.com vs .ai — Which Domain Extension Should You Buy?

.com vs .ai compared on what actually costs you money: how many names are ready to buy in each extension on NameSale, what the typical one lists for, and what each renews at every year.

Live numbers from the NameSale catalogue, plus what each extension costs to keep. Figures as of 2026-10-03.

.com compared with .ai
.com.ai
Ready to buy now8729
Median price$79$239
Cheapest listing$29$239
Yearly renewal (per year at your own registrar, after the included first year; for .ai the first 2 years are included and it renews 2 years at a time)$11.08$82.70
Five years of ownership (median price plus four years of renewal)$123$570

What the numbers say

There is more to choose from in .com: 87 names ready to buy against 29 in .ai.

Up front .com is the cheaper shelf: a median of $79 against $239 in .ai.

The difference that lasts is renewal. .ai costs $82.70 a year at your registrar against $11.08 for .com — $286 more over the first five years.

Some .com names ready to buy

Every .com name ready to buy

Some .ai names ready to buy

Every .ai name ready to buy

All extension comparisons · How buying works