Domaining Health Check: Q4 2025 Industry Analysis
"In God we trust; all others must bring data."
12 min read
TL;DR - Industry Health Summary
- Global domain registrations reached 378.5M in Q3 2025, up 4.5% year-over-year after a flat 2024
- The .com zone file shows steady growth with ~166M second-level domains and net positive daily additions
- New gTLDs are the fastest-growing segment (+17.4% YoY) while .ai emerges as the breakout extension
- Domain aftermarket remains healthy with major marketplaces showing consistent listing growth
What You'll Learn
Global Overview
Industry-wide registration trends and growth patterns across all TLDs
.com Zone Analysis
Daily additions, removals, and total domain counts from zone file data
TLD Performance
Which extensions are thriving: .ai, .io, .xyz, .app, and emerging players
Marketplace Activity
Tracking domain listings across major sales platforms and venues
Global Domain Registration Overview
Global domain registrations are growing modestly overall, with noticeable acceleration in 2025 after a flat patch in 2024. The strongest momentum is in ccTLDs and new gTLDs rather than legacy .com/.net.
Q3 2025 Global Snapshot
Total Registrations
378.5M
Q3 2025 across all TLDs
Quarterly Growth
+1.8%
+6.8M vs Q2 2025
Year-over-Year
+4.5%
+16.2M from Q3 2024
2030 Forecast
3-3.5%
Expected annual CAGR
TLD Segment Comparison (Late 2024-2025)
| Segment | Approx. Base | Recent Trend | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All TLDs | 378.5M (Q3 2025) | +1.8% QoQ; +4.5% YoY | Growth re-accelerated vs 2024 |
| .com + .net | ~171-172M (Q3 2025) | Low single-digit YoY | Large but mature, strong renewal |
| Other Legacy gTLDs | 17.3M (Q3 2024) | ~+1.3% YoY | Slow, stable |
| ccTLDs | ~140M (Q3 2024) | ~+1.4-2.2% YoY | Solid growth, regional variation |
| New gTLDs | 35.4M (Q3 2024) | +2.4% QoQ; +17.4% YoY | Highest percentage growth; lower renewals |
Key Insight
Q3 2024 was essentially flat quarter-on-quarter at roughly 362.3 million domains, up only 0.8% year-over-year, indicating that growth re-accelerated in 2025 from a sluggish 2024 base. Within .com/.net, Q3 2025 new creates were 10.6M versus 9.3M a year prior, with a renewal rate around the mid-70% range.
.com Zone File Analysis
Data Source & Methodology
The following data is derived from our own daily downloads and processing of the .com zone file, which is publicly available through ICANN's Centralized Zone Data Service (CZDS). Anyone can request access and independently verify these figures.
The zone file contains the authoritative list of all .com domains with active nameserver records. Important caveat: The zone file does not contain 100% of registered .com domains, as a very small number of registered domains may not have nameservers configured. However, this represents an extremely tiny fraction and the data provides an accurate picture of active .com domain trends.
Daily Additions
~140-165K
Average new domains appearing in zone file daily
Daily Removals
~110-130K
Domains removed from zone file daily
Total SLDs
~166M
Second-level domains in .com zone file
.com Zone File Daily Activity (Aug-Dec 2025)
.com Total Second-Level Domains (Aug-Dec 2025)
TLD Performance: Winners and Losers
.ai - The Breakout Star
~900K+
Registrations (Oct 2025)~1% weekly
Growth rate- Grew from ~50K (2018) to 900K+ (late 2025)
- On track to exceed 1M in early 2026
- Driven by AI startups and serious end-user usage, not bulk speculation
- Backend moved to Identity Digital in Jan 2025
.io - Mature and Steady
~1.6M
Registrations (late 2024)~0.7%
Recent growth- Still widely used and liquid in tech/startup space
- Growth has slowed compared to .ai (~7.8% growth)
- Losing relative momentum and narrative share to .ai
- Remains a startup-tech default choice
.xyz - Volume Play
4.8-5.5M
Registrations (mid-2025)~28K/day
New registrations- One of the largest ngTLDs by registration count
- GMO/Onamae driving massive volume (~2.5x growth in past year)
- Ultra-cheap first-year pricing (~$2) at many registrars
- Aftermarket shifting from volume to quality: fewer sales but higher prices ($4.4K avg)
.app & .dev - Slow and Healthy
~800K+
.app registrationsSteady
Growth pattern- .app: Strong SaaS/consumer app adoption, healthier renewal rates
- .dev: Security-enforced (HTTPS-only), strong developer affinity
- Both behave as serious, brand-oriented strings
- .dev punches above its registration count in usage/build-out
Emerging Niches: .bot & .now
.bot
- ~18K total registrations (2024 snapshot)
- Only ~33 active registrars
- Extreme concentration: Namecheap holds ~43% of DUM
- Followed by Dynadot (~7%) and 101domain (~6%)
.now
- ~14K registrations (mid-2025)
- Google-run string, very small but interesting; see MS.Now
- ~2.7K new regs over 90 days (~30/day)
- Dynadot, Namecheap, Spaceship, Porkbun hold >75% of names
Registrar-Level Winners in Dev/Tech TLDs
Gaining Share
- Namecheap: Second-largest registrar overall, major holder for .ai, .xyz, .io, .bot, .now
- GMO/Onamae: Clear .xyz volume winner, driving TLD's recent growth
- Cloudflare & Porkbun: Gaining share via at-cost/low-margin pricing
- Dynadot: Strong in long-tail dev/startup users
Underrepresented
- Traditional SMB-oriented registrars appear under-represented in .ai/.io/.xyz/.app/.dev/.bot/.now
- Developers and domainers cluster around Namecheap, Cloudflare, Porkbun, Dynadot, and GMO
- .io-focused registrars not seeing same incremental lift as those leaning into .ai and high-growth ngTLDs
Domain Marketplace Activity
The domain aftermarket is growing this year, with platforms thriving that have strong registrar integration, fast-transfer networks, and clear positioning (premium .com, brandables, or liquid tech/ccTLDs).
