Many startups launch on .io, .ai or .co because the .com of their name is taken. It is a reasonable way to start. It is still worth knowing what the choice costs over the years, because most of those costs are quiet and arrive later.
Habit is hard to change
At the end of June 2026, about 166.6 million of the roughly 401.6 million domain names registered worldwide were .com, according to Verisign's quarterly industry brief. That is around four in ten, far more than any other extension. For most people a web address ends in .com unless they are told otherwise. When someone hears your name on a podcast or in a meeting, .com is what they try first.
Where the leaks happen
The cost of not owning the .com shows up in small ways. Customers type the wrong address and land on someone else's site. E-mails meant for you go to the .com version of your name, which belongs to someone you have never met. New staff print the wrong address on business cards. Each of these is minor on its own, and together they add up.
Country codes belong to countries
Extensions like .io, .ai and .co are country codes, for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Anguilla and Colombia. Tech companies chose them for their letters rather than their geography, but each is still run under the rules of its country or territory, and those rules can change with local policy.
Renewal prices are set by each registry too, and for the popular tech extensions they are often several times what a .com costs each year. Over the life of a company that is a small sum, but it is one more thing outside your control.
When a newer extension makes sense
A side project, a developer tool with a technical audience, a campaign site or a community that never needs to be found by the general public can live happily on a newer extension. Plenty of brands also use one alongside their .com, for example an .ai address for a product page.
If you start on another extension and grow, plan for the moment you buy the .com. The price of a name tends to rise with the visible success of the company using its other version, because the owner of the .com can see that success as well as anyone.
The resale view
Domains are assets, and .com names are the easiest of them to value and sell. If you ever sell the company or the brand, the .com transfers cleanly and buyers understand what it is worth. A well-chosen five-letter .com keeps that value even if the company behind it changes direction.
Our view
We sell .com names, so read our advice with that in mind. If the .com of your name is available at a price that fits your budget, buy it before launch. If it is not, consider a different name whose .com you can own outright, rather than building on someone else's. A short brandable name is often the easiest way there, and you can browse ours by industry.