.dev vs .com
Which domain extension should you choose? Here's how the two compare — and when each one is the better pick.
Side by side
| .dev | .com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Generic TLD, since 2014 | Legacy generic TLD, since 1985 |
| Runs the registry | Charleston Road Registry Inc. | VeriSign, Inc. |
| In the root zone since | December 18, 2014 | January 1, 1985 |
| Popular meaning | — | the default for businesses |
| Search geotargeting | Generic — not tied to a country | Generic — not tied to a country |
| DNSSEC-signed | Yes | Yes |
| Name servers (IPv6) | 5 (5) | 13 (13) |
Choose .dev if…
- Developer portfolios and blogs
- Documentation, SDKs and open-source projects
- Staging and tooling sites that still need real certificates
Watch out for
- HTTPS is mandatory — local-style plain HTTP setups won't work on public .dev names
- Before 2019 many developers used .dev for local testing; those setups break now
The obvious pick for developer portfolios, docs and tools. Just set up HTTPS before you point the domain anywhere.
Choose .com if…
- Any business that wants the "default" address customers will guess
- Brands that expect word-of-mouth and radio or podcast mentions
- Email addresses people won't misspell
Watch out for
- Short, dictionary-word .com names are almost all taken or sold as premiums
- Typosquatters target popular .com names — register common misspellings if you're big
- Don't pay a broker before checking whether a newer TLD tells your story better
If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
.dev vs .com FAQ
Is .dev better than .com?
Neither is better across the board. The obvious pick for developer portfolios, docs and tools. Just set up HTTPS before you point the domain anywhere. If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
Does .dev or .com rank better on Google?
Google doesn't give either ending a ranking bonus. What differs is geotargeting: .dev is generic — not tied to a country, and .com is generic — not tied to a country. Content and links matter far more than the TLD.
Can I use both .dev and .com?
Yes, and many brands do: register both, pick one as the main site, and redirect the other to it so links and email never go astray.