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Most Popular Top-Level Domains List for 2026

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Key Takeaways 🔍

The .com TLD is the most popular option worldwide with over 163 million total registrations
Country code TLDs (ccTLDs) often enhance local SEO visibility for businesses targeting specific markets
China (.cn), Germany (.de), and the UK (.uk) are the most commonly used ccTLDs
Secure a .com domain through registrars like Wix for between $10 and $20 per year
Some website builders, such as Wix, include a year’s free custom domain name and TLD as part of your subscription
Set reminders to renew your registration annually to prevent expiration and avoid competitors from purchasing your domain

What Is a Top-Level Domain?

A top-level domain, also known as a TLD or domain extension, is the end part of your web address. It identifies the purpose of the website. For example, .com is often used by businesses, whereas .edu is for educational institutions.

There are four main types of TLDs to understand:

Type	Meaning	Examples
Generic TLDs (gTLDs)	Classic domain extensions used by a variety of websites worldwide	.com .net
Country code TLDs (ccTLDs)	Two-letter domains referring to countries	.us .uk
Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs)	Domains with restricted use that are usually managed by select groups, like the US government	.edu .gov
New generic TLDs (new gTLDs)	New extensions for niche purposes and industries	.store .tech

Google treats most TLDs equally, although specific ccTLDs (such as .us or .ch) act as a direct indicator of your location and geographical targeting for local search results.

Wix table showing domain extension pricing — Wix offers a variety of top-level domains for your website. Source: Wix

What Is the Most Popular TLD?

.com is the most popular TLD in 2025, powering 43.7% of websites worldwide as of September 2025 (Statistica).

With .com being one of the oldest and most well-known TLDs available, it’s favored by most when choosing a domain name. From blogs to online stores, .com is desirable since it’s recognizable and trusted by people browsing online.

What Are Other Common TLDs Besides .com?

While the .com TLD dominates the market, there are other common TLDs, such as .org, .net, and .co. In addition, select country-specific TLDs are among the most popular TLDs in 2025, including .cn for China.

What Are the Most Popular Top-Level Domains by Country (ccTLDs)?

As of 2025, .cn (China) is the most popular ccTLD. Country-specific TLDs work for websites and businesses operating in that country that are looking to target the local audience.

According to a report from Domain Name Industry Brief in March 2026, these are the most popular top-level domains by country:

Rank	ccTLD	Country	Registrations
1	.cn	China	20.9M
2	.de	Germany	17.9M
3	.uk	United Kingdom	10.4M
4	.ru	Russia	6.9M
5	.nl	Netherlands	6.1M
6	.br	Brazil	5.6M
8	.fr	France	4.4M
7	.au	Australia	4.3M
9	.in	India	4M
10	.eu	Europe	3.7M

Did You Know? 💭

Some ccTLDs have restricted use. For example, .us can only be used by US citizens or businesses with a presence in the country. In comparison, ccTLDs like .tk (Tokelau) and .ai (Anguilla) are open globally. .ai domain registrations have surged due to tech industry demand, currently generating approximately $3 million in monthly revenue for Anguilla.

What Are the Most Popular Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)?

.com is the world’s most popular generic TLD, accounting for 163.6 million registrations as of March 2026. With .com being the go-to domain for most personal sites and businesses, it’s not surprising to see it being used by trusted brands, such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Popular TLDs like .com are trusted more by users, leading to higher click-through rates (CTR) from search results.

Which top-level domain should I pick?

I’d always recommend choosing the .com TLD if it’s available. It’s memorable, trusted, and professional. If you don’t register the .com extension for your business’s name, someone else might. This could confuse visitors and customers, especially since most people will naturally type your web address with .com at the end if they don’t know you’re using another TLD.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

According to a report from Domain Name Industry Brief in March 2026, these are the most popular gTLDs to use:

Rank	gTLD	Registrations	Best for
1	.com	163.6M	General use, professional sites, online businesses
2	.net	12.4M	Tech businesses and startups
3	.org	11.7M	Non-profit organizations, charities, community projects
4	.xyz	8.1M	Unique brands
5	.top	6.1M	Industry leaders and experts
6	.info	5.2M	Informational websites
7	.shop	3.9M	Online stores, retail
8	.online	3.3M	General use, online businesses
9	.store	2.1M	Online stores
10	.site	1.7M	General use, online businesses

Top-Level Domain Registration: How To Secure Your TLD

Secure a TLD by selecting a registrar, choosing a brand-aligned domain name, and ensuring annual renewal to prevent expiration. Here are the key steps involved:

1. Choose Your Domain Name Registrar

Find a dedicated domain name registrar or choose a website builder, like Wix, that bundles a domain name with its website builder plans. While Wix provides a free custom domain for the first year of your subscription, this will renew at the standard market rate ($10-$20/year for .com).

2. Decide on a Domain Name

Brainstorm a few domain name ideas since not every option will be available, but it’s best to focus on names that match your brand or personality and vision.

3. Select the TLD You Want

A .com TLD is your best option, but see what other alternatives are available too, depending on your target market and website needs.

4. Purchase Your Domain Name

A .com domain with Wix can cost $13.35 per year, but the average domain name cost is around $10 to $20.

Page to connect your domain in Wix's dashboard showing domain availability — The domain extension I wanted wasn’t available, so Wix offered a list of alternatives. Source: Wix

Top Tip 💡

If you want to keep your domain name and TLD secure, remember to renew your registration each year to avoid it expiring. If you don’t pay, someone else could snap up your domain, which could cause a real headache for businesses and customers alike.

What’s the Best Top-Level Domain for You?

The .com extension is the global industry standard, used by almost half of websites globally to maximize brand trust and click-through rates. Alternatively, if you’re looking to target a local audience, a ccTLD will benefit your local SEO, whereas if you’re running a charity, a .org TLD might be more suitable.

Competition for domain names is fierce, so use Wix’s free domain name generator to see what’s available, within your budget, and suited to your website needs.

FAQs

.ai is currently the gold standard for companies focused on artificial intelligence, whereas .io is a more versatile option for general SaaS and software brands. .ai and .io are the most popular domain extensions for tech brands, so you should choose based on your core product.

While Google treats TLDs equally, switching (e.g. .net to .com) is considered a domain migration and can therefore cause temporary ranking drops while Google reindexes your site.

To minimize the SEO impact of changing your TLD, set up 301 redirects, update internal links to use your new domain, and resubmit your sitemap.

Consider using another creditable TLD, such as .net, .org, or .co, since these are widely recognized and trusted. If you’re set on using .com, you can tweak your domain name by adding a verb or using a different spelling until the combination becomes available.

Written by:

Emma Ryan Writer

Emma is Lead Writer at Website Builder Expert, having first joined the team in 2022. She manages the website's topical content strategy to help website owners navigate the highs and lows of being online. Emma also specializes in following the development of leading website builders Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify, through hands-on testing and research. Her work and expertise have been featured in Startups.co.uk, Digiday, TechRound, Industry Today, and Digital Information World.