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

.com vs .pro 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 2026-10-26. Renewal figures are one registrar's public list prices (Porkbun, October 7, 2026); other registrars charge different amounts.

What the numbers say

Only one of these is actually stocked right now: 335 .com names are ready to buy, while nothing in .pro has passed an availability check in the last seven days.

The difference that lasts is renewal. At one registrar's list prices, .pro renews at $22.14 a year against $11.08 for .com — $44 more over the first five years.

About .com

.com is a generic top-level domain. IANA lists VeriSign Global Registry Services as its sponsoring organization and records its registration date as January 1, 1985. Verisign operates the registry under an agreement with ICANN that bars it from acting as a registrar for .com, so names are registered through ICANN-accredited registrars.

Anyone may register a .com name, on a first-come, first-served basis. Under the registry agreement, a name can be registered or renewed for no more than ten years ahead at any one time, and registrars must apply the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and ICANN's policy on transfers between registrars.

Sources: IANA root zone database, itp.cdn.icann.org, godaddy.com, icann.org

Some .com names ready to buy

• gleefest.com — $39
• ambleandbark.com — $49
• axleandroad.com — $49
• axlecrest.com — $49
• bakemeadow.com — $49
• barkandtrot.com — $49
• basilandember.com — $49
• beamandanvil.com — $49

Every .com name ready to buy

All extension comparisons · How buying works