Domain name prices range from a couple of euros to tens of euros a year, and promotional prices make comparison difficult. In this guide we go through what a domain name's price is really made up of and what is worth paying attention to before you order.
What is a domain name's price made up of?
A domain's annual price consists of three parts:
- Registry fee. The domain name registry, for example Traficom for .fi names, charges an annual fee for every name. This part is the same for all registrars.
- Registrar's service fee. With this the registrar covers registration, name servers, DNS management and customer support. The size of the service fee and what it includes vary from one provider to another.
- Value added tax. Consumer prices have VAT of 25.5% added. Always compare either prices including tax or prices excluding tax with each other, never a mix of the two.
Why the first year's price does not tell the whole truth
A common pricing method in the industry is to sell the first year at a low promotional price and raise the price significantly at renewal. A domain name is a long-term purchase, so the renewal price determines the total cost, not the first year's campaign price. Always check before ordering what the name costs in the second year and beyond.
How much do different extensions cost?
In Finland the most common extensions typically fall within these ranges per year:
- .fi is the basic choice for a Finnish company, with prices of around 10 to 25 euros a year depending on the registrar.
- .com is an international general extension, with prices of around 10 to 25 euros a year.
- .eu is often the cheapest, around 5 to 15 euros a year.
- Special extensions such as .io or .ai cost considerably more, typically 40 to 100 euros a year.
You can see Nordweb's up-to-date prices for all extensions in the domain price list.
This is how you identify the truly lowest price
The cheapest domain name is not the one with the smallest advertised price, but the one with the lowest total cost and which includes the services you need. Go through this list:
- What is the renewal price after the first year?
- Is DNS management included in the price or does it cost extra?
- Are name servers and redirects included, or is buying web hosting required?
- Does transferring the domain name away from the service cost anything, if you later want to switch?
- Is support reachable and in what language?
What does a .fi domain name cost at Nordweb?
At Nordweb, a domain name's price always includes DNS management, name servers and Finnish-language support. The registration and renewal prices are the same, so the total cost is not hidden behind a promotional price, and transferring a .fi name to us is free of charge. See the price of a .fi domain name or search for a free name.