How to choose a domain extension: a 5-step framework

Most advice on how to choose a domain extension starts with a ranking. This guide starts with rules instead: an ending you can't register, can't secure or can't afford to renew is the wrong one, however good it looks. If you've been asking "what domain extension should I use?", work through the five steps below and you'll end up with a short list you can defend.

tldplay is made by the team behind Atak Domain, a registrar; links to it are labeled as a sister service. The facts in this guide come from IANA, ICANN, Google and the registries themselves.

What a domain extension is, and why there are 1,437 of them

A domain extension is the top-level domain: the label after the last dot, like .com in example.com. IANA's root zone lists 1,437 of them today, from generic endings like .com and .app to country codes like .de and .jp. You don't need to know them all to choose well. What matters is which kind an ending is, because the kind decides who may register it, how search engines read it and who sets its rules.

One fact narrows the field straight away: 366 of the 1,437 are brand TLDs that nobody outside the owning company can use. The guide to every type of domain extension explains the kinds, and How many TLDs are there? has the full count.

Which domain extension should I use? Quick picks by situation

These are starting points based on how each ending is run and treated. They are not rankings, and the five steps below test every one of them.

Your situation	Start your shortlist with	Why	Read next
A brand with customers in many countries	.com	Generic, so it doesn't tie you to one country (Step 2)	.com, .net vs .com
A startup or tech product whose .com is taken	.io, .ai, .co, .app, .dev	Open to anyone and read as generic by Google; .app and .dev also force HTTPS (Steps 2 and 4)	.io vs .com, .ai vs .com, tech startups
A developer, web app or portfolio	.dev, .app, .me	HTTPS-only endings suit apps; .me reads as personal	.app vs .dev, .me vs .com
A personal website	Your name on .com or .me	Short, personal and open to anyone	.me vs .com, personal brands
A business serving one country	That country's code, if you qualify	A ccTLD tells Google which country you target (Step 2)	.uk vs .com, .ca vs .com, country codes
A nonprofit or community group	.org	The long-standing ending for organizations, open to anyone	.org vs .com, nonprofits

Step 1: Check that you're allowed to register it

When it comes to who may register, every extension falls into one of three groups.

Group	What it means	Examples
Open	Anyone can register through a registrar	.com, .net, .org, .io, .xyz
Restricted	The registry checks eligibility	.gov, .edu, .bank, .us
Closed	Only the company that runs the TLD	.google, .bmw, .apple

Closed: brand TLDs

366 TLDs in the root zone are brand TLDs. Under Specification 13 of ICANN's registry agreement, names in them can be held only by the registry operator, its affiliates and its trademark licensees, so they never go on sale. If an ending matches a company name, check the brand TLD list before you get attached to it, or read what a brand TLD is.

Restricted domain extensions: eligibility checks

Some registries accept only applicants who pass a test. .gov is for US government bodies, .edu for accredited US postsecondary institutions, and .bank and .insurance for regulated banks and insurers, who are verified before a name goes live. IANA's database doesn't treat these as a separate type: the restriction lives in each registry's policy. Sponsored TLDs explains how the older community endings work.

Country codes with local-presence rules

Each country sets its own rules. Some country codes, like .io and .co, are open worldwide. Others require a real connection: .us needs a US nexus, .eu is limited to people and organizations in the EU and EEA and to EU citizens, and .ca requires a Canadian presence. Always read the registry's own policy; see what a ccTLD is.

The 60-second check:

1. Open the extension's page on tldplay.
2. Follow the link to the registry's website.
3. Find its eligibility or registration policy.
4. Note the date you read it.
5. Check again at checkout, because registrars enforce the rules too.

Step 2: Match the extension to who you serve

Serving a global audience: generic top-level domains

Generic TLDs aren't tied to a place. Whether you choose .com, .org or a newer ending like .app, Google doesn't associate the site with one country, so you can serve several markets from one domain, with a subdirectory or subdomain per country or language.

Serving one country: country-code domains

A country-code domain is one of the clearest signals that a site is meant for one country: Google uses it to decide which country's searches the site suits best. Google's own comparison of URL structures sums up the trade-off. A ccTLD gives clear geotargeting, but it covers one country only, can come with strict registration requirements and needs more infrastructure, while a subdirectory on a generic domain is easier to set up and maintain. Browse country codes by region, or compare .uk vs .com and .ca vs .com.

The exception: country codes Google treats as generic

Google treats some country codes as generic because people use them that way. Its list, last updated in December 2025, is .ad, .ai, .as, .bz, .cc, .cd, .co, .dj, .fm, .io, .la, .me, .ms, .nu, .sc, .sr, .su, .tv, .tk and .ws. Google notes that the list may change, so check its page before you rely on it. It is why .io, .ai, .co and .me work for global products, and why so many domain hacks use them. Google also treats the regional endings .eu and .asia as generic.

Does the extension affect SEO?

Not by itself. In 2015 Google said it treats new generic TLDs like .com and .org, that keywords in a TLD give no advantage or disadvantage, and that brand TLDs get no extra weight. Country codes are the exception, because they signal a target country. Google's page on multi-regional sites, updated in December 2025, still describes the same rules.

Step 3: Match it to what you do and the name you want

Browse by purpose

Looking for the best domain extension for business, or the best domain extension for a startup? Hundreds of newer endings describe a trade, such as .studio, .law or .shop, and our topic lists group them: businesses, tech startups, online stores, designers and creatives, personal brands, nonprofits, education and finance, or every list. A descriptive ending still has to pass Steps 1 and 4: several sector endings, like .bank, are restricted.

