Key points
- A new .ai registration costs about $80 a year, and you have to buy at least two years at a time, so expect around $160 up front (Domain Name Wire).
- Anyone can register a .ai name: there are no residency or local-presence requirements (WIPO).
- Names that are already taken sell privately or on marketplaces. Reported 2026 sales range from $25,000 to $1,200,000.
- Expiring .ai names go to auction through Namecheap, the registry's expiry-auction partner (Domain Name Wire).
1. Check whether the name is free
Search for the name at any registrar that sells .ai. If it's taken, our guide to finding out who owns a .ai domain shows how to look up its registration record, including when it expires.
2. Register it
.ai names are sold for two to ten years at a time, and transfers between registrars add a two-year renewal (Wikipedia). Prices vary by registrar, so compare both the first-term price and the renewal price. Some registrars, such as Cloudflare, sell domains at the price they pay the registry. Domain Name Wire puts the wholesale price at about $80 a year (Domain Name Wire), which matches the $160 two-year price we paid in November 2026.
For comparison, a .com usually costs a fraction of that each year. Our .ai vs .com guide covers the trade-offs.
3. Protect it
Turn on auto-renew and two-factor authentication at your registrar, and keep the transfer lock on. Of the company domains we've checked in the registry, 29 of 30 have a transfer lock and 12 have all three registrar locks. See the state of .ai companies report for how AI companies protect their names.
Buying a name that's already taken
Most valuable .ai names are already registered. Your options:
- Marketplaces. Reported .ai sales in our data went through Spaceship, DomainBooth, Atom, Sedo, Brandforce, Nam.es. Many names are listed there with a buy-now price.
- A broker. For names that aren't listed, a broker can approach the owner for you without revealing who you are.
- Contacting the owner yourself. The registry usually hides the owner's details, but most registrars offer a contact form or a privacy relay.
Use an escrow service for any private purchase, and check the name's registration record before paying. See 2026 .ai sales for recent prices, and the most expensive .ai sales for the top of the market.
Catching an expiring name
Expired .ai names are auctioned through the registry's partnership with Namecheap. Owners at Dynadot can also sell a name in a pre-expiry auction before it lapses; Dynadot charges a 15% commission (Domain Name Wire). Domain Name Wire expects many lower-quality names to lapse from mid-2026, as names registered during the 2024 rush reach their first renewal.
Costs at a glance
| Item | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New registration | About $160 for two years | Domain Name Wire |
| Renewal | About $80 a year, in terms of two years or more | Wikipedia |
| Name already owned | $25,000 to $1,200,000 in reported 2026 sales | Our sales data |
| Expired name | Auction price at Namecheap | Domain Name Wire |
Things worth knowing
- .ai is the country-code domain of Anguilla, and the government sets the base fee. See who owns .ai.
- Google treats .ai as a generic domain, not as targeting Anguilla, so it won't limit you to one country in search (Google Search Central).
- Prices and policies can change, because they're set by the registry and the Government of Anguilla rather than by an international agreement.
Questions
- How much does a .ai domain cost?
- About $80 a year for a new registration, sold in terms of at least two years, so around $160 up front. Names that are already owned can cost thousands to over a million dollars.
- Can anyone register a .ai domain?
- Yes. .ai registration is unrestricted; you don't need to live in or have a presence in Anguilla.
- What's the minimum registration period for .ai?
- Two years. Registrations and renewals run for two to ten years.
- Where are expired .ai domains auctioned?
- Through Namecheap, the registry's partner for expiry auctions.
Sources
- Domain Name Wire: The coming .ai junk drop (29 Jun 2026)
- Wikipedia: .ai
- WIPO: Domain name dispute resolution for .AI
- Cloudflare: Cloudflare Registrar
- Google Search Central: Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites
- Directory figures are computed from aidomaindata's listings, each linked to its own sources
Written by aidomaindata from the sources above. For information only, not financial or legal advice. Spot a mistake? Email hello@aidomaindata.com and we'll review it within two working days.