Marketplace Data Methodology
The marketplace listing counts below are derived from our own scans of the .com zone file, identifying domains using nameservers associated with each marketplace (e.g., ns1.afternic.com, ns1.sedoparking.com). These are not official statistics published by the marketplaces themselves. The underlying zone file data is publicly verifiable via ICANN CZDS. Note that not all listed domains on a marketplace necessarily use that marketplace's nameservers, so actual listing counts may differ.
2025 Aftermarket Size
~$0.68B
Global aftermarket estimated value
2033 Projection
~$1.17B
~6% annual growth expected
.com Domains using Major Marketplaces Landing Page (Aug-Dec 2025)
Landing Page Breakdown: .com Nameservers (December 2025)
The nameservers indicate which landing page a domain uses when visitors type it in. A domain for sale may use a marketplace landing page or a custom one. Note that domains are often listed on multiple marketplaces simultaneously - this data only reflects the landing page nameserver choice.
| Marketplace | Nameserver Pattern | .com Domains | Market Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy/Afternic Network | afternic, dan, undeveloped | ~4.7M | Dominant |
| Dynadot | dyna-ns.net | ~790K | Growing |
| Spaceship | spaceship.net | ~609K | Growing Fast |
| Sedo | sedoparking.com | ~525K | Established |
| Atom/Squadhelp | atom.com, squadhelp.com | ~651K | Brandables Leader |
| Efty | eftydns.com | ~173K | Niche |
| BrandBucket | brandbucket.com | ~144K | Brandables |
Who's Winning in the Aftermarket
GoDaddy/Afternic Network
Still the primary global liquidity pool for priced .com and mainstream inventory. Benefits from registrar dominance and integrated "List for Sale" tools that pull retail registrants in automatically.
Sedo + SedoMLS
Strong in Europe and for ccTLDs/long-tail. Continues to handle large inventory (20M+ listed domains) and benefits from MLS-style syndication through registrar partners.
Registrar-Native Marketplaces
Dynadot, Namecheap, and others growing fast in expired and user auctions, especially in .ai, ccTLD, and ngTLD niches. Dynadot's "triple-power" strategy (list on Dynadot + Sedo + Afternic) gaining traction.
Brandable Platforms
Squadhelp/Atom and similar platforms thriving in high-touch startup naming. Strong demand from tech and SaaS startups with strong pricing power on curated .com and brandable inventory.
Key Takeaways
Positive Signals
- Growth Rebound: Industry recovering from flat 2024, with 4.5% YoY growth
- .com Stability: Zone file shows consistent net positive daily additions
- ngTLD Momentum: New gTLDs contributing disproportionate share of growth (+17.4% YoY)
- .ai Breakout: AI trend driving real end-user demand, not just speculation
- Healthy Aftermarket: $0.68B market with 6% projected annual growth
Watch Points
- ngTLD Renewals: Lower renewal rates (mid-30%) vs legacy TLDs (mid-70%)
- .io Slowdown: Growth slowing as .ai captures narrative in tech/startup space
- .xyz Quality: Massive volume but promo-driven churn
- Registrar Concentration: Dev-centric TLDs heavily concentrated at few registrars
- Forecast Uncertainty: Long-term projections carry significant uncertainty
Data Sources & Further Reading
Official Sources
- VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief
- ICANN Reports and Statistics
- .com Zone File (available via CZDS)