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.io vs .dev: Price, Renewal and Availability

Pick .dev for developer tools, docs and portfolios if you serve HTTPS (you must): it costs $8.75 then $12.87, $60.23 over five years against $235.32 for .io. Pick .io when the name is a product brand (a SaaS, an API) rather than developer content: .io reads as a startup, .dev as something made for developers. 36% of .io names checked on domhaul were already registered, against 55% of .dev.

Standard (non-premium) names, USD per year, quoted October 24, 2026.

.io vs .dev side by side, quoted October 24, 2026
Measure.io.dev
First year (lowest)$28.12$8.75
Renewal (lowest)$51.80$12.87
Renewal vs first year+84%+47%
5 years, cheapest registrar$235.32 (Porkbun)$60.23 (Porkbun)
Minimum term1 year1 year
Porkbun first year$28.12$8.75
Porkbun renewal$51.80$12.87
Porkbun transfer$51.80$12.87
Dynadot first year$28.89Not sold
Dynadot renewal$53.50Not sold
Taken when checked on domhaul36% of 7755% of 55
TypeCountry code (British Indian Ocean Territory)Generic
RegistryInternet Computer Bureau LimitedCharleston Road Registry Inc.
RulesOpen to anyoneOpen to anyone; HTTPS required (HSTS preload)
DNSSECSignedSigned
Bold = cheaper. Porkbun: its public pricing API. Dynadot: the quote domhaul refreshes daily from Dynadot's API; "Not sold" means Dynadot has no quote. 5 years = first year plus four renewals at one registrar. Taken = share of distinct names people checked on domhaul since August 2026 that were already registered; it reflects the names people try, not the whole extension, and is hidden below 30 checks.

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One name, both extensions, checked live against the registries.

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Pick .io if

  • You are naming a SaaS or API company, not a project.
  • Your marketing site may need plain HTTP somewhere (rare, but .dev forbids it).
  • The .dev of your name is taken.

Pick .dev if

  • You want the much cheaper renewal.
  • It is docs, a tool, a portfolio or an open-source project.
  • You would rather not carry the open question over .io's future.

.io vs .dev questions

Is .dev cheaper than .io?

.io costs $28.12 for the first year and $51.80 to renew; .dev costs $8.75 and $12.87. Over five years (first year plus four renewals at the cheaper registrar) that is $235.32 for .io and $60.23 for .dev, so .dev is the cheaper one to keep by 3.9x. Standard names at Dynadot and Porkbun, quoted October 24, 2026.

Does a .dev domain need HTTPS?

Yes. The whole .dev extension is on the HSTS preload list built into Chrome, Firefox and Safari, so browsers only load .dev 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.

Can I use .dev for local development?

Not anymore. .dev was a common made-up suffix for local sites (myapp.dev) until Google launched it as a real extension in 2019. Because .dev is HSTS-preloaded, browsers force HTTPS on every .dev hostname, including local ones, so those setups break. Use .test or .localhost for local work; both are reserved and will never be real extensions.

More comparisons

Full price pages: .io and .dev. 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.