Maxer Blog

New domain pricing in September 2024

Published by Peter Armstrong on August 2nd, 2024

In September 2024, the registries responsible for managing .com and .net domains (Verisign), as well as the .ie registry in Ireland, will increase their wholesale fees. In this post, we’ll explore the reasons behind these changes.

At MAXER, we offer a wide range of domain extensions, but .com and .ie are by far the most popular. Despite the launch of hundreds of new extensions over the last decade, the .com extension remains the most recognised and widely used domain – it’s no surprise that .com still reigns supreme. The .ie extension is particularly significant for us because, first and foremost, we’re an Irish company—even with clients around the world!

First let’s take a look at the .com pricing.

The Verisign registry is increasing its fee for .com domains by 7%. Verisign did the same in 2021, 2022, and 2023. We did not pass on the increase in the first two years, but we did in 2023, and we must do so again. Margins are tighter than ever on domain registrations.
The .net extension, which is also managed by Verisign, is likewise impacted by a fee increase.
Verisign is a private company contracted by ICANN to manage the .com and .net extensions. Under their contract, Verisign is permitted to increase prices by 7% in each of the last four years of its six-year contract renewal. 2024 marks the final of those four years for the current contract. Verisign’s current contract ends in November 2024; however, it is largely expected to be renewed, probably for another six years. Here’s hoping for a few years without price increases!

Current registrants of .com and .net domain names can avoid the price increase by renewing their domains in advance for up to ten years at today’s prices! Please check the Domain Renewals page of your Maxer account.

Next, let’s take a look at .ie, the domain extension for the island of Ireland.

As one of Ireland’s leading providers of .ie domain names, MAXER is known for offering the lowest renewal prices among registrars. This has earned us recommendations from independent comparison sites like iedomaincompare.ie. We became an accredited registrar for .ie domain names in 2010. We’re part of the .ie fabric and are committed to its growth and development.

In an announcement from the .ie registry, their CEO, David Curtin, explained: “The national registry for .ie domain names has experienced significant increases in registry operating costs over the last two years, particularly in regulatory, compliance and policy development costs. As a result, with effect from 1 September 2024, the wholesale price of .ie domains will increase by €2 per annum for domain renewals.”

The .ie registry offered more detail on the fee increase, citing these reasons:

• EU Regulatory changes: “We have had to invest heavily in compliance with new regulations, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity, data protection, and handling DNS abuse. These investments are essential to maintain our standing as an Operator of Essential Services (OES) under NIS1, safeguard registrants’ data, and uphold the highest level of security and confidence in the .ie namespace.”
• Support & Maintenance contracts: “We have faced increased costs imposed by our service providers on mission-critical services, impacting our overall operational expenses. We have challenged, successfully in many cases, opportunistic price pressures.”
• Cybersecurity Compliance: “Stringent cybersecurity regulations have necessitated substantial investments in technology and personnel – essential in supporting our ISO – ISMS, protecting our systems, upskilling and certifications of our staff.”
• Policy Escalation measures: “We have enhanced our resources in policy development processes (PDP) and in advocacy to meet the evolving demands of the market, ensuring that we continue to provide all stakeholders with best-in-class products and services.”

The team at Maxer will continue to work closely with the .ie registry to deliver the best service for all our client partners.

Current registrants of .ie domain names can avoid the price increase by renewing their domains in advance for up to ten years at today’s prices! Please check the Domain Renewals page of your Maxer account.