After a difficult stretch that began in 2023, .com has officially returned to growth in 2025 — marking a notable turnaround for the domain name industry.
According to the Q3 Domain Name Industry Brief, the global domain name base grew by 4.5% year over year, adding 16.2 million domains. Growth was broad-based, with legacy TLDs, country-code TLDs, and new gTLDs all posting gains.
.COM’s Comeback
Following consecutive declines, .com reversed course in 2025. Instead of trimming forecasts, Verisign steadily raised expectations each quarter, signaling renewed confidence.
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Beginning of 2025: 156.3 million .com domains
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End of Q3 2025: 159.4 million
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Today (Q4 trend): 161.1 million
That’s a clear and sustained rebound.
What Drove the Recovery?
Several forces converged in 2025 to restore momentum.
1. Pandemic Demand Is Finally Behind Us
Much of the demand pulled forward during the COVID era has now fully cycled through the system. As the industry lapped those years, comparisons became easier and organic growth re-emerged.
2. Registrars Shift Back to Growth
Verisign noted that registrars spent much of 2024 prioritizing revenue per user over new customer acquisition. In 2025, that focus shifted back to customer and registration growth, helping expand the base.
3. Smarter Incentives From Verisign
Verisign refined its registrar rebate programs. Instead of emphasizing only year-over-year volume increases, newer incentives focused on:
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registration quality
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longer-term retention
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diversified growth metrics
These programs were visible throughout the year, with many registrars offering .com registrations below the standard $10.26 wholesale price.
4. Aggressive Promotions
Promotional pricing played a meaningful role. One standout example was Unstoppable Domains, which — after pivoting from Web3-only roots — sold .com domains for as little as $5 for much of the year. That strategy helped it add roughly 20,000 registrations per month.
While Unstoppable represents only a small slice of the overall market, similar promotions across multiple registrars collectively fueled demand.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Growth is likely to continue, but it won’t be without challenges. One notable headwind is the collapse of Google AdSense for Domains, which removes a monetization incentive that historically supported speculative registrations.
Still, with registrars refocused on growth, improved incentive structures, and continued global demand for trusted digital identities, .com enters 2026 on firmer footing than it has in years.
Bottom line:
2025 marked a turning point. After two years of contraction, .com proved once again why it remains the backbone of the global domain ecosystem.