While browsing for a domain, you may notice some names cost more than others even though they use the same extension. That's usually because the domain is a tiered price domain — one the registry itself has decided is more valuable. This article explains what tiered pricing means and how it affects what you'll pay to register or renew.
What is a tiered price domain?
Domain registries consider some names more desirable than others and price them accordingly. A short, memorable name like apple.com is worth more to a registry than a random string like 891ueh8dh9.com, so registries assign these desirable names a different — usually higher — price. Hover marks tiered price domains with a green star and annotation in search results.
Why the pricing is different
Registries set tiered pricing at their own discretion, and the difference can run in either direction — some tiered domains cost more than the standard fee, and some cost less.
For example, the .shop registry has decided that cycling.shop is far more valuable than bobscycle.shop:
Domain | Registration fee |
|---|---|
cycling.shop | $6,399.99 |
bobscycle.shop | $40.00 |
The .xyz registry takes the opposite approach for short numeric domains, pricing six-to-eight-digit names lower than the standard fee:
Domain type | Registration fee |
|---|---|
Standard .xyz domain | $11.99 |
Six-to-eight-digit numeric .xyz domain (example: 12345678.xyz) | $4.99 |
How registration and renewal fees can combine
Tiered pricing doesn't always apply the same way to both registration and renewal. You may come across any of these combinations for a given domain:
Registration fee | Renewal fee |
|---|---|
Standard | Standard |
Premium (tiered) | Standard |
Premium (tiered) | Premium (tiered) |
Note: Whichever combination applies to a domain, Hover displays both the initial registration price and the annual renewal price together in the search results, so you'll know the full cost before you buy.
How to purchase a tiered price domain
Tiered price domains are purchased the same way as any other domain — see Registering a New Domain (Hover) for step-by-step instructions. The only difference is the price you'll see at checkout.
Next steps
- Register your domain: follow the standard registration process — see Registering a New Domain (Hover).
- Comparing a domain someone else already owns? That's a different category — see Hover Premium Domains.
Questions? Contact Hover Support.
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