How much does defensive domain registration cost?

What does the core set cost over three and five years?

The core set costs $128.94 in the first year and $386.82 over three, because the price never changes. There is no promotional first year and no jump at renewal. A single .com costs $12.49 for one year and $62.45 for five. .io is the most expensive member of the core set at $59.49/year, so a team that wants to trim the list can drop it first, but .io is also one of the extensions a protocol's users are most likely to try.

One exception is .ai: it is sold two years at a time, so the first payment is $88.49/year for two years. Payment comes from a prepaid balance with a minimum top-up of $25.

Is defensive registration cheaper than a UDRP complaint?

Yes: one WIPO complaint for 1 to 5 domains costs USD 1,500 before lawyer fees, and the core set costs $128.94 a year. WIPO's schedule for 1 to 5 domains is USD 1,500 with a single panelist and USD 4,000 with three, and a new expedited option announced on 9 March 2026 costs USD 4,000 for 1 to 5 domains with a decision targeted within a month. A UDRP also requires rights in a mark, and it only reacts after the look-alike exists and has been used. Registration prevents that and needs no mark. The two are not substitutes, because a complaint is how you recover a name someone else already holds; the steps are in how to file a UDRP complaint.

What about the Trademark Clearinghouse and block products?

The Trademark Clearinghouse costs USD 155 for one year, 465 for three and 775 for five per mark, and it needs a trademark registration. It validates your mark for the launch periods of new extensions, but the registry then sets its own prices for the names. Block products such as DPML or GlobalBlock do not publish a current price, and Wardmint quotes none: the figures circulating come from registrars, are undated and could not be checked. The comparison is in DPML vs defensive registration.

How does Wardmint compare with Namecheap on price?

Every one of the 29 extensions is under Namecheap's regular renewal price, by a median of 33%. According to Wardmint's survey of 12 November 2026, the six core names add up to $155.26 at Namecheap's regular renewal prices (.com $19.98, .net $14.86, .org $15.18, .io $60.78, .xyz $21.48, .app $22.98), against $128.94 here, about 17% less. Namecheap's figures come from the domainoffer.net listing, because namecheap.com refused our reader. We do not claim to be the cheapest: Porkbun lists $11.81 for .com against our $12.49. The full table is on the pricing page.

Are there extra fees?

No fee is added to the domain price: renewal and transfer cost the same as registration, and WHOIS privacy is free where the registry allows it. The transfer code is free. The only optional extra is Domain protection, +$29 a year per domain, which registers the name in the company's name; it is not needed for a defensive set. The part of a top-up that was added only to reach the $25 minimum can be refunded within 30 days in USDT or USDC if unspent.