{
  "_meta": {
    "dataset": "com_price_increase_2026",
    "purpose": "Verisign's .com wholesale price history, and the verified retail renewal price of every tracked registrar recorded BEFORE the 1 November 2026 increase — the baseline against which pass-through is measured afterwards.",
    "cost_floor_note": "cost_floor is the wholesale registry fee plus ICANN's per-domain-year transaction fee: what a .com costs a registrar before any margin. margin_over_cost below zero means the registrar sells the renewal at a loss.",
    "projection_note": "renewal_if_passed_through is arithmetic, not a forecast. No registrar has stated its intent.",
    "baseline_recorded": "2026-08-19",
    "site": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com",
    "license": {
      "name": "CC BY 4.0",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "label": "ICANN — .com Registry Agreement",
        "url": "https://www.icann.org/en/registry-agreements/com"
      },
      {
        "label": "Domain Name Wire — Verisign .com contract extension (2024)",
        "url": "https://domainnamewire.com/2024/11/27/verisign-inks-com-contract-extension-with-icann/"
      },
      {
        "label": "Domain Name Wire — Verisign raising wholesale .com prices (2026)",
        "url": "https://domainnamewire.com/2026/04/23/breaking-verisign-raising-wholesale-com-prices/"
      },
      {
        "label": "ICANN — registrar fees",
        "url": "https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/registrar-fees-2016-06-17-en"
      }
    ]
  },
  "registry_operator": "Verisign",
  "tld": ".com",
  "currency": "USD",
  "wholesale_now": {
    "effective": "2025-01-01",
    "price": 10.26,
    "change_pct": 0,
    "note": "Held through 2025 and most of 2026 — years in which no increase was permitted"
  },
  "wholesale_next": {
    "effective": "2026-11-01",
    "price": 10.97,
    "change_pct": 7,
    "note": "Announced April 2026",
    "status": "announced"
  },
  "increase_amount": 0.71,
  "icann_transaction_fee": 0.18,
  "cost_floor": 10.44,
  "increase_cap_note": "The registry agreement with ICANN, alongside the US NTIA cooperative agreement, permits increases of up to 7% per year in specified years. Verisign has taken each permitted increase.",
  "registrars_tracked": 6,
  "registrars": [
    {
      "registrar_id": "spaceship",
      "registrar_name": "Spaceship",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/spaceship/",
      "renewal_before": 10.18,
      "margin_over_cost": -0.26,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": -2.5,
      "below_cost": true,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 10.89,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://www.spaceship.com/domains/"
    },
    {
      "registrar_id": "dynadot",
      "registrar_name": "Dynadot",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/dynadot/",
      "renewal_before": 10.88,
      "margin_over_cost": 0.44,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": 4.2,
      "below_cost": false,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 11.59,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://www.dynadot.com/domain/prices"
    },
    {
      "registrar_id": "porkbun",
      "registrar_name": "Porkbun",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/porkbun/",
      "renewal_before": 11.08,
      "margin_over_cost": 0.64,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": 6.1,
      "below_cost": false,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 11.79,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://porkbun.com/products/domains"
    },
    {
      "registrar_id": "namesilo",
      "registrar_name": "NameSilo",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/namesilo/",
      "renewal_before": 17.29,
      "margin_over_cost": 6.85,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": 65.6,
      "below_cost": false,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 18,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://www.namesilo.com/pricing"
    },
    {
      "registrar_id": "namecheap",
      "registrar_name": "Namecheap",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/namecheap/",
      "renewal_before": 18.48,
      "margin_over_cost": 8.04,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": 77,
      "below_cost": false,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 19.19,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://www.namecheap.com/domains/"
    },
    {
      "registrar_id": "hover",
      "registrar_name": "Hover",
      "url": "https://www.best-domain-registrars.com/registrars/hover/",
      "renewal_before": 18.99,
      "margin_over_cost": 8.55,
      "margin_over_cost_pct": 81.9,
      "below_cost": false,
      "renewal_if_passed_through": 19.7,
      "last_checked": "2026-08-19",
      "source_url": "https://www.hover.com/domain-pricing"
    }
  ]
}