Name and ending as one word

A domain hack reads the ending as part of the name, as in stud.io or bit.ly. It can make a short, memorable address, but say it out loud first: if people hear "dot" in the middle of a word, some will mistype it. A hack on a country code is still that country's domain (see Step 4). Try the domain hack finder, or read what a domain hack is.

Best domain extension after .com: picking a fallback

There isn't one best domain extension after .com. The right fallback is the one that passes Steps 1 to 4 and suits the audience you defined in Step 2. A global product usually needs a generic ending or a country code Google treats as generic; a local business is often better served by its own country code. Eligibility rules, HTTPS-only endings and the registry behind each ending can change the answer. The head-to-heads help: .net vs .com, .org vs .com, .co vs .com, .io vs .com, .ai vs .com, .xyz vs .com, .info vs .com, .me vs .com and .app vs .dev.

Step 4: Check security, stability and renewal terms

HTTPS-only endings

Browsers refuse plain HTTP for every site on a TLD that is on the HSTS preload list. .app and .dev are on it, as Google Registry, which runs them, states. That is a security plus, but it means HTTPS has to work before you launch. Chromium's preload list includes dozens of TLD-level entries, many of them brand TLDs. More in .app vs .dev.

DNSSEC

DNSSEC lets resolvers check that DNS answers haven't been forged. Most TLDs are signed: every ending in the scorecard below has a DS record in the root zone, and the TLDs without DNSSEC are all country codes. A signed TLD is necessary but not enough, though: your DNS host must sign your domain and your registrar must publish its DS record. See what DNSSEC is.

Country codes depend on the country list

Country codes follow ISO 3166-1, and RFC 1591 leaves the question of what counts as a country to that list rather than to IANA. When a code is removed from it, ICANN's retirement policy for ccTLDs starts a phase-out with years of notice. It has happened before, as the retired TLDs show. If you're building on a territory's code, read what its page here says about the territory, as on the .io page.

Renewal price and terms

The first-year price and the renewal price are separate numbers, and only the renewal price keeps applying, so compare that one. For TLDs under ICANN's base registry agreement, registries must give registrars 30 days' notice before raising prices for new registrations and 180 days before raising renewal prices, and registrars can let you renew for up to ten years at the current price before an increase takes effect. Country codes and some older generic TLDs follow their own contracts or national rules. tldplay has no price data, so check current prices at a registrar.

Step 5: Test your shortlist before you register

1. Say it and type it. Read the address aloud and type it on a phone. If people stumble saying it, they'll stumble typing it.
2. Use it as an email address. Try it in the forms and apps you rely on. Software is supposed to accept every TLD, but some still reject newer ones, so test rather than assume.
3. Re-read the eligibility rules, and note the date, as in Step 1.
4. Check HTTPS and DNSSEC support at your registrar and DNS host.
5. Compare the renewal price, not just the first year.
6. Check for trademark conflicts in the trademark registers that cover your markets. This isn't legal advice; ask a professional if in doubt.
7. Plan for a change of mind. If you move later, Google recommends permanent (301 or 308) redirects, the Change of Address tool in Search Console, and keeping the redirects for at least a year.

Not sure who sets which rule? Registry vs registrar explains it.

Scorecard: 12 popular endings checked against the five steps

The table runs twelve popular domain extensions through the checks above, using live data. "Who can register" summarizes each registry's policy; confirm it on the registry's site before you buy.

Extension	Type	Registry operator	How Google treats it	DNSSEC	HTTPS-only	Who can register	Compare
.com	Generic	VeriSign, Inc.	Generic	Yes	No	Anyone	All comparisons
.net	Generic	VeriSign, Inc.	Generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.net vs .com
.org	Generic	Public Interest Registry	Generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.org vs .com
.co	Country code	Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC)	Treated as generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.co vs .com
.io	Country code	Internet Computer Bureau Limited	Treated as generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.io vs .com
.ai	Country code	Government of Anguilla	Treated as generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.ai vs .com
.app	Generic	Charleston Road Registry Inc.	Generic	Yes	Yes	Anyone	.app vs .io
.dev	Generic	Charleston Road Registry Inc.	Generic	Yes	Yes	Anyone	.dev vs .com
.me	Country code	Government of Montenegro	Treated as generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.me vs .com
.xyz	Generic	XYZ.COM LLC	Generic	Yes	No	Anyone	.xyz vs .com
.us	Country code	Registry Services, LLC	Targets United States	Yes	No	Those with a US connection (nexus)	.us vs .com
.uk	Country code	Nominet UK	Targets United Kingdom	Yes	No	Check the registry	.uk vs .com

Root zone version 2026102000. Registry operators as listed by IANA and ICANN. "Who can register" summarizes each registry's policy, so confirm it before you buy.

Common mistakes when choosing a domain extension

1. Choosing for rankings. Google says the TLD itself gives no ranking advantage (Step 2).
2. Skipping eligibility, then losing the name at verification (Step 1).
3. Building a global brand on a country code without checking Google's generic list or the registry's policy (Steps 2 and 4).
4. Comparing first-year prices and ignoring renewals (Step 4).
5. Forgetting that HTTPS-only endings need HTTPS from day one (Step 4).
6. Buying many endings with no redirect plan (Step 5).
7. Trusting folklore that an ending is "spammy" without a dated source.

Where to go next

Browse every type of domain extension or the A–Z list, put two endings side by side, or explore the topic lists. To learn the endings the fun way, try the Daily Challenge.

How we built this guide

The data comes from IANA's root zone, ICANN's registry agreements and gTLD data, Google Search Central and Chromium's HSTS preload list, with registry policy pages for eligibility. tldplay doesn't sell domains itself and has no price data; our methodology explains the sources. Spotted an error? Tell us.