---
title: .ai or .com for an AI startup? Price, rules, SEO and what to buy
description: What a .ai domain is, how its price and terms compare with .com, whether Google treats it as a country domain, and when to buy one, the other or both. Live prices and official sources.
updated: 2026-10-27
---

# .ai or .com for an AI startup?

Pick .com if the name you want is available at a normal price: it's what people type by default and costs far less. Pick .ai when the .com is taken or the AI signal matters to your brand; Google treats .ai like a generic domain, so it doesn't tie your site to one country. On Nymwell on 2026-10-27, a .com is US$17.24 the first year and US$26.32 each renewal, while a .ai is US$259.77 for its shortest term of 2 years. Many teams register both and redirect one to the other.

## What a .ai domain is

.ai is the country-code domain of Anguilla. IANA lists the Government of Anguilla as its manager, and Identity Digital has run the registry's systems since a migration on 2025-01-15. Because it's a country-code domain, its rules are set by its registry, not by ICANN.

## .ai and .com side by side

| | .com | .ai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shortest term on Nymwell | 1 year | 2 years |
| First term on Nymwell (2026-10-27) | US$17.24 | US$259.77 |
| Each renewal on Nymwell | US$26.32 a year | US$259.77 per 2 years |
| Who sets the rules | ICANN policy and the .com registry | The .ai registry (Government of Anguilla) |
| Google geotargeting | Generic | Treated as generic, like a gTLD |
| Disputes | UDRP | UDRP (per the .ai registry) |
| When it expires | ICANN's 30-day redemption, then release | Registry rules; unsold expired names can go to the registry's auction |

## How to decide

1. **Check the .com first.** If it's available at a normal price, register it.
2. **If the .com is taken,** decide whether the .ai is the name you'd build on, or whether a different .com is better.
3. **If AI is the product,** a .ai can say so in the address. It costs more each term, so budget for renewals, not just the first purchase.
4. **Registering both** protects the name: keep one as the main site and redirect the other.

## Questions

**Is .ai bad for SEO because it's a country domain?**
No. Google's documentation lists .ai among the country-code domains it treats like generic ones, so it doesn't tie your site to Anguilla. Google notes that list can change.

**Why is a .ai domain more expensive than a .com?**
The .ai registry sets a higher price, and Nymwell sells it in 2-year terms, so the first purchase covers 2 years at once.

**Can I register a .ai for one year?**
Not on Nymwell; the shortest .ai term is 2 years.

**What happens when a .ai domain expires?**
.ai follows its registry's rules, not ICANN's. Its registry auctions some expired names before they become available again, so renew on time or turn on auto-renew.

## Sources

- IANA .ai record: https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ai.html
- Identity Digital on the .ai migration (2025-02-12): https://www.identity.digital/newsroom/ai-soars-identity-digital-and-goa-partnership-delivers-impressive-results
- .ai registry FAQ (updated 2025-04-24): https://nic.ai/faq
- .ai expired-name auctions (2025-03-27): https://www.identity.digital/newsroom/anguilla-and-identity-digital-boost-ai-revenue-with-auctions-and-dropzone-features
- Google on country-code domains treated as generic (updated 2025-12-10): https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/managing-multi-regional-sites

## Related

- [Domain prices](https://nymwell.com/en/pricing/)
- [Why a domain renewal costs more than the first year](https://nymwell.com/en/guides/domain-renewal-price/)
- [Best domain registrars for AI agents (2026)](https://nymwell.com/en/guides/best-domain-registrar-for-ai-agents/)