.com domain lifecycle

.com is the original generic TLD and remains the most valuable extension. As of 2025 there are roughly 158 million registered .com domains, more than all other gTLDs combined. Resale prices for premium .com names are typically 10-100x higher than the same name in any other extension.

Verisign operates the .com registry under a long-term contract with ICANN. Pricing is regulated — wholesale increases are capped and require ICANN approval. Retail prices vary by registrar but typically fall in the $10-$15 range for the first year.

The lifecycle follows the standard ICANN gTLD model: 45-day auto-renew grace, 30-day redemption, 5-day pendingDelete. Drop times follow a predictable Verisign schedule that drop-catch services have studied to the second.

Best fit: Anyone whose primary audience is general-purpose web users. Every other TLD is positioned relative to .com.

• Drop time is in a narrow afternoon-UTC window (approximately 11:00–14:00 UTC) — the most competitive drop slot in the industry.
• Premium .com inventory (1-3 character names, dictionary words, common surnames) almost always gets caught by drop-catch services rather than dropping cleanly.
• Verisign offers domain registry-services like locking that registrars can use for high-value names.

• For competitive .com names, manual registration at the drop time is unrealistic. You need a backorder.
• For non-competitive .com names (long brand names, niche keywords), manual registration usually works.
• The 80-day expiry-to-drop window is reliable. From the day a .com expires you can plan ~80 days ahead for a possible drop.

• .net lifecycleApproximately 80 days from expiry to drop
• .org lifecycleApproximately 80 days from expiry to drop
• .io lifecycleApproximately 80 days from expiry to drop
• .co lifecycleApproximately 80 days from expiry to drop

• Verisign .com Registry
• ICANN ERRP Policy